€xchange pruden¢e

Simon Vaughan-Edwards, 41, and Katie Vaughan-Edwards, 40, England

Spent $2,000
976.677 GBP
1 GBP = 2.04623 USD
In their bags: Donald J Pliner boots and three teddy bears from Bloomingdale’s

“It’s great here—buy one get one free at the moment!”

Stewart Cromar, 32, and Lesa Ng, 32, Scotland

Spent $300
150 euros
1 EUR = 1.46340 USD
In their bags: Martha Stewart hand towels and baking mold from Macy’s, Clinique and MAC makeup from Sephora

“We love it. You guys have more store events or gimmicks, like the naked guy [a shirtless salesmen] at Abercrombie & Fitch. We also love the free samples.”

Thierry, 38, and Tamara, 27, Belgium

Spent $3,000
2,050.01 euros
1 EUR = 1.46340 USD
In their bags: Diesel shoes and shirts, Marc Jacobs coat and handbag

“We always go shopping in Paris, but shopping in New York is much better. The salespeople are more simple and friendly. We love shopping for American designers—Marc Jacobs is our favorite.”

Claudia, 37, Brazil

Spent $1,000
1,746.15 reals
1 BRL = 0.572688 USD
In her bag: Tory Burch shoes and Agents shoes from Saks Fifth Avenue

“New York is the best city to buy. Whatever you see in magazines you can find here.”

*Their savings now, in comparison to the value of the U.S. Dollar in December 2000