I was on a roll (not the bread type of course) with some shopping for two of my friend's wee ones. Funnily enough they are sisters so I was buying for cousins, one just born and other just turning 2 years old. Awww! Fun for me as they are boys and I do like shopping for boys toys. I was working my way through various baby clothes shops and remembered that Hamleys was in the St Enoch's Centre. It's in the newly upgraded part of St Enoch's, where TK Maxx used to be. I was gutted when it went but I have to say I do like Hamleys. It's like walking into a giant play area, designed by Willy Wonka but you'll find no chocolate here. Alas Willy had no imput and some dreamtastic person came up with this wonderland for kids and big kids too. Hello! I had been to the London store many many years ago, which felt like it had endless floors of toys. This is only one floor but it is pretty big, colourful, bright and full to the brim of toys. I have to say I do find it a tad expensive and stay away from the Steiff Bears unless you got the money to burn. Excellent quality but by joe, very expensive. I wandered round and round, I did get a bit lost. Aaah giant elephant and giraffe! I managed to find myself in the book section and found some pretty cool books and a there was a wee sale on. Yas! I thought I'd stick to a wee outfit and book for them both. Needless to say all parents involved were happy with my purchases, this is including mine as there were contributing to the presents. Yay! I believe there's a room for kids to have parties in too. The staff are all very happy, I went when it was quiet one morning and the staff were still cheery and entertaining with playing with toys. What a job eh?! Awesome toy shop and much fun! read more

A gorgeous big toy store filled with goodies for old and young. When you walk inside, you are met by a life sized cuddly elephant and giraffe, that you can't help but give a wee rub and contemplate contemplate climbing up on top of, however I resisted for fear of being thrown out (or thrown off by these life-sized lovelies). Every corner you turn, there are battery operated bunnies hopping around you and excited children, agog at the bright and colourful creations that surround them. As I scanned the aisles to find my boyfriend, past the wandering children and bouncing bunnies, I was amused to see that he was the biggest kid of all, wandering aimlessly with wide eyes and a big grin on his face as he was overwhelmed boy the amazing toys all around him. My very favourite part of the experience was the top hat wearing Hamley's mascot, who was joyfully coming down the escalator, waving to everyone, belting out 'Don't Stop Believin' at the top of his voice. Priceless. read more

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If you ever see me in here with kids in tow, shoot me. Immediately. This is NOT a shop for kids!! Well, maybe it is, but it's really geared towards the big kids out there. Like me. And my best mate (way more of a child than I am!). So, I only go here if I have a specific kid I need to get a gift for (their teddies etc are handily labeled with age suitability from 0 months up); or when I just fancy a wander and looking at the big Lego stormtrooper or the huge animals. It's expensive, but the sales are usually pretty good. And I'm pretty sure I saw an ATM last time I was in... read more

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Ah Hamleys - a superstore of magical teddies, games, gizmos, dazzling lights and enchanting displays - has opened in Glasgow just in time for Christmas as the only UK Hamleys outside London. As a big kid who gets transported back to a time of innocence and fantasy the minute I enter such toy shops I had been looking forward to visiting Hamleys from the minute I heard it was opening here. I dutifully did so last week and it really was wonderful. Not quite on the scale of London's Regent Street store but it certainly brought as much of that magic to Glasgow as possible. With a ring master on the door cheerfully greeting everyone I was immediately entranced and thoroughly enjoyed wandering around. It is much more than just a shop - it is like entering a world of fun. In fact the huge amount of stock made me quite dizzy and I was very distracted by a flying fairy for a good ten minutes. There were of course lots of demonstrations going on around the store and the staff were so enthusiastic it was impossible for it not to rub off on me. I was also pleasantly surprised by the prices - really pretty reasonable for a store like this and you wouldn't get many of the products for much cheaper elsewhere. Perhaps I am too easily swayed by anything that conjures up anything slightly magical around Christmas time but I know where I will be buying my wee cousins' prezzies this year and I can't wait to go back and try out some of the demos myself! Just what Glasgow has been missing. read more

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Perhaps the only store in Glasgow that can act as a legitimate tourist attraction, the new centrepiece of the refurbished St Enoch Centre opened up last week to considerable fanfare. I'd been looking forward to this for some time, but somehow left a tiny bit underwhelmed. The escalators that come in from the street highlight how you are not entering some ordinary store, with a frankly stunning life size plush giraffe and elephant greeting you on either side. Once inside though, I realised that the "size of a football pitch" quotes bandied about in the press had been a little OTT, and I was surprised to find that they didn't stock the gift I was looking to buy my little nephew. I'm perhaps nitpicking here as to be honest there are literally thousands of things here he'd gladly get his mitts on instead, but I'd have hoped the world's most famous toy store would have everything. I did just get the feel that the shop was rushed together a bit for Xmas without being really ready to open, though I'm sure in the coming months that feeling will change. It's still a massive coup for the city though, and an essential stop on any shopping trip. read more

