Most English towns feature a main street, usually called the High Street. On this one road you'll find a branch of each of what is locally called "the High Street multiples," the chain stores that dominate the retail scene.
The leader among them is Marks & Spencer, a private label department store with high-quality goods at fair value prices. Others include Boots The Chemist (a drugstore); Laura Ashley (less expensive in the U.K.); The Body Shop (the most popular and politically correct bath and beauty statement of our times); Monsoon (a firm that sells hot fashion made from Far Eastern fabrics for moderate prices; they also have a dress-up division called Twilight and an accessories business called Accessorize); Habitat (sort of the English version of the Pottery Barn); and maybe (if you're lucky) Past Times, sort of a museum shop selling reproduction gifts and souvenirs. Shelly's, Pied a Terre, and Hobbs are all shoe stores selling everything from Doc Martens to expensive-looking cheap shoes. Knickerbox is usually found in train stations rather than on High streets, but it's interesting nonetheless -- the store sells fashion underwear at what the English call moderate prices.
Antiques Galore -- Napoleon was wrong; England is not a nation of shopkeepers -- it's a nation of antiques collectors. Weekends are devoted to fairs and markets; evenings can be spent reading the dozens of newsstand specialty magazines or the plethora of books geared toward collectors. Books in Britain are more expensive than in the U.S., but the selection of titles on design, home furnishings, do-it-yourself, and collecting is staggering.
A number of famous antiques fairs are held at certain times of the year, as well as several annual big-time events that attract several thousand dealers and thousands of shoppers. Among the best outside of London are those held at the Newark and Nottinghamshire Showgrounds (six times a year); Sussex Midweek Fairs, Ardingly (six times a year); Newmarket (four times a year); Shepton Mallet (four times a year); Cardiff International (twice a year); and Royal Welsh Showgrounds (twice a year). For the exact dates of any of these events, contact DMG County Antiques Fairs (tel. 01278/784912; fax 01636/707923); or DMG Antiques Fairs, Ltd. (tel. 01636/702326).
For immediate information on antiques fairs and events, check the magazine section of the Sunday Times where you'll find the Antique Buyer's Guide, which lists fairs all over England, not just in London.
At continual car boot sales, as well as house sales, entire estates are cleaned out. There are only a few of these each year, and they become sort of voyeuristic social events; people drive for miles in order to attend. Advertisements are usually taken in magazines such as Country Life.
Just as house sales have boomed in recent years, the other big trend to come out of the recession is that resale shops are springing up all over. No one seems shy about admitting that her Chanel and Louis Feraud are secondhand. London has a lot of these shops, but many out-of-the-way towns and cities have enormous resale shops as well.
Taxes & Shipping -- Value-added tax (VAT) is the British version of sales tax, but it is a whopping 17.5% on most goods. This tax is added to the total so that the price on a sales tag already includes VAT. Non-European Union residents can get back all, or most, of this tax if they apply for a VAT refund.
One of the first secrets of shopping in England is that the minimum expenditure needed to qualify for a refund on value-added tax (VAT) is a mere £50 ($80). Not every store honors this minimum -- it's £100 ($160) at Harrods, £75 ($120) at Selfridges, £62 ($99) at Hermès, but it's far easier to qualify for a tax refund in Britain than almost any other country in the European Union.
Vendors at flea markets may not be equipped to provide the paperwork for a refund, so if you're contemplating a major purchase and really want that refund, ask before you fall in love. Be suspicious of any dealer who tells you there's no VAT on antiques. There didn't use to be, but there is now. The European Union has now made the British add VAT to antiques. Because dealers still have mixed stock, pricing should reflect this fact. So ask if it's included before you bargain on a price. Get to the price you're comfortable with, then ask for the VAT refund.
VAT is not charged on goods shipped out of the country, whether you spend £50 ($75) or not. Many London shops help you beat the VAT by shipping for you. But watch out: Shipping can double the cost of your purchase. Also, expect to pay U.S. duties when the goods reach home.
You may want to consider paying for excess baggage (rates vary with the airline) or have your packages shipped independently. Independent operators are generally less expensive than the airlines. Try Excess Baggage (tel. 020/87593344 or 800/685-4565; www.excess-baggage.com), which can be found at Heathrow Airport in Terminal 1 or at Terminal 3.
Duty-Free Airport Shopping -- Shopping at airports is big business, so big business has taken over the management of some of Britain's airports to ensure that passengers in transit are enticed to buy. All terminals at London Heathrow Airport are a virtual shopping mall.
Prices at the airport for items such as souvenirs and candy bars are higher than on the streets of London, but the duty-free prices on luxury goods are usually fair. There are often promotions and coupons that allow for pounds off at the time of the purchase.
Don't save all your shopping until you get to the airport, but do know prices on land and sea so that you know when to pounce.
