Henri Bendel

Bought my mother’s birthday gift here. I was very nervous because I do not know how to shop for purses. Sarah helped me find the perfect bag and all the matching accessories to go with it. I was put at ease and my mother loved her gift. If they had a men’s line, I would shop here a lot!

I have been shopping at Bendels for YEARS. Far before it became super popular and touristy. A majority of my bags and wallets I own are made by HB and I will continue to buy them for years to come. The product quality is amazing and I love their bag shapes, patterns and sizes. They even make the best accessories.
Unfortunately, the customer service at their gorgeous 5^th Ave store has started to ruin the brand for me. I love being able to try a bag on in the store but I can’t even stand going in there. Of course I can continue to shop on the website, but it’s not the same. The associates are rude and all look you up and down as soon as you walk in. Years ago it was not like this and it’s a shame because with a great product you expect great customer service.
My last visit was especially sour and I hope the rude associate who helped me was only a holiday hired employee because she will be the reason I will not return in person.

This place is not as good as it once was. They have been purchased by L-​Brands and have been taken national with 28 stores and counting so far. They no longer sell clothes, makeup or the fantastic table top of yore. They have expensive costume jewelry, candles, sunglasses and women’s gloves and handbags. Not much there for men. Best thing about this place is that they are in a landmark building on 5^th Ave in the heart of New York city. We went there to exchange a gift purchased by the giver at full price. We were able to exchange it for a much better item that was reduced 50% as was most of the inventory in the entire store.
The store has six stories but only the bottom 2 are currently being used. If you go there walk up to the 2^nd floor and look at the beautiful windows facing 5^th AVE.

Bendel’s has always been on my «must visit» list whenever I am in the City. I was disappointed when Bendel’s discontinued clothing sales (especially the house brand; I will clutch my Bendel’s cashmere sweaters until they are thoroughly moth-​eaten and threadbare). I was heartbroken when they eliminated the housewares department (I found a good substitute in Barney’s). During our most recent visit, I was crushed to see that the cosmetics department has vanished. Gone, gone, gone. Not hidden in some unpopulated corner of the store, but totally deleted. Bendel’s had the most vibrant cosmetics department in the City, and I rarely escaped without some new cosmeceutical in hand.
The deepest blow is that the fabulous makeup artist who staffed Bendel’s Tarte counter is gone. She introduced me to Tarte’s highly-​effective mascara, and I so looked forward to my semi-​annual restocking visits with her (even though I can find Tarte products closer to home).
I am withholding two stars until Bendel’s restores the cosmetics department. Just saying.

This is my absolute favorite shop in NYC. It offers adorable goodies at a decent price (considering it’s a 5^th avenue shop). I always stop by when I’m in the city. Highly recommend it!

Bendels only gets worse as time goes by…
What used to be an amazingly elegant and intimate unique store of treasures is now a tourist trap with the kind of crappy looking jewelry to be found in Chinatown or on 14^th Street. Also, the sales personnel are nothing special, unlike before.
I went there today looking for one of their signature large snow globes. So disappointed to find that they have discontinued them and now only carry tiny key-​chain globes to add to the rest of their junk!
Clueless young tourists don’t know what they’re missing.
This place has all the charm of a Walmart.

This is a pretty store. I don’t wear much jewelry, but it was fun to look around in Henri Bendel for 20 minutes as my friend shopped. There was a lot of repetition in product throughout the store, though. I am considering getting some earrings from their website. Sign up for coupons and get 20% off your first purchase.

What happened to Bendel’s? It used to be so many magical floors of unique, albeit expensive, designer goods. Each floor had tiny rooms full of amazing merchandise. I have beautiful earrings, purses, and underwear purchased from trunk shows by little-​known designers over the years. I left NYC in 2009, and should have known something was amiss when Bendel chains began to pop up in suburban malls. I never would have shopped at Bendel’s for their own branded goods, so I never bought anything at their mall outlets. Several weeks ago I was visiting NYC and excitedly approached Bendel’s to peruse the many floors of magical goods… And behold, it had become a giant mall outlet. No more trunk shows, no more up-​and-​coming designer goods. No more amazing lingerie. It’s all gone. It’s the same stuff you’d find at a suburban mall. Very disappointing. There goes a New York landmark.

