Only at Harrods

As a former department store employee, the overwhelming scene at Harrods, the most famous and expensive department store in London, if not the world, was a little too disturbingly familiar. Flashbacks of overstressed housewives shopping viciously for sales aside, the experience was unique in that Harrods wide range of products are among the most exquisite one can hope to find anywhere, let alone in one store.

Our introduction to the store began at in the Food Halls, which vast assortments of typical food as well as cuts of incredibly rare, and surely delectable, meats, in addition to a candy store that even Willy Wonka would be proud of. There were some odd food products including lobster-sized shrimp but the most unusual thing I came across was a suspiciously disgusting looking piece of Veal Liver from Holland, priced at a reasonable £ 24.95 per kg. This price is reasonable in comparison to other meat products sold nearby, the most eccentrically priced piece I saw was a Wagyu Beef Fillet from Australia/New Zealand (not exactly sure how it is from two countries, but I digress), which would set back its consumer £ 198.00 per kg. How any fillet can be so tasty to warrant that price tag is beyond, but so is way of Harrods.

As Sean and I made our way around the store, I can’t say that I was astounded by how overpriced the clothing was, but this is mostly due to the fact that we were there during their Summer Sale, so most of the garment’s were priced at rates attainable even to us common folk. However as we made our way into different departments, the ridiculous and pretentious nature of the store became more apparent through both the products and their prices. Among the more interesting items we came across were a personal handheld Sea Doo, a mat made to simulate the feeling of lying on a bed of nails and a foosball set with the players ranging from Satan to the Queen of Hearts to David Beckham. These products pale in comparison to the two most absurd items I found in the store, both in the home decoration department. The first was a quite cheap looking six-foot tall robot priced, on sale, for £ 11,000 and a crystal waterfall chandelier, also on sale, for £ 89,000. I could never understand why anyone would pay such extravagant prices for such useless items, so I have given up even bothering to rationalize it to myself, but again so is the way of Harrods.

I’ll end my post with an interesting anecdote that I truly believe could only have occurred in Harrods. In the watch department, I was startled by the sight of a Muslim woman in a full, head-to-toe, face-covered burka perusing the selection of diamond encrusted watches, most of which were priced upwards of £ 10,000. The sight was so bizarre that I had to take a picture, after which I was immediately approached by a security guard who told me I had to delete the picture for security reasons. I told him I understood and fumbled with my camera to make it seem like I was, but there was no way I could delete such a brilliant juxtaposition of outdated tradition and modern opulence. I made my way out with the picture still on my memory card, security guard none the wiser, and I present it to you below. Only at Harrods.