UK savings & bargains

SALES
Sales take place in two periods of the year: after Christmas and in July. Stores of all kinds and price ranges hold these sales, which may last up to a couple of months (for instance, from late December to late February) and may offer discounts of up to 66 per cent, although half price discounts are much more common.

LOYALTY CARDS
The so-called loyalty cards (or account cards) are another good method to save. Every major retail chain has one, with which it rewards "loyal" customers by giving them points for the money spent (for example, one point for each pound spent).
These points can then be exchanged with products from the same store or different companies, or used in exchange for a discount on purchases. Some cards allow a 10 per cent discount on the first purchase.
The best ones are Advantage Card of the chemist chain Boots, followed by the cards of Co-op supermarkets and WHSmith newsagents/booksellers.

OUT-OF-TOWN SHOPPING CENTRES
In the great out-of-town shopping centres or retail parks it's possible to find good bargains. In London, for instance, along ring roads like the North Circular Road one can find some of these consumeristic-dream villages, such as Brent Cross. Matalan is a clothing store chain with low prices, and Staples is very good for stationery and office products.

Differences between urban areas are also an element to consider when looking for the lowest prices. Shopping South of the Thames, in the Old Kent Road, a traditionally working-class neighbourhood, is cheaper than elsewhere in the city.

In factory outlets or shops you can find brand goods at discounted prices, on average at 30-60 per cent less than in high street stores.

SECOND-HAND BOOKSHOPS
Second-hand bookshops are another source of bargains. In London there are many of them, sometimes large and well-stocked, with various specialised sections.
The majority is concentrated in the central Charing Cross Road (underground stations: Charing Cross, Leicester Square or Tottenham Court Road).
Second-hand book stalls are regularly lined on the South Bank of the Thames. Second-hand antiques' shops often have excellent books for sale at very low price: try the ones near Marylebone railway station (underground: Marylebone).

CHARITY SHOPS
Charity shops are another source of second-hand goods. You'll find all sorts of products and merchandise there: clothes, home goods, and a bit of everythung else.
They are everywhere in the country, especially located in the high streets and main shopping areas of towns and cities, big and small.
The charity organization uses a shop which is temporarily not let, raising funds by selling items which are donated by supporters and the general public.
Look out for national charities names, like RSPCA, Oxfam, Cats Protection, Sue Ryder, on signs of shop fronts. If you choose your charity shop carefully, you'll not only save money, but also help a good cause.

MARKETS
Street markets are a colourful, fun way of finding items at reduced prices. There are general markets as well as markets with specialised themes, dealing exclusively in goods like antiques, flowers, clothes, fruit and vegetables, bric-a-brac and so on.
Some street markets, although not strictly specialised, have acquired a reputation as a rich source of items of a particular kind, even though you may find products of other types as well.
In particular, there are many London street markets, which we've covered in a separate page.