Southampton duty free

[Slyfox16]

If you are taking a cruise are there duty free shops in the buildings before you board a Princess ship or any place in the port?

[John Bull]

6 minutes ago, Slyfox16 said:

If you are taking a cruise are there duty free shops in the buildings before you board a Princess ship or any place in the port?

 

Sorry, no.

Nowhere in the docks, and no duty-free in town.

And to the best of my knowledge no duty-free for arrivals at any of London's airports.

If you want duty free you need to buy airside at your US departure airport - though if you're after a couple of bottles of wine I'm not sure you'll find wine in airports' duty-frees.

 

If you plan to spend time in London there are plenty of places to buy (duty-paid) wine.

Or if straight to Southampton, post your cruise terminal (or ship and sailing date), and your transportation to Southampton (train or bus or private transfer or ship's bus transfer) and I can suggest places in Southampton.

 

JB 🙂

[Bob++]

Given the restrictions the cruise lines impose on what alcohol you can take on board, it's hardly worth the trouble of looking for duty-free. Any supermarket will sell you a reasonable bottle of wine. My local Tesco has a range from all the world's wine producers, priced between £6.00 and £30.00. 

[Globaliser]

7 hours ago, John Bull said:

And to the best of my knowledge no duty-free for arrivals at any of London's airports.

 

At both Heathrow and Gatwick there is an arrivals shop in each terminal run by the people who operate the departures duty-free shop. It's situated between customs and the exit to the public area, and is only available to arriving passengers, not to the general public who simply can't get to it.

 

For the limited range of things that these shops sell, the price should be the same as is charged in the departures duty-free shop. Technically, these are duty-paid and tax-paid sales, but to the customer there may be no real difference seeing as the amount of money handed over to the shop is the same as if the goods were being bought duty-free and tax-free upstairs.

 

That, of course, tells you a lot about "duty-free shops" generally, and about the common misconception that they're cheaper. Often, you can (as a member of the general public) go to a supermarket in the UK and buy the same thing that the "duty-free shop" sells, but for a lower price than is charged by the "duty-free shop".

[ladysail2]

I believe the Marks & Spencers in Southampton sells wine in their store at the mall. That’s where I’ll pick up a bottle. 

[John Bull]

8 hours ago, ladysail2 said:

I believe the Marks & Spencers in Southampton sells wine in their store at the mall. That’s where I’ll pick up a bottle. 

 

Yes, plenty of outlets in town including M&S.

But unless you're overniting or on a B2B, the most convenient depends on your transportation to Southampton.

By train (or if you're a true connoisseur), Majestic Wines is directly opposite Southampton Central station.

By National Express, ASDA's rear entrance via the multi-storey parking lot opposite the coach station

By private transfer with a driver who doesn't know Southampton well, Tesco in Easton Lane, Winchester, just off junction 9 of the M3.

 

There are no shops other than refreshments & nik-naks at the cruise terminals

 

JB 🙂

[ladysail2]

Thank you for all that information!  Majestic Wines looks like it might be worth a look too. I’ll be in Southampton for a few days.

[Globaliser]

23 hours ago, John Bull said:

... (or if you're a true connoisseur), Majestic Wines ...

 

I think I've seen it all, now! I never thought I'd come across those two pairs of words linked together in the same sentence. 😁

 

(Not that this should put anyone off going to Majestic. It's a substantial step up from the big supermarkets.)

[John Bull]

 

Ladysail and the OP were both looking to buy in Southampton. 🙄

Southampton isn't the big bad city, peopled by arrogant yuppies introduced by their nepotistic muppy parents or their "old school tie" contacts into over-paid red-braces-wearing City jobs or dark-suited & booted civil servant jobs, and who have more money than sense.

But should any of them stray to Southampton, Majestic have wines at £400 a bottle for them as well as wines at £4 a bottle for the impoverished, and 1500 other wines in between for the rest of us.

 

If you know of a wine store in Southampton with a wider selection, more knowledgeable staff and more realistic prices please share.

 

JB 🙂

[Globaliser]

3 hours ago, John Bull said:

If you know of a wine store in Southampton with a wider selection, more knowledgeable staff and more realistic prices please share.

 

Majestic is good for what it is, otherwise it wouldn't have become what it is today - and it is one of the wine shops that I use. It may well be the best wine supermarket in Southampton. But let's not suggest that the company is anything that it is not (and that it would not itself claim to be).

 

Today, the "true connoisseur" has access to plenty of online retailers that do much better than Majestic in that niche (including, in one particular specialist area, what is in effect a subsidiary of Majestic). Those retailers don't have to be located in Southampton in order to serve customers in Southampton.

 

As for London, you're beginning to sound like you have a sizeable chip on one shoulder. Please don't believe everything you see in the movies. You might want to come and visit some time to see what it's really like.

[John Bull]

59 minutes ago, Globaliser said:

 

 

 

Today, the "true connoisseur" has access to plenty of online retailers that do much better than Majestic in that niche

 

As for London, you're beginning to sound like you have a sizeable chip on one shoulder. Please don't believe everything you see in the movies. You might want to come and visit some time to see what it's really like.

 

How's a visitor going have confidence that in the 24 hours or less before sailing away a couple of expensive bottles ordered & paid-for are waiting for them wherever, as ordered, and intact?  🤔

No, G., these are circumstances where you look, choose, pay, and carry all in one go.

 

I've spent plenty of time in London, G., including a 6-month spell working out of Dover Street.
And spent time in the square mile with the entitled products of Eton & Harrow & Winchester who are their fathers' sons. Too many of them full of themselves, but not-very-bright.

And my dealings with Whitehall have always been protracted & fraught.

Nah, not got much time for the city types. 😉

 

BTW I remembered a post of yours years ago about LHR duty-paid "duty-free" in arrivals between customs and arrivals hall . You said the place usually wasn't up to much, but that one time you got a stack of great value champagne. I took a look next time, very little stock and no bargains.

Being a cynic, I see it as an opportunity to get visitors to buy what they presume is a duty-free bargain before they're able to see High Street prices.

 

JB 🙂

 

 

[ladysail2]

I won’t be buying the £400 bottle of wine, or the £4 bottle. Wouldn’t it be great if I can find my favourite..Clos du Bois…..and if not, I’ll just have to take a chance.  Thanks for the lively discussion! 😊

[Globaliser]

18 hours ago, John Bull said:

How's a visitor going have confidence that in the 24 hours or less before sailing away a couple of expensive bottles ordered & paid-for are waiting for them wherever, as ordered, and intact?  🤔

No, G., these are circumstances where you look, choose, pay, and carry all in one go.

 

Correct: you send them to a good local wine supermarket, ie Majestic.

[Ombud]

On 8/10/2022 at 5:21 PM, John Bull said:

 

Sorry, no.

Nowhere in the docks, and no duty-free in town.

And to the best of my knowledge no duty-free for arrivals at any of London's airports.

If you want duty free you need to buy airside at your US departure airport - though if you're after a couple of bottles of wine I'm not sure you'll find wine in airports' duty-frees.

 

If you plan to spend time in London there are plenty of places to buy (duty-paid) wine.

Or if straight to Southampton, post your cruise terminal (or ship and sailing date), and your transportation to Southampton (train or bus or private transfer or ship's bus transfer) and I can suggest places in Southampton.

 

JB 🙂

Thanks. I didn't buy the add ons & carrying on luggage to avoid loss / delay in Heathrow. Will be looking for white wine.