UK Ladies- Question on Stores

[Deleted]

Quick introduction: H and I and our two dogs will be moving to the UK in January via an intracompany transfer/ Tier II visa process. His company is paying for our relocation expenses and we will be shipping a fair amount of our current possessions and a few furniture items. I've read many threads here regarding the lack of storage, so those are the furniture items we are shipping- an armoire, chest of drawers, china cabinet, etc. We are not bringing our bed (king) or sofas as we are not sure they will fit a UK sized home (we are coming from a new construction in California that has lots of space). We will be living in temporary housing for 2 months while we find a place to rent. If we end up finding a furnished place to live, we will put our bigger items in storage. (This wasn't as quick as I intended.)

Coming from the US, where we like things to be as quick and painless as possible, I'd like some suggestions on stores that have been able to semi-replicate what is available here. I shop at Target at least weekly, and while I love that I can get all of the things I need at one store, I know this is not a common occurrence outside of North America. 

Given that we are traveling shortly after the holidays, our families are hoping to get us Christmas gifts that will help in our move. We are asking for cool weather/ rain clothes (we are currently in Southern California, so we are going into a huge weather change, which we are, believe it or not, excited about) and Ikea gift cards. 

What are stores in the UK that would be a good idea for us for potential gift cards? H has been in the UK since June, and he has only managed to find out that he loves Nandos and Wagamamas and that Tesco and Waitrose sell food. He's been living out of hotels so hasn't had to purchase the types of things that you need at home on a regular basis. 

I'd also love to hear about (reasonably) priced clothing stores in the UK.

Thanks ladies- we are very excited about the move, and these are the type of questions that I find important but H tends to gloss over!

[potatopie]

Welcome to the board! I'm a Midwestern (WI) living in South Africa with my Italian H and our 1 year-old son. Can't suggest anything for the UK, but see origami's post about gift cards...you might want to contact Ikea and see if they work in other countries. If so, that's a great idea for your move!

[dorothyinAus]

Welcome to the Boards!

I'm in Australia, so I'm no help with anything in the UK either. I second having your husband call or check with Ikea to see if the cards will work.

I hope you have a smooth transition and look forward to seeing you around.

[mrsukyankee]

Amazon is my go to here in England, but I also shop at Debenhams & John Lewis for similar items (close to Macys?). For inexpensive clothing items there's a ton of shops - H&M, Topshop, Next, Zara, etc. IKEA and Argos are great for home items, and you might end up near a HomeSense which is fabulous (same as HomeGoods in US). We also have TK Maxx (same as TJs).

For the everyday shopping for food & basic items, I go to Tesco, Sainsburys or Waitrose. There are also large Asdas which are similar to Walmart (owned by same company).

The IKEA gift cards from the US might not be useable here in the UK, so I would check on that.

As for the china cabinet & armoire, they might be doable, but might not. Getting them into the flat/house might be a struggle as much as anything else, and the amount of space you have will definitely determine the fit. As long as you are okay with paying for storage, then bring them.

[pittpurple]

Where are you moving in the UK?

The 'storage space' problem isn't just with having furniture with storage (IKEA has lots and lots of storage solutions!) but with having the physical space to put that furniture. So that is totally dependent on your budget for a flat/house. I really don't think you should move your furniture with you until you have an idea of where you'll be living.

For example, I just bought my first house in Edinburgh and the rooms are really narrow (terraced house so very typical). A regular armoire and sideboard would never fit so we scrapped all those plans and bought tons of storage from IKEA in their billy range as it's specifically for narrow rooms. So depending on how comfortable you will be in a crowded space, it might not be worth it.

Of course, if your budget is fantastic and you can afford a large place (and maybe aren't moving to London?) that might be less of an issue!

Gift cards are problematic unless they're purchased in the right country, though I think I've used Amazon.com gift cards on Amazon.co.uk in the past. I would expect that IKEA wouldn't honour gift cards from another country but you should definitely check. If they're doing gift cards, I would actually just ask for the cash so it's simple!

