10 May 2004

Too much of everything in visit to famed Harrods

Most of my adult life I've heard of the London department store Harrods of Knightsbridge. Mohamed Al Fayed is the guy who made this place the No. 1 travel destination for the SW1 (one of London's postal codes) part of the city.

Harrods' Web site says they have "more than 5,000 staff from over 50 different countries, and 330 departments on seven selling floors. A fleet of 47 delivery vehicles make up to 225,000 deliveries every year. 11,500 light bulbs turn Harrods into a beacon of light each night."

From a distance Harrods looks like a giant gold building. There were white lights all over the outside of it, and people were jammed into the door as if they were giving something away. The display windows wrapped all the way around the building. They reminded me of downtown Columbus and the Lazarus building's animated windows at Christmas time.

The Harrods window mannequins were dressed in expensive looking clothes ... the kind us Ohioans might wear to a Halloween party if we were rich or drunk or most likely both. They also had two huge displays with characters from the new Peter Pan movie and a large TV screen showing the film.

Everywhere we tried to walk we were shoved and pushed. Jay was in an absolute panic because he was sure Cat was going to get jerked out of our hands and lost. All I could think of was, "Why do people enjoy this?" The moment we could squeeze through the crowd that had forced us into the building we escaped back out onto the street, but not before I stole a quick glance at the elaborate crystal chandeliers that hung over the hallways.

This place is not for everybody; actually I don't know anybody it would appeal to in my social circle. One of the things Harrods advertises is that they can supply everything a debutante needs for "her presentation, not excluding an elegant chauffeured limousine to take her to the Palace. Or believe it or not, a baby elephant named Gertie was bought at Harrods as a present for Ronald Reagan." Or how about the popular Harrods bagpipers who play in the store every day? I might enjoy that if there was a place to stand to listen.

"From obvious luxuries like the finest (and most expensive) in jewelry (in the Room of Luxury), beauty treatment (in the Egyptian Hall) and interior design, to such lesser known services like valet parking and dog coat fitting, Harrods lives up to its world-wide reputation for providing 'all things, for all people, everywhere'." (Just once I'd like to see how someone does dog coat fitting, wouldn't you?)

Here is the list of departments by floor:

First Floor: Beauty, Bridalwear, Executive Suite and Ladies Fashion.

Second Floor: Carpets and Rugs, Sound and Vision, Antiques and the Picture Gallery.

Third Floor: Furniture, Home Entertainment, Homewares, Pianos and Musical Instruments.

Fourth Floor: Harrods World.

EVERY Floor: Food, Glorious Food! Start with the Green Man Pub on the Lower Ground and luxuriate your way up via Harrods Famous Deli, the Great American Bagel Factory, Café Punch and the Georgian Restaurant.

Fifth Floor: Where finally the Customer Accounts Bureau (I have no idea what this means but it sounds like the place where you pay the bill) will await you to round off an unforgettable experience!" (I have no idea what is on the seventh floor. Maybe that's where they keep the really expensive stuff.)

I never saw any of those swanky places though. It was too crowded ... too many choices ... and too crazy. I prefer the Buy Rite store in Hadleigh. It only has one floor, lots of markdowns, just the right amount of choices and a little cafeteria for a quick cup of tea. Nothing can beat life in a small town.

Annie Warmke lives in Hadleigh, England. She writes a weekly column on life in a small town. Someday in the not too distant future she intends to return to live at her farm near Philo, but for the time being she is a world citizen making friends in small towns wherever she goes. You can contact her at http://www.bluerockstation.com.