lacking taste is an understatement. the decor of this place is appalling and does not deserve the reputation that it enjoys in America and east Asia as the ultimate pillar of british taste and society. this was the old reputation before house of fraser bought it...and certainly before al-fayed turned it into a vulgar souvenir shop.

in england it is commonly known as a joke of a place and any suggestion otherwise is wrong. British society, is understated and detests anything vulgar, garish or "mega".

sadly, i don't think that even americans are impressed with the crispy cream counter as they are now easily available in just about any mall or supermarket in the US. This is typical of how pathetic this place is...crispy creams were introduced with much fanfare just as they became uncool.

go to harrods if you must but beware that is is contrived for american tourists and has nothing to do with britain anymore. this place is a mob scene filled with people only wishing to buy a souvenir with the harrods name on it and score a little green and gold plastic bag.

BTW, i don't care for any of these places so i'm not trying to prove anything. just an observation on how this place now fits in with british culture.

"in england it is commonly known as a joke of a place and any suggestion otherwise is wrong. British society, is understated and detests anything vulgar, garish or "mega""

My dear, one goes shopping to purchase Prada, Jil Sander, etcetera... Harrods happens to be the only store that contains both under the same roof, it's convenient, and offers a fabulously well edited selection from virtually every major and not so major designers' collections. Obviously you have no idea about fashion, or the retail environments that it lends itself too. Having various designers side by side allows for comparison, and also helps one compose outfits and a wardrobe that can blend. It's very easy to buy something and find that it goes with nothing else in your wardrobe, however extensive it may be.

Please stop anglicising Krispy Kreme - it's a brand name - if you find "crispy cream" amusing, by all means chuckle away to yourself, but I find it far from it. It's like be calling Louis Vuitton , Lewis Veeton, I mean really you just show you have very little retail experience.

As for the Egyptian bits, one doesn't go to department stores for interior design ideas, one goes there for shopping, and Harrods offers the most pleasurable experience in the UK at present.

Finally,
Honest comments from the best of the best, Lol!
M

you are correct, i do not work in retail as you do. letting the term "retail experience" slip from your fingers just gave it all away! my dear.

99.9% of tourists do not go to harrods because they buy luxury goods that can't get anywhere else. they go there because of its reputation. A reputation that is hollow for the reasons i described.

A serious question...since al-fayed was denied citizenship, do you think he delights in how he turned the old harrods into a pillar of vulgarity? maybe he's saying ___ you to the establishment that denied him citizenship? if that's the case then good for him but i'm still staying away.

if "pleasant experience" means tripping over tourists yelling "hey look, marge this watch damn near costs 50,000 dollar pounds!!!" then enjoy it.

Walkinaround: anybody that says that Krisy Kremes are "out of style" needs to do some more "walkinaround!"

Krispy Kremes have been around since the 1940's-many of us grew up with the fresh hot ones, and love them still to this day. It is only in the last few years when the company went public that their stores exploded across the U.S.-and the rest of the country went crazy over them-odes were written about KK's in no less an august publication as the New Yorker.

In short, Krispy Kremes will never be "out of style."

You see, I don't work in retail at all, I just have a lot of experience with luxury brands and shopping!

Obviously you visited Harrods as a tourist and didn't get off of the ground floor - the other floors are quieter, more peaceful and offer their fabulous ranges. My dear, these people should go to Asprey to have their eyes truly opened.

On that note, I would like to encourage people to try Asprey's new ready to wear collections - available in a separate store incorporated into the original flagship, but with its own entrance in Abermarle St. Their trainers are fabulous quality and will always have a classic look, as do their immaculately cut suits, and classy casual-wear.

I adore Krispy Kremes.

I always have a box of twelve if people are coming over for a coffee. The flavoured ones are fun, yes they're a little synthetic tasting, but who cares - they're amusing, they're colourful, and have flavours a little removed from their natural counterparts. Who cares? I enjoy them. The normal ones have lots of sugar and fats I'm sure, well I'm still slim, so don't blame them for obesity.

7-10 seconds (not too much!!!) in the microwave brings them back to that "hot off the assembly line" state. Yum.

Mk2-you just can't win. Either people think you're working as a concierge at Claridge's or as a facilities attendant, or you're in retail at Harrod's! Whatever it is that people think, it gives me an intense fit of the giggles-just like SydneySteve telling you you needed to buy a banker's tie!

I know my dear, but they all forget that no employer would put up with all my input all day long. I'm flattered you think I'm a Claridge's concierge, I can assure you all that I'm not.

MK2-NOW I KNOW we have something in common! Anybody who loves the double K knows a good thing! (and I won't EVEN tell you how many grams of fat are in just one delicious glazed donut!)

Well...

All I can say is that Princess Diana enjoyed Harrod's before AND after it was owned by Al Fayed.

MK2-I've told you before, I DO NOT IN ANY WAY think these things about you-I KNOW you're not! I just think it intensely amusing that others do!

I had numerous encounters with the late Diana in the vicinity of Harrods. Once, she was running from a photographer (in the early days, early eighties) around the back of Harrods, and she bumped into me, knocking me flying.

spygirl...i'm aware that KK grew up out of a southern store dating way back. probably had a lot of charm.

when turning from these roots into a mass market endeavour, they relied on a marketing campaign that centred around the doughnuts being unavailable to most. when they did become available, the lines formed, stories in the news, etc. everyone was talking about them but few could get them. now they have exploded everywhere and are commonplace. you no longer have to travel anywhere to get them, and it's no longer impressive to tell your friends you have tried them as they are common now.

this is like planet hollywood...most people would visit one when on holiday in NYC or LV but when they expanded all over the place, they weren't special for people anymore. as a result these kinds of places are struggling and closing down outlets in non-key cities.

