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.

She’d be disappointed in me right now; I’m living in a caravan travelling Australia, and I intend to for the next few years. So enjoy your life OP x

Sounds amazing!

Unfortunately it is gone now, but back then it was amazing!!!

I can recommend Italian Bear Chocolate - Fitzrovia (near Tottenham Court Road)

https://www.italianbearchocolate.com/

Similar items that could have been found at The chocolate bar.

I remember the floor that had ‘Way In’, which was young fashion and new designers. Affordable and really fun when there were fewer really fashionable shops. I spent one of my first pay packets in Harrods on a designer jacket that got worn for years! I used to lend it out to friends for job interviews and posh do’s. Wish I still had it, but it got sold in leaner times.

Same experience here, also living walking distance from Harrods but renting as the cost to buy around here is eye watering. I do shop in Harrods quite regularly as it’s the closest shop for us but the vast majority of customers are Arabs or Chinese. I personally don’t notice that many Russians in Harrods, possibly due to travel restrictions/sanctions now? The amount of money the foreign customers are spending in Harrods is truly obscene but I doubt there’s many British people spending that way. This whole area is mostly Arabs and my apartment building is usually mostly empty due to most of the flats being owned by Arabs who only visit during the summer. I also used to live in the Middle East and can tell you that Arabs have a completely different lifestyle/levels of wealth that we can never imagine in the U.K. Even this small part of London is a different world to parts of London just down the road. Everybody has nannies and drivers and housekeepers, travel very regularly and expensively etc. And even though we can luckily afford to rent around here and shop in Harrods, I am definitely one of the least wealthiest around here and obviously so.

Harrods is just Arab oil wealth, that’s it. Selfridges is more fun, still full of foreign wealth but some more locals. My favourite is Liberty. Apart from foreign billionaire tourists who walk in and buy swathes of things (think the wives of sheiks) most people there are there to buy maybe one bag but they’ll only buy one nice bag that year - it’s just that there is such a large population so those stores can be busy despite most people there being on an occasional trip to buy an occasional luxury item.

If you want to know how people get rich then read some biographies or Wikipedia pages.

British aristocracy only wearing jumpers with holes in them is a massively outdated concept. They’ve benefited hugely from the rise in property wealth and are now as flashy as the rest of them.

Mumsnet bingo I call house

A lot of people couldn’t even afford a cocktail there so you’re probably doing better than many 😂

As others have said, those people who shop there are mostly Arabic/Russian/Chinese. And many of those people spending huge sums in there will have made their money in immoral (and some illegal) ways.

It’s interesting to see that sort of lifestyle but for me it’s like an exhibition- a sort of zoo. I don’t envy those people or aspire to live like that. None of that stuff means anything. Designer clothes, cars, jewels, bags. Meh. Give me countryside and dogs and a roast dinner and snuggling under a blanket with someone I love.

I know what you mean op, it boggles my mind too

@RedHelenB 😂
You beat me to it.

One of my DDs works for a well known high st jewellers famous for selling diamonds and high end watches. Rolex ect. in Milton Keynes (so not the wealth capital of the UK)

Her weekly target is 30k and she smashes easily it every week. Amazes me. Doubles around xmas.

Folk regularly walk in and buy watches for 5, 6, 7k with hardly a thought. A second watch for work ect. Little present for the partner. One to match the new car ... 😳

There's a lot more money out there than you think.

I love Harrods and always feel like that after! There’s a lot of money in London, I am jealous too. I love London and love the posh parts too, but nope could never afford to live there, just about manage living 15 miles away

I view Harrods like I view Madame Tussaud’s. It’s just a tick in a box on the tourist route. I also feel that area of London no longer feels like London… it’s an outpost of the Middle/ Far East.

(And to think that my granny used to do her weekly shopping in there…🤣)

This thread reminds me of this news article - sorry I haven't checked all the posts to see if it had been shared already

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-50763204

I remember reading aloud to DH just talking about how it would feel to just go regularly and spend thousands and thousands of pounds daily on all sorts of shit!

