Green eyed monster after being in Harrods

[Moneyjealousy]

Lighthearted (I think?!)

But this weekend I've been in London with adult DD's and we somehow ended up in Harrods champagne bar where we treated ourselves to a couple of cocktails before heading back to the nearest Wetherspoons type bar 😁

I have to say in advance that I am very lucky, I have a lovely dh, great dc all our bills are paid and even though we aren't living the high life I don't have to worry about food or heating the house.

After getting off the tube at Harrods though........OMG! Where does all the money come from?! The big houses and fancy cars outside the shop then once you get in the huge selection of jewellery/bags/clothes etc that I could never dream of affording.

Who are the people that shop there? Where do they get the money for it? How can you ever afford to buy a house and drive a Porsche across the road from Harrods?

I'm back home now in my northern house that I could never afford if it was moved 300 miles south but still have a feeling of not believing how the other half must live.

Can you afford a shopping trip at Harrods? Do you look down on people like me who pop in for a cocktail and post it on Facebook to remember it by 🤣

I'm not even really jealous I don't think it's just coming from where I do seeing such a big difference in others life styles is a bit of a culture shock.

True, but the buck never stops. Every bit of money you get came from someone else.

OP I would stick to selfridges. It’s the best department store by a mile. Loads of aspirational stuff and some lovely things you can actually afford. Same for Harvey Nichols just round the corner from Harrods

30 years ago it was free for anyone to see Father Christmas at Harrods.
I used to take dc on the train as early as possible on the first Saturday in December.
On arrival you were given a ticket with a time slot and whilst queuing on the fairly short wait you walked past beautiful scenes from whatever fairytale was depicted.
The dc got a badge when they met Father Christmas, I didn't pay for the gift I gave them money to choose a small gift from the toy department afterwards.
Unfortunately they changed FC to account holders only I think.
Used to be a lovely day out.

We love a trip to Harrods! I used to live and work in central London and we moved out to Norfolk about 15 years ago. Every so often we go on a day trip back to London and Ds (aged 11) and dd (20) love going to Harrods like it’s some sort of museum of something 😆 they particularly enjoy the food hall, gawping at all the ££££ caviar and people seemingly buying their everyday groceries as if it’s their local Aldi.

We purchased a small box of macrons for £40 (and I mean small!) we had £5 left in our account after that to last the rest of the week but it made a fun souvenir- the dc still talk about it now and we kept the box 😆😆

Liberty,l and Fortnums are so much nicer but Harrods (it's a beautiful building mind) is more of a tourist destination.

Not been for years but I do like having a nose the food hall and there was a good ice cream parlour which was fun for children. Years ago they had a pet shop with live animals which was very weird.

We always used to like going to the food hall for a look round after going to the museums. Sometimes as a treat I go there with my sisters and we buy some fancy sandwiches and cakes and go for a picnic afterwards in Kensington Gardens.

I would think of it more as a museum than a shop tbh.

I once had to take a Chinese customer to harrods to buy handbags for his wife when I worked in media. Crazy prices.

I love this.

My friends (especially young ones) are usually the ones who envy/aspire to a luxurious lifestyle because they have the aspiration stuffed down their throats by social media. But I have been to the homes of very rich people stuffed with priceless artworks, cinema rooms and gyms and whenever I have been it is fun for a while
but I find myself longing to get back to my home. I go to art galleries. I go to the cinema, I go to the gym (sometimes).

All the minor slebs (influencers?) have no real understanding of money. They buy that stuff in the belief that this is the way rich people live and they are bankrupt within a few years.

@sleepwouldbenice I am far more envious of what you describe. I know it’s a cliche but the things that I really value in life are my health and the health and love of close
family and friends. Now that is priceless.

Harrods is just tat for those who want to show off. The people I know with serious money don't shop there, it's for the foreign tourists/expats living in the U.K. is conspicuous consumption for those who want externally demonstrate wealth.

I eat/drink/shop in Harrods a couple of times a year.

If you are into designer items etc then the prices are the same as online or their individual shops so it's convenient to for example, be able to browse the shoe heaven department, rather than go to several boutiques.

The food and drink are overpriced but no different to all London restaurants and some of them are nice.

I love the food hall though and always get some delicious cakes and things to bring home.

Unfortunately they changed FC to account holders only I think.
Used to be a lovely day out

It's been like that for ages - to manage demand. You have to book a slot too (and they get snapped up almost as soon as they appear - friend did it a couple of years ago and told me all about it and booking opened ridiculously early)

Most people don't shop at Harrods. It's OTT and overpriced. But it can be fun to walk round when you have visitors.

