I was visiting Toronto in August and found some British tea and jam that are hard to find in the US. I was flying out the next day and did online order to pick up in store. By 11 am I was anxious there was no notification to pick up and called concierge. Concierge was fantastic. When she informed me there's probably a delay because that Monday is a Canadian holiday, she offered to pull the stock and bag it for me to pick up. She took care of all the transactions and explained it clearly. So rare to see quality guest service nowadays and she delivered above and beyond expectations. I think her name is Claire - polished young lady fluent in Mandarin Chinese. read more

Great service! I bought a candle from Armani. They packaged it really well! Easy to find different brands and products in the store. read more

Holt Renfrew - Women's Clothing Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

February 15, 2026, I had an extremely unpleasant experience at Holtrenfrew Yorkdale Toronto Canada - men's shoes department. I wanted to purchase Prada men's sneakers that were displayed on the sale floor. The item was clearly placed in the sale section and marked as a sale item. When I asked the salesperson to bring the second shoe and the box so I could purchase the sneakers, he looked genuinely surprised that they were supposedly on sale. He then said that there was no box and no second shoe. This is not the first time I have encountered a similar incident in this store. Items are displayed as sale items, but when you actually try to buy them, it suddenly turns out that something is "missing" -- the second shoe, the box, or even any acknowledgment that the item is on sale. I asked to speak to a manager, but the salesperson refused to call one. I waited for more than an hour, and neither a manager nor the sneakers ever appeared. During that time, the salesperson pretended he was looking for the item, but instead he was talking to and assisting other customers. In the end, he took the single shoe that had been displayed for sale and removed it, and he did not put it back on the sale floor. It feels like these items are intentionally not being sold to customers at the discounted price. Later, the same kinds of "sale" items appear on eBay or other resale websites. I consider this practice unacceptable and misleading to customers. I hope store management takes this situation seriously and addresses it. read more

I placed an online order with HR for several items and checked my account daily. For days, the order status showed as "in progress." On day 4, one item arrived. On day 5, most other items arrived, except for pair of trousers and a skirt. So I checked my account again to see what was going on, and suddenly the skirt was marked as cancelled. No warning. No explanation. How is that even possible after the order had been "in progress" for days? So I called customer service and was told that the item was out of stock. What?!? For context, I've had orders cancelled before due to items being out of stock, but in those cases it happened within 24 hours and the order was cancelled immediately. The only explanations that seem plausible are that a sales associate purchased the item personally, or it was removed from my order to be sold to another customer. Neither of which is acceptable!!!! This is the second time this has happened at HR. The first time, I let it go.After reading Reddit forums, it seems this is a common issue with HR's online orders. This experience has completely eroded my trust in HR. I plan on taking my business elsewhere. read more

What a beautiful shopping experience! This store is the Canadian equivalent to Bergdorf Goodman with a touch of Saks. The clothes are beautifully displayed as are the bags and accessories. The Beauty Department is lovely and the staff is extremely helpful. We loved the Cafe, the food was good and the service was even better! Definitely stop by when you are in the area! read more

Certain very satisfying swear-words have been invented to describe folks like this... In case any children may be reading, I'll leave it to the imagination. It was all perfectly average-Toronto-flavour-depressing... And then you get to the shoe department, and as usual, a barrage of rude, condescending, inept (predominantly white women) folk start treating you like trash (ignoring your presence while staring directly at you; looking you up and down so you will notice their judgement as they decide whether to invest their time.) There were no other patrons in the fairly large department and something like 13 employees wandering around aimlessly or chatting among themselves, while intentionally casting aspersions. If you can avoid Holt, do. I only go because, despite their limited knowledge, manners and even product range, it's a good place to try on shoes before purchasing online, merely to avoid supporting this horrendous behaviour (and second hand is better for the environment and more interesting than anything they ever have to offer.) It's happened several times. I've now mostly given up on their abilities to be decent, respectable, or well-governed. Hopefully whomever does the shoe department hiring gets it together. Otherwise, I'm assuming birds of a particularly unpleasant feather must flock together, as it were. I have heard certain sales tactics exist wherein you are mistreated to incite a "Pretty Woman" spending spree... But whomever all supports such daft reasoning will eventually get their long overdue comeuppance, from the organizational-top down. Prada, Gucci, even Bottega uptown all have far better and KINDER service. Lest we forget people do enjoy shopping where they are treated with respect. This store is everything shitty about the sociability of Toronto - all the misery, classism, consumerism, and inferiority-complexes moulded into one contemptuous beast of mediocrity. Boring to the point of exhaustion. Again, if you can avoid Holt, do! read more

