Over-the-Top Shopping at Harrods of London

The sign read: “The ultimate in-home security, the Safe and Panic Room.” Boy, was I relieved that I could check that off my Christmas list.

As many as 15 million shoppers descend on Harrods each year, but on my recent visit to London, I came and gawked. Gawked at the panic room, gawked at the 24k carat Kleenex box, and gawked at the video gaming throne listed at a mere $30,000.  But I was sucked in, engulfed, and consumed by this beloved retail behemoth for six hours. I came in the daylight of morning and left in the dark of evening as a soft London rain was beginning to fall and cabbies were lined up near the exits to scrape up the weary who had scaled the Mount Everest of department stores.

The History

Located on Brompton Road, Harrods takes up an entire block spanning 5.5 acres and occupying 1.1 million square feet. It has such a wide footprint that it boasts its own zip code. Founded by Charles Henry Harrod in 1849, over its lifetime it’s been sold numerous times to different investors. Today the 10,000-employee enterprise is owned by the Arab state of Qatar. In 2017 the store made over $2 billion in sales. So, if you make a purchase, you’ll be contributing your share to the government of Qatar. I certainly did.

How Big?

Before you begin your shop, don comfortable footwear. After all, you’ll be wandering through more than three hundred departments on eight floors. You’ll discover peculiar turns that lead into neon hallways and secret corridors nestled between them. It’s like going through a cornfield maze except you’re meandering around neo-classical columns and polished mirrors.

The oldest and most famous store in the British empire is so big that even the employees don’t know where other departments are. When I asked where the Moroccan spa was, employees shot me an incredulous look as if to say, “You’ve got to be kidding. We have a Moroccan spa?” Halfway through my shopping spree, I thought it would be nice to get a massage since my feet were killing me. But nobody knew where the spa was even though it was listed on the directory.

Lavish Goods

What is unique about Harrods is that departments are niche in nature, and each one is fashioned like a showroom. If you need a pen, saunter to the Pen Department. In fact, Harrod bestows a Pen of the Year Award to one lucky fine instrument company. If you have $3,000 to spare, you can be the proud owner of the Sparta, a silver Viking-themed pen by Graf von Faber-Castell. The limited edition comes in its own hinged black lacquer box that you can set atop your drawing room table. You have no drawing room, you say? Well, poor you.

Labels such as Gucci, Dior, and Chanel are flaunted in the women’s department like a teenage girl showing off her football captain boyfriend. And among the many dresses, blouses, coats and skirts, the Superbrands women’s department is found down another passage for the gal who yearns for something exclusive like a Dior lace gown at $18,000.

And nobody, I mean nobody, is left out of the designer orbit. The infant and children’s sections feature their own Mini Superbrands. Little ones can be bedazzled by the likes of Uncle Gucci and Aunty Armani. I found the metallic green leather Gucci oxfords for toddlers irresistible. Now, all Gucci has to do is produce a matching briefcase for our future Wall St. barons.

In some sense, Harrods is like any other department store with familiar sections like “Housewares” and “Bedding.” But that’s where the similarities end. And if you want to buy a traditional kitchen appliance as a wedding gift, be prepared to fork out over $1,000 for a bright and shiny Smeg toaster designed by Dolce & Gabbana.

Tiptoeing inside the furniture department is like entering a fairytale castle. Take for instance the Italian design company, Baldi, which sells a $7,000, 24 carat gold gilded malachite tissue box. It happens to match the 24-carat gold and malachite coffee table and fireplace, each listed at approximately $130,000.

I asked the saleswoman if she has ever sold the fireplace, and she nodded enthusiastically, “Oh yes … several.” And she gave me her business card with a smile.

Extra Special Goods

Harrods loves to attract discerning buyers with plenty of bling and limited-edition rarities. The technology section touts a Harrods-exclusive, flat-screen television with a 24-carat gold enclosure. Another Harrods exclusive is a pink Leica camera encrusted with Swarovski crystals.

In the book department, commanding the most attention was a hulking coffee table book about Ferrari sports cars for no less than $4,500. It was nestled in its own red carrying case in the shape of a Ferrari engine. Tall chrome legs resembling tail pipes (not included) held it steady so potential collectors could flip gingerly through the pages.

If you think nothing at Harrods is affordable, don’t let me lead you astray. I discovered a basement loaded with Harrods-branded trinkets Including chocolate, ornaments, aprons, lunch boxes, teddy bears, and more. This is where 90 percent of the customers were hiding. I was suddenly comfortable among the basement moles, feeling a sense of kinship with the battle worn shoppers from above-ground.

While I never did buy that panic room or the $30,000 video game throne, I was happy enough to get out of there with my $3 Harrods pen topped with a tiny crown. And emerging from those brass doors into the downpour with my green Harrods bag in hand, I felt like a queen.