Swiss Forum forum

I checked the TCS prices map just for morbid curiosity: benzin.tcs.ch TCS Benzinpreis-Radar Gemeinsam clever tanken The price difference between the stations in the motorways and others has reduced. Lead-free 98 if 2.34/L next to my apartment, 2.48 if the North Gotthard Raststätte. This is a smaller difference than I remember. However, those 2 stations in Coldrerio (TI), a couple km north of the border cross in Chiasso, lead-free 98 is 2.80 and diesel is 2.85 on the south direction. That’s the difference I remember, around 50 Rappen between stations in villages and the ones in motorways. We’re driving to Milano in a couple weeks, let’s see what happens by then. If there’s traffic regulation (AKA waiting in line) on north side of the Gotthard tunnel, it means the price is still not high enough to make anyone change decisions.

Doesn’t mean there won’t be regional shortages. Just like there’s enough food everybody in theory, but in practice, a lot of people suffer hunger and famine…

Phil_MCR: Good news! I went again yesterday and the bike had been returned! I found it in the play area (rather than the bike parking where it was left). I Possible, it was put back in the bike parking after mistakenly been taken by a young child, and then someone else decided to misuse it and damage it. Good you got it back though and your daugher is happy.

Good news! I went again yesterday and the bike had been returned! I found it in the play area (rather than the bike parking where it was left). It seemed to have been used and bashed about a bit but no major damage! Daughter was happy to get her bike back!

Have you created a ticket in Lost & Found? Someone might have found it and brought to your Gemeindeverwaltung.

I hate shopping in those sorts of places. Actually, I hatre shopping. (unless it’s for food in interesting places). I’m like Phil - I rarely buy new clothes unless I have to.

Tom1234: Bicester shopping village is thriving, has a waiting list for retail space and has recently recorded a record number of visitors. I despise Bicester, very expensive and coachloads of tourists from Central London each day. You might as well shop in Selfridges because whatever bargain, last season clothes are usually snapped up the moment they hit the shelves. Whats left is close to retail priced stuff. My go to outlets in the UK are Swindon and Portsmouth.

Castro: My recollection is that the handling agent of many stores (Global Blue) would take a third to 40% of the refund plus a few % currency conversion fees. So if you dutifully pay Swiss customs on arrival you were effectively no better off. Family members have used Global Blue before, scan the QR at the border/airport and it’s done. Global Blue has not updated their service coverage map UK still there. Anyway, no VAT refund for the UK while basically the rest of Europe yes.

Regarding new attire. It not at all about taxes. It about STYLE. On must shop in Milan or Paris. Or NYC even. By the way in NY there is no tax on clothing if purchase is under $110.

user137: Too bad it’s not paying divvies. Look at the bright side. No income tax!

Phil_MCR: It seems that UK has now lost ground vs other destinations. Possibly but the main beneficaries of the scheme were london retailers and the Bicester shopping village - and definitely no retailers in the North or West of the UK. Bicester shopping village is thriving, has a waiting list for retail space and has recently recorded a record number of visitors.

My recollection is that the handling agent of many stores (Global Blue) would take a third to 40% of the refund plus a few % currency conversion fees. So if you dutifully pay Swiss customs on arrival you were effectively no better off. Its much better when you shop in the German/French/Italian border towns because there is no middleman and you recieve the full VAT back.