I have been reading about the strict dress codes inside Harrods? Are you allow to bring a backpack inside? Do they charge you to take a pee? Has anyone reading this ever been refused entry? Also, is Portobello Road Market and Camden Lock Market worth a visit? Which one is better?

I spent many hours in Harrod's in a sweatshirt, jeans, and backpack last November. The British are extremely friendly! The store itself is beautiful and expensive, but there are so many tourists dressed in many different outfits, so it doesn't matter what you wear. I never had to pay to use the restroom. Hope this helps!

Harrods (and most other posh London stores) is not snobby at all. And once you are there you will understand the pay toilets. The place is absolutely mobbed with looky loos (not in the British sense of the word) most of the time. It can be a real zoo. If they didn't have pay toilets there would be massive queues.

I have always been very well treated in Harrods - and in Liberty, Harvey Nic's and Fortnum and Mason. Whether I was buying one Chocolate truffle or a £150 enamel box - I got the same attentive service.

The dress code is over emphasized by folks who have probably not been there - it is more of a tool so they CAN oust folks, not that they do very often.

There are lots of good street markets all over London. If you get there early enough on Saturday morning, Portabello Rd is the biggest/best - but only if you can be there early and leave before 10AM. otherwise it just is TOO crowded.

But Camden Passage, Bermondsey and several others are good too.

No dress code when we went last month -- it was very hot then and practically everyone wore shorts and sandals. The only problem we encountered was taking photos of their "Egyptian" room, which my husband did but was then ordered to stop. Don't know why.
Actually, I stopped in to ask their information desk (one located at each entrance) if they knew where the Mary Quant store was. The gentleman at one of the desks had no clue, but reckoned it was "quite a walk", even though I had the address and knew it was close by. The woman at the next booth knew exactly where it was and gave me directions.

I personally prefer Selfridges, which has been renovated in recent years (free pee on the lower floor). They have things there you can't find at Harrods, especially catering to American and other foreign food products for the homesick expats.

I like Camden Lock, which has gone slightly upscale in recent years (likewise with prices), but still retains its punkish flavor. Got some water crystals there last month, these items you stick in water and they blow up, looking like ice that you add food color to and put in vases for flower arrangements. Very cool!

The backpack thing is that you have to take your backpack off of your back--you can still carry it around, just not on your back, because you will knock things over and you take up way more room that way (especially in an elevator, FYI).

It's not snobby, since it's so crowded with tourists. Expensive, yes it is. Snobby, no.

yes,you are charged to take a pee in Harrods. Last time I was there, 2 years ago, I had to pay 1 pound to pee. Maybe it's more now

As a Londoner - whose school insisted we buy our uniforms at Harrods decades ago - I would opt for 'pretentious' rather than 'snobby'. And - as a matter of personal taste - nowadays just plain vulgar. Harvey Nicks if you want glitz, John Lewis if you want reliable quality, honest tat from the street market for every day. Harrods is to gawp at, not to buy in......

Patrick, as ever, errs on the side of tact.
Why, in a city that's full of shops - and in a neighbourhood with at least three department stores run by professional retailers, all three full of innovative merchadise, people flock to a pretentious slum, run by a foul-mouthed, corrupt, paranoiac is quite inexplicable.The answer, of course, is that no Londoner does.

Harvey Nicks is stylish. Peter Jones useful, pleasant to shop in and mostly manned by pleasant people. And the General Trading Company as quirkily English as a WI chutney sale.
And if you want really different products, the clothes stalls across town at Spitalfields sell clothes the stallholders (mostly current, or just ex-, design students) designed themselves.

Harrods is no more expensive for any of its items than other shops/stores e.g. a television there will not carry a premium for being retailed at Harrods. In fact some clothes are cheaper at Harrods than Selfridges as they often remove the irritating 99p.

Harvey Nichols still has great windows, but the store itself is crowded - particularly the rambling menswear department in the basement with low ceilings; claustrophobic like the rest of the place. The whole store needs a refurbishment, and the washrooms are not cleaned well. Their stock is excellent, however, the setting does not match.

In contrast, Harrods has high ceilings, large and clean floorspaces which 'flow' well. It still has concessions, but these do not break up the floors like those in Selfridges which is little more than a glorified Bazaar.

Peter Jones (John Lewis) in Sloane Sq. is very good for everyday homewares and electronic items.

Camden Lock is quite interesting, but busy with an overall lack of quality. Portobello road has some interesting antique shops, but not grand like Partridges or Mallets.

As for dress codes, you just need to be respectably dressed - no vests, ripped jeans, etc. On the 2nd floor there are free washrooms, however, these are not of the luxury variety which are charged for (the fee is waived for account holders).

Either way, enjoy your stay in London.

P.S.

