For
Kids Only
Shopping
in London
For
Kids Only
Shopping
in London
Hi!
I'm the Axeman, recently released from the Tower of London. I've
been sent here to help you have the best possible time while you're in
London. Handling money in England is more complicated than it used to be
in my time, but I'll give you all the information you need to enjoy
your vacation to the fullest. Just click on one of the highlighted
words in this paragraph and I'll describe how to
exchange your American dollar into British
pounds, the history
of British currency, give you some tips on safety,
describe the currency
and coins, give you some great hints
on places to go shopping,
and finally, give you a fun quiz.
To find out about the student who created me, click here:
Right
now one British pound is worth approximately $1.60. Confused
yet? Don't be. My best advice is to start thinking "British"
as soon as you arrive. First, you should decide how much money you want
to spend on your vacation, and exchange it into British currency at a local
American bank beforehand. Small banks may have to order the money
for you (it could take 2 or 3 days), but most larger banks will have
a foreign currency division. It's fun to practice and become comfortable
with the new coins (my quiz should help you get started) so you
can really concentrate on just having fun when you get here!
They
call them pounds for a reason! The basic unit of British currency is the
pound sterling - as in sterling silver! We call them pounds for short and
they are abbreviated with a fancy L with a line through it - like this
£. For centuries, and up until about a generation ago, the
system of English money was almost incomprehensible to foreigners.
The British used an ancient monetary system that involved twelve pence
(pennies) to the shilling and twenty shillings to the pound, with a huge
assortment of other coins like farthings, crowns and guineas. Those
days are gone. Like nearly all the rest of the world, the British
pound is now based on a simple decimal system. A few of the old words
survive, but they are seldom used anymore. The pound consists of
100 pennies called pence, which is abbreviated with a lower case
pand
is pronounced the same way. So you'd say something like "the newspaper
costs twenty p." pronouncing the price as "twenty pee".That's
all there is to it!
The
bits of currency - folding money - are called notes rather than bills,
so you will have a £5 note in your pocket instead of a $5 bill.
It is easier to distinguish denominations of currency in British pounds
because, the more a note is worth, the bigger it is! A 5 pound
note (called a "fiver") is the smallest folding money made, both in money
and size, 10 pound notes are larger, and 20 pound notes are larger still.
If you have a 50 pound note it will probably stick up out of your wallet
and get tattered before you get a chance to spend it. If a 10,000
pound note was made (which it isn't), you could probably use it for a bedspread!!
Recently though, the Bank of England has been issuing currency in smaller
sizes, so you may have twenty pound notes of different sizes in your wallet.
A shopkeeper
may hold your paper currency up to the light make sure it is not
counterfeit. He or she will be looking for a metallic strip
running vertically along the note and a small unprinted oval with a picture
of the Queen. Both of these devices make it virtually impossible
to duplicate, and therefore counterfeit, this money.
Coins
On your first
day in Britain, you'll need to count out your change very carefully.
By the third of fourth day, the new coins will be automatic and you'll
only have to glance!
The
worst thing about carrying large amounts of money is how nervous it makes
you feel. The last thing you want to have happen is to lose your
money, or even worse, fall victim to a pickpocket. You won't have
an axe to carry around with you like I do, so carry your money cautiously!
Pickpockets are more common in Britain than America.
You should
carry your wallet in your side pocket, not your back pocket. Or,
girls and ladies should carry purses close to your body, with
the handle over your shoulders or across your bodies, not from your hand.
Don't put your valuables in a "fanny pack" , strapped around your waist,
because that can be easily sliced off in a crowd. By the way, what
we call a fanny pack is called a "bum bag" in Britain, where the word "fanny"
is considered offensive and rude!
The very best
advice I can give though, is to buy a money belt. This is a zippered
pouch that fastens around your waist under your pants or shirt. It
is impossible to pickpocket unless the thief can undress you! You can carry
a small amount of money in your pocket and if you need to get to your big
stash, all you need is 30 seconds in a restroom! You should never
leave your money in your hotel room, because it could get stolen, but carry
it with you instead. A money belt is definately a good investment!
Here are some
basic recommendations:
* Convert
your money into pounds before you leave home. The exchange rate is
often better, and you can start your vacation immediately when you get
to London. You can also practice making change and get used to British
currency.
* Carry most
of your money in your money belt, with small amount in your pocket.
* Don't carry
your money where it is visible.