Money scam. Placed an order online tonight for a Mackage jacket. The transaction didn't go through howwver my credit card got charged. I tried another card and the second also got charged - no order confirmation Calling them this morning - technical issues with payment and the jacket I ordered is no longer available. No customer care, no help, no offer to replace with similar jacket. Nothing... a luxury department store lol, H&M is much better read more

I will skip the whole Holt Renfrew is over-priced commentary. Everyone knows Holt is over-priced. That is the market niche they occupy. It is not like they have consistently high durability or 100% high quality sustainable or organic products or all products are Made In Canada or anything like that to justify and anchor their prices. There is no such categorical claim to anything at Holt. They just carry expensive items. That is it. I will move on since I am stating the obvious. Product-wise they carry items that are available elsewhere and a slew of exclusives. I shop at holt irregularly and have found really nice clothing and shoes there. Their skirts are just perfect. So, yes there are elegant items available. What I also notice is that their selection/collection and the tastes of the buyers quite often is tacky. I am not exaggerating when I say something like half their merchandise looks geared towards the tastes of convoy trashy types or gangbangers' women. It is difficult to reconcile mentally if you have never been there, but Holt has 40% elegant and chic items and 60% tacky fizzy funny nouveau-riche ugly items that one can only imagine someone who drives a Hummer or a truck wears. Service is hit and miss. I tried on several pants and ended up buying one. Firstly, the nice salesperson who helped me, and admittedly spent ample time with me bringing, taking, returning, etc., with the clothes knew little about the brand's story, qualities or where the pants were made (she got that piece wrong actually). Secondly, she gave me her number and a card and said the purchase should be ready in 3-4 days, but I can call her anytime. I called her 4 days later, left a message and did not receive a call-back. Is that the Holt Renfrew service? Why give customers your telephone number? She did call me four days after my voice-mail, however, and left me a message telling me my purchase is ready to be picked up making no reference to the voice-mail I had left her four days prior. Very personalized service... er... erm... read more

Interesting store. It kind of reminds me of a Macys store. The difference is, there are a lot of high end brand names. I did think the selection was a little sparse, and one of the floors smelled like old wet mildewy clothes, but the clothes were beautiful. They had a huge sale going on....maybe that is why the selection wasn't the best. We walked into the Donna Karen area and I immediately fell in love with the skirt on the mannequin. I usually "shop off the mannequin", as I am the same size as most of them, which I am really thankful for, because I love it when the sales associates put together cute ensembles and I don't have to think about it. :) Anyway, i tried to make eye contact with a salesperson, and the first 4 made it obvious they weren't trying to be helpful. Another associate sized us up by telling me the price, and mentioning it was a one of a kind DK, and only came in the size 4. A sales associate named Duane came over and was very friendly- to which I am grateful. I've rarely had that happen, so it was surprising. The last time we were sized up incorrectly was in Cartier, so we just went to Tiffany's and bought our jewelry. :) Duane offered me a water and the skirt. I tried it on, and was in love! It was made for me :). The detailing was amazing, as was the material. I decided to walk around a bit, since the price was a bit steep -$3,400. Yes, that is correct....on sale at 40% off made it slightly less expensive. Well, as much as I loved it, I decided that I'd rather spend that money on a nice bag, a coat or more jewels from Tiffany.... Lol. I'm not going to lie, I can't justify the price....ever... But it was AWESOME trying on a one of a kind Donna Karen! :) I owned that skirt- if only for 10 minutes. :) read more

This company is a joke, I have placed an order as a gift for family. After 10 days they just canceled my order with no reason. I have checked very carefully after I placed order and all sizes available. This is the worst retail store in Canada. There are lot of better retailers online with better sale. DO NOT RECOMMEND. read more

