On Wednesday, March 18, H&M, a Swedish retail store, opened at Crabtree Valley Mall on the lower level below the Belk’s Men’s store.
This is the first opening of an H&M store in the Carolinas, and its arrival is causing much excitement due to its low prices and great styles.
After hearing word of the store’s opening, my best friend and I decided that visiting the store on its opening day was a must.
On Wednesday, March 18, we booked it to the student parking lot and sped to the mall, where we were greeted by an extremely crowded store and a line to prove it.
After waiting in a half-hour line, we entered the person-clogged store where we were greeted by racks and racks of moderately-priced clothing.
After navigating our way through collections of ten dollar dresses and six dollar tops, our conclusions were the same…the store is nothing special.
The store only contains a few components that its competitors do not, such as a kid’s section, which sells clothes for H&M’s budding customers, and a men’s section, which high-fashion males are sure to appreciate.
Despite these few aspects the store will not be causing too much trouble for its biggest competitor, Forever 21. Although Forever 21 is more cluttered and overwhelming, they are able to fit a vast number of styles and trends.
H&M attempts to do the same, but it seems as if their merchandise has been stuffed into the store’s cramped quarters, especially in their jewelry section, where thousands of cheap necklaces, sunglasses and earrings are crammed into a 5 ft by 5 ft area. Forever 21’s sprawling accessory-land is a breath of fresh air after seeing H&M’s feeble attempt to compete.
After watching customers flock to H&M, I have one suggestion: Take advantage of the non-crowded stores; Forever 21 is having some great sales.
Katy has been on staff since her sophomore year, starting as a staff writer. With hard work and diligence, she earned a junior editor position and ultimately became Editor-in-Chief her senior year. She will pursue a degree in journalism in college.
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