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Harry Rosen pricing/business model

Recoil

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Rosen has terrible prices and service. I always tells the story about how one sales associate fist-bumped the other in front of me on the way to the register with a pair of overpriced shoes I was purchasing. The first-bump signalled a good sale obviously.
 

WildeMan

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Bloor may be the flagship for products , but not for sales associates. One called me "Guv" constantly (and he wasn't British). Another insisted on showing me a video of his trip to Venice --- what costumes! --- and treated the try-on of my new suit as an afterthought.
 

Suicmez

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Originally Posted by alt.don
I like the large variety of clothing houses on offer at HR. That is a big plus in my books. That plus the ambience adds to the shopping experience there, at least for me anyways. I believe that is largely an underlooked part of the men's shopping business.

Will likely ask my SA via email if he is willing to try and get a discount on the Armani spring coat I am looking at getting. From all of the responses offered here there appears to be some divergence of opinion. Though I believe he already said there are no discounts to be had.

On another note, does anyone here actively patronize the Ottawa Harry's location at the Rideau center? If so, which SA do you use when shopping there? Any recommendations?


My friend works as a SA there... but he's in his early twenties, so he doesn't have the experience of most of the other ones. That being said, he is definitely more passionate about the job than most guys there, simply because he needs to establish a solid list of clientele, whereas the other older SAs already have that. He usually works the section with all the younger, mid 20's focused brands, so look for him there next time you go. He'll definitely try to get you a discount
laugh.gif
 

Redwoood

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Originally Posted by WildeMan
Bloor may be the flagship for products , but not for sales associates. One called me "Guv" constantly (and he wasn't British). Another insisted on showing me a video of his trip to Venice --- what costumes! --- and treated the try-on of my new suit as an afterthought.

They probably employ 50 SAs spread over the week at that location alone.
Talk to somebody else next time.
 

droy

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Originally Posted by WildeMan
Much of what has been written here about HR's business model is conjecture. So let me do a little.

The downtown stores (Bloor, Eaton Centre) cater to investment bankers, lawyers, etc. They closed their Scotia Plaza store because a lot of their customers don't shop for clothes without their wives.

Yorkdale, Square One, etc. cater to upper middle class suburbanites. My guess is that they sell more casualwear there as impulse purchases.

The truly well-dressed men in Toronto --- and there are few of them --- still shop at Walter Beauchamp, Perry's, or bespoke tailors like House of Salgado. Harry Rosen has always struck me more as place for men who don't particularly care about clothes but want to be (or need to be) moderately well-dressed. They aren't concerned about thread counts or surgeon's cuffs.

The HR outlet in Mississauga has a lot of junk, but there are diamonds in amongst the cubic zirconias.I have purchased 4 Brioni suits there in the last 2 years, each for less than $2000. Are they last year's models? Probably, but realistically, who cares? I'm 45.


Well said. I've shopped in the MTL, Van, Cal, Ottawa, Square 1 and outlet store at various times over the years. I bought my first suit in the now closed Fairview store in MTL 27 years ago. I appreciate having them around when needed, but I suspect like many of us here at SF, my expectations have changed over the years and I buy based on different specifications than I had earlier in life. Also, I suspect that since most men hate shopping, they appreciate the store front and would rather clean a septic tank than troll the net for better, cheaper, nicer clothes. HR have very little in the way of competition outside of MTL and Toronto unfortunately, but have at times, for me at least, provided some pretty good customer service...like the time Air Canada lost my luggage on the way to a meeting and they modified a suit for me while I waited...just my two cents...and yes, they aren't generally "cheap"...oh well.
 

alt.don

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I have PM'd you requesting the name of the person if you are willing to share it.
 

Bill Smith

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Originally Posted by Lord-Barrington
Harry Rosen follows what I like to call the "Canadian Business Model" which is basically:

1. Bad prices
2. Bad service

It's pretty much the Air Canada of higher end menswear. It has a (relative) monopoly, poor service, and uncompetitive prices.

