Century 21 (New York)

Century 21 is open for business again after last Septembers attack on the World Trade Centre opposite. Billed as "New York's Best Kept Secret" this discount department store is a great way to spend a wet afternoon in the city.

I first visited the store six years ago as an impoverished student when all I could do was look. This time I had a gold card and a favourable exchange rate on my side. The concept is simple: clothes ...
...just sell out faster. Clothes are hung on racks in no particular order so be nice to the staff, they might be able to find just what you are looking for.

Century 21 is at 22 Cortlandt Street (between Church Street and Broadway).   ... more

Century 21 is open for business again after last Septembers attack on the World Trade Centre opposite. Billed as "New York's Best Kept Secret" this discount department store is a great way to spend a wet afternoon in the city.

I first visited the store six years ago as an impoverished student when all I could do was look. This time I had a gold card and a favourable exchange rate on my side. The concept is simple: clothes and household goods at big discounts. They thoughtfully provide the full recommended retail price on the price tag so you know exactly how much you are saving. There are four floors packed with racks, shelves and giant bins groaning under the weight of heavily discounted items. The basement is household goods and electricals where I found the Benneton sheet set famously seen on last years Big Brother for 30USD (RRP 80USD and even more in the UK), amongst other random fittings and furnishings. The layout is not very clearly marked and resembles a big jumble sale. The electricals section is quite small and there are pleanty of specialist shops in NY that sell cameras, walkmans etc cheaper than in the UK where you could get better advice on what to buy. The sportswear department had a big range of trainers, fleeces and tracksuits, some of which are not available in the UK if you wanted to stand out at the gym.

The upper floors of the store are dedicated to clothes and accessories – the girls get two floors! The poor layout continues with areas vaguely differentiated between smart and casual clothes but with examples of both in each section. If you are looking for something specific it could take you all day to find it, although the staff are very helpful and will point you in the right direction. Much better is to go with an open mind and an open wallet and just see what takes your fancy. Certain things are easier to find than others. I was looking for a new suit and these were all in a separate section with its own staff. I got a bargain Boss suit for 250USD (RRP 600USD and even more in the UK…). Shirts and tops were on racks ordered, if by anything, in size rather than style or brand. I hadn’t heard of many of the brands but there was pleanty of DKNY, Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hillfiger if that’s your thing.

The womens floors were equally cluttered although there was a separate designer section which appeared to be more ordered. And more expensive – discount doesn’t mean cheap! Underwear seemed to be a good buy and my girlfriend got quite a selection (I won’t go into details, but again the prices were a lot less than at home). She was also on the lookout for a new suit and found a very nice DKNY trouser suit for 200USD (RRP 700USD and even more…) but couldn’t find her size. The lady recommended trying again the next day as their stock changes very frequently. One word of advice – the only changing rooms are on the top floor so if you’re not bashful, which many New Yorkers are apparently not, wear something you can easily slip in or out of! There was a large selection of shoes but again my girlfriend could not find her size in her choice of design. Next to the shoes was a small range of handbags, belts and things but nothing that caught her eye.

The store is potentially a goldmine, but it could prove very frustrating if you want something specific. For things like jeans and casual shirts and tops there is a wide variety and lots of sizes, but for more desirable items the range of sizes seems smaller – or maybe they just sell out faster. Clothes are hung on racks in no particular order so be nice to the staff, they might be able to find just what you are looking for.

Century 21 is at 22 Cortlandt Street (between Church Street and Broadway).  

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