shopping in Calais

[happy]

to those who live in the south-east of England and who drink a little wine:

an internet search using the terms Calais and Wine will find you several outlets on the other side of the channel, some of which may pay your fare if you pre-order wine from them with a set lower £limit.

I do this twice a year, fitting about 18 six-bottle cases into the boot (we don't drink it all ourselves, friends ask for six bottles of this or that). Then I drive to Carrefour in Calais and stock up on
coffee (about two-thirds of the price)
fresh foods (about the same in euros as you would pay in pounds£), so about 10% cheaper
dishwasher tablets (about half the price)
printer paper (half the price I would pay here, per ream)
and a few other things like the kind of olives and pate that I can't get locally.
Sometimes petrol is cheaper in France but not always.

I leave home in West Sussex at 9 a.m. and arrive home with a full car at about 7 p.m.

This saves me money and means fewer trips to the supermarket here at home.

Do any of you do this?

[Maroochydore]

I used to do this pre-Euro (French Francs).

Friday night was also a drive from West Sussex to Folkstone for the £15 return evening Eurotunnel train.

I still have my Carrefour jeton for the trolley and still use the plates we bought in Cité Europe at the porcelain shop. My only 'bad' purchase was a great set of car mats. I got home and put them into my car only to discover the re-inforced foot pad was now on the passenger side, I'd overlooked the fact that obviously they were all for left-hand drive vehicles.

It wasn't a lot of wine purchased but the large boxes of Persil which wasn't on sale in the UK (three young kids so lots of washing), Colgate toothpaste, about a dozen tubes which were less than half the UK price. A few cases of beer and a case of wine plus assorted goodies, french flans etc etc. A meal with the family then fill up with cheap petrol and get the 10:30 Eurotunnel back.

The savings more than covered the fare.

I don't do it anymore. The advent of the Euro saw the prices rocket in the Cité Europe complex, Eurotunnel stopped the evening specials and prices seemed to equalise or be bettered by competition in the UK so it wasn't cost effective.

[moorfield]

Then I drive to Carrefour in Calais and stock up on
coffee (about two-thirds of the price)
fresh foods (about the same in euros as you would pay in pounds£), so about 10% cheaper
dishwasher tablets (about half the price)
printer paper (half the price I would pay here, per ream)
and a few other things like the kind of olives and pate that I can't get locally.
Sometimes petrol is cheaper in France but not always.

I leave home in West Sussex at 9 a.m. and arrive home with a full car at about 7 p.m.

This saves me money and means fewer trips to the supermarket here at home.

Do any of you do this?

We certainly do too! - to that Carrefour in Cite Europe, a couple of times a year, and usually combine with lunch in Wissant if time/weather allows.

Coffee, Cosmetics (the French stuff is so much better I'm told) and Wine are the usual staples. We came home with >200 bottles last October and still getting through it. Tend to buy a lot of the fizzy (non-Champagne) stuff which is so much cheaper there and less choice here.

[didds]

I do this twice a year, fitting about 18 six-bottle cases into the boot (we don't drink it all ourselves, friends ask for six bottles of this or that).

isn't that illegal?

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j ... bcownIvgxK

“excise duty on excise goods acquired by a private individual for his own use, and
transported from one Member State to another by him, shall be charged only in the Member
State in which the excise goods are acquired.” Article 32(3) sets the minimum indicative limits
that may be used “solely as a form of evidence.”5
The levels are indicative only. Below them, imported goods will be chargeable with duty by
the home state only if they are sold or have been purchased for someone else Directive 2008/118/EC of 16 December 2008; Article 32(1) states that
“excise duty on excise goods acquired by a private individual for his own use, and
transported from one Member State to another by him, shall be charged only in the Member
State in which the excise goods are acquired.” Article 32(3) sets the minimum indicative limits
that may be used “solely as a form of evidence.”5
The levels are indicative only. Below them, imported goods will be chargeable with duty by
the home state only if they are sold or have been purchased for someone else

ie if they are imported for somebody else's consumption then duty is payable. Failure to pay duty is a crime.

????

didds

[PinkDalek]

I’d assumed the OP gifts 6 bottles here and there. Otherwise, as you say, he’d be promoting fraud in his very first post at LBYM.

[supremetwo]

Franglais wine has good deals and just a short hop from the Eurotunnel terminal - Franglais Vins.

For those who like sparkling, the Charles Pelletier is very good and there is usually an offer e.g. € 23,95 for 6.

http://www.wine-calais.co.uk/440-charle ... kling-wine

For Merlot fans, I recommend:-

http://www.wine-calais.co.uk/wines/127- ... 19604.html

They have a free tasting bar for most of the popular wines.

[didds]

I’d assumed the OP gifts 6 bottles here and there. Otherwise, as you say, he’d be promoting fraud in his very first post at LBYM.

"or have been purchased for someone else " - gifts would be included in that presumably?

didds

[swill453]

I’d assumed the OP gifts 6 bottles here and there. Otherwise, as you say, he’d be promoting fraud in his very first post at LBYM.

"or have been purchased for someone else " - gifts would be included in that presumably?

From your own link:

the regulations specify that ‘own use’ includes ‘use as a personal gift’

Scott.

[didds]

top spot Scott!

didds

[earlsgate]

just about to spend a couple of weeks in France and I will be taking loads of different foods and a full tank of diesel. We never used to do this but over the years any savings have eroded away with finally even diesel fuel no cheaper whereas you could save around £8 on a tank. This is all part of a planned holiday so would never do a day trip to that part of France now on the basis of saving money or seeing any sights, whilst in the past it was impossible to hire a van in Kent at certain times of the year with all the people doing massive shopping trips

there are some items in the DIY areas that are cheaper out there but are sourced from part of the Kingfisher group which do Screwfix and B&Q here in the UK and BricoDepot there.

remember doing a summer job on Dover harbour in the mid seventies where there was a swing in currency mid way through and all of a sudden the boats and Dover high street were packed out with shoppers from Belgium. A few weeks before it was the Brits heading to France and no Belgiums to be seen