London Bound: Oxford Street & Circus

It was my first time in London and it was my first time shopping in London. Although I didn't do any shopping, I was amazed by everything. I've been shopping in New York before and looking around Oxford street reminded me of Soho, not Time Square. There aren't big fancy screens on top of the store fronts, but the interiors of each store is massive. I only went to a few stores, particularly Dorothy Perkins, River Island, and Top Shop. I didn't not get a chance to see stores like Zara, H&M, Forever 21, and Primark.

Dorothy Perkins is very classic and defined. Their target customer, to me, seems like the fashionable working/business lady. The area was very spacey and it was easy to shop. I went on a Friday and it didn't feel too crowded in the store. I felt like the areas were defined to a particular style and there wasn't a big mess. Unfortunately, I didn't think the store had anything I desired for my company. It was too clean cut for me.

I went to River Island and only explored the main floor of the store. It intrigues me how every store has several floors to the store. I realized that I want my store to be smaller and I don't think Oxford street would be the best location to start my store. I want my clothing to be very selective; I don't want a broad range of clothing. River Island reminds me of H&M back at home. It's very trendy and right off the bat, when I came through the front, I can see what's new and what's in. I didn't care for much of the display on the tables; they weren't memorable (I don't even remember how the clothing was displayed in Dorothy Perkins). Again, I didn't feel like I could bring anything from River Island to my company because the style is just so different.

When I went to Top Shop, it was absolutely insane. It was the store that was just packed with people. It wasn't enjoyable at all. It kind of scares me how overwhelming the store is. Maybe because the store is on Oxford. I have been to two Top Shop's back at home. The one in Las Vegas is a lot smaller and I believe only had one floor. But even with it's size, it was easy to maneuver around. I've been to the Top Shop in New York too. This store felt just as busy as the one in Oxford. It was hard to get around and there was so many products. The sales section was massive, but very cluttered. In this Top Shop, I felt like although I could tell different sections apart, there were a lot of areas that seemed like everything was just mixed in together. I'd see the same coat in three different areas. The store was way too big and I wouldn't want to be as a customer to shop through that. Whereas, some girls love that it's so big because the store has so much to offer. I just found it very frustrating to get around the store.

Although none of the stores really had what I wanted for my company/brand, I came to a conclusion that I don't want a store that's high street. We don't have this term "high street" back at home in California so I believe that's why my store wouldn't be like any of these stores in Oxford. I'd want a smaller store, almost like a boutique, but offered world wide. All of the stores have a classiness to the style, very bold and fashion forward. I didn't see any stores that had a laid back feel. What I distinctly remember are white floors. It's something not really noticed in stores, but I'd want wooden floors with particular lighting that gives a warm feeling. I found it interesting how Top Shop had an area to go into the fitting room and an area to go out. I thought that this was really convenient because the employees could focus on their duties, maintaining the clothing better. Although, most of the customer service was very poor. Back at home, particular in South Coast Plaza, there's always someone greeting you at the door, someone asking you if you need assistance as you browse, and the fitting room people are a lot friendlier. Maybe it's a London thing. Probably a New York thing too.

I hope to explore more shopping areas to compare stores to one another.