Paging the layabouts

Stock up for Xmas - theres a Eurotunnel offer at the moment with a £15
return fare.
http://www.eurotunnel.com/ukcP3Main/ukcPassengers/ukcTickets/ukpfifteen

Steve

 

ITYF that Calais is barely, if any cheaper, than Dover ATM. ICBW though


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Its Belgium i'm off to for the baccy....

 

So how much do you smoke of the stuff, to make such a trip worthwhile?

And why not just get a local to post some to you?

 

You're right, based on my last Continental shopping trip. The only
reason is to stock up with goodies that are harder to find over here,
not to save money on a car bootful of booze. The very cheapest plonk
(ie: not very drinkable) seems to be around 3 euros a bottle.

On a brighter note, one of First Quench's shops is closing down, right
opposite our office, and there are some remarkble bin end bargains
going. I got a Chilean rosé called Porta, not a wine I've encountered
before, knocked down to £4.50. Bought a bottle, and went back the next
day and bought two more, plus a bottle of the white.

 

I've brought back rolling baccy from Belgium for people I know who
smoke roll-ups, and the savings are truly colossal.

<memories>

I haven't forgotten the throwovers on my Z650 slipping onto the
exhaust, on the way back from Chmay, and igniting the stuff, either.

I *think* that's illegal but ICBW, and they'd have to catch you,
anyway.

 

Sure, but the quantity required to 'save' enough to justofy the cost
of the trip must also be truly colossal.

Can't see why it should be, but British C&E have always been a low
unto themselves, so flip wibble.

 

Yes, bargainous. SWMBO went in and got a load of fizzy stuff that was
simultaneously half price AND buy two get one free!!

With offers like that, no wonder they are going bust...

 

With prices like that, no wonder booze cruises are still so popular.

 

Is Dover itself cheap for booze and tobacco then? Will it soon see
Frenchies coming here for cheap vices? We may well see the day.

 

This year has seen an (almost) complete reversal of shopping traffic between
Northern Ireland and the Eire.
Fuel is *still* cheaper in the south, due to lower excise, but the north is
cheaper for everything else, due to the strength of the Euro.

 

On 2009-12-01 11:38:17 +0100, Ace <> said:

It is not legal to import Alcohol or Tobacco into the UK from other EU
member states unless you make the appropriate arrangements to take care
of the UK excise requirements.

 

Depends. We always used to regard the trip as something we enjoyed. The
saved money on booze / cigars (back in the day) was a bunce. We did
mostly break even as well, ISTR.

<snip>

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Catman MIB#14 SKoGA#6 TEAR#4 BOTAFOF#38 Apostle#21 COSOC#3
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116 Giulietta 3.0l Sprint 1.7 GTV TS 156 V6 2.5 S2
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www.cuore-sportivo.co.uk

 

Well, I was only using Dover as a town in England. But apparently, yes,
the French do do an inverse booze cruise AIUI (or at least used to).
Not for booze specifically. I have a vague memory that washing powder
was a lot cheaper in the UK.

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Catman MIB#14 SKoGA#6 TEAR#4 BOTAFOF#38 Apostle#21 COSOC#3
Tyger, Tyger Burning Bright (Remove rust to reply)
116 Giulietta 3.0l Sprint 1.7 GTV TS 156 V6 2.5 S2
Triumph Sprint ST 1050: It's blue, see.
www.cuore-sportivo.co.uk

 

It (washing powder) never used to be, I remember seeing brits stocking
up on giant boxes or Ariel and the like.

 

I shall take your word on it. I certainly never did, and am pretty sure
I *would* have if it had been appreciably cheaper.

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Catman MIB#14 SKoGA#6 TEAR#4 BOTAFOF#38 Apostle#21 COSOC#3
Tyger, Tyger Burning Bright (Remove rust to reply)
116 Giulietta 3.0l Sprint 1.7 GTV TS 156 V6 2.5 S2
Triumph Sprint ST 1050: It's blue, see.
www.cuore-sportivo.co.uk

 

Speaking of cheap plonk, I recently discovered a Laithwaites vineyard
less than 10 kilometers from home (Château La Clairière at Sainte-Colombe
in the Côtes-de-Castillon appellation).
The owners were eating at a local café next door and after beer, beer,
wine, wine and more wine they choose to end on a Calva.
We're on the west fringes of Périgord, between Cognac and Armagnac
terroirs and they nevertheless choose Calva!

More than a lack of taste, it is stupid: you can be sure to get a less
than average Calva, when you could get a nice Armagnac.

 

I buy 3kg every 7 months or so.Its £4 per 50g there as opposed to £11+
here.....

Steve

 

A significant number of my colleagues are taking day trips to the UK
for Christmas shopping.

Many, many things are significantly cheaper in the UK than on this
side, at least compared to Belgium.

I bought two tyres for my car earlier in the year. I could have taken
a channel crossing, stayed in a reasonable hotel and had a nice meal
while still having paid less overall. We also bought a brand name
microwave[1] in the UK for about £50, whereas the cheapest[2] I found
here was over €100, so there's definitely money to be saved by taking
a day trip and doing a bit of shopping.

[1]Sharp or Sanyo or something, so not high end
[2]Some completely unknown brand

 

The saving's about £7 per 50g and the HMRC guidance is that people can
bring back 3kg with no questions asked, so there's a £420 "saving"
right there and that's a once a year trip if you go through a pack a
week.

Crossing in October, I watched an old codger spend £1.5k on smokes
without batting an eyelid.