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| - It happens often. Poor unsuspecting guys don't know much about what to wear and so they're informed. What occurs next borders on abuse and extortion.
The people working here don't mean to do it, they're well-intentioned but this is habit now. I don't doubt there are a few gems who are well-informed and can give you space (an older gentleman upstairs had this good sense). But to be fair they're fighting a market that is outpacing them while situated, effectively, where few that don't already know about them would ever go to buy a suit. So from the minute you walk in the door you are prey. Salespeople will lunge at you at every corner (and there are many corners).
I'm not their usual customer, which seem to consist of stubborn regulars and the naive. I am well-informed and know my suits, I can say that confidently. I found the store to be in complete disarray. Forget the fact that it's packed to the brim, there's no logic behind where anything is kept. When a salesperson shows you where your sizes are, they then lurk. Waiting for you to show the slightest interest and then tell you how great it is.
It's not great. If you do get a good find it will be in the thousands. At that price you can get a great made-to-measure or a decent designer suit. Tom himself may be offering discounts 'if you ask', but how much will he really knock off when the very average garments are so overpriced?
A lot of Harry Rosen stores suffer a lot of the same issues, particularly with salespeople. These dinosaur stores need to get with it because their customers are getting savvier. Keep looking, it's not worth the trek to Kensington Market, don't let the nostalgia fool you.
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