There is nutting quite like Oxford Street in London. After
a year of the distorted Moscow shopping experience, I was in Heaven! All
the shops, stores, and boutiques just lined up for my perusal. I went to
Marks & Spensers, (of course), Hugo Boss, cK, and almost all the
shoe stores in a mad shopping frenzy. I bought more suits, shirts, and
shoes than you can imagine, or I could fit into my pack. It may seem
odd, but I was doing shopping for the next six months. My next chance
for Western fashions, at less than ridiculously obscene prices, will be
in December when I go home for Christmas.
I was quite annoyed by M&S, they don’t take credit cards, but I
was really pissed off by Harrods. I went there the morning before my
flight back and experienced quite a rude shopping experience. First, the
guards would not allow me to wear my backpack in the store, and I mean
my little daypack, not the full on backpack. I had to carry it in my
hands, not wear it on my back. I tried explaining to them that it was
called a backpack, not a handbag, for a reason, to no avail. Seems they
thought I would knock something over with one on. Idiot boys, I’m gonna
be inconvenienced, therefore shop less, and since the bag is now near my
hand, it would be so much easier to swipe stuff. After that crap, the
high VAT tax-free purchase minimum (70 GBP instead of the usual 30), and
the outrageous prices, I left and I will never go back.
England, and I think most of the EU, has this interesting, and quite
advantageous, tax reimbursement system. When you buy something, the
sales tax, or VAT, is already included in the price. If you are a non-EU
citizen, like me, you can get this tax back at the airport. Fifteen
percent of what I spent in London, is quite a bit of cash I was more
than happy to receive as a good bye present from England! I wish more
countries did such wonderful schemes!
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