Shopping in London

Being right next to the fashion capital, many opt for Paris as their shopping destination, often making occasional shopping trips from London to Paris. It is justified in many ways - the prices are lesser and of course the famous pharmacies among other things. Having said that, London got a lot to offer for shoppers too (I personally felt Loreal products are priced lesser in London than in Paris 😱). So here are my shopping experiences in London:
High end shopping streeets: I have been to only 2 luxury shopping malls - Selfridges and Harrod's. While I could afford a thing or two in Selfridges, Harrod's is totally out of my league. Selfridges have interesting electronics collection nested away in a small section (first time was a chance encounter and, in my next visits, I had to search for it). Worth a visit, if not for purchasing, their collection and decor is totally worth browsing through. Moreover, the adjacent streets are filled with various types of stores (especially the biggest Lush store is quite nearby​😍).
Toy collection in Debenhams, Oxford Street:


Cosmetics;
Drugstores​: first day in office in canary wharf, I went downstairs ​to get some lunch thinking there might be few eateries and​ I was quite amazed by the number of stores packed in there. Luckily, my workplace was somewhere else - otherwise, I wouldn't have gotten any work done nor any savings left. When I saw Boots for the first time, it took all I got to stop myself from jumping up and down. I already read a lot about this store. However, it is SuperDrug which became my favorite - it got star buys for members which changes every week and those are the best deals, better than duty-free stores. Moreover​, members get points for each purchase which could be redeemed later.
The body shop: I wasn't a big fan of the brand and wasn't planning on buying anything until my shopping buddy took me there (sometimes I feel like we have shopping quirks which are only contagious to each other😁) and I was hooked. I must have gotten more free products than those I purchased 🤑.
There are also counters of various brands in malls which got some great offers quite frequently.
Clothing: being one of the fashion destinations, London got loads of options from thrift to luxury shopping. However, I shopped in mid-range which are priced more than twice in India. M&S, Gap, FCUK Apricot and Dorothy Perkins are some of my favorites. Zara and Mango are also in the list, but they are slightly less priced in Europe. Westfield Mall was like our second home in London 😉.
Accessories: Sterling silver jewelry is must buy in England. The quality is so good, I did not wash them once and they still retain their original shine. Rose gold is another category I absolutely loved there (unfortunately, I couldn't get anything in original rose gold as I intended, except for one coated chain 😥). Warren James and Accessorize are the ones I frequently visited.
On-line shopping: with door delivery option is a nightmare. I didn't get any call if the delivery person couldn't find the address or there is no one at home - I had to call the customer service and get the info. Best option is click and collect - there are outlets specific to this purpose and few supermarkets offer this service too.
John-Lewis: my personal favorite, I ordered from here loads of times mainly because Waitrose, which is close to our office, offer pick up. Also, their personal style assist is most accurate - whenever I was skeptical about their suggestions​and ordered different size, I turned out to be completely wrong and when I went with the size suggested, they fitted perfectly.
SuperDrug: their stores are everywhere, but not all stores got same collection. Best way is to check their website and order to be delivered to nearest store. Moreover, there are additional offers on-line 😍.
Look fantastic: unfortunately I discovered this after leaving London. Their collection is quite huge and got amazing offers.
Brand specific: many brands have their own websites - I didn't prefer them as there are many stores everywhere and it is quite fun to browse directly. However they offer huge discounts and lots of samples (which comes super handy during travels) in websites.
House-hold: I'm not big on domestic stuff but the household items collection in some stores left me in awe.
Wilko: my favorite favorite store for household goods. They have quite an innovative and unique collection, it's hard to stop staring/drooling even if I don't have a house there (If only 😪). I bought a clothing rile which I was searching like forever and so many toys.

Tiger: another place to get some unique handy stuff for kids or home. While I prefer Wilko to buy gifts for special occasions, Tiger is good for casual gifts which will be both useful and interesting.
Sainsbury's: many of my friends prefer Tesco for groceries due to it's diverse collection and lesser prices but I like Sainsbury's more as I'd like to try local cuisine wherever I go. Whenever I don't have time for proper lunch (and that happened a lot), they have various options for desk lunch. Moreover, I like their cosmetic and skin care section too. I got the best tweezers and a nice pedicure set to gift my neighbor (to name few best buys). Their confectionery collection is also quite good. My friends used to comment on how I always find unique snacks, when I used to take snacks on our day outs. Overall, it's like all daily needs under one roof.

Markets: it's hard to talk about shopping in London without mentioning markets - saving the best category to last, here's​ list of markets I visited.
Camden town: being only couple of stops away from our office, it's my most visited market. Right from the tube station, the stores are lined up - in contrast to Oxford and Bond Street, this street houses smaller stores. They seem more like thrift stores and there are lots of tattoo parlors. The line of stores concentrates towards the end into the market which seems quite small from the front but it just goes on and on inside. Opening with food stalls offering cuisines from all over the world, it goes on to lines of vintage clothes stores, perfume store (there is an Egyptian store with a huge collection of perfume oils which can be customized and apparently can replicate any famous perfume), leather goods and lots and lots of jewelry stores.
Nitrogen ice-cream, funny slogan tees, vintage cameras, Camden town



Covet garden: a total 180° from Camden town, this market houses mostly luxury labels like Chanel, Dior, Charlette Tilbury etc., It also got some artsy stuff quite unique like clocks based on Fibonacci principle (which I bought as a gift to my parents).
Archimedes series clock from Apple market, Covet garden:


Borough market: this​ place bulges with food stalls, I got overwhelmed. It got fruit, meat, confectioneries - basically everything that could be considered food. I was so completely lost, couldn't even remember what I ate, if I even did eat. We went in a group with majority of vegetarians who weren't comfortable with meat smell and we had to come out pretty quickly. Unfortunately, I didn't get to visit the place again 😔.
Greenwich market: I went there 2-3 times, mostly on the way back from somewhere. It's smallest of markets I visited and most dynamic too - I couldn't find few shops I saw on my previous visit. I didn't find many things of my interest, but we got a necklace earrings set for our friend which is made of real flowers with​ original color retained - unlike regular flower art where they will be dehydrated and turned brown.



Few shopping tips:
1. First advice​ I got is - more you buy, lesser would be the price. However, I came across so many varieties, I wished I didn't buy the jumbo bottles of shampoo, body wash and body lotion. Especially if there's no one to share with, better to consider our nature of temptations 😜.
2. Membership cards: most chain stores offer these and if we see ourselves shopping more in a place, they're must, particularly since they're free of cost. I got cards from SuperDrug, Sainsbury's, The Body Shop and M&S. Except for M&S, I redeemed points and got price reduction. SuperDrug and Body Shop have special offers for members (TBS practically gives stuff for free).
3. Check/wait for best deals: nothing bums me out faster than seeing the pair of trousers, I bought for 25£ a week before, reduced to 7£. Wait for the sales, if they are close by and if time isn't a constraint. Also, there seems to be no concept of fixed price for general products - prices vary drastically from one store to another. Better to check in 2-3 places, especially if buying in bulk.
4. Seasonal products: the sunscreen I saw everywhere and wanted to buy before returning, disappeared from the shelves when I went to buy 😮. They cleared up the shelves because "winter is coming"😉 and sun products are replaced with winter essentials.
5. Shop sensibly: I am probably the last person who should be giving this advice, but keep in mind the account balance as well as the luggage allowance. It is quite easy to get over board with the varieties and offers. We don't want to spend so much time and energy and money in shopping only to see our beloved merchandise end up in airport bins😨.