Friday, November 10, 2006

H & M Store Review

Yesterday I went to the newly opened H & M store at our local mall. Here's the 411.
  • Spacious layout, clean, modern look, and good neon-lit soffits.
  • Racks were stuffed with merchandise (major pet peeve).
  • Ridiculously low prices.
  • Lots of disposable trendy clothes. I found the clothes to be edgier than Old Navy and Gap and not as expensive as Urban Outfitters.
  • Sizing was inconsistent across items.
  • Poor-to-okay quality. The sweaters I tried on were quite itchy. Lots of excessively thin & flimsy shirts.
  • Unimpressive staff. With about 10 pieces in my hands, I ran into the only Sales Associate on the floor and asked if she could start a dressing room for me. (big pause) She looked at me like I had three eyes. "Sorry we can't do that. (pause) Oh, but we can put it on hold for you." Never mind, I'll keep the garments. Shopping can count as a light weight-bearing activity, right?
  • Now onto accessories. Quite disappointing. In the words of Laura Bennett from Project Runway #3, there's a lot of "serious ugly" going on in this department. Not my taste.
  • Nice-sized dressing room with a great wrap-around mirror.
If you accept H & M for what it is i.e., a store with a mix of basics and trendier of-the-moment clothes at bargain basement prices; then you'll be shopping responsibly. One of H & M's strengths is its ability to stock trendy items while these items are still fashionable. On my quality scale the clothes are better than Wal-Mart not quite as good as Target; although H&M has a lot more stock and I do like its European-inspired collections. No online U.S. shop yet. Bottom line: Did I buy anything? Well, actually, I did. I purchased a houndstooth-patterned cotton mock turtleneck ($12.90)and a soft, black turtleneck ($19). Post your own review. D.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi,

I've gotten more into H&M over the past 2 or so years it's been in my area. Personally, I do think that some of the clothing is of poor quality - however, it varies tremendously. It is definitely better quality than Old Navy and cotton in terms of the normal wear and tear and the impact on the clothing after running it through the wash. In addition, H & M is able to cater to most tastes. There is usually a smaller section with more classic styles at slightly higher price points and quality. Honestly, though, the variety and affordability really can't be beat (except, on occasion, at discount stores like Marshalls which require more work as far as digging through racks of frumpy wear)

Anonymous said...

I agree. I like H & M better than Marshall's or Loehman's or Zara's. I'm a college student in NYC. Thank goodness for H & M. Include it in your store rotation! - Aleeya