(11th Nov '09) - It's at least still easy to find people via comments, so I'll try hard to r/r/c eve...
(11th Nov '09) - It's at least still easy to find people via comments, so I'll try hard to r/r/c everyone who leaves a comment on a review of mine!
Member since:23.01.2001
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Rackhams is Birmingham's only real department store, and as such has something of a captive audience. But Beatties move in in September, and not long after that the strange Selfridges building will begin to rise from the bombsite that is the Bull Ring. So, can Brum's most famous shop live with the competition?
The first thing that hits you about Rackhams is its size. As you approach the large block, you wonder how many shops are in it. Answer: one. It's *all* Rackhams. Its eight (yes, eight) floors cover no less than half a million square feet, and it is to all intents and purposes a self-contained town. It's entirely possible to spend a whole day in here, though whether it is possible to do so without going bankrupt is another matter....
One of Rackhams' distinctive
features is its many entrances. This is a bonus in some ways (quicker to get out of the rain!), but on the other hand it's very easy to get disorientated if you use an unfamiliar door. Of course, you then have to walk through more of the shop, so possibly that's not entirely unintentional....
As with most department stores, the owners like to create an ambience (Rackhams is a bit too upmarket just to have an atmosphere), and so the ground floor is stuffed full of perfume stands. All very nice by themselves, I'm sure, but 100 scents at once can get a bit overpowering. The other problem with this arrangement is that instead of a couple of wide aisles there are lots of winding passages, which can lead to a lot of congestion.
I don't generally buy clothes in Rackhams, but their range seems to be pretty much what you'd expect. A little reminiscent of M&S (on a good day) - solid, reliable and rather expensive. They have some (fairly predictable) designer names, and one or two of their own fashion labels, but I know less than nowt about fashion so I'll pass over these in dignified silence.
The food hall in the basement is something that people often miss out on - again, that confusing layout is the cause. It does take a couple of attempts to find the right staircase and doorway, but it's worth it in the end. The food hall isn't really the place to do the weekly shop, though a few people seem to, but it's wonderful for those slightly out of the way products - goulash (from Slovenia, for some reason), caviare, Pettigrew's Hot Gooseberry Chutney (yum!) and so on.
The most interesting part of the store in many ways is the very top floor - the sixth. It does take a while to get up there - and if you're not ambushed by an assistant hawking House of Fraser Storecards you're luckier than most - but it's worthwhile. Here you'll find the audiovisual department (for people who can afford a Bang & Olufsen - per room!), a Lillywhite's concession - maybe you'll see Dominic Cork getting some much-needed bowling coaching... - and a very handy branch of GAME. This last isn't that big, and seems to have a bit of a fixation with DVDs, but there are often some games you can't find anywhere else.
The sixth floor also houses the spotless toilets, which are officially entitled "Gents Cloakroom" and "Ladies Powder Room" - a little bit of class never went amiss . There's also a restaurant up here, which I've only used twice, but found to be perfectly acceptable. No chance of a Michelin star, maybe, but pretty decent by shop standards.
Every time the question of the forthcoming competition comes up in the press, Rackhams say they'll compete first and foremost on customer service. Well, certainly their staff are more knowledgeable than most - it's refreshing to get told "third floor, about 1/3 of the way along on the left" and find it's actually right - but there are one or two niggles, the most important of those being the slight air of superiority. Nothing is ever made explicit, but us ordinary folks (guv) tend to get the feeling we're regarded as a little below the "expected standard" of shoppers.
Prices tend to be fairly expensive, but on the other hand products are usually of good quality, so most people will accept it. As it happens, I've never had to return anything, but I gather that they don't make a fuss at people who do.
All in all, Rackhams is a good department store, and an asset to Birmingham, and I think it will thrive in the new competitive climate, though a couple of tweaks to customer service would be most welcome. Oh yes, one last point - it's a *fantastic* place to shelter from the rain!
Excellent opinion, who would ever need to shelter from the rain during the good old British summer? Timmy.
MichelleScott 13.07.2001 21:03
Welcome back, you have been missed! Very well-written and thoroughly comprehensive op. I've never been to a Rackhams but it sounds my kind of place.
judithritchie 13.07.2001 20:04
great op! sounds like a great place to shop to get everything. i like the convenience this gives you with department stores, and also how they give you access to free bathroom facilities (beats sneaking into macdonalds when the staff are all busy - hey we all get caught short sometimes dont we?!). But I hate the excess-entrances-disillusionment syndrome they give ya ;) jude
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Advantages: Bars and restaurants, multicultural, sporting successes and beauty spots Disadvantages: One way system, quite dirty, lack of sports facilities
iancognito 29.01.2004 ·
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