SHOPPING IN ITALY

SHOPPING

Shopping is specifically commented on for each city in Places to Stay, at the bottom of each page. Our favorites are Rome, Positano, Lugano, and Venice.

THE BIBLE WE HAVE USED FOR EACH TRIP IS
SUZY GERSHMAN'S BORN TO SHOP - ITALY.
YOU MUST HAVE THIS BOOK, BUT
BE SURE YOU HAVE THE LATEST EDITION.

RULE #1 - Do not say to youself, "When I get the VAT [Value Added Tax] back, this will be even cheaper."

YOU MAY NEVER SEE YOUR VAT REFUND

REASON: Twenty-six months after out first trip, we were still waiting for our "refunds" to show up on our credit card. It's possible we did some little step wrong. For our second trip, in 2002, we asked at the hotel what we should do, asked at the check-in desk, took our suitcases (which would have to be unpacked, we were told) and proceeded to Customs, where we were told we had to go through Security to the Customs desk on the Concourse, where we were told since we were connecting in an EU country (England), we had to obtain our refund there. At Heathrow we were told we should have taken care of this in Italy.

Unlike previous trips to France, it appears the Italians are determined to keep your money. One Roman shopkeeper said "You probably won't get it." (We'd like stories from others on this.) And remember, the purchase has to be over a given amount in order to get a refund.

In 2004, the only expensive purchases we made were ceramics, which we had shipped home, avoiding the VAT.

Many stores say they don't charge VAT. Some are telling the truth.

For a good, albeit confusing discussion, see http://www.thaitch.org/archive/2001_10_06_vat_tax_regime.htm

NOTE: After this appeared, in 2004, we got an email saying the senders had never had a problem with getting their VAT back. We avoided VAT in 2005, staying under the (ridiculous) purchase limits our government sets (if only they'd tax pharmaceutical and oil companies as efficiently).

We'll follow the advice on the above link and let you know how it goes. If you have stories, let us know at VATstories@coopmead.com.

RULE #2 - (Applicable to all countries) Anything that is too big a bargain isn't.

REASON: Italy is like everywhere else. Bargains must be ferreted out. They are unlikely to be found in stores full of souvenirs on main streets in Rome or Florence or Milan, in carts, on the backs of trucks, in tents and kiosks, or the hotel stores.

RULE #3 - We wrote in 2002 when the euro was $.87 that there were no overwhelming bargains in Rome, Florence, Venice, Positano, Capri, or Milan. As of the fall of 2003, with the euro hovering at $1.20, bargains were even harder to find. In June of 2004, with the euro higher, bargains were gone. In April of 2006, with the euro creeping toward $1.40, we wrote that you might want to restrict your purchases to toothpaste. We made no major purchases in September of 2005.

Russ' exception: In Rome, even in 2004, I bought linen shirts and a suit I could never have even found in the States, much less bought at such good prices. Ditto shirts in 2005.

Kaye's exception: In Venice, at the bead shop I mention in Places to See - Venice, I found wonderful jewelry, including custom made, at very good prices, even in 2004 and again in 2005.

Now, in 2008, you may find yourself looking for souvenirs only.

NOTED ELSEWHERE: When in the Lugano area, you must check out Foxtown Mall. (We've had emails from others we've led there, who agree.

REASON: Rents are just as expensive in these cities as in Paris, London, New York, etc. and Italy's labor laws and six week required vacations keep labor costs high.

RULE #4 - You shop in Rome, Florence, Venice, Positano, Capri, and Milan for outstanding, fashionable goods, for Italian clothes and shoes and fabrics and ceramics and specialties. The bargains will come from not paying the shipping and import duties you'd pay at home.

RULE #5 - The outlet stores in such malls as Fox Town will not have your size in your first three choices.

REASON: That's why the stuff is marked down. Be patient. The first five pairs of Bally loafers Russ liked were not available in his size. The next two were, and he's happy with them, even happier with the 75% reduction over U.S. prices.

RULE #6 - You shop in the little kiosks of Florence because it's the funky thing to do. It's fun to buy wallets and purses for friends, and shawls and scarves and Towers of Pisa carved out of bat dung. You will find leather and other goods at reasonable prices there and in surrounding shops, but don't expect designer labels.

REASON: Italian manufacturers have tight control over who sells their stuff, apparently in violation of certain EU agreements. The kiosk or store won't have Prada, but it may have very well crafted materials. Check the stitching, the material, all the stuff you'd check at home.

RULE #7 - Carry only one or two credit cards, and virtually no cash, with you in public. Lock the rest in the hotel safe (rather than the safe in your room).

REASON: Local merchants, especially in Florence, warned us of a variety of ways of parting you from your valuables, from pickpockets to people who knock off your glasses and grab your stuff when you bend over, to groups of small children who crowd around you and take things, to people on scooters who whiz along and snatch your purse. Someone may offer to show you a tray of goods which they place close to your chest and while you are looking at these, a compatriot is going through your purse or bag.

Italian women carry their purses with a strap over the shoulder and a hand firmly on the clasp of the purse, on the side away from the street.

We have never witnessed an incident nor lost anything ourselves to theft, in person or in a vehicle; so this advice is passed on from Italians. We would welcome stories.

RULE #8 - Do not wait to buy your wine in an airport store.

REASON: It's not very good stuff. After tasting the incredible '97 Antinori Solaia (later rated the best wine of 2000 by Wine Spectator), at Florence's Cantinetta Antinori (See Places to Eat page for Florence) and deciding to wait to buy it at the airport, we found nothing of value, much less one of the '97 Tuscans. The Solaia had gone for $62 a bottle in Florence. When we got back home, we found one bottle at $150. We found it; we didn't buy it. Memory was better than such a harsh reality. By 2002, if you could find a bottle you'd be looking at $375 or more. In 2007 the rare find would be close to $500.

RULE #9 - You will never find the same bargain. Buy it if you can afford it.

REASON: After a long life of regretting purchases not made, like art that wasn't there at the next Affair in the Gardens or Washington Square, Russ labored long over a 3/4 Versace leather coat at $500 at the Foxtown Mall and decided it was too expensive and he wouldn't look as dashing as the Italian man who had tried it on earlier. Back home, when he had to buy a leather jacket to replace his old one, a regular length, not-as-nice, not-Versace jacket was on sale at $495. He is permanently inconsolable and believes the anecdote will be a centerpiece of his oncoming senility.

CUSTOMS: The Feds have finally raised the limit per person you can bring back to $800 PLUS "Fine Art" (meaning not crafts). It was $400 back in the 60's. $800 is ridiculous - write your Congress types - it should be $2000, and that won't be keeping up with inflation, much less the fact that our government has done nothing about the weakening dollar.

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