What does "Browsing" mean in Grocery and Department Stores

Where did you see 8am-12pm browsing on Sunday? Seems that they can't sell anything until 12pm on Sunday by law, but you can 'browse' the store without checking out from 11:30am https://www.harrods.com/en-gb/plan-your-visit

Anyone can enter Harrods for free, but be aware that there are “Browsing only” times between 11:30 a.m. and 12 p.m. However, if you plan on shopping in Harrods, its opening and closing times are: 10 a.m. to 9 pm, Monday to Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays

Browsing hours sound like a great opportunity to look around and get a feel for what is on offer.

Otherwise, based on my last experience shopping at Harrods, the store was so dang crowded it was not worth it and I left empty handed, their loss more than mine, but still. I had the same experience at Galeries Lafayette in Paris last May - shoulder to shoulder people, I immediately walked out, not worth it...

It looks like M&S (Marks and Spencer) open their doors at 11:45am for browsing. Sunday licencing laws in England seem a bit archaic to me. It would be interesting to know how public opinion stands and how those representing workers feel about it at the moment.

I think Harrods is worth a visit. It was busy when I was last there 2 or 3 years ago. Wasn't impossible though. I was with a friend who was shopping for Italian designer casualwear in menswear. Some of their concessions are very good. The service my friend got from the Stone Island concession in Harrods was some of the best I've seen. Someone who was really into it and friendly.

On a Sunday large shops in England can only sell goods for a period of six hours. However, it is quite common to open up for a period beforehand for people to gather what they want before the tills open. These aren't necessarily quieter periods.

Seems akin to the old Blue Laws that we use to have in Virginia that kept businesses closed on Sundays.

Basically it means you are allowed to look around and choose items but not to pay for them until the official opening time. Sunday trading laws dictate when shops can open.

It may be worth pointing out that it doesn't apply to all shops. I think it may be over a certain square footage? Small shops are open as normal on a Sunday for groceries etc. My local Tesco Express is open 7-11, but the "big Tesco" is only open 12-4 on a Sunday.

Well in the North of England the big Tesco and other such stores are open 10 to 4 (sometimes 11 to 5). In Scotland the Sunday trading laws (if there are any) are far more liberal.

Ah you may be right. I never go to the big Tesco on a Sunday. It may well open at 10. [edit: It's 11] Carry on.

Look at this way.....browsing means you can do all the shopping you want. However, you won't be able to pay for anything until regular shopping hours. (The registers/tills don't open until then.)

Just to pick up what Marco said further up the thread, Sunday at "browsing time" is probably a really bad time to shop in the Harrods Food Hall. I'd imagine there will be queuing to get in and a mad rush.

It's probably still worth considering visiting though. I've never eaten there, but I've watched videos of others, and there seems to be some really delicious things to go at almost affordable prices.

I'd also point out that the visit to Harrods that I mentioned previously is the one and only time I've been there since I was a child. I'm not a regular Harrods shopper. I do have a Stone Island jacket in the closet, but it is approaching its 30th birthday. It was fairly quiet when I was there in relative terms I suppose, but it was a Tuesday evening. I'd imagine weekdays are when the Food Hall is at its best with the freshest daily produce.

Thank you all so much all of your replies. I knew there was a reason to ask the question on this forum. You are correct, it is browsing from 11:45-noon on Sunday. I misread the Marks and Spenser website. Obviously not a cultural difference I anticipated and good to know. I do plan on visiting Harrods, but maybe not on the weekend!

Harrods browsing hours are 11:30 to 12:pm. They don’t open at 8.

The law in England is that shops over a certain size can only open for 6 hours on Sundays. That can be any 6 hours but normally it’s 10-4 or 11-5 although more often in London it’s 12-6. Many shops will open a little earlier, usually half an hour for you to “browse” or fill up your trolley in a supermarket but you can’t buy anything until thr official opening hour.

The same law bans Amy shop over that minimum size opening at all on Easter Sunday.

A very civilised law in my view.