Shopping at Harrods

Today was designated as SHOPPING DAY. Since I am leaving England in a couple of days, I decided that today I would visit the vaunted shopping establishments of England. Some famous person once said that: “The English are a nation of shoppers”. Too true, as there are millions of shops here, catering to all possible tastes. The plan was to first visit Harrods, then Covent Garden and then Soho Covent Garden. But things did not turn out quite as expected.

I left the flat this morning, minus my partner in crime since she was feeling a bit under the weather. First stop was Putney, where I cashed the last of my travellers’ checks and transferred another R2700 to my local bank account. And with money in hand, off I went. Getting off at Knights Bridge Station, I had my first view of the world famous Harrods. And plastered along the walls, every shoppers dream: SALE, SALE, SALE! Yippee, a shopping we will go, a shopping we will go. Hi, ho, the merry-o, a shopping we will go.

Harrods is huge. Think Friedman and Cohen, only five times as big and ten times as posh. They have everything, from children’s toys to the most delicate crystal-ware the human mind can conceive. And do not get me started on the food court. After 5 min I had to run away so badly was I drooling. Basically there are six floors, with nearly half of available floor space dedicated to women. The men have in total about one floor which contains clothes, cologne (by the way, after today I smell really good, even if I say so myself) and various manly accessories. Then nearly 3 floors are dedicated to the creature that is woman. High fashion, lingerie, jewellery, one whole floor dedicated to fragrances and cosmetics, accessories and shoes; lots and lots of shoes. Then there are sections for children, food, books, electronics, cd’s and dvd’s, indoor design, outdoor design, carpets, crystal ware and antiques.

I spent about 45 minutes in the crystal ware section. Holy cow but it is amazing what people can do with sand. Then it was off to the book store, where they had a 3 for 2 sale. Agony! So many books, so little money and even less space. AAARRRGGGHH! Then I made the mistake of walking into the men’s clothing department. Very snazzy stuff, with all of the big brands represented. And then you see the prices. Take for example the simple wish to buy a scarf. Firstly one has to find the bloody piece of clothing. After being sent from the first floor, to the fourth floor, back to the first floor (but different part), to the basement and finally back to where I started, I was starting to get hot under the collar. At least after all that trouble I had found the damn things; in the basement and on the first floor. The basement is dedicated to brand name men’s fashion. So when I saw the price attached to the scarf I was shocked, but not surprised. Guess how much it cost. £109.95. For a bloody scarf! I mean, how big a piece of material is it?!? So I walked back to the 1st floor, where the more common men’s clothes hang. After all, I reasoned, it should be cheaper right. Ha ha. The scarf I found there cost £189,95. That is more than R2000 for a piece of material that won’t even cover my nakedness; on a cold day. So the scarf idea was dropped.

One good thing about hunting for the scarf is that I got to explore Harrods from top to bottom. I must admit, the staff is very friendly and helpful. They will go out of their way to help you find stuff. Also, I got to see the really, really posh, hob nobby expensive jewellery. The kind that at first you think, R6730? For such a necklace, that is reasonable. Then you see, no, the prefix is not an R, it is an £ sign. And there is a different vibe that you get if you walk into an area where the average price tag is that of a small country. Especially if you don’t really belong there. Most people don’t know this, but I have recently let my facial hair have their way, and consequently I look a bit scruffy, but in an adorable sort of way. Also, I was wearing jeans and sneakers, while most people there have trouble bending over so stiffly pressed are their suits. But you know me, oblivious to the world, mouth hanging open at all the pretties. Only when I got to the exact centre of the room did I notice that stiff silence that the people in the room were NOT giving off. But, seeing as I was already half way in, I had to stick it out and walk halfway back out again. Although I did do it a bit more adroitly.

All in all, my visit to Harrods was very satisfying. I got to buy a lot of stuff, although the weird thing was that although there was a sale on, I still managed to buy everything that was not on sale. Unfortunately after walking 6 floors up and down several times, I was bushed. So I decided to postpone my visit to Covent garden and go home to write this blog. Plus, when I go to Covent Garden, I want to take Natalie along because she has been there before and she has to show me all the cool shops that I would normally be guaranteed to miss.

Ah, but the best part of the day came as I was walking home. I noticed across the roadway that a new shop had opened. A shop dedicated to South African goods. So I walked over and lo and behold. With angels singing quietly in the background and a ray of pure light illuminating it, I saw a packet of Eat-sum-mores. No matter that it cost £1.45, I immediately bought a packet. Went straight home, made coffee for Natalie and myself, offered her some of my cookies and I showed her the stuff I had bought at Harrods.

And so ends this post. Tune in tomorrow as Natalie and I visit Battersea dogshome.