The Beatles shop for Christmas at Harrods

HARRODS GRANT A RARE HONOUR TO THE BEATLES

The Beatles became London’s most exclusive Christmas shoppers last night. They had Harrods to themselves.

The Knightsbridge store, which treasures the Queen among its distinguished patrons, allowed the Liverpool quartet to shop in regal privacy after its other less-celebrated customers had been ushered out at 5 — closing time.

A rare facility. When the Queen shops at Harrods she does it during normal opening hours. She was there last Friday for two hours.

But, fearing mob scenes in their sedate emporium, Harrods agreed to a solo shopping spree for the Liverpool mop-heads. The Beatles, who are account customers at Harrods, arrived at a private entrance at a quarter to five and were entertained in the manager’s office until closing time.

Then — with an assistant manager each as a guide — the Beatles had the store to themselves. For two hours twenty minutes.

They asked to see three departments — toys, records and a section called “From Him To Her” where the discerning male can pick up the ideal gift for the woman in his life.

Pretty girl assistants in turquoise anoraks served them.

From Daily Mirror – November 26, 1965

WHAT THEY BOUGHT AT HARRODS

CHRISTMAS comes but once a year… and when it comes it brings special problems for the Beatles. Those four famous faces can’t just nip into the crowded local Woolworths to select Christmas gifts for their families and friends.

Result: this year the group were given the freedom of Harrods, one of London’s most-noted “upper-class” stores. For a whole hour after the normal closing time they were able to wander around and choose whatever they wanted, escorted by attractive salesgirls in pale blue anoraks.

They had to pay for the goods, naturally — and one estimate is that the bill came to more than £2,000.

“I wouldn’t know about the cost myself,” gagged John Lennon when I met him in London this week, “because we just wandered around separately and bought whatever we needed. It was a bit of a spree. I’m not telling you what I got for Cyn, because it’s a surprise, but I got a terrific 200 ft. slide for baby Julian. It’s a whopping great giant of a thing and it’s going to have to go out in the garden. I’m looking forward to playing on it. What else? Oh, things for the house and so on. I can’t remember half of the stuff. In fact, most of it’s still in the wrappings. I’ll have a bit of a Christmas surprise myself when I open it up.”

I asked Paul what he’d bought, but he wasn’t saying. He made with the sincere, open-eyed, heart-to-heart look and told me: “I’d like to tell you. But if I did, everybody would know what their presents were, wouldn’t they?”

He said he hadn’t bought very much for himself. But I noticed that the massive, floral, Mod tie he was sporting at a Press conference recently had that famous Harrods label!

Both Ringo and George used their time around the store to buy furniture — Ringo for his own home, and George for the new property he has just bought his mother and father near Liverpool.

Said Ringo: “I suppose I went a bit mad really, because I don’t normally buy any furniture or things like that. I leave it all to the wife, because she’s there most of the time and she’s got to live with it. Having the store all to ourselves was a terrific experience, mind you. It was like something from a film, with just us and the assistants. We’ve been to other stores like this for previous Christmases, but they’ve just stuck us in a room and said: ‘Right, what would you like?’ Then they’ve brought it along for us to inspect. I don’t like that idea at all. But this year… well, it was a real pleasure to do our Christmas shopping!”

ALAN SMITH.

From NME – December 24, 1965