I love Old Bond Street in London a lot! It is like entering a world of luxury and beauty – and you basically want to buy it all (if your wallet would allow you!)
Now, I’m not one of those persons, who can just go and buy whatever I want. I see something that I like, and I work a lot to finally be able to go and get the chosen item to my vanity collection. What I do expect, when I decide to spend a lot of money on a single item, is good service – and this is where some things go wrong! I have had really good experiences at Old Bond Street – but I have also felt not welcome and maybe “not rich enough” (It is a bit like that scene in “Pretty Woman”, where Julia Roberts tries to buy a cocktail dress, and gets thrown out of the store! BIG MISTAKE!)
I don’t work with any fashion brands, so this is my subjective view on how you will be treated, if you go shopping at some of the flagship stores in Old Bond Street! I am a journalist, so I do notice what is happening around me – and I have been to each of the mentioned stores a couple of times. This piece is based on empirical research and my opinions only! You might have a different opinion and if that is the case, I would love to hear from you in my comment box.
My favourite: Tod´s
I love Tod´s! I am a big fan of their driving shoes and I love how easy it is running around in London taking pictures and not having to worry about sore feet. I have bought shoes from Tod’s in Rome, Copenhagen and in London – and everywhere I went, the service was top!
The beautiful classic driving-shoe from Tod’s
The great thing about this store is that they treat everyone equally! Even though they might be busy, they always have time to come and greet you and ask if you need any help! I was allowed to take pictures in the store – and they really do their best to make me feel special. I only wanted a pair of shoes – and even though some other customers were buying half of the bag collection, I still never felt not important! I asked them questions about the shoe laces (I sometimes struggle with them – and as my assistant didn’t really know the answer to my question another girl immediately came to the rescue) – and honestly I had so much fun in there. They are sweet, funny, smiling and very helpful. I walked out of the door very pleased with my purchase and a smile on my face!
A pure gold star from me to Tod’s!
The biggest disappointment: Gucci
I am actually a very devoted fan of Gucci – especially their shoes! In comparison to for example Louboutin shoes, Gucci’s shoes have always been much more comfortable for me to wear. So I have quite a few Gucci’s in my shoe collection. My experience at the flagship store in Old Bond Street has never been very good, I’m afraid. I can’t speak about other stores, but the service here is very poor! I have been here a few times (as I really love their shoes), but every time I went, I didn’t feel particularly welcome! It seems like they don’t really have the time and energy for me, as there are always a lot of customers in the store, who might want to buy much more than me.
This is the pair of sneakers, that i went to buy – and I really love them! But I don’t like the way, I was treated
It is not as if they are being rude to you in Gucci – it is more the feeling of arrogance towards you, when you humbly ask for help! When I entered the store no-one was greeting me. The staff was too busy having a personal chat behind the counter! And when I wanted to buy the sneakers (on the picture), the assistant said that I could try a different model first just to see what size I was, before she bothered getting the right pair in my size! So I was standing in front of a mirror wearing a pair of sneakers in a different design, that I didn’t like at all, before she went and got me the right ones! Ok, so that’s not the end of the world, but people around me were waiting in agony for help and I really felt like I had to hurry making a decision! The laces looked a bit funny – and I didn’t know how they were supposed to look, so I asked – and the only answer I got was “They just look like that” (One lace was much shorter than the other, and I really couldn’t figure out how it worked – maybe I’m blond, but still..) You are not allowed to take pictures in Gucci. That is completely ok – but they more or less threw me out of the store the day I went to ask if I could do a blogpost about them… Not cool!
No stars for the service at Gucci – but a gold star for their shoes!
Merry Christmas!: Tiffany
The story I am about to tell you now is a big warning to those of you, who buy jewellery online at Tiffany as a surprise for a loved one!
