Where to shop???

We live in the UK, but with the current life style in the UK it's really expensive to shop here. Depending on what you want to get and how many of them, for example if you want to get yourself and a family member a lap top, think about shopping further afield. Do you research, if it looks like you can save money by shopping in the states, spend the money you would have saved and go on a week long, or weekend long, holiday. Look into VAT rates as well. For example, Oregan has 0% tax, where as California has 8% tax and the UK had 17.5%. Alberta is 6% and British Columbia is 12%. Here is a link to check US tax rates http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sales_taxes_in_the_United_States and world wide tax rates http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Value_added_tax. In the past you have been able to take your receipts to an office at the aiport when flying out of the country and claiming tax back, unfortunately now, most airports are closing these offices.