Came here a couple of times to buy shoes, clothings, and gifts. I love that the sales associates are very helpful and not pushy at all.
They have a great variety of chocolate and wine over at the cafe area. The packaging is perfect for gifting as is, but they also wrap the gifts for you in nice black, sleek wrapping paper. Of course, can't forget the signature Bijenkorf orange bow.
We tried a vegan square frambozen (raspberry cake) and weespermoppen (almond cookies). The cake was melt in your mouth amazing. The almond cookies were a little too sweet for my taste, but I can tell it's well made.
The only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars is because the one in Amsterdam has a much wider selection in terms of handbag and shoes.
My biggest tip for those shopping here if you're planning to leave the EU within 3 months:
- Ask for a Global Blue VAT refund form and make sure the retailer stamps and signs it. Your order must be at least €50.
- Why? Because the prices you see and pay include VAT (similar to sales tax). If the refund process is done correctly, within a few weeks you'll receive roughly 10% back.
- I had it refunded directly against my credit card balance. You can get it back in a variety of methods (cash, bank deposit, etc).
- Fill out the form you get and get a customs stamp. The most convenient method in my opinion is to simply get the stamp at a participating airport (Schiphol, for example), you can also drop it off at the airport. Otherwise you'll have to personally mail it.
- You *must* show the customs agent an outbound plane ticket for proof of exporting the product.
- Of course, make sure to read the instructions you get in its entirety. Money is money! read more