I was invited with a group of ladies to Chanel's Beauty event called "Coco Game Center." I loved how we were greeted in the event with bottled soda pop--very classy! I had fun exploring and experimenting the different colours by myself. I just wished I had someone helping and explaining the products to me--something to consider in future launch. With the rest of Holt Renfrew, service was meeeh in the majority of the brands that we visited. Maybe they're trying a hassle-free shopping method?! I would say the most exceptional customer service we received was with Louis Vitton!! The sale associates were super friendly and patient with explaining the products--specifically, handbags. We were served sparking and still water, along with a Nadège cookie in the shape of a stiletto, which was not only super cute but also very delicious!! Parking downtown is crazy but fear not, Holt Renfrew has their own valet parking! The amount of money you're paying for valet is probably about the same amount for parking downtown so take advantage of it!! read more

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I bought a perfume for my sister as a gift, I was told it would be delivered within 48 hours. Two days later I received a notification that the perfume had been delivered. I went to the mail room but no sight of the package, I emailed customer service, did not receive a reply, i called them, they told me that the package had been delivered and there was a picture of the delivery. The package they showed me was a package that was delivered to someone else in my building!! Completely different name! I was assured I would get the package within 24 hours, 6-7 days later and still no sight of the package. I've called my credit card company to dispute the charge since they have not delivered my purchase and won't give me a refund. Their behaviour is disgusting and dishonest, I will never buy anything from them again. read more

A few years have passed, and it's time to update my review for Holt Renfrew. Over time, I've disengaged with fast fashion. Sure, there are weak moments when H&M calls to me, but I'm trying to invest more in less, and Holt is the beacon when it comes to investing in beautiful clothing. I'm also a huge fan of their make up counter, which has all of your Sephora and fancier needs without stepping foot in the chaos that is Sephora. Think pink. read more

I purchased a $2,500.00 watch as a Xmas present for my son 10 days ago at the Gucci counter within Holt Renfrew. I was told by the sales associate that I could bring him in after the holidays to have it correctly sized to fit his wrist. Upon my arrival with my son, I was informed by the manager of the store, (Erica) that they had recently lost the tool that was required to perform the sizing. She quickly suggested with a smirk on her face that I go somewhere else to have it sized at my own expense. I quickly realized that she had already had my payment and no longer cared.  Bad customer service. I was very disappointed with Gucci and I will never purchase any of their products again. The irony behind this review is that my wife suggested I go to a major brand name store in case something went wrong. Might as well have purchased the watch on street corner... read more

I have a love/hate relationship with Holt Renfrew. + I love that they have well designed, refined, trendy pieces of clothing and smaller sizes for men. - I hate pricing on certain items however! For example, a hundred bucks or more on a ordinary graphic tee. Please! You know what I hate even more? Shopping for a puff jacket. At HR, there is a great selection of scaled down, slim fitted puff jackets and coats. Yes, they are more pricey than other places. But If it doesn't make me look like a Michelin Man, or worse, a Michelin Man wearing an inflated bath rope, wrap that baby up! In term of service, it's pretty generic; the usual meet and greet and allowing you to browse peacefully. Sale representatives are young, friendly, knowledgable and well trained. An awesome service I recently discovered: if Toronto HR doesn't have the size you're looking for, they'll track it down from other locations and have it transferred to Toronto location. Now, that's cool! read more