I will be honest and say, that I have actually never been inside the Tiffany Store in Old Bond Street, so I don’t know anything about their service, BUT I don’t think I will ever go there anyway, because Tiffany probably made the biggest mistake ever, when they send me an email the day before Christmas and told me, what my boyfriend had bought for me (YES, IT IS ACTUALLY TRUE!) Unfortunately I deleted the email because I was so angry (otherwise I would have showed it here!), but basically my boyfriend went to the store to buy me a necklace, that was sold out. At the store they told him to order it online and get it shipped to Denmark, so it could get there before Christmas. First of all it didn’t arrive, second, I got an email from Tiffany with these words: “Hello Louise, (boyfriend’s name) though that you might like to see this item” and then there was an exact picture of the necklace, he had bought for me!” I didn’t understand anything, so I showed him the email.. and the disappointment on his face was unbearable! He was SO angry and called them to cancel the whole thing. He did get an apology, but honestly… (and instead he got me something from Chanel!)
No stars for Tiffany!
The one and only: Chanel
I think most of my readers know that I can’t travel to a big city without having been to Chanel! Chanel is my favourite brand – always and forever!
Waiting for good stuff to come my way in Chanel
I have always been treated well at Chanel. The service is really good, even though you sometimes have to wait for your turn to be serviced! But that is ok, because they have their eyes on you (in a good way), and if the waiting is long, they always offer me something to drink or keep coming back to me just to make sure, that I’m alright (I always am, because I can spend hours in their big flagship store) I have had a few incidents with one of my necklaces and a pair of earrings. Some of the stones fell out and they started looking a bit sad. But Chanel offers a free repair service, so your beloved chosen items will basically always look their best. My favourite person in Chanel Bond Street is Ulysses! He is warm and he always speak about how much he loves the Danes and Denmark! Whether it’s true or not, he makes me feel at home and he takes his time to help me.
A shiny bling bling golden star from me to Chanel!
My new love: Joseph
I didn’t really know about Joseph before moving to London, but I’m so happy that I discovered the brand, because they really know how to dress a woman! The style is classy and comfortable – and you can wear their clothing year after year without looking like “so last-season”.
My red cashmere coat coat from Joseph. 40% off!
Joseph is not exactly a cheap place to buy your clothing, so for me it takes time to choose, what I want! I was so lucky to find out that there was a sale going on in Old Bond Street, so I went there – and I didn’t go home empty handed ! First of all there was a chair for my boyfriend, so he didn’t have to stand up (and be bored). Second, I had the most lovely assistant, who ran around in the store looking for my size and matching suggestions! I bought more than I expected, but I was really really pleased with my purchase – and the help I got in Joseph made me make the right choices. I will definitely come back again!
A big gold star for Joseph!
A few other stores, that I have chosen to mention, where the service is really good, are:
Tory Burch (make sure to go there, when the sale is on! You can get some really good deals! The girls in the store are very sweet and helpful)
Saint Lauren (I had the funniest chat with one of the guys working there. He really knew all about bags – and was very charming even though I didn’t buy anything)
Church’s (love their modern style classic shoes. Unbeatable in quality and the service is great!)
So here we are… These are the stores, I have chosen to mention in this blog post. I will again remind you, that my views are subjective and based on several visits to each of the stores. I don’t know if you have had other experiences than me – in that case I would love to hear from you. Please leave a message in the comment box for more advice or opinions to me and other shoppers out there
Happy shopping!
X Louise
Lovely to (finally) get an honest review about the stores ???? Then it’s not just me that have stories about poor service in high-end shops. Thanks for an always entertaining, true and “what to do in London” blog ❤
Hi Pernille 🙂
I was in doubt whether or not to write this post, but I think most people prefer honest reviews – and as mentioned most of the service you get at the stores in Bond Street is excellent! There are however a few exceptions, unfortunately!
Thanks for your comment, Darling 🙂
X Louise
Absolutely – great to see some honesty about the service. As an ex-Parisian, I always expect the worst when I walk into a shop – your experience at Gucci is not atypical in Paris!
Haha, Scarlett. I asked my boyfriend (who has lived 10 years in Paris), if that was actually the case – and he just looked at me and said “YUP!”.
Well, I just can’t come to turns with being treated with arrogance! But for the love of the shoes, I can’t get myself to walk out empty-handed as well 😀
X Louise