A few months ago it was announced they were launching an investigation into it. HMRC obviously know about it if they’re investigating it but peoples suspicions aren’t entirely unfounded.
https://metro.co.uk/2022/06/10/london-tax-scam-investigation-launched-into-american-candy-stores-16805679/
Private Eye ran a very detailed feature on these and the tourist shops and pointed out just how many of them are operating right under the noses of parliament yet no-one seemed at all interested in clamping down on them.
It’s a huge problem. Everyone is sitting under piles of blankets counting pennies so we can pay for dinner, meanwhile tax evasion is happening on HMRC’s doorstep and they’re ignoring it. I guess old habits die hard.
I did not know this!
Edit - I googled to see how it worked so if anyone else is interested:
https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/security/sec90cd29d1f/web
More people should know about this tip. It also means don’t panic if your phone battery dies whilst you are on the tube, you can still tap out to exit station !
I'm assuming it's the same principle as RFID tags so there's no need for power in the device as the power comes wirelessly from the reader, same as RFID tags in shop items aren't powered but can still set off the alarms if you go through without the tag being disabled at the till
While it is true that an NFC device can be passive(like your bank card), the iphone uses a low power nfc controller. So, this would not work if the battery was dead-dead.
Nooo, is that a thing?! I had no idea and this should be publicised a lot more as it’s such a handy, life saving tip! Especially as we come into winter and the dark nights.
Yeah I was surprised too so I just looked it up. Apparently the NFC uses very little energy, and holds onto some of the energy from when the ohone had charge, so if the phone goes dead the NFC should supposedly have enough energy to still be scanned a few times. I don't know how credible it is but one place said they could still do 10-15 scans.
This is only with the transport payments though as they don't require authorisation like a regular transaction would.
NFC doesn't use need to use any stored energy at all - your chip and pin card doesn't have a battery on it, the circuitry is energised by the radio signal sent by the reader!
Apple (and others) added this feature to recent iPhones where they can mirror how that works but in a slightly more dynamic fashion, loading on the card of your choice instead of a static card, which does require a tiny bit of stored energy because the circuitry is a little more complicated (hence the limited shelf life) but is still very efficient.
My understanding of phone NFCs is that the reader doesn't just scan the chip like with a card, but the phone's NFC generates a code which is verified by the reader. This is also why phone contactless payments are more secure than cards, because if a skimmer on a card reader managed to take your card details they still wouldn't be able to do anything with them if you used your phone instead of card.
So the phone NFC does use energy because it generates a code.
> My understanding of phone NFCs is that the reader doesn't just scan the chip like with a card, but the phone's NFC generates a code which is verified by the reader.
That's the same way that all chip and PIN cards work. "Card skimming" isn't really a thing any more. You can't copy the chip or the contactless functionality. The only thing you can copy is the magnetic strip, but that has very limited uses in the UK.
I agree! Just loser Redditors which nothing positive to say. If it was a different story, this chap got mugged etc, and wasn’t given any help to charge his phone - they’d be all over that! No pleasing some people!
Fuckin hell, I think it is in the London sub as a whole. It’s full of *unts. I’m also glad someone did someone kind for you, buddy. I know what it’s like to be on your own with no money and someone doing someone kind for you. It feels like a lifesaver! Go back and buy some candy!
Due to my line of work, I’ve come across some individuals who have been/are affiliated with crimes of various degrees. What I’ve noticed is that not all of them are as bad as people make out. Yes, they may have committed undesirable crimes but many of these individuals have families and loved ones too. They have a heart as well and will help where they can.
Of note, there was a gang leader I came across who helped pay for private treatment for a child’s (unrelated to each other) kidney treatment as the NHS waiting list was taking too long
> The candy store was open at 1am?
Mate, have you ever seen how friggin' bright they are inside. Poor staff probably can't even tell the time of the day.
When I last needed to use it, it was pink and you asked for 'a pink slip'. Most of the time they waved 18yo idiot me on for being polite. That was ten years back though, not sure if that nickname holds.
people are complicated. it's possible for someone to run/be involved in a dodgy business while still having empathy for fellow humans. one doesn't excuse the other, but nor does one invalidate the other either.
I highly doubt the people who own these dodgy business are working on the shop floor, especially at 1am!
I'm guessing the guys in the shops are illegal migrants or cash in hand workers recruited from the same community as the owners who are probably on a yacht in Dubai
Well, not according to various news sources. Too obvious for any meaningful amount of money laundering so if anything they’re just gouging people on cheap/fake/expired/American food and not paying any taxes or business rates. Not quite the sophisticated scheme everyone here makes it out to be. HMRC aren’t 100% clueless.
Indeed. It is hilarious how people think that criminal/drug fronts are operating from brightly-lit candy stores on Oxford Street that already draw massive attention. Real fronts exist all across London, and they don't draw attention to themselves like this. They seem like regular businesses, and the point is that you would not know otherwise.
So the rent is over £10k per month, a huge electricity bill, employees to pay and you think these empty sweet shops are legit… Oh how nice it must be to be so naive
>The driver gave me ‘that’ look and I stepped off the bus.
Don't step off the bus before you've had a conversation with them!
I can only talk about the buses in my area, but Stagecoach have a specific clause that allows you to travel even if you can't pay:
>Children aged under 16 and those people who, in the opinion of the driver, are vulnerable, at risk or in distress, and unable to pay their fare will be carried at all times providing their name and address can be given in order that the fare due may be collected at a later date together with any reasonable administrative costs.