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Where dreams are made of......and broken in the same day. An institution on Bloor St, this store always draws me in. The beautiful pink facade/signage stands out on the bleak street. From valet parking (and remember when there was a dedicated doorman?!) this place not so silently screams richness. Perfectly made up and gorgeous people are the bones that make up this gorgeous store - they look like those airbrushed models. So if you feel any insecurities or suffer from low self esteem then try and get a blowout and a full made up face before entering (you have been warned!) One floor is dedicated to cosmetics and perfumes and you find brands that read about but can never find. Charlotte Tilbury, La Mer, Prada, Jo Malone, etc. I wish they had a better ventilation system because the mix of the fragrances can be overwhelming at times. While there is a lot of staff in this store never have I once been approached to see if I need help (I don't own a fur coat or a $5000 purse after all). I don't like the fact that I never know what each floor has - there is no signage that I can see. Usually it's by the escalators so you know if you want men's clothing you can go the the XX floor. I do like that the store is broken up into designer categories - D&G, Kooples, The Row, etc. Like capsule collections that you can browse. Yes the prices are steep but that's a given. However their Boxing Day sales are pretty amazing and that's when I usually hit this place up. This week they had lots of items 70% off. A few years ago I scored my fave pair of jeans here - $220 orig price down to $75. I still wear them to this day. Their sales items are pulled into the aisles on racks so you never have to search for them and are always clearly marked. For cosmetics and fragrances that are unique I would always come here. They also have some really nice accessories - hats, scarves etc. This is always my stop during the holiday season to dream. read more

I am by no means rich, but Holt Renfrew is too beautiful and decadent to resist. The guards at the front are lovely, and the staff will always treat you with respect even if you're dressed in rags. I had the fortunate luck to swing by in December and the store was in full holiday cheer- they had free hot chocolate, Christmas caroling, and an artist to make fashion sketches of you if you asked. Prices are steep of course, but their sales really bring in buzz and warmth to the otherwise untouchable place for the less-wealthy. I also love the tiny pop-up stores they bring in that sell macarons, donuts or tea. This location of Holt Renfrew is massive and sprawling- I can spend hours in here! read more

Holt Renfrew - Spring themed! - Women's Clothing Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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I've been in here a few times for gifts for that special someone, and at first I've always tried to avoid it based off of the reviews and what people told me, with regards to snobby employees. My few experiences here were however quite pleasant. I've always been asked if I needed help by employees and there always seems to be several employees ready and willing to assist you with all your needs. The store itself looks a bit dated. To be honest with the amount of revenue they pull in, I figured they would at least renovate the place a bit more. It looks like an old Sears outlet store inside, and the displays are often cluttered or disorganized. It's relatively easy to find the different departments, but I find I'm usually asking around to find specifically what I am looking for. They do have loyalty incentives if you shop here a lot as they mail out gift cards, coupons and other assorted promotional things for regular customers. It's a nice treat considering how hard it is to find a deal off high end merchandise they carry. Overall I'll probably be back here again for that next special occasion, but I do think the store needs a bit of an update. Compared to the rest of the stores on Bloor, it falls a bit short on the looks department. read more

There is nothing I needed at Holt Renfrew! There is nothing I desire in Holt Renfrew. Please don't get me a gift card here for any occasion, as I would have re-gifted that..... But, it is fun to browse around as I usually do when I am in the area. I just love to annoy the sales persons and they can size me down as much as they want! Aside from that, this Holt Renfrew's location has the best selections of everything... and I bet I can find a gift for the Yelp's "Baron" of Holt Renfrew with no problem!! or he can have my gift card!! read more

I'm in inclined to be very trusting of luxury type places. The prices alone should guarantee quality and taste, whether it be in food, clothing, furniture, anything. A deli adjacent to Holt Renfrew holds so much promise. Clean and tastefully decorated, the menu looked equally interesting. Three different kinds of spring rolls (the mushroom, in particular, looked good), freshly made soup, sandwiches and, at the very end of the line, cupcakes! But everything fell a bit short. The spring rolls were a tad stale from having been left out in the open, the soup was okay but terribly salty, the sandwich I ordered was soggy and my red velvet cupcake.. eh... it was decorated in that cream cheese icing. I know that's traditional but I've always preferred the sugar one. In conclusion, you are better off going elsewhere. read more

Holt Renfrew - Women's Clothing Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Wonderful variety at store. Great high end brands for shoes and handbags. Prada, Manolo Blahnik, Burberry, and much much more. Downfall - the store was very busy and disorganized due to the amount of people that were shopping inside the store. I was not able to find handbag that I wanted or an associate to get assistance. I would definitely try this store again if I was in Canada. read more

Holt Renfrew - Wonderful display at the end of the entrance of the store. - Women's Clothing Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