I love going to Henri Bendel especially during the holidays-​so festive and beautiful! This year was no exception. The staff is so helpful and nice, despite the mad rush of the holidays. Wish it never left the Boston area.

I love love love HB I’ve purchased so much from this store they have everything a girl could want.

2.8 stars. The salespeople were way too aggressive, and I don’t like the shady used cars salesperson (or catty cosmetic counter) vibe. Sure, the bags with the signature brown and white stripes are nice.

Being a girly girl who loves chic purses, handbags, wallets and fashionable jewelry, H. Bendel is most definitely the place to go for the most up to the minute fashion finds and on the fly needed accessories for occasions, events and the like.
Its a Girls Chic shopping paradise with the exception of some of the Sales ladies who can be overly aggressive the minute you walk in the door along with some of the sales reps who are hoity-​toity with the latter really grinding my gears and why I only gave 4 stars!
If your ever are in the need or want that high end look in fashion handbags & accessories without the high-​end price tag and you happen to be here in NYC then you might want to give Bendel’s a stop in, just be prepared for a little hoity-​toity aggression.
Stay In the know: Become a Bendel girl and sign up for their E-​mails for extra coupons

Henri Bendel is my favorite place to buy little trinkets and presents for my loved ones! This is definitely not the place to drag your man if you love him, but just so fun to walk around and window shop nonetheless. I’ve found some great deals here, if you are patient enough to look around. However, the majority of items are pricey and some are completely out of reach. Should you make the trip here for cute fashion jewelry and tons of amazing, reasonably priced bags? Heck yes!

It took me a while to become a fan of Henri Bendel but since I purchased my first purse from them I get tons of compliments! Henri Bendel NY has one of the most original windows during the holidays but it doesn’t stop there.
Known as «the ultimate girl’s playground» you can buy anything from purses to backpacks as well as jewelry and outdoor clothing. They have a store in practically every major city except mine. The best comparison I can give you to their quality and prices here is to visit Coach or Michael Kors. They do have an online store you can purchase from as well.
They are constantly offering discounts if you sign up on their «A list» and you get a coupon reward on your statement depending upon your spend.
On this particular visit I wanted to try out their fragrance which I had known about for some time. I am very particular when it comes to fragrances so I like to see how it smells on my wrist before I decide if it is for me. Along with it I purchased a fall hat. Since they told me that I could not «smash» the hat to fit into my suitcase they agreed to ship it to me for free.
I received both my fragrance and hat along with a very nice tote bag as a gift from them. My hat came in a replica of the famous hat boxes of the day with their signature brown and white stripes.
In NY the store spans two floors. You can also purchase candles if you are into those. The 2^nd floor normally holds the reduced merchandise so you can get some good bargains there.
I had a very nice and helpful saleslady who taught me some «tricks» I could use to help my purse stay in good shape while in use.
Located one block down from Bergdorf Goodman and across the street from Tiffany and Company you can easily find the store. Just look for the brown and white stripes.

The first time my mother brought me to Bendel’s, I was 13 years old. I pretty much forgot any of the other department stores existed. Even after moving away from NYC, every time we/​I went back, HB was always a must-​go and we’d always stock up on the best jewels and accessories (all the headbands ever). In recent years, it’s become less and less iconic and exciting. It’s true they’ve only gone downhill. I never felt the need to say anything about HB until my most recent experience there.
It was June, I made it my last stop before flying out of the city, so I went right after the store had opened, only a few slightly-​trashy customers and bewildered tourists in the shop. The sales lady who approached me was very sweet (albeit a touch aggressive, and now that I think about it, maybe she was being so friendly as a loss prevention technique). I was wandering around the whole store just to make sure I didn’t miss any of the product, and literally was followed the ENTIRE time by the security guard. Every time I turned a corner, he followed. Every time I looked at a display near a door, he came creeping close. Like 98% of the time I spent in that store, he was within 5 feet of me, even with no other customers around. SERIOUSLY? The most uncomfortable, offensive shopping experience I’ve ever had.
After being followed around so closely I was insulted and thought, «F*ck it!» and decided against buying everything I had already been looking at online, I settled on a few candles just because I hate walking out empty handed to any store I was planning on doing some damage in.
I’m well aware this happened because I went in there looking like a teenager who just walked out of American Apparel, but Bendel employees apparently can’t seem to recognize what a Chloe bag or Comme des Garcons sneakers look like. Probably for the better since their handbag collection is pretty much just Michael Kors.
Bye, bye Bendel! You lost one of your long-​time customers that day.