*SpaceRaiders

Where do they get the money for it?

I wouldn’t go digging too deep because many will be linked to some pretty unsavoury business practices and or characters. I highly doubt you amass billionaire level wealth by being an overall good human*

I know someone who lives in that area and is private security/body guard rich
They made their money purely from being in the right place at the right time and knowing to jump at a chance in a lifetime

I also know a professional shopper and again, right time, right place is how a lot of the families made their money.
Non of these people are British

I think this type of wealth is based on more than being a bit dodgy

There was a mass stampede by aspirational traveller teenagers when the shops opened in 2020. Can you imagine the disdain levelled at them by the wealthy clientele.

www.thesun.co.uk/news/13397048/four-arrested-breaking-covid-rules-hundreds-teens-harrods/

Yes this!! Most of the stuff is so naff.
I haven't been for years but I remember the pet shop bit, with puppies in "cells" with poop on the floor, right next to a dining area. Urgh.

Last time dh and I had a look around was maybe 10 years ago. The style of quite a bit of the stuff was what (after living in the Middle East for many years) we used to call ‘Louis Faroukh’ - IYKWIM.

In particular I remember an ornate metal tea trolley, with curly bits and ‘flowers’ - gold plated and with a price tag of something over £700.

I swear I have not made this up!

There are many people richer than me, there are many people poorer than me. I'm in the winter of my life and looking back I'm satisfied with where I am, I got here by own efforts.

Envy is something I grew out of.

I do remember looking at the children’s clothing department and thinking the style was akin to the clothes you would see the Queen in when she was a child. It seemed to have been stuck in the style from the first part of the 20th century

I was refused entry to Harrods on security grounds the first time I went there. Turned away politely at the door by a gentleman in uniform. I'm the most harmless looking person imaginable and 20+ years later I'm quite proud of this accomplishment. It was only because of the little rucksack that I used instead of a handbag.

Have been in a few times since. If the Scruffy Old Money stereotype is widespread, one or two people might have assumed I could afford to shop there😆

Harrods used to be great - talking late70s early 80s - when it was just an upmarket department store. By which I mean, yes there was some very expensive stuff, but you could also buy a present for your mum and not break the bank. The pet shop bit was lovely (as a kid) - it had gates and they were quite strict, only letting you in to get close to the kittens and puppies at certain times. The other department I loved was the piano department where anyone could have a tinkle on the grand pianos. Food department was wonderful to look at and not wildly expensive in those days (think Waitrose prices). And the only thing they sold that had ‘Harrods’ on it were the teddy bears. Last time I went, I think everything but the bananas had ‘Harrods’ on it! I had a Harrods store card for a while - which basically meant I could use the loos for free when they started charging (Al Fayed).

Mind you, I’m not so keen on Selfridges now either. It used to be my local shop and you could buy normal stuff in the food department, it had a big book department, the basement had a huge stock of china and glass, and Miss Selfridge was great. My friend and I used to meet at The Selfridge Hotel (now closed) for drinks after work. Oh, and they had a big school uniform department in those days too.

Even Liberty isn’t what it used to be.

All of the above was back in the days when London property prices were not completely stratospheric, and it was relatively easy for young people to afford a flat share in Central London.

Not an actual item to buy but the best thing in Harrods is the Diana and Dodi statue... ❤️

We went to harrods while staying with family in Wimbledon.
This was in the 1970's. We bought a tiny vase. Still have it.
We remember it cost £50.

I know a self made multi millionaire, made money from tech, all his furniture is IKEA and he always does his own DIY, he has installed his own kitchens and bathrooms, he retired age 40!

I haven't been for years. Being from the sticks, it was a bit of a thing to buy something "cheap and ordinary" to get a carrier bag. So probably from the supermarket part of the food Hall - dearer than tesco but not astronomical. Do they even have that section now?