A girl's dream - the beauty section reminded me of Bergdorf's. It has so many varieties and selection to choose from. Jemma Kidd, Bond 9, Bobbi Brown, Chanel, and... I am sad that they no longer keep their private label since I was hoping they still had this one top there. There's not much else I could say since this is another typical high-end department store. They carry the same thing in NY and this is why I was hoping they still had their own private label. If I am going to shop out of the country - I want to get stuff that you won't be able to find back at home. Not to mention Staff here were all so pleasant! read more

Holt Renfrew Gift Card = EASY TO COPY I'm one of many victims of Holt Renfrew's gift card duplication scam. Holt Renfrew gift cards do not have the security features that other retailers carry. Anyone can copy Holt Renfrew gift cards. Over one thousand dollars worth of money in my Holt Renfrew gift card was gone. I did my research on the Internet and found out how easy it was to duplicate Holt Renfrew gift card. I'm now able to duplicate Holt Renfrew gift card with a $50 card duplicator. Search Holt Renfrew gift card scam on the internet and see it yourself. Before leaving bad reviews on the internet, I talked to a number of different Holt Renfrew managers about my experience. I even emailed the CEO explaining how easy it was to duplicate their gift card, and why Holt Renfrew shoppers' money were at great risk. They couldn't care less. The email went into the CEO's mailbox, but not a single reply. They were just hoping that I would give up and stay quiet so they don't have to deal with the victims of their gift card duplication scam. But that's not how the Internet works. I started to write my experience on the Internet informing others. Guess what? Holt Renfrew replies right away. I must have been a fool believing that Holt Renfrew actually cared about their customers and not customers' dollars. I emailed them and got an automated email saying they have received it. Guess what? Zero reply. Companies like Holt Renfrew will do anything to please online reviews, but won't do anything once people contact them. They are just trying to "show" the online crowd they "care", when all they care about is customer's money. Here is one word for you, Holt Renfrew. You guys are DISGUSTING. read more

Holt Renfrew - Doesn't take NASA engineer to figure out there must be scratch-off code. Why doesn't HR have it? Cuz it costs HR money. Risk for customers! - Women's Clothing Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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My husband ordered stuff worth 400-500 cad online. It was supposed to be delivered in about a week's time and after a whole MONTH the products are still not here. In the past ten days he has spent over 5 business hours (taking time during his vacation and work time) to get on calls with three different customer care executives. Every call took over two hours to connect and then the sales people would say that ups has lost your parcel so we cannot refund or replace. We can issue a ticket and let you know in 24 hours. It's been two weeks of calling and each executive promising it will be resolved in 48 hours and still no resolution, no email replies and no call backs. We are still chasing the holt renfrew team online and trying to get an idea of what to do. Pathetic. I would recommend everyone reading this to value themselves and their time and go for other competitors that know how to treat their customers. read more

stopped in a few days ago on the last day of a short trip to Toronto. Was just going to "take a peek" at Prada to see if they had a new line of triangle bags. They had just gotten one in the day before! As it was a big purchase for me, the sales associate was SO kind and nonjudgemental while I debated buying the bag, even offering to hold it for me until the end of the day. Ended up purchasing the bag and was surprised they had the brand specific packaging even though it is technically a department store. Will definitely be returning, as the sales associates in Saint Laurent were just as friendly and helpful. read more

Great place to shop if you like stuck up associates who couldn't care less. I am planning to return my Gucci purchase, the experience was so bad it ruined the product for me. After I explicitly told u it was a gift, why on earth would u put it in a torn gift box. WFT. Oh right, you don't give a shit about the customer. Can't wait until Nordstrom arrives, your ass will be so handed to you. read more

National embarrassment. I thought the Bloor location would be better than Sherway, but based on my expectation and the fact that it's Bloor Street, this location is almost worse. Almost. Handbag section is on the small side and the selection isn't great. They have mall brands like Michael Kors - why is this even at Holt Renfrew, when you can buy at the mall?? And they don't carry stuff like Proenza Schouler. No Chanel, didn't see any Prada, but if you're looking for MCM (ugly!) or Rebecca Minkoff, this place has got you covered! Honestly, this place needs better buyers. I just walked in, tried to find what I was looking for and couldn't, and walked out. Didn't even bother taking the escalators upstairs. No wonder most people shop online. Can't wait until Nordstrom/Saks come here! read more