I love Canada, but most "Canadian" business, including Harry's, are terrible.


Agreed 1000%, I have not shopped at "Harry's" in over six years.
 

DGstyles

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I'm from the States but make frequent trips to Vancouver. I have to admit that walking into Harry Rosen is a scenic experience. However, the prices are enough to choke on, especially with the current status of the USD to CAD conversion. That goes for any store in Canada, really. If you travel to bigger cities in the States, keep your shopping appetite for then, as you have a nice discount just from the pricing differences.

BTW, for those of you in Van, how does the Oakway HR survive? Are they the ones that keep robbing that super secure jewelry store there (since they did move from across HR to the other side of the mall)...
 

urymoto

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Originally Posted by alt.don
Well I have dumped about $4.5K at the Harry Rosen store in Ottawa over the past several months and pretty all of it with one associate who I now deal with. My complaint is that when I asked for a taxes off discount of %13 on a $775 Armani coat I was given a flat no. One would think you would ask your store manager first in order to not possibly lose a sale. No such luck sadly. This is bearing in mind the steep discounts they are offering on their outgoing winter line. Makes no sense to me and seems a bad business model. Wish I were more comfortable buying clothing online but I am not. Holt Renfrew in Ottawa is pretty subpar as well so there is really no competition.

cannot believe you buy anything from those dirty crooks....
everything there can be had on the web for at least 50% less.
guess where the 50% goes? in their pocket. and what do they do with it? they buy nice steaks
 

SuitMyself

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Originally Posted by Towers

Have you been in a Harry Rosen recently? The clientele is upper middle class, yes - but the majority of their stores are nothing like the Bloor st. location, and I'm willing to bet there are very few people hitting up the Cinnabon and then dropping 100 G's at Square One or the Rideau Centre.

If you want to know how Rosen's pricing model works take a peek at the distribution rights for a bunch of the designers and lines that they carry - it's easy to dictate what it will sell for if you are the only person in Canada anyone can buy it from.


There are HR clients who drop $100,000 in one shopping trip. It doesn't matter where you or I believe such stories. HR caters to A LOT of rich clients, some of whom are Hollywood actors and visiting heads of states who happen to be in town on business.

HR also caters to us "regular joes". Not everyone is a regular joe like you and I. I make decent money but I'm far from being rich but I shop at HR. I don't shop often and I spend no more than $8000 a year at the most.


Originally Posted by ALFAMALE

Wtf, whats wrong with these people? You could fly to Naples, and savile row and have your whole wardrobe tailored. **** harry...

Originally Posted by Philip1978

But than you would have to fly somewhere just to buy clothes. That's a cool thought for us SF junkies, but not for most people.



Not everyone has the time or intent to fly to London or Italy to have clothes made.



Originally Posted by TRINI

You think these people either have the time or interest to do that?

They just want their business wardrobe covered and have it ASAP.


You hit the nail on the head, man!


Originally Posted by GoldenTribe

All anybody needs to know coming into this thread is that SuitMyself hasn't the faintest idea what he's talking about.

Canada isn't filled with mystical Monaco-bound snowbirds buying up couture dresses by the dozen for their Russian oligarch mistresses.

I bet you could count on one hand the number of times someone has waltzed in and dropped $100,000 at a Harry Rosen store in the last decade. I don't think you have any idea whether it's happened at all, frankly -- this is a perfect example of an unchallenged assertion snowballing into ridiculous idiocy.


I've heard it from an HR associate. I'm just telling you what I heard. This was way back in the early 90s. The client was a major Hollywood actor who was in town filming a movie. If you want to know the name of that actor, then I have to disappoint you by saying I do not know who he is (was) because the SA never mentioned him by name.

You decide for yourself what you want to believe.


