Hudson's Bay and Saks Off 5th in Rotterdam
Hudson's Bay, a Canadian department store, had opened a department store in Rotterdam last Thursday. I wanted to avoid the crowd, so I went on a Sunday. It was less crowded than I expected. It also helped that the department store was very spacious, with wide walking paths and barely any walls in between.
Right at the entrance, you will find a large sneaker wall and the Topshop and Topman fashion stores on the right side. The ground floor of the Hudson's Bay in Rotterdam mostly has accessories, such as shoes, sunglasses, jewelry, watches, and handbags. It is also the place where you can find the beauty department with various cosmetic counters.
On the second and third floor, you can find a whole floor dedicated to women and men fashion. I haven't looked carefully yet, but I did see various fashion brands that I have never heard before, such as the Swedish fashion brand, Twist & Tango. Here and there, you can also find interior products.
On the top floor, is where you can find children's fashion, toys, gifts, and stationery. It is also where the La Place restaurant is located.
Hudson's bay Netherlands is positioning itself between the previous V&D department stores and the more luxurious De Bijenkorf department stores. They distinguish themselves with the comfortable shopping experience and the extra services that they provide. There are lounge areas and WiFi near the large fitting rooms, so that the people who accompanied you on your shopping trip can comfortably play on their mobile phones. You also don't have to fear that the battery is going to run low, because you can charge it. There are comfortable sofas and computers, where you can use Internet, near the Customer service counter. You can also get a haircut or a beauty treatment, let someone fix your watch, and get your jeans altered, while you wait.
I liked how comfortable it was to look around, but because there were less products on the shop floor, it was harder to find things that suited my taste and I needed to walk farther before I could look at something else. It was also a bit hot and stuffy, so I left with empty hands.
I think it is just something that I need to get used to and the extra services are little touches that you value over time. Maybe, the delay in the renovation of the buildings and the strict deadlines of the opening of the department stores caused the amount and variety of products available and the air regulation system to not be optimal yet.
Right at the entrance, you will find a large sneaker wall and the Topshop and Topman fashion stores on the right side. The ground floor of the Hudson's Bay in Rotterdam mostly has accessories, such as shoes, sunglasses, jewelry, watches, and handbags. It is also the place where you can find the beauty department with various cosmetic counters.
On the second and third floor, you can find a whole floor dedicated to women and men fashion. I haven't looked carefully yet, but I did see various fashion brands that I have never heard before, such as the Swedish fashion brand, Twist & Tango. Here and there, you can also find interior products.
On the top floor, is where you can find children's fashion, toys, gifts, and stationery. It is also where the La Place restaurant is located.
What do I think?
I like how much natural light there is inside the Hudson's Bay department store in Rotterdam. When you go inside you can can look through the whole store and scan through things that you may be interested in. It wasn't that hard to find what you are looking for.Hudson's bay Netherlands is positioning itself between the previous V&D department stores and the more luxurious De Bijenkorf department stores. They distinguish themselves with the comfortable shopping experience and the extra services that they provide. There are lounge areas and WiFi near the large fitting rooms, so that the people who accompanied you on your shopping trip can comfortably play on their mobile phones. You also don't have to fear that the battery is going to run low, because you can charge it. There are comfortable sofas and computers, where you can use Internet, near the Customer service counter. You can also get a haircut or a beauty treatment, let someone fix your watch, and get your jeans altered, while you wait.
I liked how comfortable it was to look around, but because there were less products on the shop floor, it was harder to find things that suited my taste and I needed to walk farther before I could look at something else. It was also a bit hot and stuffy, so I left with empty hands.
I think it is just something that I need to get used to and the extra services are little touches that you value over time. Maybe, the delay in the renovation of the buildings and the strict deadlines of the opening of the department stores caused the amount and variety of products available and the air regulation system to not be optimal yet.
Saks Off 5th
The Saks Off 5th store is located in the basement of the Hudson's Bay department store. It is the first Saks Off 5th store in the Netherlands and I was more interested in it than Hudson's Bay. I don't really need anything at the moment and although some of the new brands looked interesting, I already have a lot of clothes and shoes (some I haven't worn yet). But treasure hunting for the best bargain is always fun to do (like I did before at TK Maxx).
What appealed to me the most were the shoe, hand bag, and interior departments. The shoes are divided in shoe sizes and there are racks full of assorted shoes in that size. So, you just have to dig through the shoe boxes in the aisles with your shoe size on the large white signs.
I tried on a pair of sneakers with gems on the side, but the white sides of the shoes were a bit too blackened for me to buy it for the still relatively high price. There was also a very beautiful pair of flowery Dolce & Gabbana pumps, but they sadly didn't fit me very well.
I also saw a few beautiful Tory Burch hand bags and some cute pillows, but I was starting to get hungry and it was a bit too hot inside, so I left. I will come back another time to look for treasures.