KK is experiencing the same thing. sales are down and the company is no longer a darling of wall street. they blame the atkins diet but it's really that they have just lost their magic and is nothing unique anymore. hence out of style. if they didn't "explode" then they would have remained in style maybe forever. unfortunately, it has lost its character in its attempt to be on every street corner. not an uncommon story.

I'm not one to eat what's in fashion, if I like something I'll eat it, I couldn't care about the financial strategy of a company. If I like their products, and their prices, I will enjoy them.

The recent downturn in the otherwise spectacularly rising KK stock is not saying much-in other words, profit-taking has something to do with this.

I maintain, Krispy Kreme is no longer a regional institution, but a national one-it will always be there, it will never be "out of style."

Perhaps KK is being affected by the low-carb craze....

I'm sure that has something to do with it, I think pizza/pasta chains are taking a stock downturn as a result of the "low-carb" craze as well. That's okay, I could never do low-carb-I couldn't live without pasta or pizza (or KK's for that matter-yes, thank you, I go to the gym!)

maybe you're right but i think it will be a challenge to do so as their major marketing assets (feeling that they are unattainable, the celebrity PR, queues at store openings, etc) will not continue when they are on every streetcorner.

maybe you'll say that it will succeed because the doughnuts are great but i think that's a little simplistic.

Walkinaround: They've succeeded since the 1940's-and if you've ever enjoyed a dozen fresh hot ones you WOULD say it's all about the donut.

By the way, Taggie, you do know that KK's are from a secret French Canadian recipe? Anybody that knows about donuts, knows that the French Canadians really know how to make a good donut!

Spygirl, Canadians (and not just the Francophones) know a lot of good stuff!:)

Oh, Spygirl knows a thing or two about the land up north, after all, she worked for the Federal Crown in Ottawa!

As an actual SPY???!!! :)

KK is in the financial toilet as are many US companies.
M

Oh Taggie! I'm so glad people don't know what I mean when I say that (except you Canucks of course!) (smile)

The Federal Crown is a supermarket chain, right, Taggie?

the magic explosion of KK was due to a brilliant PR campaign which created a fad. the explosion was NOT created by the doughnuts.

like all fads, they fade. i would not buy stock in KK or open a franchise.

this is no insult to the doughnuts.

Quite how their performance on the international markets has any relevance to their being in fashion mystifies me.

Stella McCartney produces collections that are on the whole coherent, and have a certain flowing elegance and distinctive style. Her company makes a loss every year and is only supported by Gucci. Her designs are very fashionable. Just because something or someone makes lots of money doesn't mean to say they're fashionable or a quality product. Learn the distinction.

i didn't imply that the amount of money made had anything to do with them being in style. i suspect KK was much more stylish when it was one shop making little money as compared to being in malls, supermarkets and on every corner. stella mccarney would cease to be stylish if she were available in ASDA/Wallmart, right? well this was my point about KK.

m2k, seriously, just be yourself. i'm sure you have a million great stories from working in these places over the years.

really, i'm not trying to be clever with this. just be real. so you saw all this stuff from the outside, nothing to be ashamed of. actually that makes it more interesting. with abs fab so lovable, you could be an icon here. i'm not kidding.

KK doughnuts are delish. Their image is kinda tacky, trailer trash IMO. But maybe that's also part of their appeal.

"Stella mccarney (sic)" wouldn't be able to produce clothes in the volumes required by a large international chain. However, supposing the same look could be achieved, they'd still be stylish garments, even if millions of people could now afford to own them. They'd no longer be so exclusive, but they'd still be stylish. Again you're confusing another concept, clothes are stylish due to their design, not their exclusivity.

"m2k, seriously, just be yourself. i'm sure you have a million great stories from working in these places over the years."

My dear, I've never worked in a shop, there's absolutely nothing wrong with working in a shop, just I don't. If you'd like me to pretend I do, I'm afraid I won't be able to fulfill your Miss Brahms or Mr Humphries fantasies.

yes, the southern "trailer-trash" style is another passing fad. so yes it is part of their appeal for the moment but that won't last for long either.

unlike the plastic versions in the malls, the real KK probably had this style but it was real and not manufactured, therefore it was charming and had real character.

Why are we focusing on its brand image, at the end of the day it's a doughnut, not a piece that's been slaved over for months and months by a great couturier. It costs a matter of pence, who's so fashion conscience that they have to consider ther merits of a particular brand of doughnut? I'm certainly not!

m2k, because that's how people are. whether right or wrong is not the issue.

why do people flock to harrods to buy a golf shirt bearing the harrods name? it's no better in style and quality than any shirt from a mediocre dept store at the mall. it's because they perceive it as exclusive. why do tacky gucci and LV design everything with their logos integrated. it's to say "i spent a lot for this bag" so that there is question about it in anyone's mind (except for the fact that there are a million fakes).

i didn't say i eat or not eat KK based on whether it's fashionable or not.

walkinround: you're way off base on the KK issue. I'd be willing to bet you dollars to donuts (no pun intended!) that KK will be around long after you're gone-proving that they're still "in style" just as they have been for over 60 years, so will they be long into the future. MK2 has a point, simply because they are no longer exclusive, does not mean that the product is not as good, or is no longer viable or desired-exclusivity has nothing to do with quality of product.

Fav Brits,
Love your comments.
Are you folks retired Brit Government "employees"?
M

mikemo: guess we're on different humour planets. explain...