And if you're noticeably pregnant, the loos are free (normally it's members or £1) and really quite swish!

I had a friend who lived just off the Brompton Road. She was the perfectly ordinary daughter of a black taxi driver who met a wealthy guy on a girl’s holiday. There is often no ‘mysterious’ or indeed, intriguing reason for the fortunate circumstances some find themselves in.

Many many years ago I had a weekend job in Harrods in cosmetics & perfumery. I mean it was a nice place to work, you saw famous people regularly which was fun as a teen, but you also encountered a lot of entitled dicks or women who would look down on you. See also stalky men. I could tell you some stories!

My favourite customers were the ones who had saved to buy something from my counter and were excited to have the green plastic bag to carry. I'd always give them loads of samples too because they were polite and friendly and in awe of the store. Others would spend a fortune but were unpleasant to deal with or who would ignore you while their security detail completed the purchase.

I haven't been there for maybe 35 years now. My parents used to do a Christmas shopping day there every year and it was a highlight for my mum. However, I've got no inclination to go back let alone stare at stuff I can't afford! It's a novelty I think and agree that the wealthy Arabic and Russian communities are the big spenders!

Wow. This is wonderful. I hope you do win the lottery.

I remember being there about 29byears ago with a university friend. We were both broke students so not up for buying anything, but she'd never been so we went in for a wander. Had a great time going round with our jaws on the floor. We ended up in the furs, neither of us partulicularly wanting to be there but we were met by a lovely assistant who was more than happy to show us around and find the most expensive item there for the laughs (20k, I think).

We then found ourselves among the more normal ladies' clothing. We were browsing a rail when my friend picked up a top and in the tone of a seasoned bargain-hunter exclaimed, in all sincerity, "This is nice, it's only £300!"

I looked her in the eye abs told her to repeat herself. She soon realigned her finances to the shop.

The shop that is more interesting to me is Liberty, much classier, I've bought fabric and there were older very posh women there buying fabric for their dressmakers, they were in tweed skirts /silk blouses and other understated classic combos, not a brand on display though, nobody wants external labels

Many of them will be tax dodgers.

The place literally makes me feel sick. The air is always awash with some kind of overpowering scent (coming from customers or the perfume dept?) which gives me a migraine.

My dear mum used to shop there - brought up with no money at all, but with dad made a small pile. She thought it was the bees knees and would go up on shopping trips from our small town. We always called it Horrids. But for this reason I don't believe its clients are all living on dodgy wealth - many for sure, but not all. Some people make money and businesses and make huge efforts to get things right, and employ people who make a good living too.

The last time I was there it was as tourists with small DC. We bumped into to some friends from out of town who were doing the same.

I remember wandering around ‘Way In’ back in the 80s, which was their lower cost fashion section. Harvey Nichols had a similar department, so you could do that and the King’s Road in a day. Can’t imagine wanting to go to Harrods as a teenager now.

Drugs and other criminal activity mostly.

Totally agree this is how a lot of quietly wealthy Europeans are. I think when some one is very secure about being wealthy they don’t feel the need to flash it around (also people get wealthy by making smart choices early on in their lives and careers about not replacing good cars just because etc and those habits carry forward)

I recently read that Amsterdam has the highest concentration of millionaires of any city in Europe - and I believe it. I like my billionaires low key and bike riding..!

I used to work there. Back in the day it was mostly tourists buying tea, tat and teddy bears, then extremely wealthy Asians, Russians, Arabs and the more flamboyant celebs like Elton, Katie P etc. who we saw shopping the upper floors. I'll never forget the day we had a Saudi princess and her entourage through. Never seen anything like it!

I used too visit Santa there with my children every year. It was £5 to book but you got the money back in points on a gift card on the visit. I sometimes go to the Christmas shop and buy a bauble!! Last year they did a free Dior exhibition too.
It's super fancy but if you look hard enough you can enjoy a Macdonalds treat and see Santa at Harrods after 😃

You know, I HAD forgotten about the footballers and WAGS 🤣

I like looking at the prices in Harrods, like a museum. But I don't know how people can take it seriously. Food court is nice at Christmas though

What a stupid and bitter comment. Some people are wealthy, it's not always fair and sometimes it's just down to luck but it is what it is and there doesn't always have to be crime or drugs involved to make money.