Hamleys - from official website - Toy Stores Near Me - Glasgow, GLG

It was long discussed and years in the making, but Hamley's has finally arrived in Glasgow's St Enoch Square! Selling gadgets, sweets, Barbies, Nerf cannons and games for a number of consoles, Hamley's is pretty much one of the only toy emporiums available in the city centre. So it's just as well it's so good! I love the fact they still sell Littlest Pet Shop toys, although they look a lot more like Bratz Dolls than they used to back in 1994. They sell some cool gadgets, outdoor toys, baby books and branded items such as the ever popular Peanuts Gang. Personally, I am quite taken with their cuddly toys. There is a 20 foot giraffe waiting for you outside the store. Its legs alone are at least 8 feet. I can stand upright under him and I'm not even able to rub his belly! He's three grand, but I would argue that he's a lifelong investment. Did I mention he's over 20 feet tall? read more

This place rocks! What you have here is a big (free) playground for kids. OK, check oot the mental picture imagery type painting (insert flash back music and cut screen).... By lord it's horrible outside. What shall we do with small child that costs next to nothing and is not the Kelvingrove Museum (which is splawesome, but a tad over done with this small child!) Answer? That'll be this place. Picture a Willie Wonka type playground minus the chocolate, but with tons and tons and tons of toys instead. Ok, so not every toy is out for play, but there is a good amount... not just the shoddy ones. So the place is designed to get the 'I want-weans' to pester the parental types to purchase all that there little hearts desire (read demand). Yes, this can happen, but in the main they tend to be pretty happy after a good play with all the toys. For me it's a good place to take the small ones after a boring (for them and me) spot of shopping in the city. Done. read more

I really am such a child at heart and cuddly toys are just so cute. I always feel bad getting just one though as it makes me sad thinking of all the other toys sitting on the shelves, unloved, unwanted. Well... until some other sucker comes along. It would bring a tear to a glass eye. But hey, I bet they get up to all kinds of trouble as soon as closing time comes around. As previous reviewers have mentioned, Hamleys is magical and you can get toys that will put a smile on anyones face regardless if they're 1 or 101. Giraffes are my favourite animals and I love the life size giraffe they have outside Hamleys, he's amazing! I would love one but I'd probably have to buy a new house as I don't think he'd fit. Just imagine trying to fit that in your car, from a distance he might even look like livestock. Hilarious. There's also a huge elephant and a terrifying looking gorilla. read more

It's prices are on the higher side however ..... It's hamleys, it's an amazing place for kids and big kids Store is well laid out, well lit, always clean and well presented read more

As you would have guessed... Hamleys is one ginormous toy store. A store the size of a football pitch! Oh me oh my! As one of Hamleys flagship stores in the world, this will hopefully aid in revamping St. Enoch's image. The iconic British toy store has just about everything for the young ones, and of course those young at heart. As you take the escalators up from the ground level, you're greeted with a zoo of plush stuffed animals ranging from all sorts of sizes. A towering giraffe greets you, and you just sigh in awe. From Barbies, racecars, robotic animals, stuffed animals, and high-tech gadgets (the rear corner of the store is a GAME branch), this place has it all. All of the toys are organised in a manageable manner, that it's not too overwhelming. The staff are friendly, and helpful when you need them. The fun stuff has a hefty price tag though... although you come here for the experience, it's probably not entirely practical or economical to do your entire toy shopping here. To this day, I continue to lobby for a puppy... after visiting Hamleys I would have settled for a robotic pup just like the one I used to have as a wee girl growing up in the hot desert of Phoenix, Arizona. But alas, my puppy dog eyes didn't work their magic this time. *Le sigh* read more

