The Harry Potter Shop at Platform 9¾ — Attraction in London

As a hard-core Potterhead, visiting the Harry Potter shop at King's Cross Station was at the top of my list during my first and recent trip to London. Yesterday, July 27, 2024, I had the chance to visit this shop after landing at Heathrow Airport following a grueling 20-hour flight from New Zealand. I was eager to immerse myself in the magical world and was prepared to spend £100-£200 on various items. However, my experience was utterly ruined by the behavior of one of the security staff members.

Upon entering the shop around 10-11 am on a busy Saturday morning, I was brimming with excitement. As I was trying on some goodies, specifically the Ravenclaw headbands and hairpins, in front of a mirror like everyone else, a security lady (an African woman with glasses and a thick accent) pointed out that my bag was open. I appreciated her reminder and thanked her with a smile, acknowledging my carelessness. But instead of accepting my thanks, she murmured something under her breath and unnecessarily scolded me about losing my belongings if I continued to behave carelessly. I admitted I was careless but the scolding was totally unnecessary and left a sour taste in my mouth.

Despite the initial unpleasantness, I tried to continue my shopping. The shop was incredibly crowded, and somehow I kept encountering this same security lady wherever I went, but I didn't even bother much and just shrugged it off. When I returned to the outfit section to check the fitting mirror, which was still crowded, I moved to another shelf with Ravenclaw merchandise. I noticed some items with partly off price tags, likely due to the heavy traffic in the store. As I was examining a hairpin, the security lady abruptly approached me and shouted, "What are you doing? Why is it like this?" She was referring to the price tag. I explained it wasn't my doing, but she continued to murmur and said she would watch me.

Feeling accused of stealing, I confronted her, asking if she was accusing me of theft. She insisted I explain myself regarding the price tag, despite my repeated assertions that I had nothing to do with it. Her accusatory tone and hostile behavior made me lose all interest in shopping, and I left the store deeply disappointed.

This experience was disheartening for a dedicated fan like myself. The shop needs to reassess its staff hiring and training practices, particularly for security and customer service roles. I cannot be the only customer who has endured such degrading treatment. While I might have had an unfortunate encounter, the store must ensure that no other visitors have to face similar...

Wow is an understatement..

We were just casually walking around and saw online about the Harry Potter souvenir shop and decided to stop for a while. Didn't realize that they have a store here and it was a 'wow' for us..

Let's dive in!

Location: Located at the station tucked away at the side and corner, we were rather surprised that this place existed, somehow Abit magical 😁. The store is at the end of the main holding area, after the big boards showing departure n arrival times. So it's rather easy to help you guys identify where.

Services: Practically almost everything you need, is sold here. Harry Potter fans will surely love this place. From mugs, to wands to shirts and more. So ya, it will definitely be a heaven for the fans. But for us, it's more a surprise 'wow' since we are being the typical tourist😂.

Atmosphere: Somewhat magical, with the deco pieces placed here and there to align with the movie. Although, we thought that it could have been better decorated, but probably it's for the best. Koz, too pretty also no point, since it's a store. And a store is to sell items and not selling the experience.. if experience and fun, that would be at the theme park yeah 😋.

Security team managed the store-goers well with Q poles so as to have a rather controlled entry, to avoid mess and over-crowding inside the store. They also have signs to request customers to wear their bag packs in front. So it helps everyone by being aware of their surroundings.

All in all, it's a great store and we managed to get some goodies for ourselves... Yayyy.. recommended for fans to pop...

🧙Must-Visit for Harry Potter Fans🧙

For fans of the Wizarding World, Platform 9 3/4 is a must-stop shop for your pilgrimage in London. A few highlights:

🌟 Outside is a cart "disappearing" into a brick wall, which you can pose with as if you are on your way to Hogwarts for the semester. There are various characters' wands in the cart's basket, so you can pick whichever one you like and pose with it. Sometimes there is a line for the photo spot, so keep in mind you may need to wait a short while in the qeue and pose quickly to make room for the next person.

🌟 A couple of Harry Potter-themed shops sit next door to this photo spot. The inside resembles the stores found at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, with a variety of official Harry Potter merchandise and character wands to purchase for fans and avid collectors. Merchandise is separated by "house," making it easy to rock your Hogwarts House pride!

🌟 My favorite purchase: You can have your own personalized Hogwarts invitation letter printed inside the shop onsite. I got one for a friend who is a big fan of Harry Potter. The invitation comes with their name and mailing address, as well as a "wax" seal to make it all look official. You can fold the letter with the seal in place, or keep it displayed inside of its larger display envelope with each piece separately situated for viewing.

Bottom Line: If you're on a Harry Potter tour in London, this stop must be on your list of visits. It's located in King's...