This again depends on where you're living and if you have a car, but there are 'big-box' stores. I'm just discovering them as I was living car-free for 8 years but on the outskirts of Edinburgh there are plenty of very large stores selling lots of different things. It will be easier to give specific advice when I know where you're moving but John Lewis is great (pricey but fantastic quality), Sainsbury's would sort of be a Target (grocery store with budget friendly houseware items - though not as cute as the stuff at Target!) and there are a ton more.

For clothes, this depends on your style! Next and Dorothy Perkins and Pepperberry are my go-to places. I get clothes for my daughter at Sainsbury's a lot. Marks and Spencers is great for classics and Debenhams is sort of like a Macys in that it has tons of everything. Again, this will totally depend on where you're living though - these are just the stores near me.

Good luck with your move!

[UnderProtest]

It really depends on what city you are moving to and the space in your new house. We did bring most all of our US furniture over here, BUT we had secured our house prior to deciding what was to be shipped and our place was pretty much unfurnished. We did negotiate two wardrobes in the rooms that did not have closets and beds that had under bed storage.

I did order a bunch of stuff from Ikea when we got here to round out our storage. I'm in London and it was 30GBP for the delivery....I had two small dresses, one large dresser, a big bookshelf, two small end tables, and various baskets. I was quite pleased with their delivery and that price. I've also ordered stuff from John Lewis. Generally it is more expensive, but I got a reasonably priced desk, lamps, and other small house goods from there. I've gotten free delivery from them. Amazon.co.uk has been a lifesaver for the little stupid stuff.

I've not found anything that I would consider close to Target, but people seem to like the grocery stores (Sainsburys, Marks & Spencers and such) for small house items and clothing. I would consider buying boots and rain gear in the US if you don't have it. You know you will need it and things are just generally expensive here and then add in exchange rates and its even worse. I bought my kids rain boots, but don't have any myself. I've been looking and the ones I am looking at are $100 in the US or 100GBP here (which is about $160). Considering my husband is still paid in the US, this can make a huge difference.

Let us know what city you will be in and we can give better suggestions.

[pittpurple]

I agree with UnderProtest - the cost of things will be more than you're used to in the states. A good rule of thumb is to assume that you'll just have to change the symbol (so something costing $100 will cost £100) - that seems a fair way to estimate most of the time (though there are random food items that this isn't true for, it seems to be true for clothes and definitely electronics - so get any thing like that now - kindles, ipads, laptops, etc)

[fbf2006]

I agree with everyone. I personally won't bring the big items you mentioned unless you're sure you're getting an unfurnished place outside London. As everyone has asked, where exactly in the UK will you be?
I moved to London in August and our apartment is definitely too small for our furniture in storage in the US. Thankfully we got a furnished apartment and a cousin of mine was able to take me to Ikea to get additional items I needed.
Regarding stores, I'd personally ask for amazon uk gift cards. I'm not yet used to the stores here and actually got my son some clothes recently from old navy online (they ship to the UK). The other ladies have mentioned stores so if check those out.

[Deleted]

Thanks everyone. We will be in Basingstoke/ Winchester. My husband's company is paying all of our moving expenses with no limit on cost. Unfortunately we will be moving before our housing situation is finalized- the first two months we will be in company housing while our furniture and personal items are shipped. We have been looking at rentals online and most in that area seem to be unfurnished, but we are comfortable with either.

The furniture I'm talking about bringing can all be broken down- its all ikea from our last move. We would be fine either storing it or replacing. We will have a car as part of his compensation and he is being paid in pounds. We've redone budgets for what he will be earning in pounds v dollars and we will be more than comfortable. Our relocation package also permits us to replace all of our electric items that will not work in the UK. We are very lucky with his company being so flexible.

It also helps that we will not be in London. I visited him over the summer and checked out pricing on things just to get an idea. I am going again over Thanksgiving and will check out things again, specifically the stores you guys have mentioned.

Rock n Voll- I used to post a lot more on the knot and followed them over in their move to proboards. GBCN was linked a lot, and a poster on the Nest style board mentioned GBCN as well. I don't post much because the boards move very fast, and I can't post from my job.

[GilliC]

Glad to see that a few people are still finding us over here! The international board on the Nest is full of crickets and tumbleweeds these days!

