New York shopping and what to bring back

[Urbanvoltaire]

I'm off to NY for a week in August and am after some advice on decent shops, specify areas to wander about age what to bring back that's good value.

Ive been before but stent gave enough time to get any shopping in. Thanks all.

I’m sorry I don’t have any tips but following with interest!

With the pound through the floor, unfortunately there is very little that is cheaper and not available here.

For shopping, I like wandering around Soho and East Village. Give things a quick check on your phone before you buy as in February 19, there was absolutely nothing worth buying there if available in the U.K.

If you like diamonds then the diamond district can still quite a bit cheaper; otherwise you can get really good deals on brands like Coach if you travel outside of Manhattan to the outlet stores like Woodbury Commons. I also grabbed a few out of season bits at the outlet stores in Fulton St in downtown Brooklyn as it was close to where we stayed.

Agree, unfortunately with the exchange rate everything is mainly more expensive over there....!

You an have a wander round East village, Chelsea market and some quirky shops in Brooklyn/Williamsburg. Brooklyn market is good. I don’t think you’ll get any bargains though. Sorry.

I also love the beauty store Sephora and there are brands you can’t get here.

As others have said, with such a rubbish FX rate it's less about good value and more about what brands etc you can't get in the U.K.

Sephora is always good as they have some brands not available (or only at Space NK) in the UK. The Queen of the Netherlands was spotted in NYC's Sephora this week. Ulta is also good and has a better selection of haircare products compared to Sephora.

A trip round CVS/Walgreens is always something I like. I usually get huge pots of anti-histamines (Benadryl) as they're much cheaper than the UK. Some people buy Melatonin and I know the Melatonin gummies are popular (especially for kids with jetlag). I always bring back dental tape (weird I know) as there'a brand I really like that we can't get in the UK. Lots of Brits buy Crest Whitening Strips. Also good for high % DEET insect repellent.

TBH I wouldn't waste time in NY buying teeth whitening strips and insect repellent (no disrespect to those who do - each to their own and all). But. Why consumer on a short break so far away in an amazing city? If anything, if I was passing whilst on the move I might pop in somewhere like Bloomingdales etc, and might treat myself to a special item that I wouldn't necessarily here like a good bag or pair of shoes but there's no way on earth I'd be spending time going out of town to a discount centre. Coach bags for example are regularly turn up on sale here, even the high street department stores have offers on them.

There's just so much more culture, history, buildings sights sounds LIFE to see somewhere like NY. Can't believe people would waste a moment there buying something as mundane as... insect repellent, to bring back home. And I say that as something of a shopaholic myself but even I draw the line at going out of my way to an out of town discount centre or supermarket for teeth whitening strips or a discounted bag I didn't necessarily want but it was a bargain, so... somewhere like NY.

Agree about exchange rate meaning there are no bargains to be had, currently.

Also second Sephora being a nice place to browse, and I personally love American drugstores (Walgreens, Duane Reade etc) for the array of cheap toiletries with brands you don’t see in the UK.

If you’re not concerned with price, SoHo is a nice area to shop.

I stock up on American supermarket shite like Aunt Jemima maple syrup, stovetop cornbread stuffing and pancake mix, too

Oh, and it might be ‘mundane’ but the over the counter cystitis relief stuff in American chemists is magical stuff

Pharmacies in the US are amazing and as others said, the one exception to the exchange rate problem. I stock up on Lady Speed Stick deodorant, big tubs of naproxen painkiller & fenofexadine antihistamine & Cerave as the version sold in Boots is a bit different

Oh and DayQuil/NyQuil. Blows Day & Night Nurse out of the water.

DayQuil/NyQuil. Blows Day & Night Nurse out of the water.

So true!!!

Juniors cheesecake and lots of it 😍

pinegreen and sesame Why not check out toilet roll next time? You could take an extra suitcase and stock right up

I also believe there's some scents in anti bac wipes you just can't get here in the UK. Surely that's worth a trip to NY for!

qj17 Cheesecake contains dairy products which are not allowed in UK from outside the EU...

Booooo gotta eat lots of it when you're there then!

Ooh yes the drugs are good! I stock up on the melatonin gummies. They have good painkillers too.

Advil PM. Big bottles.

Secret deodorant. A game changer for me.

There's nothing really that's particularly cheap to buy, hasn't been for many years. Living costs are higher in the USA so shops have to charge higher prices to cover higher wages. Obviously there's exceptions, some branded make up, certain jeans but it's certainly not for bargain hunting

I agree with the drugs, Melatonin especially. Stock up.

Banned in the UK without script.

But I did bring back two years supply of melatonin! Need to either get a friendly gp to prescribe or find a friend to bring some back soon

Melatonin, arm and hammer peroxide toothpaste, antihistamines and neosporin ointment (or cheap equivalent) 🙌🏼

Would anyone know why Melatonin is banned in UK otc. Thanks.

Century 21 - levi jeans for £22 in leg lengths you cant get here!

I agree with the drugs, Melatonin especially. Stock up. Banned in the UK without script.

Not quite right. It's perfectly legal to buy melatonin online (without a prescription) and have it delivered to the UK. I use iherb.com for mine.

www.theguardian.com/money/2018/jan/03/illegal-sale-melatonin-ebay

This has made me chuckle, but totally agree. I always buy a tube of Hydrocortisone and Aveeno Suncream in America

I went to NY in April and didn't bring back anything of note other that specific souvenirs i.e a Bloomingdales New York bag for my daughter. We just concentrated on sightseeing.

I was in NYC last week and was shocked at how expensive everything was (last went 15 years ago), even food and drink was expensive I mean literally a bottle of Diet Coke or water.

I did find an Old Navy t-shirt for $1.99 that I had to buy
DD1 bought a Levi’s NY t-shirt and we both bought Bloomingdale bags. Sephora was great but expensive eg Urban Decay Palette £40 here was $56.