Recommendations USA purchases

[Lobo]

We are off to New York tomorrow. Any one got any recommendations of items that are worth purchasing whilst there that we can’t get in the UK? 😀

Bath and Body works room sprays and anti bacterial gel. The fragrances are gorgeous.

I can’t think of much I’d buy there that you can’t get in the UK now. And the US is expensive for those of us banking in Sterling.

The only things I stock up on when we are over there are several tubs of melatonin and clothes from Loft. DH buys Polo by Ralph Lauren shirts, normally at the airport. I don’t even know if they are better value than the UK, he just hates shopping, so it’s convenient!

Melatonin tablets.

I agree about Melatonin. Cured my jet lag after an 8 hour time difference.

Just to mention, Melatonin is also available over the counter in Spain, if anyone is travelling that way for holidays. Great for helping with sleep and jet lag.

Style and beauty wise I'm not sure their selection is better or even much different than ours. The big department stores are fun. And of course there's Sephora. There's also a legendary discounted designer shop downtown called Century 21 which I used to love but haven't been to recently. Id recommend window shopping in Soho too.

The best things to buy in the US really are the toiletries and pharmaceuticals but that doesn't make for a hugely exciting shopping day 😂

Thanks for all the ideas. Melatonin sounds good I could do with some help to get to sleep at times 🤩

I didn’t see anything that was really worth getting and noticed that some things were a lot more expensive.

I did however get melatonin which helped with the jet lag.

A balsam pillow, for easier breathing when you have a cold, or just to make your house smell like a pine forest. You can get little ones so it doesn't need to take up your whole suitcase.

"Balsam" is pronounced "baaarlsome" in the US, if you need to ask a shop assistant about them.

I like the great department stores in NYC, specifically Saks, Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom’s. They have a different vibe from UK department stores. Nordstrom’s in particular has fantastic customer service.

None of them are as luxurious as Harrods, which I don’t even like. All are more welcoming than Selfridges. Nordstrom’s definitely has a lower price point and the other two are no worse, probably better. I prefer the merch to Selfridges.

Pharmaceuticals and toiletries 😂 the 100 pill bottles are so much more efficient and cost effective than our packs of 8-16. I find that tylenol and acetaminophen are more effective than British versions, but that could be a slight placebo effect as well.
I also really rate Bloom nutrition greens

If OSH GOSH are still around we used to stock up while in USA or Canada

No idea if they are still worn in 2024 by children though unless seen as classic or vintage 😁😁😁

Trader Joe's invisible sunscreen. It's basically the same quality as Supergoop but only around $9.

Yes to pills. I’m a New Yorker and whenever I go back home I stock up on industrial bottles of ibuprofen at Target. Ibuprofen works much better for me than paracetamol which genuinely does absolutely nothing for me.

@Lobo head to the big Target in Brooklyn at Atlantic Center. Lots of fun food, beauty, home stuff and clothes. In Atlantic Center there’s also a Body & Body Works, Sephora, MAC, VS, Marshall’s, Old Navy, Uniqlo as well as an Apple Store and a big Whole Foods Market on the corner. 😀

Bath and body works room sprays. These tiny bottles seem to last forever!