Originally Posted by oneeightyseven

suitmyself is apparently marsupialed and hasn't stepped into a harry rosen EVER. it's mostly kids spending their birthday money and middle aged men buying a t shirt so they can walk around the mall with the bag lol I assure you that a majority of their sales are to small timer customers.


Just because you do that doesn't mean everyone else does.


Originally Posted by oneeightyseven

that being said, when I used to shop there the SA would ALWAYS discount me a minimum of 10% off. I always appreciated this and it, to this day, still makes me want to go in and buy things from him solely out of appreciation. sucks for OP that they didn't have the same respect for him, but then again I dropped much more than 4500 there.


I worked in menswear for 15 years for a private retailer who had three stores in town. When they went under, I opened up my own business with two friends and my brother, started making more money and started shopping at Harry Rosen. I've been shopping at Rosen for the past 21 years.

You can say what you want about me if that makes you feel better.

And NO, Rosen associates do NOT give discounts as you claim. That is simply the way it is. I never received a SINGLE discount in all my 21 years shopping there.


Originally Posted by WildeMan

Much of what has been written here about HR's business model is conjecture. So let me do a little.

The truly well-dressed men in Toronto --- and there are few of them --- still shop at Walter Beauchamp, Perry's, or bespoke tailors like House of Salgado. Harry Rosen has always struck me more as place for men who don't particularly care about clothes but want to be (or need to be) moderately well-dressed. They aren't concerned about thread counts or surgeon's cuffs.


I beg to differ. A lot of their CORE upper income customers DO care about details such as thread counts and surgeon's cuffs and pick stitching and ticket pockets, etc.

HR caters to a lot of men with all different levels of income. You can make $40,000 a year and still go in to buy a $250 shirt and $250 tie if you want. You decide what you want to buy. Or not buy.
 

doink

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I've had good luck with a SA. He calls when sales are on and price adjusted a sport coat that I bought earlier in the season when it went on sale without me even asking hen I was in buying things on sale.

I bought a MTM suit, that arrived 4 weeks late and they gave me a gift card for about 20% of the value.

While expensive, OK prices can be found and it does help to shop at the same store with the same person.
 

SuitMyself

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Originally Posted by TRINI

My friend at work has had good experiences with Harry's and has been a customer for a couple of years.

Last summer, he ordered a MTM suit during a trunk sale and when it ended up taking (much longer) than expected, his rep gave him 3 free Hilditch & Key MTM shirts. When the suit eventually did come in, it had the wrong lining so it had to be sent back.

Apparently, it got lost at the factory so they made him another suit in a different fabric. When the new suit came in, they found the old one and gave it to him free of charge.


Originally Posted by SuitMyself

Holy ****!
worship.gif
Why can't I be so fortunate to have them "misplace" my MTM orders?!

There was one time the factory forgot to put genuine surgeon's cuffs on the sleeves of a MTM sports jacket I ordered and it had to be sent back to the factory but the factory was closed for the season so Harry Rosen sent it to one of their other stores that had a machine for making button holes.

What is the point of my story? I didn't receive ANYTHING in the way of a discount or any special offers or "freebies" for the mistake and the inconvenience of having to wait for the jacket to be remedied--and most certainly I did NOT receive three FREE Hilditch & Key MTM shirts.


Originally Posted by doink

I've had good luck with a SA. He calls when sales are on and price adjusted a sport coat that I bought earlier in the season when it went on sale without me even asking hen I was in buying things on sale.

I bought a MTM suit, that arrived 4 weeks late and they gave me a gift card for about 20% of the value.

While expensive, OK prices can be found and it does help to shop at the same store with the same person.


You know, I've shopped with the same SA for the past 21 years. Never ONCE did I receive any specials like some of you claim.
 

Bill Smith

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Originally Posted by Xenon

I know about a half dozen Canadian millionaires and price is a very BIG issue especially for clothing. Some of them would choke at even $1000 shoes. They spend far less on clothing than a small wage earner like me. Of course they have far more valuable assets/investments than I do.


Not surprising.
 

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