Hennes and Mauritz, otherwise known as H&M, opened its doors to Floridians on October 15 after months of no doubt the most fashionable anticipation. The store had a pre-party, requiring attendees to be over 21 to go. Failing that requirement, guest journalist Natalie Chandler and I went to the regular store hours around one hour after the 12pm show time. The Seminole Towne Centre was covered in H&M paraphernalia, from large ads hanging from the ceiling in the Food Court to proud and happy shoppers adorned with bags upon bags of their purchases, to logos adorning trolleys, all in a line. One pair of shoppers was even comparing their buys after their meal, holding up dresses to their person.
I have the fashion sense of a gerbil, so I felt horribly out of place among Orlando’s most eager of fashionistas. I found the items to be reasonably priced and the quality was pretty good. I did see some very awesome items that would merit a trip to the Florida Mall (like a gorgeous black trench coat when Florida gets “cold”, as well as nifty gloves and hats) and even someone as untrendy as I am can appreciate a store like H&M. I didn’t buy anything, but that trench coat shall be mine as soon as the weather merits one. I’d give the store an eight out of ten with regards to clothes, style and price. The lines however, were rather long. Of course, this is attributed to the first-day of opening and will no doubt resolve itself once the thrill of a new store wears off. The line to the fitting room was the chief complaint of shoppers interviewed, and even one customer was heard saying “The line [to the fitting room] is just insane!” The checkout line fluctuated in length and looped around the store at one point, and shoveled people out as they got in only an hour later.
Many UCF students were on the scene, no doubt taking advantage of the latest stop for trendy clothing, even skipping classes to get a piece of the action. Anshonae, a senior majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies, stated she got to H&M two hours before the official opening and found out about the store from a friend on Facebook. She denied any previous visits to other H&Ms, and gave the experience a seven out of ten rating overall. In comparison to stores like Forever 21, she said it was “more upscale”. She spent $85 on her purchases and said she probably won’t come back to the Seminole Towne Centre location, but may pay the one in the Florida Mall a visit.
Nicolas was still looking at clothes when I interviewed him, having only been in the store for ten minutes, but as far as he had seen he was very pleased with the selection, giving the store a nine out of ten rating, saying the offerings had “good style” and the prices were “reasonable”. He said H&M was better than the stores that carried similar styles. Nicolas was very emphatic when he said he’d return to the store, but he won’t be going to the one in Florida Mall, since it’s not as close to him as the Seminole Towne Centre location. He said he hoped to stick to a budget of $40.
Ashley, a native New Yorker relocated to Tampa and in Orlando for a conference, said she “miss[ed] H&M”, and that whenever she went back home, that was one of her first stops. She found about the store openings through her online newsletter subscription and gave the store a perfect score, calling it “great” and saying she was “just desperate for it”. Ashley loves H&M because they carry both stylish and trendy clothes without “breaking my bank account”. She spent $85- on four tops and some jewelry, and she was happy, as she was prepared to spend more. Ashley didn’t bother joining the massive fitting room line, but she does plan on returning and checking out the H&M in Florida Mall. A large group of UCF students were all grabbing lunch after shopping their hearts out at H&M, and even put on their free shirts to pose for a picture for KnightNews.com. The general consensus was very good and they all plan on returning at some point. Ariana received the most gift cards and Krzysztof was most enthusiastic, and their interviews are listed below.
Ariana, an undeclared freshman, arrived on the scene an hour and a half before the store opened and her wait was rewarded with gift cards valued at a total of $50. She spent an hour waiting in line for the fitting room, and fifteen minutes in checkout. Ariana said she heard about the event through Facebook. She had been to an H&M in San Francisco in 2007, and “fell in love with it”, and she plans on returning to both locations. She too states the good quality of the clothes and the reasonable prices.
Krzysztof Srodek, a freshman double majoring in History and Political Science, had rave reviews about the store. He received a gift card worth $25 in return for his hour and a half wait, not to mention the 70 minutes he waited in line for the fitting room. He, like many others, heard about the opening through Facebook and he jumped on the chance. Krzysztof has had previous experiences with the store, once in Chicago and once in New York. He stated that everything in the store was amazing, “like Jesus infused into the clothing” and gave the store a twenty out of ten rating. He’ll definitely be back and will have a look at the Florida Mall location.
An anonymous employee who had been to H&M in the past said the opening was pretty good, and of course, hectic, due to the mass influx of people who wanted their clothes. The employee also said that the store hired more than one hundred people, but they are no longer hiring. The store pays upwards of ten dollars an hour with paid time off, offers part time insurance benefits, AND employees get 25% off everything in the store.
But you don’t have to be a fashion maven or even previously known about H&M to appreciate their trendy clothes and reasonable prices. Eddie, a UCF grad student, had never heard of H&M until just a few days ago. He tagged along with a group of friends to the store opening, waiting in line for an hour and a half and receiving a $10 gift card for his patience. Eddie spent the least out of his group of friends – only $1 after the gift money – on a clearance shirt and belt. Eddie said he found the clothes and store to be more unique than his normal shopping spots, and says he’ll come back to shop more or visit the Florida Mall location once he has more money. There is no denying the appeal of H&M. The store offers trendy, hip clothes at a fair price. Their large selection of women’s, men’s and even children’s clothes makes it a one-stop family clothing shop in their two locations at the Florida Mall and Seminole Town Center Mall. With the success of its grand opening, H&M will be here to stay, making Orlando a little more fashionable, one customer at a time.
