Shopping in London: worthy queen shopping
Where do without sales in the world capital of shopping? They are held twice a year – at the height of the summer and during the winter holidays. Additional sales, for example, during the anniversary of the company, are also enough, but for ordinary tourists it is difficult to find out about them. So, you have to go along with everyone in the summer or at the end of December – the beginning of January, when the period of grandiose discounts begins, which sometimes amount to 50–75%.
Shopping etiquette
Shopping in London: worthy queen shopping
Being a buyer in London is nice – the service is at the highest level here, so you get pleasure from shopping if you close your eyes to the price. Returning the product back to the store is not a problem here, you can not even call the reason for the return. In the presence of a check and intact tags, the thing changes or returns its full value.
In stores in the UK it is allowed to try on any things you like (except for pants), no matter how many they are, while in other countries you can often take in a fitting room only three or four things. If the item does not fit in size, then you can order it – the purchase will be delivered to the specified address (within London) within a few days.
A very interesting service is offered by some British shoe stores. At the entrance, customers are given a special coupon with a number and if it matches the number that will appear on the scoreboard later (or the seller calls it), then the customer is served out of turn – they bring as many shoes for fitting as he asks, until a choice will be made. Russians will probably be surprised by this kind of service, but it helps sellers to ensure that the customer does not leave the store empty-handed.
It should be noted that in the UK there are no annoying sales assistants, they do not “stand above the soul,” as is often the case with us. If consultation is necessary, they will be happy to help guests of the store.
Tax refund in london
Tourists from Russia can make shopping hit a little less. For example, leaving the UK or EU countries, you can refund VAT – a tax that is charged at a rate of 15% of the value of all goods, except for clothes for children, books and food. In restaurants, VAT is usually included in the price of meals. The advantage of the system is that not only the purchases of ordinary tourists fall under the scope of its operation, but also the expenses of entrepreneurs.
It is easy to return the VAT – it’s enough to keep the check (valid for 3 months from the date of purchase) and present it along with the unpacked goods at the customs, where it will be stamped. Upon arrival in the Russian Federation, you can return VAT at one of the points of return listed on the Global Refund and Tax-Free-Shopping sites. But there are some nuances. Firstly, it is necessary that a tourist stay in the UK for no more than 365 days two years before making a purchase, and the EU has time to leave until the check is valid. Secondly, the procedure is not supported by every store. It should also be noted that most of the stores where this system operates, set the minimum amount that must be spent to return the VAT afterwards (about 75 feet).
You can also issue a card for purchases in duty-free shops on the Global Refund website, this will save time required to issue a tax-free check.
The tax-free service helps reimburse companies and entrepreneurs who come to the UK. For this purpose, London-based Tax Back International was created in London, which returns VAT on behalf of the entrepreneur.
Shopping areas
Shopping in London: worthy queen shopping
There are streets in London on which every self-respecting tourist must visit. They are not just shopping areas, but the most beautiful areas of the city. Of particular note is the West End, where the world famous streets are: Oxford Street, Regent Street, Carnaby Street, Jermyn Street, Tottenham Court Road and sung by writers and musicians Piccadilly.
OXFORD STREET
One of the busiest European streets between Marble Arch and Tottenham Court Road is Oxford Street. Over a year, over 200 million pairs of legs pass through it, there are three hundred stores and about 5 million square meters. feet of marketplaces. The title of the main shopping street came to Oxford Street in the early twentieth century, when Debenhams and Selfriges opened their stores there, which still operate today. Tired of the noisy and bustling places, you can go to the area of large department stores, which took place between the Marble Arch and Oxford Circus. Oxford Street has both expensive department stores and middle-class stores: Zara, Topshop, John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, H & M, etc.
BOND STREET
In the Oxford Circus area, another equally well-known street intersects Oxford Street – Bond Street. It included New Bond street, a few minutes walk from Bond Street station, and Old Bond street (near Picadilly). This is the favorite place of those shopaholics who are not limited in the budget.