What a beautiful store and experience got two new pieces here and the bracelet I got has the richest pigmented color I’ve ever seen amazing quality came from California for a visit and this store lives up to the fabulous nyc reputation for sure!

Bendel please please read these reviews. You were truly a treasure chest on earth. Now it’s just sad to walk through the doors because I remember what used to be. The economy is on the upswing, you can bring it all back! I’ll be there in December, I used to literally spend HOURS in the store. I’m hoping to see a difference when I return next.

I see that reviews are all over the place — from 1 stars to 5 stars. Many of the 1 stars are from shoppers who knew HB in the days of yore and long for a return to the past. Since I’m not one of those, I can only base my review on my first experience here. It helped that I went during their fall promotion/​sale.
I lived in the NYC area my whole life, but never stepped foot in the store — always figured it was way out of my price range, so why bother. But, having found myself in a hurry to get jewelry for my brother’s wedding a week away — I specifically wanted a leather cuff — a few days of online searching for affordable, stylish, and unique, led me to a cuff on the Bendel website. Which led me to web-​browse their handbags, as I’ve been looking for a professional and functional one for a while that doesn’t cost me a kidney or $ 2000.
Next thing I know, I walk into the store a few hours later. I felt excited seeing all the color and shine in the jewelry section. A sales associate — Juan — patiently helped me decide for almost 30 minutes which bracelets to get. Then, I went to look for a handbag that I saw online. In person — it was smaller than I needed. With help from Juan, I was able to find a unique, functional, light, and affordable handbag. He seriously was at my beck-​and-​call.
I get what other reviewers are saying about the MK-​like logo, but I actually like this bag way better than any MK I have seen. It looks like a great quality handbag, and, let’s face it — why would I want to blend into the masses of 20-​year olds that own an MK-​logo bag. (FYI — I’m no longer in my 20s).
Overall — an excellent sales experience. And I really loved all the fun jewelry inside — it was understated but worthy of being noticed.

Always heard the name and saw the store but never stepped in. Until one faithful day while browsing the 5^th with an elegant and rightfully fancy girlfriend, she pulled me in. I was completely amused and sucked in. The store was full of everything, it was dazzling. I wanted to try on the fashion jewelries but there were so many I didn’t know where to start!
Sadly, as I trailed behind my friend, I became a victim of a sale associate’s lame tactic. As I walked by a skin care SA, she lightly whispered/​mumbled to herself something among the lines of «She got something there…» and as I turned around since I didn’t recall anyone near her but myself, she threw a side look at me while tapping her left side of the face then she looked away.
Oh she got my attention alright. That week I had a volcano zit awaiting to erupt and no concealer on Earth could ever cover that.
«Excuse me?» I said. She cheerfully turned around to greet me and started introducing a line of facial products that promises of clean, beautiful skin and beyond. I was stunned as she continued with her pitch, I was speechless because I couldn’t believe how low that move was. She grabbed my attention through insecurity, I didn’t expect this kind of move at a store of this level. Well, I was wrong.
Thankfully, the girlfriend realized what happened and she interrupted the SA and led me away. I was not in the mood to browse the rest of the store after that…

Now this is the Henri Bendel that I’m accustomed to!!!
Thank you Shatoya for reaching out to me in regards to my previous review. Your due diligence in researching who I was and contacting me to remediate the issue was greatly appreciated. My friend received her E-​gift card immediately after finishing my call with you. You went above and beyond to make sure that all my needs were addressed and more. That to me speak high volumes about the level of customer service experience that a prestigious brand like Henri Bendel demands of their employees. I look forward to continuing my desirable shopping sprees at your stores and online.
Happy girl =)
Laura