Hamleys - Toy Stores Near Me - Glasgow, GLG

Hamleys in Glasgow? How unexpected! But how darn exciting too - hearing of its opening I immediately took the opportunity to enjoy it to its full and take the kids I babysit down there to write a list for Santa. Having such strong memories of happiness as a child visiting the branch in London and stumbling around the aisles in a hyperactive haze, I was excited to see the kids in the same state. Of course they were, what child couldn't when faced with shelved upon shelves of shiny boxed toys with plenty of 'try me' push buttons? I, on the other hand, was somewhat disappointed. There wasn't anywhere near as many interactive areas as I imagined there would be for kids and adults alike to enjoy. Expecting the floors to be covered in grunting, backflipping pigs, and giant piano mats to jump on and play songs through, I was disappointed to find only one remote control car area, which didn't even work, as all the signals from the remotes of the cars overlapped. While there is lots for the children to enjoy, I couldn't help feel that the magic was lost in the building, the layout, and the poor entertainers the employers were, and it felt more like Argos than a fantasy land of enjoyment. read more

I love that bit in Home Alone 2 where Kevin goes into that toy shop and the kind old man lets him pick something from the tree. Tear to my eye. It epitomises my childhood Christmas time for me, and if this store was around then, I would have been the happiest kiddie alive. This is like a children's dream land right in Glasgow! I absolutely love the fact that Hamley's has opened up here, and it is a more than welcome addition to the town. It just feels so magical as you walk through the giant figures and stuffed animals, and dream of being able to try on the fairy-tale dresses in the cute little Cinderella stage they have in the store. It is really expensive though, so parents must be doing their best to limit visits here, but it is absolutely brilliant. I just wish I was still young enough to enjoy it without a wee hint of embarassment! The folk who work here are the cheesiest folk in the world though, and one guy sang his rendition of 'Don't Stop Believing' as we left, much to our mixture of horror and amusement. That might be cool in America, but it doesn't work in Glasgow I'm afraid! read more

this is the most amazing toy store in glasgow. the staff are friendly and really try to help you find what you are looking for. it isnt as big as the flagship store in london but they have done well with the space that they have . read more

I love shopping here. Makes me want to be a kid again but on a serious note found some great gifts for the kids.

I have been to the London Hamley's several times both as a child and an adult and put simply it's a magnificent experience..........however the same cannot be said for Hamley's in glasgow. This store is devoid of character, enthusiasm, imagination and just about everything else that makes the London store special. In my opinion it is a half hearted attempt to cash in using Glasgow's reputation as the biggest shopping experience outside of London and I feel that for the most part it's the staff that are a big part of the problem. Everyone who works in the shop in London is really just an actor out of work but this is the reason they perform so well, they are trying to impress just in case the right person is watching, whereas in Glasgow it's merely a job to pay for the weekend clubbing and if they could afford to, they wouldn't be there and it shows. People under 25 don't really know what real customer service is these days. Prices are higher than everywhere else but you know that going in as it's definitely a case of your paying for the name on the bag for everyone to see. Yesterday (21/05/11) I paid £25 for 2 lego sets that could be bought for under £20 in Tesco but it was a day out for me and my boys so I made an exception. For speciality items they can't be beat but for everyday toys, crafts etc, go to Tesco or Argos and save yourself a fortune. I will not be making any effort to go back. read more

This store is new to the city, having only opened late 2009. It is located at the bottom of Buchanan street on the top floor of the St Enoch center. The store is pretty big and seems to be well stocked, it have everything from Thomas the tank engine to gadget's and a game tucked away at the back of the store. When I first visited it was before christmas and as you'd expect the store was very busy, however I found that it was badly staffed and all the till's were mobbed. Which was surprising, as you'd think a new store, aimed at children, would take on extra staff for the holiday's. I also found that the pick n' mix had been lying and was hard and all the rock was broken - very disappointing. Lastly I'm not keen on the store's location at the top of the shopping center as I find it is always out of my way and so I never go there. Very disappointed with such an important store for the city - especially now that Woolie's has gone. read more

First time in Hamleys today shopping for my daughters 2nd birthday, absolutely loved it!! As we went in the door we were instantly greeted by Chris (i believe) who was incredibly friendly and even had a game of hide and seek with my daughter. As most parents know it aint easy trying to juggle shopping and a 1 year old and when I asked another member of staff what their policy was regarding kids wrecking the shelves (joking), he replied theres no policy wreck away. Of course I wasnt actually letting my daughter wreck the place but that friendly reply instantly made me feel at ease, I could continue shopping while letting my daughter explore. Along that journey we met Scott (Scotty on his name tag), that guy is absolutely made to work there!! He showed my daughter a few magic tricks, she was completely in awe! All staff are incredibly friendly. A fantastic experience from the second we entered until the second we left! Great job to all the staff at Hamleys!! And thank you for making the dreaded shopping trip that little bit easier. Its appreciated! read more