I'm not in the UK (Oslo these days), but I've always been an intracompany transfer. It sounds like your package is pretty good, and that's great that they're replacing your 110-V appliances!

I think your decision to leave the sofa behind is a good one. We brought our US sofa over, and while it fit in our first company-paid apartment, it barely made it through the door, and it took up a huge chunk of space in our second. In the end I let it go in a divorce and was so glad to be rid of it!

[brainie]

I would also recommend looking at the prices of storage here. It's astronomical - upwards of £100 per month for a very small space. If this isn't a permanent move, you might be better off putting your stuff in storage in the US. Or will the company pay for storage here?

Also I'm from SoCal as well, so welcome to the UK (soon)!

[weelass24]

If you have a good Asda near you, that will be the closest thing to Target you will find. It's owned by Walmart, but it still isn't the same. That and a Tesco Extra should have you covered for most things. Marks and Spencer has a great private label food line as well and since your husband has already fallen in love with Waitrose, you should be good. Their stuff is great.

For clothes, it doesn't get much cheaper than Primark. M&S and Debenham's are OK for clothes, but I find them a bit old lady-ish. I like Next and Miss Selfridge. For functional outerwear, Tresspass is great. That's where you'll get a great winter rain coat.

I'd try to buy any boots and shoes over there. I have wellies, but don't wear them a lot. Ballet flats aren't really practical here. They are a summer only shoe and even then, it can be dicey. Splurge on good socks. I love Smart Wool. I've gotten them at DSW, but you can order online too. They are $15-20 a pair, but worth every penny when you deal with the damp winters. I find the shoe/boot situation over here unsatisfying unless I am willing to spend a lot of money on them, which I am not. I try to hold off until I can get home. Clarks will be a good bet though for semi-reasonably priced shoes that are a good quality.

You'll discover small shops over there that will help. I prefer the boutiques, vegetable shops, butchers that are all family run are really the best. I find I shop a lot more, but the food is fresher here, so it is worth it.

Hope that helps. I'm in NI, not England, but let me know if you have any other questions.

[weelass24]

Just wanted to add that Dunelm Mill is great for home stuff. They have locations all over. John Lewis is fabulous too, but a tad more expensive.

[Deleted]

Hi again everyone, and thank for the continued responses.

we've had a slight change in plans on housing. H's company was having a difficult time finding dog friendly housing for 2 month while we get situated, so in the alternative, they offered to just pay our first two months rent. I am going over thanksgiving to check some stuff out and H has appointments to see a few this weekend. This way we will have a much better idea of what we want/ need to bring. I started trying to purge quite a bit over the weekend in preparation.

Good suggestions on the giftcards, I looked into some of the specific stores and confrimed that they do not in fact work in the UK. Some allow you to buy UK specific cards on the website, but I think our families are just going to give us cash instead, so we can have some flexibility. That and some "wet weather" clothing rounds out our xmas lists.

We have only been in so cal for 3 years, and are originally from the midwest and upstate new york. We have a good amount of jackets of various weight, so are really looking for rain specific gear. And sweaters. I feel like I've accumulated lots of short-sleeve and sleeveless stuff lately so I need to go back to the warmer clothes.

Thanks again everyone, I'm hoping to check out some of these stores, as well as rentals, while I am visiting next weeK!

[VillainV]

Amazon UK doesn't have nearly as much stuff as Amazon US.....but it's still okay.

These were the stores we shopped at the most:

- ASDA - like a super walmart, but heavier on the groceries and lighter on the other "stuff". Owned by the Walmart corperation.
- Tesco, Sainsbury's, and to some extent, Morrisons - like ASDA but owned by other companies.
- Home Base - Kind of like Bed, Bath, and Beyond but has garden stuff
- Range - Like a Target without any groceries
- Dunelm Mill - Like Range but cheaper/slightly lower quality
- Boots - Like CVS/Walgreens, but slightly higher end (I emphasize slightly)
- B&Q - Just like Home Depot. It's even orange.
- John Lewis - Department store kind of like Macy's, has awesome home stuff but is kind of expensive
- Next - Cheaper clothing kind of like Old Navy, great kids stuff, bigger stores have home decorative stuff like sheets, lamps, etc