Harrods
If overpriced home wares, overpriced food and over decorated escalators are your kinds of things, you may feel right at home at Harrods. However for the budget traveler, the only really exciting thing about Harrods is that entry is free. Everything else is exorbitantly expensive.
Now, most people go for the Dodi Al Fayed and Princess Diana memorials and that is all well and good. Since Dodi’s father is the owner of Harrods, there is that link. But personally, one word came to mind when I saw the memorials… one of my new favourite British words. Naff. They were cheesy. There was one sculpture of Dodi and Diana prancing around with birds which was bordering on ridiculous, as well as a wishing fountain with photos of the pair. You could also still sign a condolence book- now the loss of a child is a horrible thing, but people in the real world have to move on as much as they can after loss. It’s years and years since Diana and Dodi’s death and Mohamed Al Fayed is still asking people to sign a condolence book for his son. Yet another luxury of the rich.
Now, it might sound that I am being completely negative towards Harrods. While most of the place is no different to your typical too-expensive department store, the building is quite beautiful and very historical. The trouble is that the place is still set up as a shop and hasn’t made a huge effort to capitalize on its long history. Maybe if there was more historical information around the store it would be more interesting. You can read a brief history on the Harrods website.
Walking around the store there are hits and misses- some parts are interesting, others are just passé. The Egyptian escalator is one of the main features in the store and is very decorative but reminded me of a Las Vegas casino, even though I have never been to Vegas - but many of the other escalators are dead boring and need a bit of dolling up. The food hall is also cool with great design, but very expensive. Sandwiches were ₤13 ($28 AU approx!) so make sure you eat before you go otherwise your stomach will be grumbling while you look longingly at the gourmet food selection. The toy section is also kind of groovy, with demonstrators showing how things work, and the pet shop has amazing clothes and toys as well as cute little animals to look at as well. If you want a souvenier of your visit to one of the world’s most famous department stores, you have a huge choice in the Harrods store. There is a large range of stuffed animals of various species with Harrods jumpers on. The magic of the Harrods brand is that it can turn a stuffed dog that you would normally refuse to pay a few bucks for in to something worth at least ₤7. And that is what the tourists really come to see- the magic of a brand that has captivated the world. I personally wasn’t won over, maybe because I am a tightarse who would never dream of paying over $25 AU for bath towels that were on sale at Harrods for ₤40 ($100 AU approx).
Now, most people go for the Dodi Al Fayed and Princess Diana memorials and that is all well and good. Since Dodi’s father is the owner of Harrods, there is that link. But personally, one word came to mind when I saw the memorials… one of my new favourite British words. Naff. They were cheesy. There was one sculpture of Dodi and Diana prancing around with birds which was bordering on ridiculous, as well as a wishing fountain with photos of the pair. You could also still sign a condolence book- now the loss of a child is a horrible thing, but people in the real world have to move on as much as they can after loss. It’s years and years since Diana and Dodi’s death and Mohamed Al Fayed is still asking people to sign a condolence book for his son. Yet another luxury of the rich.
Now, it might sound that I am being completely negative towards Harrods. While most of the place is no different to your typical too-expensive department store, the building is quite beautiful and very historical. The trouble is that the place is still set up as a shop and hasn’t made a huge effort to capitalize on its long history. Maybe if there was more historical information around the store it would be more interesting. You can read a brief history on the Harrods website.
Walking around the store there are hits and misses- some parts are interesting, others are just passé. The Egyptian escalator is one of the main features in the store and is very decorative but reminded me of a Las Vegas casino, even though I have never been to Vegas - but many of the other escalators are dead boring and need a bit of dolling up. The food hall is also cool with great design, but very expensive. Sandwiches were ₤13 ($28 AU approx!) so make sure you eat before you go otherwise your stomach will be grumbling while you look longingly at the gourmet food selection. The toy section is also kind of groovy, with demonstrators showing how things work, and the pet shop has amazing clothes and toys as well as cute little animals to look at as well. If you want a souvenier of your visit to one of the world’s most famous department stores, you have a huge choice in the Harrods store. There is a large range of stuffed animals of various species with Harrods jumpers on. The magic of the Harrods brand is that it can turn a stuffed dog that you would normally refuse to pay a few bucks for in to something worth at least ₤7. And that is what the tourists really come to see- the magic of a brand that has captivated the world. I personally wasn’t won over, maybe because I am a tightarse who would never dream of paying over $25 AU for bath towels that were on sale at Harrods for ₤40 ($100 AU approx).
posted by Ashlee at 5:32 pm
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