Peter’s Of Kensington

Great prices, great quality, great range for tasteful gifts. The shop is both crowded and stuffed to the rafters with stuff to buy, so I would recommend buying online rather than trying to park and navigate the shop itself. Postage is reasonable, and items are always packaged safely in large boxes with puffed rice packing.

I’ve been a loyal customer of Peters of Kensington for over 20 years and I recently bought a Staub cast iron pot which was faulty. When I contacted them I was told I had to return it at my cost as they had to inspect it. Yes it was deemed faulty and they supplied me a replacement which sadly was again faulty. This time I asked for a refund which I partially got but they refused to pay for the postage costs of $ 27. So beware as these people are miserable and other stores like Victoria’s Basement and Your Home Depot don’t have such miserable return policies for faulty products.

Yesterday I went to Peters of Kensington, to pick up an online order but I never got into the shop. They refused to let me in with my tote, which was my purse with keys/cards//makeup,/brush etc. They wanted to hold it and the $ 7000+ of camera gear inside it? Oh, I think not! So I put the cameras around my neck. I picked up one small plastic bag, like from a chemist, put my extra lens in it, and reluctantly handed my tote over, not wanting to waste more time, sure that I’d gotten most valuables out of it.
BUT! A plastic bag, no matter how small (coke can size), is against their policies too. I tossed the plastic bag in my tote and picked up my $ 1500 lens, figuring I could wrap it in my hat and try to hold it and MAYBE I wouldn’t drop it?
BUT my willingness to «hope for the best» changed when I turned and saw a gal with a purse the size of my bag leaving. I snapped a photo. The guards said it was OK, since it was a ladies’ purse. I said this is MY purse. They said no, it’s a tote, and that’s a purse. Then a woman with a fabric commercial tote JUST LIKE MINE but a different colour and with words on it walked out. I photo’d that and asked why are you picking on me? He said that that was a purse, not a tote. Ummm, same size, similar bought-​at-​checkout tote material, same shape, hers might have cost $ 3 rather than $ 2, but the print was the big difference. He insisted I was wrong. (I’m 50 yrs old, shopper for many years… I know accessories.)
Over and over, people walked out with purses. Bags with «Harrods», big net purses slopping all over the person’s backside, big leather purses, laptop bags, backpacks, fannypacks. Sometimes they had to open bags and show contents on the way out the store. Most didn’t. Common denominator was that they were permitted into the store WITH THEM.
I stood there trying to ascertain why I was being singled out. (For every 8 or 10 large bags I saw leaving the shop, I saw 1 person picking up a bag from security. After the fact, looking through my photos, the common thing seemed that those of us who’d had a bag taken from us before we entered looked, well, there’s little other way to say it, «poor». An older, not-​well-​dressed lady. A young male student age. Etc. The VAST majority of people with bags large enough to be thievery items were permitted into the shop with them, and bags larger than those refused WERE allowed into the shop, when held by rich-​enough-​looking people. Tote signed «Harrods» as a lady’s purse? Come on in! Blank tote as a lady’s purse! You are NOT welcome here.)
Eventually I asked to see the manager. I photo’d customers with large bags walking out of the shop. I was asked to leave (they didn’t explain why — I got from the cops later that I was asked to leave for photos, after I called the cops on security for putting a hand on me) and said basically, no, not till i talk to the manager. I WAS FORCIBLY THEN SHOVED OUT THE DOOR. I am an older woman with a knee injury and thankstogod that I didn’t lose my footing when shoved.
A young man came down to talk. I said I was here to pick up an order, But now I need to return it, as you’re certainly not profiting off me. Too bad as I’d wanted $ 300 more of items, too, that I’ll now buy elsewhere. He processed the $ 150 return. Presumably he WAS NOT the manager, because at the end he said, «Hey, I just work here.» They wouldn’t even send a manager down to address the inconsistent enforcement. So, shame on you, Peters of Kensington. SHAME ON YOU.
This is a very poorly done case of selective enforcement. If guards are supposed to stop everyone with a backpack or tote, they are FAILING BADLY. If you can’t make an exception for a customer with easily-​provably highly expensive gear in their tote bag that is no bigger than many other bags allowed in the shop, that is nothing less than piss-​poor customer service. Either FULLY ENFORCE YOUR POLICY, OR RUBBISH BIN IT. Re: not letting me take a very small plastic bag smaller than EVERY PURSE I saw going in, so I could so that I could easily carry my lens with less fear of dropping it or leaving it, if I had to leave my red bag: frankly, who made up that rule, plastic bags about a tenth the size of some purses allowed in, are not allowed in???
AND… they retaliated by: (1) Removing my complaint post to their Facebook page. (2) Blocking me from posting to their Facebook page so they could have last words on my 1* review. (3) Removing someone’s comment that said they let people with phone cameras in all the time, so why pick on Helen’s camera, and pointing out that NO customer faces are visible in my posted photos so they shouldn’t complain about violating customer privacy. (4) Online bullying me by making a Facebook TAKEDOWN request for my Peters of Kensington Shame On You page with bag photos (NO customer faces!) showing the dual standard. (5) Online bullying me by apparently blocking my personal ID from Facebook for 12 hours!
Please let this truthful review stand as free speech.

