Apparently a Dutch chain that reminds me of Daiso, that sells a variety of cutesy little items for…read moredecoration to house hold products and beauty products. I was in the town during the holiday season and they had a lot of cute Xmas themed stuff like chocolates, lights, gift tags, pens etc. If you're tight on cash but want to still get presents for your friends and family, give this shop a try. I'm sure you won't leave empty handed

Love this store! It has food, cosmetics and toiletries,…read moreclothes, home supplies, stationary and novelties! All in one and at great prices! Not to miss for a fun, quality buy!

I'm not a fan of Hema, but I'm not a fan of shopping or any shops that don't serve alcohol. However…read moremy sister and her in doors love Hema. To me it reminds me of Woolworths and stores that try to be a bit of everything but fail miserably. Hema isn't failing however, it's popular enough that you see it poking its head up all over Europe. So for those who like department stores, it's gotta be doing something right. So as the ladies in my life love this place it gets this score. I just so dearly wish that there was a husbands chair. So I can sit and wonder why I'm having to suffer so.

Nice reasonably priced department store chain. Got some odds and ends here while traveling. They…read moresell a lot of different things and have a food court upstairs. You can self checkout and tap to pay or use your smartphone.

*** CAFETERIA REVIEW ***…read more Hema is an everyday supply store popular in the Netherlands and Belgium. They sell things like basic clothes, umbrellas, food items, home supplies and stationery. But did you know that some Hema branches have cafeterias?? These cafeterias are a life saver in Belgium where traveling and eating out is quite expensive, an average sit down meal (even lunch) runs over 20 euros per person. Some days, especially as a traveler, you just want to sit down, have a square meal for not too much money, and catch up on the internet! If you agree with this sentiment and you are visiting Ghent, Hema is the lunch place for you! As an American the best comparison I can give is the Ikea cafeteria. I do think it was inspired from the Ikea model as an attempt to try and get more people through the door (you have to walk thru the whole store to get to the cafeteria.) You can get basic dishes like sandwiches, soups, pasta, and oddly enough, indonesian fried rice with satay, keropok and pickles (??????) Of course, the latter thing was so beguiling and so unexpected in Belgium that I had to get it. It ran me about 8 euros. Portion wise it was small, but then again, it is refreshing to get a square meal that is not America super sized. I definitely needed the small Coke I got to round out the meal. At the end of the day, definitely worth it and a refreshing savings over getting ripped off at even non touristy restaurants for a lot of money. You have the choice of eating indoors or on the balcony. I didn't try it, but the balcony seems nice as it looks out over Korenmarkt. I would recommend this for your coffee break in Ghent so you can have a great view while relaxing on a terrace. BTW, just like Ikea, when you are done you bus your table and store your tray in a rack. Wish we had this sort of place in the USA! ... and omitting Ikea, too far away from me :(

Beste babystuff, hele mooie serviesjes en goeie nagellak!read more

The store is a little smaller than I expected. With Maastricht being a pretty big city and all…read more It's nice and clean and the staff is very polite. The clothing selection is pretty nice and the sale had allot of nice things on offer so even though it's not really close to home I'll sure be stopping by again soon.

A slice of real life, for when you're tired of Brugge's fairy-tale tourist sites…read more The Dutch chain HEMA is ubiquitous--good for your basic needs in cosmetics, housewares, and cheap clothes. However, the secret of this Belgian HEMA is that it offers the famous 1 euro breakfast on the upper floor. People of all stripes start lining up before the store even opens: chic young things, middle-aged matrons, families with many kids, and a couple of impoverished-looking old men. Everyone patiently waited for the cafeteria-style breakfast: an egg/bacon sandwich on a baguette, croissant, jam, juice, and coffee. Even in this reduced-expectations setting, the niceties are not forgotten. You still get a speculoos cookie on your saucer, gratis. And the interior is clean and modern, IKEA-style, where that you can overlook the busy street below while you eat. Everything was, surprisingly, fresh and delicious. For a euro! The idea that you might want anything other than this amazing bargain is foreign to the staff. So an impatient cashier simply removed the chocolate croissant from my husband's plate and replaced it with a plain one. Stupid tourists! HEMA: for insight into the local mindset, a filling breakfast, and an all-too-rare bargain in Brugge.

We discovered Hema yesterday after spending 15 Euros each for breakfast at our hotel. This morning…read moreI got the (now) 2 Euro breakfast: An egg sandwich, croissant, and cup of latte. My wife bought a couple of rashers of bacon, yogurt with fruit, and a latte. I also bought a cup of yogurt with fruit and muesli. The entire bill came to 6.75 Euros! We might have paid more. But the person behind the counter advised us to switch a couple of things and buy the 2 Euro breakfast. This place is known far and wide among Europeans for good, inexpensive food. It's cafeteria style. Clean, good service, and a table near the window gives an excellent view of Steenstraat below with beautiful 15th - 18th century buildings across the street. If we had planned to return to Bruges, we might have kept it a secret!

Came here a couple of times to buy shoes, clothings, and gifts. I love that the sales associates…read moreare very helpful and not pushy at all. They have a great variety of chocolate and wine over at the cafe area. The packaging is perfect for gifting as is, but they also wrap the gifts for you in nice black, sleek wrapping paper. Of course, can't forget the signature Bijenkorf orange bow. We tried a vegan square frambozen (raspberry cake) and weespermoppen (almond cookies). The cake was melt in your mouth amazing. The almond cookies were a little too sweet for my taste, but I can tell it's well made. The only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars is because the one in Amsterdam has a much wider selection in terms of handbag and shoes. My biggest tip for those shopping here if you're planning to leave the EU within 3 months: - Ask for a Global Blue VAT refund form and make sure the retailer stamps and signs it. Your order must be at least €50. - Why? Because the prices you see and pay include VAT (similar to sales tax). If the refund process is done correctly, within a few weeks you'll receive roughly 10% back. - I had it refunded directly against my credit card balance. You can get it back in a variety of methods (cash, bank deposit, etc). - Fill out the form you get and get a customs stamp. The most convenient method in my opinion is to simply get the stamp at a participating airport (Schiphol, for example), you can also drop it off at the airport. Otherwise you'll have to personally mail it. - You *must* show the customs agent an outbound plane ticket for proof of exporting the product. - Of course, make sure to read the instructions you get in its entirety. Money is money!

This store is kind of like the Macy's of Europe, maybe even better than Macy's. A high-end…read moredepartment store selling perfumes, name brand clothing, purses etc. de Bijenkorf has it all. I love stopping in and checking out their cosmetics and bath and body products. Last year I stopped in to buy gift sets from their Rituals counter for my family during Christmas time. Everyone was very helpful and they individually wrapped each gift I bought. Also during holiday season they have their own display of holiday lights which is fun to look at. Conveniently located within a few meters walking distance from the Eindhoven train station, this store is quite easy to get to.

I grew up on the classic department store - in Chicago, the best one was Marshall Field's. Shopping…read morehere took me back to those days. We've gone during the July sale a few years, and while you can probably get better/cheaper stuff if you went shopping store by store, this is a great way to go for a whole family. And since the department store has gone extinct for the most part in the U.S., this was the closest facsimile to Field's for a Chicago guy.