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Five top bargain womens travel gift stores in London
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The British Pound remains at 1.67 to the US Dollar but there are five outstanding 'high street' chain stores with fantastic gift items for your friends. US Customs-www.cbp.gov- will allow all the items mentioned in this article; anything else you adore like English strawberries, you will need to consume on the spot.
The best known of these is Marks & Spencer, but don't go for the clothes or household items, head straight for the basement and its food shelves (Marble Arch store). Marmalade, jams, cookies in lovely tins, baking items not seen in the US like crystalized flowers or multicolored sugar, and more. Dark chocolate covered ginger cookies are a dream as are the many flavors of potato chip. True shoppers will need one hour to look through all the offerings. And if smoked salmon is your choice, you can ask the hotel to keep it cold then pack it in your suitcase, as the airplane hold is colder than the cabin. Marks is known for the freshness of its food area, for the prices of otherwise gourmet items and for its attractive packaging. Credit cards are accepted at M&S, plastic bags might cost you a few cents but the store also sells fabric re-usable ones. www.marksandspencer.com
Tesco is the biggest supermarket in the UK, and here again head for the non food items, like paper and party goods. Some fun items in Tesco are the colorful plastic champagne flutes, black and odd colored balloons, unusual motif napkins ( called serviettes in England). Tesco is usually a large store, but in central London, Tesco is a smaller twin. Both Tesco and Marks sell sandwiches and drinks for the working population so both are good cheap alternatives to eating out. Credit cards fine here also. www.tesco.com
Waitrose is the supermarket of choice for the gourmet crowd. The Waitrose on Marylebone High Street is next to one of London's new green markets( Sunday morning only). Waitrose is known for the quality of all its goods, and food items of note are the whole grain cereals, Indian spices, paper goods, the most unusual cooked items in vacuum packaging like grilled artichoke hearts in Italian olive oil ( a no no for bringing back to the US as they are fresh). Waitrose has a selection of chips from parsnip, beets, and other root vegetables that will addict you. Waitrose has a fantastic personal products area, with soaps,creams, shampoos and such from all over Europe at basically the same prices on the Continent. Definitely buy a few of their reusable plastic shopping bags; they are cheerily decorated with food, hold up for months and carry heavy loads. Some like the Waitrose on Edgeware Road, have places to eat with coffee bars and tables and chairs. It makes it easy for women to eat alone. Waitrose and a large Tesco are worth 2 hours of your time. A huge Waitrose just opened on Edgeware Road, excellent wine and beer selection also. Credit cards also. www.waitrose.com
Boots and Superdrug are the best for cosmetic gifts. Boots manufactures its own goods under the labels of 17, Boots the Chemist, and various others. All excellent quality. They also carry the popular line, Bourgeois, sold in France. Check out the hair accessories, and creams which are much more in the US:Garnier and pricey Vichy are two. In Boots, try their line of Evening Primrose products and all their bath gels and soaps are subtle with less of a chemical smell than US comparables. Both sell homeopathic medicines and again lunch time food. Boots on Oxford Street near Bond has the most fabulous baby section upstairs with items even your indulged nieces and nephews will not have seen. Superdrug has less private label inventory, but if you cannot find it at Boots, this is your next stop.Credit cards taken; the pharmacists are much more informative than you will be used to. www.boots.com and www.superdrug.com
Happy Shopping from a part time Londoner who knows a bargain, loves cheap cosmetics and only uses French milled soap.
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