Great place to find great deals!
Note: if you drive there either come in early as the car park is tiny. Otherwise you should be able to find a spot in one of the parallel streets.

If I can give this place 3.5 stars, I would. Since I cant, I think this place is worth more of 3 stars than 4.
This place is almost like a one-​stop mall, where everything is sold «at a discounted price».It is probably best suited for wedding gift registry OR buying birthday gifts.
Cons:
— The layout of this place sucks. In a warehouse-​turns-​into-​a-​shopping-​area, there is just so much they can do about it I guess… However, amongst all the glasswares, the walking space is narrow. During weekends, when the place can be crowded, it can be annoying.
— Im not 100% convinced that the prices I see on some of the items are «discounted».
— The pink shopping bags they use are hideously ugly ! (perhaps it’s their marketing tool… but still!)
Pros:
–There are enough employees around the place that if you need to find something, there is always someone right there who you can ask.
— It’s definitely a «one-​stop» shopping paradise. You can find almost everything there except for clothes/​electronics
— Plenty of cashiers. So even if the checkout line is long, you wouldnt need to wait long.
If you are those «buy-​what-​I-​need-​and-​leave» kinda shopper, this place is perfect for you. However, if you want to enjoy the shopping experience, I would not recommend it.
Also, I suggest that shopping there over the week days (if you can) since it can get quite crowded over the weekends.

As a newcomer to Sydney two years ago, I’d never heard of Peter’s of Kensington. A friend described it in hushed, almost reverent tones, and I now know the secret behind all those distinctive pink shopping bags you see hauled all over town. The person carrying them (usually female) has that aura of post-​retail intoxication — they’ve got a secret, bought a bargain, the day is made.
It is a thrilling place to shop, in the most direct sense of the word. There are bargains, you may find them. Or you may leave utterly frustrated, having been unable to find anything whatsoever in the mayhem of the emporium. Whatever you want, it is probably there … somewhere. Don’t take a pram; do go prepared to buy far more than you ever set out to. It’s Ikea, but even more seductive.
Thankfully, if it all gets too much, there is a lovely little tea shop in the middle — an oasis that serves a damned good toasted sandwich. If it tells you anything significant, my mother-​in-​law loved it all.

Warning shopaholics! If you have an incessant addiction to shopping, then you better steer clear of Peter’s of Kensington. It is 4 floors of consumer heaven.
If you need a Christmas present, this is your one-​stop-​shop. If you need a non-​stick baking tray, this is your spot. And if you are getting married, be sure you have this as your registry. From the outside this rundown mammoth of a building used to be hot pink now a dull pale, masques all the treasures inside. The first floor is host to perfumes galore. Chanel, Bulgari, yada yada. Walk up the stairs and your Mumma will think she has passed and gone to heaven. Wedgewood, Villeroy and Boch, Swarvoski, Ladro. Seriously big names at seriously reduced prices. I have been buying Chrissy present here for years, my family think i’m on good money! Sometimes half price, you will never go anywhere else for that «special» gift.
It is hard to choose but the kitchen section has to be my favourite with everything you need, and don’t need, existing in one magical space. A very, very large selection awaits you and the prices are unbeatable. Designer labels of knife sets, coffee paraphernalia, towels, luggage, glassware, cutlery, the list is endless. So go and grab yourself a basket and fill it up! The kind staff will gladly take it downstairs for you (a ploy so you keep on shopping!) where they will even gift wrap, beautifully. The only downfall? It gets super busy on weekends so be sure to try on a weekday. Much more pleasant whilst you peruse the lovely temptations.

I had to get a present for a friends wedding and Peter’s of Kensington was one of the places of choice when it came to the bridal registry. So instead of doing the obvious and purchasing the gift online, I decided to stretch the legs and visit the actual store on Anzac Parade in Kensington. Funnily enough!
It seemed like every man, woman and their dog decided to do the same thing on this particular day. It was mayhem and I was cursing myself for going on a Saturday and not during the week when I’m sure there’d be less people.
Being a total novice in a store like this, I slowly got into my rhythm and started enjoying the experience. I didn’t realise there was so much choice when it came to things like cutlery, glasses, decanters, pots, pans, things I don’t know what they’re used for and things I’ve never heard of.
For the record, I ended up buying a gift but will keep that close to my chest for fear of being branded tight. Let’s just say you can never have enough glassware.