For those of you who say that no Londoners ever shop at Harrods, how do you explain the large number of account holders in the London local?

The majority of their repeat clientele are from the London region.

As to describing it as a slum, what palace are you from?

Are Harvey Nichols, Peter Jones and Selfridges department stores like Harrods or just for men?

P.P.S


As an afterthought, nowhere is snobby unless you let it be. Never presume youself to be inferior - after all you are the customer, they are standing on the other side of the desk i.e. they serve you.

Remember snobbery is just a perception of an incorrectly assumed inferiority.

By the very nature of being a department store they stock, both mens, womens, and childrens fashions, stationary, jewellery, electical items. Perhaps you are not aware of the concept of a department store?

I merely used menswear as an example with which I am overly familar.

Variety is the spice of life, isn't it? I am a Londoner and I shop at Harrods. I particularly like the new 'white room' perfumery. The loos are also free if you have made a purchase. I'm not a huge fan - it is just another store to me. I agree with Mkingdom that Harvey Nichols ain't that special. I personally don't like any of the shops from the John Lewis Partnership (Peter Jones). I like a bit of life in my department stores. I have never been treated badly in Harrods.

As with most major cities, London has great places to shop and lousy places to shop. I think it depends on what you are looking for. For instance, when I want a new Chanel lipstick, I always go the Chanel store on Bond Street. The staff in I always go the Chanel store on Bond Street. The staff in there are unfailingly charming and greet you like an old friend, even if you are only spending £12. They are class personified. M_kingdom is right about snobbery. Only you can let someone make you feel inferior (isn't that paraphrasing Eleanor Roosevelt?)

What precisely is their policy on photography insode? Does Harrod's forbid entrance to those tourists with a camera around their neck? Are there specific areas that CANNOT be photographed or is it a "No cameras allowed" storewide policy?

I have requests from friends for photos of their Princess Diana memorial. I have been told cameras are strictly verbotten.

Yes, I know I will look like a tourist and, yes, I know I can buy post cards inside the store of the more famous areas.

Cheers,

Ron

Londoners do shop at Harrods. I lived nearby for 9 years, and the food halls are unbeatable; expensive, not for every day, but excellent. They do require you to wear your backpack in your hand, and some doormen do go over the top and insist women take off their tiny Louis Vuitton backpack, but this is an exception. I used to be a guest shopper in Harrods; they would pay me to shop there, in return for a detailed report filled out afterwards, so I know the store well, and it is continually being refurbished and upgraded. I like Harvey Nichols and Selfridges too, but if you have never been there, Harrods is a must for any tourist.

As for the Diana memorial, it is well worth seeing, for the kitsch value. There is the ring, the glass, all encased in a nice perspex pyramid. IMO, it is appalling but it should be seen. Having said that, it is also a memorial to Dodi Fayed, put there by a man who lost his son.

I don't know about photos. I haven't noticed anyone taking any and I believe there is a guard there, watching.

I must admit that I know of no Londoners who shop in Harrods. Not just because it's a tourist mecca (who cares?) but because it's just not as up there as Selfridges, which has no firmly established itself as THE lifestyle department store in London. Harrods just seems a bit outdated in some of its stock, and a bit kitsch in some of its refurbs (whatever you think of the Egyptian escalators complete with Diana memorial, tasteful it ain't).

Selfridges is seen as much more cutting edge in both its stock and store design, and caters for a younger (but still wealthy) clientele. It is opening more stores nationwide, and is responsible for some of the most innovative architecture happening in the country at the moment (eg the new Selfridges in Birmingham).

Harvey Nicholls is doing similar things around the country, but the Lodnon store does need an overhaul (apart from the AbFab fifth floor restaurant, which is always good for a boozy lunch).

Well, I'm a Londoner and I shop at Harrods. I also shop at Selfridges (to get my fix of cinnamon jelly bellies), Harvey Nicks, Fortnums, Dickins & Jones, Liberty and a zillion other little places depending on where I am. I think what we are forgetting to mention is that the various department stores service the different areas of London. I wouldn't specifically direct a visitor to Selfridges - it is not a tourist site. A grand department store that has undergone a badly needed overhaul, that services the needs of Londoners, yes, but a tourist site it is not. Harrods has a few stupid little extras that set it apart (being lit up at night, OTT food hall, Diana memorial) but I think it gets so much attention because it is a stone's throw away from the museums so people probably think 'well, I'm in the area...'

I shopped in Harrod's several times this summer and never noticed anyone having to pay to use the bathroom. I used a luxery bathroom and just regular ones. Maybe because the super sale was going on and they just didn't bother, I don't know. I also was asked to remove my backback, but the guard at the door was extremely polite about it. The guards also can tell you directions if you need them to. Staff was nice and helpful, even during the crowded last Saturday of the sale. I had a pleasant time at the store.