How To Save A Fortune Shopping In America
WITH the value of the dollar plummeting, it is no surprise that America has become the place to do your Christmas shopping.
British tourists can now get $2 to the pound the best for 26 years meaning the savings could pay for your trip to New York.
Shoppers maximising their spending power by using the right cards to get cash at ATMs will find the exchange rate bonus, added to lower prices, makes many items in the US half the price they are here.
And with the average person buying 18 presents each year, the savings could soon stack up, making that trip a realistic possibility.
Here's how to do the sums and see if you'd be better shopping in Times Square this December than your local high street.
EVEN in December, a shopping trip to New York need not break the bank.
Some flights from Glasgow to JFK Airport are available for less than 300 each way if you ugg classic tall boots 5815 chestnut free shipping fly via a city such as Amsterdam. Similar prices are available for a flight to Newark.
A half decent roomin Manhattan will be 150 a night, while a room at Newark Airport will cost less than half that, and it's only a half hour train ride to the shops.
SERIOUS savings can be made on the ugg bailey button triplet 1873 grey boots latest hardware and gizmos.
An eight gigabyte iPod Nano will UGG Boots UK cost 129 over here but only 95 in the US.
Sony's DSCW80 camera retails at 150 in the UK but the US price of 230 works out at only 110, based on the current exchange rate.
And for more expensive items, the savings increase. A highspec Apple MacBook costs 790 in the UK but the same model works out at only 620 in America.
Just don't forget to buy an adaptor.
There will be some early Christmas cheer if you're after kids' presents.
But be careful Spiderman or Bratz toys will be easy to find but the Doctor Who range won't be.
The Spiderman 3 Monopoly set retails at 25 in the UK but in America it's only 15. Similarly, a BratzMagic Hair Yasmin doll sells at 25 in the UK but you'll get one for 30 in the US. That's 15.
And again, the savings increase the more you spend. The Lego Mindstorms NXT robot costs 180 in Britain but less than 120 in America.
DESIGNER labels offer some of the biggest savings available in the US for both American and global brands.
Many big names cost the same amount of dollars as they do here in pounds, meaning you're paying half as much, thanks to the exchange rate.
Take Ugg boots. They are Australian, and British prices vary depending on where you go. But a pair costing around 160 in the UK will cost 160 in America. That's 80.
Similarly, a pair of Levi 501s which cost 60 over here will cost you no more than 30 over there and a pair of Nike Air Max 360 II SL trainers, which sell at 140 in Britain, cost around 75 in America.
THE bad news for men is that bargains can be harder to find if you're after a stocking filler for the missus.
A pair of Hot Diamonds earrings, which cost 40 in the UK, will still cost you 35 in the US.
And a 100ml bottle of Sarah Jessica Parker's new perfume, Covet, costs 33 there, as opposed to 38 here.
However, some shopping around has its rewards. A Dolce and Gabbana "Night and Day" watch, which costs 150 in the UK, will be less than 120 in the US.
EVEN smaller items which you might normally leave to the last minute could be worth buying during an American shopping trip.
Books, CDs and DVDs are all significantly cheaper, although you will need a multi region player to watch DVDs from overseas.
A deluxe Lord Of The Rings DVD boxed set that will set you back 65 in Britain costs only 38 in the US.
Similarly, you could pick up KT Tunstall's new album for less than 6, as opposed to the 9 it costs here.