European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 19, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Ask time at the hours before Sale people lined the Street outside harrods 11 n o one camped on the pavement Over but three hours before the 9 opening at More than 100 people were lined up outside the stores 11 in the waiting bargain Hunters numbered in the thou Sands by the time the doors swung open in unison and exactly on the Dot at they filed through the inner doors without pushing and shoving and then shifted into High the mostly sprinted and bounded up harrods 16day july Sale was from my Vantage Point overlooking the main i raced to the China and Glass department where a harrods official had promised plenty of although i was already in the store and one floor up when the doors hundreds of determined shoppers beat me to the i could hear China and Glass before i could see it the sound of thousands of cups and saucers scraping and the customers were filling shopping baskets with entire sets of Royal Royal Doulton and some already had three and four baskets no one this was serious big time shopping at the International at least one in every four of the grim gleaners was an Oriental Why Are there so Many chinese and japanese women in the crowd i asked a hovering harrods there Here to restock the chinaware in the Small Oriental restaurants they work in in he its the same situation year after a Mother and Hilda and Leah Smith from were exceptions to the unsmiling shop both were Over the Moon Over the buy they had on a set of these dinner plates Cost us pounds apiece the first mad dash is always into China and then the shoppers spread that about Back Home in Alabama they sell for said 23yearold we came Here yesterday and scouted out where the China we got in line outside at this morning and knew exactly where to head when the doors her Mother we Are heading Back to the hotel from we Only came to buy the the action in chinaware was fast and furious with trestle tables set up As sales Points All around the elsewhere in the store things were relatively quiet during the Early hours of the the first mad dash is always into China and then the shoppers spread out into fashions and then into the big ticket explained Frank Dre the stores managing the longer the queue coming through the main in trance on the first Day of the Sale the bigger the takings for the entire Sale will he the queue was Long and harrods took in 6 million pounds about million from some shop pers on the first compared with million pounds on the first Day last Drewitt anticipates a buying Bonanza with final when the Sale ends on july to hit an incredible 54 million pounds about no doubt harrods is counting on the considerable spend ing clout of the record number of american tourists in the British capital this summer and especially the More than american lawyers and their families in the City to attend the annual meeting of the american bar it is estimated that Well heeled group alone will be on a 30 million Pound spending americans shopping in harrods on the first Day were concentrating on British made they found some real considering prices for the same goods in the for mens neck Cashmere sweaters were marked Down from 106 to 79 pounds about mens Lambswool sweaters from 32 to 22 pounds about women Pringle Lambswool sweaters from 32 to 16 pounds about and women Burberry Trench Coats were half Price at the equivalent of less than half their Price in new for those with Bucks to there was a Matching set of Diamond necklace and ring Down from to pounds about and a full length White Mink Cape reduced from to pounds about what did i buy two pairs of Hal Price hiking socks for a total of 3 i hate to even if it is in the stars and stripes Page 15