* If you can
buy the item you like at home it is probably better to save your money.
It will end up costing you less in the U.S.
Shopping
in London is loads of fun. Quite frankly you haven't lived until
you've visited Hamleys. Established in 1760, it is widely considered to
be the finest toystore in the world. There are several locations, but the
five story megastore on Regent Street is the best. My favorite is
the fourth floor - dedicated entirely to boardgames. If you would
like a small taste of Hamleys firsthand, click here:
London also has some of the finest bookstores in the world. There are many, many wonderful books printed in the U.K. each year that don't make it to the bookstores in the U.S. For instance, have you read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone? This book is about a great boy named Harry Potter who lives with his horrible relatives, the cruel and disgusting Dursley's. One day Harry finds out that he is actually a very famous wizard (no wonder he can do fabulous things with his mind !). He is whisked off to a special boarding school - Hogwarts School of Wizardry where the fun really begins - I won't spoil the story by telling you more. Anyway, If you haven't read Harry Potteryou will loveit. If you have, did you know that there are two sequels to the book that are only available in England?
And how about Horrible Histories? Have you heard of those? How many times have you laughed out loud while reading world history? Well, you can't help it when you read a Horrible History. Each volume depicts a different wacky time in world history and teaches you all about it. Examples of some of the titles are: Cruel Kings and Mean Queens,Awesome Egyptians, Cut-throat Celts, and Rotten Romans. To find out more about the awesome children's books only available in the England, click here:
Betsy is in her third semester as a graduate student at A.U. and hopes to finish her Masters degree in Elementary Education by the summer of 2001. Betsy and her husband, David, will be taking their children Jackie (age 13) and Glenn (age 11), to London in August, hence the development of the idea for this website.
While not in school, Betsy is an avid runner, logging in an average of 30 miles a week. (Her favorite run could be found on any cloudless Sunday morning, when the temperature hovers around 42° - with her sister, Adele.) This running regimen helps her maintain a busy schedule which includes volunteer projects in several local schools and a myriad of other tasks involved in raising a family and in helping to run a family business.
Betsy believes in the importance of living each day to the fullest, of letting go of small irritations (like computer glitches and D.C. traffic), of maintaining a sense of humor at all costs, and of always trying to find the time to read but never having enough of it.
She can be
reached at dskelly9351@aol.com but would probably not return any
E- mails because she doesn't really like computers very much. Sorry
Dr. Irvine!
Are
you ready to test your knowledge?
1. Which of these notes is the largest?
| a) £7 | b) £5 |
| c) £10 | d) £1 |
2. What is the abbreviation for the
British pound?
| a) ™ | b) £ |
| c) ¶ | d) $ |
3. You should carry your money:
| a) In a wallet in your backpocket. | b) In a moneybelt. |
| c) In a wallet in your hand. | d) Leave most of it in your hotel room. |
4. What is paper currency called?
| a) pounds | b) farthing |
| c) pence | d) notes |
5. Right now a British pound is worth:
| a) ¢.60 | b) $1.60 |
| c) $2.50 | d) $1.20 |
| a) is the smallest of the seven British coins.. | b) is seven sided and the largest of the seven coins. |
| c) is also called a tuppence. | d) is not a coin at all. |
| a) very small. | b) is seven sided. |
| c) is brass and heavy. | d) is sometimes called a "bob". |
Answers
1.
Which of these notes is the largest?
| a) £7 | b) £5 |
| c) £10 Correct! | d) £1 |
2. What is the abbreviation for the
British pound?
| a) ™ | b) £ Correct! |
| c) ¶ | d) $ |
3. You should carry your money:
| a) In a wallet in your backpocket. | b) In a moneybelt. Correct! |
| c) In a wallet in your hand. | d) Leave most of it in your hotel room. |
4. What is paper currency called?
| a) pounds | b) farthing |
| c) pence | d) notes Correct! |
5. Right now a British pound is worth:
| a) ¢.60 | b) $1.60 Correct! |
| c) $2.50 | d) $1.20 |
6. 50p:
| a) is the smallest of the seven British coins.. | b) is seven sided and the largest of the seven coins. Correct! |
| c) is also called a tuppence. | d) is not a coin at all. |
7. The £1 coin is:
| a) very small. | b) is seven sided. |
| c) brass and heavy. Correct! | d) is sometimes called a "bob". |
WRONG!
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