Never would have guessed I would actually be in this place looking to buy something, but I read an article a couple of months ago about men's jeans and they recommended a pair sold at Holt Renfrew for a reasonable price. So when it came time for me to get some new jeans today I thought I would check things out... First thing I realised when I walked in the store was that I had no idea where anything was. I was greeted with a sea of make-up counters and employees looking at me like I was an alien. I wanted to ask for directions but everyone looked like they didn't want me to speak to them. Finally wandered around and found some men's clothes. I asked one of the male employees in that section if there were more jeans and he barely looked at me and mumbled "downstairs." Went down some steps and saw a large selection of nice jeans. Saw a couple I even wanted to try on but the THREE employees standing 4-5 feet away from me were busy talking about how scary the movie Paranormal Activity is. At one point an employee actually made eye contact with me, but then continued to ignore. I could have asked for help but something came over me and I realised I didn't want to give Holt Renfrew any of my money. I muttered "fuck this" under my breath and left. Bought some jeans at The Gap and they were super nice and helpful. Never again, Holt Renfrew. read more

Miss going to this store and browsing all the lovely designer items and seeing what is new. Over the years have made friends with a few of the regular employees, can't wait to see them when things open again. Holts is a nice rarity these days - a luxury department store that still feels luxurious. read more

Holt Renfrew is where everyone likes to get their ballin' on. Holt has their own little Prada corner, a Miu Miu corner, a Chanel corner, shoe section, cosmetics, menswear, etc. Lots of glitz and they constantly change up their displays, so visually appealing. Some exclusives to Holt, that you can't find elsewhere in Toronto with instore selection, is Agent Provocateur, and Jo Malone. I'm sure there's a ton others, but I'm not going to sit around listing them. I find the service can vary. Ex, Holt sends their loyal customers gift cards every few months, like $100 off every $300 spent on apparel. Not bad! But some of the salespeople will tell you that undergarments and outerwear is not apparel. Some others find it perfectly acceptable. Another way service can vary is how you present yourself while shopping. It's a bit annoying, but I do find that when I'm dressed to impressed, the service I get is better by FAR, as opposed to when I stop by on just a casual day, and I can walk through the whole store without a greeting. Not great. The doorman is excellent! I'm sure many people recognize him as the dapper man in a top hat who greets anyone within hearing distance - very pleasant! Overall Holt can be a fun shopping experience, with some wonderful exclusives. Watch out for those gift cards in the mail! read more

Holt Renfrew on Bloor actually has the worst customer service I've ever had. I don't know what it is, but it's consistently awful every time I go there. My only criteria for decent customer service are: a) be available, and b) be helpful. Friendliness goes a long way, too. Having worked in retail once upon a time ago, I try to be a good customer and expect good service in return. I don't expect the moon, but at these prices, I should certainly get it. I needed to update my wardrobe, so I headed over to Holt's for a couple of pairs of shoes. The only reason I continue to shop here is because of the selection and proximity to home/work. I found a sales associate to help me get the sizes I needed. She looked annoyed as I interrupted her texting, and was very unfriendly and unhelpful throughout the process, scowling the entire time. I happily left and ordered everything I needed online, and she didn't make any commission on my sale. read more

I went two weeks ago to Holts because there was a foundation from Bobbi Brown that I wanted and they were the only ones carrying them in store. As soon as we got there I thought it was closed and doorman said they were still open and graciously opened the doors for me. I went to the Bobbi Brown counter and there was no one there mind you it's still half an hour before close. I asked the concierge if there was anyone working the counter. A minute later some sale rep showed up not looking happy at all. I told her that I would like to get colour matched. She took three colours and smeared them across my cheeks and they were such heavy streaks they all looked wrong. She handed me a mirror and said choose. I told her I couldn't because there would be no way to tell if it was the right colour with how much she smeared across my cheeks. She was huffy the entire time and then proceeded to blend and said again to choose. It's a good thing that I'm well versed with foundations because I was able to pick the colour I wanted. The attitude was very unpleasant and service was horrible. This is not the first time that I have encountered bad service at Holt's but now that I have my colour I will be buying online for sure. I have complained in the past about their terrible service but have never received a response. Pretty sad for such an upscale company read more

