7/07/2012

Harbour Town (Perth WA)

840 Wellington St
West Perth Western Australia 6005
(08) 9321 2282
http://www.harbourtownperth.com.au
Hours:
    Mon-Thu 9:00 - 17:30
    Fri 9:00 - 21:00
    Sat 9:00 - 17:00
    Sun 11:00 - 17:00


Harbour Town is a big promise unfulfilled. It is great having a big shopping centre with discounted prices, still you expect the discounts to be considerable, and have a wider more glamorous selection of outlets. Keep this in mind, if you go to Harbour Town, go with plenty of time, and wanting to find hidden gems, as otherwise your visit could not be as fruitful as your wallet would want.

GOOD THINGS
- It is open every day of the week.
- There are lots of discount shops in one place: shoes, female and male clothing, underwear, sports, homewares, luggage, accessories, gifts, books, vitamins and  even a pharmacy and newsagent.
- You can find real treasures at bargain prices. To mention some of the ones I have found: 70% discounted Ferragamo sunnies, 70% discounted Oroton sunnies, +50% discounted Simone Perele lingerie, 70% discounted artsy Scooter sandals, first class trainers at less than 100 bucks.
- Everything is discounted, so, no matter what you buy, it is usually cheaper than elsewhere.
- There are a considerable number of cafés and fast food shops to get a coffee or a light meal and have a rest before continuing with your bargain hunting.

NOT SO GOOD
- The layout of the place is confusing, chaotic and badly designed.
- The offer is mostly of mainstream popular brands - factory outlets.
- You need to be in treasure hunt mood to find a real bargain.
- You might need a bit of time to find your bargain.
- You might find a bargain but not in your size.
- Some of the products on sale are last season's, not the current one, still the discounts are little. You have to be aware of the prices out there before coming in here, so you get a proper bargain, not just a few bucks down.
 
- The food offer is average in variety and quality.

HOW TO IMPROVE
- The place need a general reorganisation, and make it a bit more glamorous.
- The management should be working to bring first-class Australian designers outlets to HT, so the place gets a bit more exciting. To attract them they need to revamp the place, not the other way around.
- Better directions signing is need. More of them, and more clearly identifiable.
- It would be great having a proper restaurant or good bistro.