Reading all the reviews of this store, I honestly was a bit surprised. I was blown away by this…read moreplace! Here's why:
-it's big. Okay, so relatively speaking, it might not be AS big as other Saks OFF 5th venues (especially in the States), but it's still pretty damn big!
-it's immaculate, and well laid-out, with excellent signage (signs suspended from the ceiling, so it's easy to see). At a glance, you can see where the mens' section is, the women's section, the activewear, the footwear, etc. Nice!
-there are some amazing deals to be found here, if you look, and probably a TON more if you come here regularly (I am certain they get new merchandise frequently, similar to their other sites). I found a classic pair of black Doc Marten kick-a** boots for $39.99. $39.99!!!! Unfortunately, they only had 'em in women's size 8 or 9, and I'd need a size 7. Oh, that hurt so much, as I wanted them SO bad. But that's the nature of discount shopping at these types of stores: the thrill is in the hunt and the find! But, yeah, those of you who know how much Doc Martens' usually sell for, you know what a steal that would've been.
-depending when you go, of course, it's hit or miss what you'll find here. But again, if you go regularly, you'll eventually find something amazing. They carry a lot of big brand and designer names here, and they've a decent selection of accessories, too (socks, hats, costume jewelry - note: I wasn't really impressed with he jewelry here but I'm sure it changes, too - belts, etc.).
-I had never been to Park Royal before and I was mighty impressed with the huge, free parking lots surrounding all the stores. Wow.
-the lady who was manning the dressing rooms was super nice, and the rooms themselves were large, with a chair, ample wall hooks, and a huge mirror. And I liked the way the thick, velveteen curtain-door hooked and locked shut. It felt plush and high end. (I should note, the guys working the check-out cashiers were super nice, too).
The sole reason I'm not giving 5 stars is because I wanted to try on a pair of cool designer sneaker-shoes in the footwear department but the pair was secured together (odd, because all the other pairs of shoes and boots I tried on were not locked together and many cost more than these sneakers). There was an employee in the aisle, stocking and tidying up all the shoes, so I asked her if she could please separate these sneakers so I could try them on. She said I'd have to go to the changing room lady who has the tool to unsecure the shoes. I found this so odd, making customers walk across the length of the store to bother the lady working the dressing rooms, when they logically could have the employee working in the shoe department have the required tool. (There were some elderly ladies in the store when I was there. No way would they easily be able to walk back and forth to get this done, to try on shoes. It just made no sense!), So, yeah, they potentially lost a sale there, as I wasn't going to be bothered.