Having come all the way from Australia for Canada's Holt Renfrew I was disgusted beyond belief! The management of this place need to give their snobby staff a big talking to! The staff here need to realise it's not about them it's about the customer and leave their egos at home. I felt incredibly unappreciated and back home I usually am wearing a suit which I think would have got me attention in this place. Dressed casually I felt like I was about to be spat on by the staff. My friend and I left immediately. Having working In a family property business in one do the most blue chip areas in my city I know that ignoring customers by dress standards is a big NO!.Some of the wealthiest clients I have walk around in t-shirts because they have nothing to prove... Unlike the foul staff here! Horrible experience I'll be sure to share! Looking at many other yelp comments on here it seems other people have had similar experiences. Surprising considering how poorly retail is doing in this country. read more

Of all my friends I consider myself the most ironic and the least naive. So why is it that when I got to Holt Renfrew do I turn into an idealist and can't understand why everyone in the world has to be so mean? I am not saying that Holt Renfrew is the world, but to the store's regal regulars and employees it is and it seems to me they do everything in their power to make me feel like I don't belong in it. One Question: What the HELL??? I just want to drop some of Visa's money on a Marc Jacob's purse (of which there is plenty) and get into debt for the rest of my life, why won't they let me? Okay, I am exaggerating, Holts is more than happy to take my money and they do have a beautiful store and exquisite merchandise, I Just feel uncomfortable in the place and the staff doesn't ease that discomfort at all. If you're not rolling in it, Holts is at most a special occasions' store or for the shopping masochist it's a great place to tour around and look at all the designer clothing, jewelry and makeup you can never have. read more

I don't come here often, but I do when I want to try on expensive hand creams and relax in a great atmosphere. The Jo Malone fragrances are heavenly (ask for samples!) and the clothes are just so pretty, especially DvF wrap dresses that I can't afford and promise myself that one day I shall own one. I went here to buy some jeans because I tried on H&M, F21, Gap and all the other cheap culprits for skinny jeans I could find. Those pants just DO NOT fit on me. I have a very stick straight body with a high, but slim waist. Cheap jeans are usually way too big in the waist if they fit in the legs, and/or too low-rise (ick...) My body is just made for premium denim (alas) although I loathe paying the price. I'd rather spend $170 on great denim than $30 on something I hate to wear. I went through their Boxing Day Sales Rack, picked out 50 jeans and narrowed it down to 2. I ended up buying the Citizens for $170 (OUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!) but I love them because they're perfect for my body (high waisted works on me to stay on my body and not slide down), and a second pair, which I later returned. My only reason for not giving a full 5 stars is because the saleslady there was both aggressive and snotty. I was asked my opinion in the dressing room by the saleswoman about another woman trying on jeans. This poor woman had a fabulous body but in True Religion jeans, her butt looked flat, long and very strange. She said she usually has the opposite problem (perky, big butt which I did not see on her to be brutally honest). The saleswoman was trying to make her commission by lying to this poor lady, and when they asked me to weigh in, I gave her my honest opinion and told her to put them back on the rack as they were unflattering. I got the evil eye stare from the saleslady, but a grateful ' THANK YOU' from the lovely woman after that, but hey... don't ask me if you don't want me to dish out honesty to your clients. I saved that lady $300 and a flat butt look. At the counter, when I was holding 2 pairs of jeans, she gave me another attitude problem when I couldn't figure out which one I wanted. She wasn't as nice and was LAZY in trying to help me find 26, 27 or 28 sizes of jeans in skinny styles on the rack (okay, so she didn't even try to help, which made it worse because there was NO ONE ELSE THERE). She also tried to tell me that $170 was CHEAP for the jeans, (2 for the price of one!) to get me to buy both of them, but who is she kidding? These jacked up Canadian prices at $270 - $300 each mean that in the U.S. these fake "sales" of 60% off are considered full price at $170 - $180. Service? Meh. Some associates are great, others are just.. ugh. Too snotty for words because I don't waste my money or my words. read more

Posh and exclusive, HR is Canada's premiere department store for men and women (the equivalent of Saks or Neiman Marcus). The downtown Toronto location opened in 1979. Unless they've renovated it since my visit, the exterior doesn't impress but the interior definitely has the look of an upscale department store. They carry Alexander McQueen, Imitation of Christ, Temperley, Thakoon, Kate Moss Topshop, Galliano and other brands that appeal to label whores. Like your typical high-end department store, they have a beauty department, shoes, purses, a spa, salon and a fur salon. HR is in a class of its own, far more prestigious than The Bay and I was going to say Eaton's but I just learned that Eaton's no longer exists. Ages ago I went to their outlet store in a suburb of Toronto (I'm not sure where I was). It was in a strip mall and didn't look too impressive (it looked like your typical outlet store). That store, called Last Call HR, has moved to Vaughan Mills. read more

This review pertains specifically to the Jo Malone fragrance counter at Holts Renfrew Bloor street location. Holts Renfrew are currently the only distributor of Jo Malone fragrance in Toronto, Canada. I am extremely disappointed at how an employee at Holt Renfrew handled my needs and request to exchange a fragrance and body cream scent which did not suit me purchased and gifted by a friend. Being in fragrance, I would presume she knows fragrance is something very personal and all I wanted was to exchange the body cream and perfume to a different scent which I always use. Eventhough the body cream and fragrance is new, un opened, same packaging, as Holts Renfrew carried. All the sales associate at Holt Renfrew told me was, it was bought in London it cannot be exchanged. I was terribly disappointed and she didn't even try, but closed the door of opportunity saying no, no, no. I was also wiling to upgrade the fragrance to a bigger bottle and pay more. By shutting the door close, Holts not only lost a sale (opportunity to upgrade) but also a loyal customer. Classic case of snobbery from Holts and it's associates. Thank you. read more

Every time I feel like quitting school, I go to Holt's. Holt's reminds me that I can't afford the lux stuff I want all the time. The hope is: finish school and get expensive stuff whenever, if ever, I want. I like expensive stuff now, I just don't tempt the debt-devil by window-browsing. You know how the saying goes, "out of sight, out of mind". Just a quick romp through Holt's and I'm back on track to churning out papers with disturbingly long titles. Coincidentally enough, said papers are usually about consumption and hence, Holt's is also a great place to re-align baseline observations of bougie dreams (i.e. gawk at the purchase and display of status). read more

A lot of reviewers complained about Holt Renfrew's prices, but to be fair, they sell designer products and are known to be very expensive. What I want to talk about is their sales' customer service. It is a mixed bag. Some are extremely helpful and courteous, but some are lazy, impatient, like to look down on shoppers who are not wearing "rich clothings". I go there to shop for niche perfumes. I like to frequent the Byredo and Frederick Malle perfume counters; on one weekend I had had a very courteous salesman, on a weekday evening I had had a different salesman with a tattoo on his arm and he was absolutely horrible. The moment I asked for a free sample he immediately looked pis*ed and grew impatient and wanted to kick me out. So people who gave HR a poor rating probably had encountered an asshole salesperson, and people who gave it a 5 star had encountered a great salesperson. I have encountered both, so I am giving it an average of 3 star rating. read more

Oh Holts! How I love you! If only I had an enormous paycheck.. I would dedicate major time and money to you. For now I will just browse and occasionally treat myself to something I apparently can't live without! As the Canadian version of Bloomingdales and Barneys, this store is legit and has most (if not all) of the offerings of their American counterparts. There are tons of designers, a wide selection of handbags and a great shoe department. If you want anything high end, from expensive hand cream and make up to beautiful boots and fun party dresses - Holt's has it all. Bonus - I don't find the sales people especially snobby, as my experience with these kind of stores is they usually profile you and treat you accordingly... So if you have some money and want to look fine - hit up Holts. You WILL find something to spend your dough on! read more