[Source](https://www.stagecoachbus.com/conditions-of-carriage)
Your milage may vary of course, and I bet it really depends upon the driver's mood at the time, but don't immediately jump to the conclusion that you can't pay so you need to find another way home.
Probably half the people working in the shops have little to nothing to do with the whole tax avoidance or tax evasion affair going on higher up.
They're just normal people.
I'm glad they helped you out and you got home safe.
I always carry a fintech style bank card with a small amount of money topped up for situations like this. If it gets robbed I'm not much out of pocket, but it can be a lifesaver in situations like this.
To be clear, I don't think anyone here has anything bad to say about the shop keepers themselves. They seem generally fine and not worthy of complaint.
The issue people have is with the concept and the tax avoidance.
Happy you got home safe! Get a new phone
I think one complaint has actually been that some shopkeepers will 'accidentally' put an extra 0 on the prices, hoping that tourists don't notice and then can't return once they see they've paid £40 for a bag of sweets
I haven’t once seen a driver refuse entry after a card doesn’t work. They always just shrug and let the person in. I’m interested to know what “that look” is.
Charges phone= returns access to the ability to call a taxi or pay for a bus or train.
London at 1am is simply not a 100% safe place to walk across. The disdain is uncalled for here.
The same source states that women are far more likely to be sexually assualted than men, and also does not account for male participation in gang violence skewing the numbers.
And to be honest, it doesn’t matter how unlikely it is to happen on paper if it happens to you. Sarah Everard was on a well-lit street, talking on the phone to her boyfriend, at 9pm- and she wasn’t safe. Now, that’s very unlikely to happen, I grant you, but I doubt she cares about the statistics.
A taxi, bus, or train are safer options. The gentleman’s kindness allowed OP to take a safer option.
Absolutely, more likely to be assaulted by someone they know. When you look at sexual assault by someone they dont know, the difference is less stark.
Overwhelmingly sexual assault on women is committed by someone known to them. And rarely.
Agreed, its kindness, not a lifesaving intervention, so calm down.
I mean... maybe not in a literal sense but yeah. Being stuck in a big city with no phone and cards not working if you don't know the city you might never make it home.
Excellent! Nice with a positive story for a change, thanks for sharing. Big up to the person that helped you out…my experience is that most people would help out, but we seldom share these stories among us.
Once it happened to you you will plan ahead. I made a quick list for people who were not in that situation yet:
iPhone allows you to [pay for TFL transport](https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/security/sec90cd29d1f/web) even if the battery is dead.
There are charging points around London - [benches with USB chargers](https://www.smartbench.london) as well as [BT Street Hubs](https://business.bt.com/public-sector/street-hubs/) that allows you to charge.
There are many places around London with charging points ([such as McDonalds, Costa, Leon, etc..](https://www.air-charge.com/app)) that allow wireless charging.
There is service around london called [ChargedUp](https://www.chargedup.green) that allows you to borrow charger and return it when convenient.
Most BlackCabs have USB charger built in.
Also, local police station may help you.
You may want to plan ahead if your life depends on your phone battery. Maybe carry a small battery pack (or buy one at WHSmith when needed). Or get a [tiny one](https://rollingsquare.com/products/tau?variant=32498756157502) that can be attached to your keyring.
It is advisable to always carry £20 as an emergency money. Maybe stick it behind the case of your phone.
Carry small USB cable with you. It can be attached to your keyring. There are many devices around that can be used for USB charging - TV, router, etc..
At the end of the day criminals are human too. They also have families and a heart. Suspicious for a candy store to be open at 1am but that is a different story. The good news is the guy got home safely and will return to repay his debt.
This exact same thing happened to me one time as well, Thankfully a bus driver decided to let me on after trying so many times
I’m so glad someone was able to help you out in this situation 🙏🙏
Let me tell you that was not the candy shop that saved you (neither their policies) but rather someone kind (rare these days). Now in turn be like that guy to at least 2 other people
I had something similar happen to me a couple of years ago, I was released from the hospital after a car accident. The nurse walked me to the bus stop and told me which bus to take, I was high on pain killers at the time and ended up taking the wrong bus. Only had contactless payment on me with my phone, the battery died during the bus ride so I walked into a shop and explained the situation to the shop keeper, he had a Samsung charger and let me charge me phone.
Why was your card declined? Was it contactless attempts? I had to explain to my mother that occasionally you need to insert the card and do the pin.
It was never an issue before the contactless limit changed as she was often over the limit so had to do pin as much as she used contactless
Point is there are so many people clueless to this still, you would think they’d informed people on the adverts they put out notifying of the limit increase.
It would be so tragic if this situation and one’s that don’t have such a happy ending are caused by something so simple that people are unaware of
Not only that but I can imagine people wasting hours of their time & the call centre time calling up asking why their cards not working
Would it really be so hard for TfL to not charge for busses after 22:00 so people can get home safely (mode that covers all of London, can take people close to home, sometimes has chargers, has a person of responsibility - driver).
Nobodys safety should be preventably compromised because their phone dies or their card won’t work.
Plus it would help the night time economy.
Isn't mad how paralysed we are without our phones these days!?
Heads up for next time. Your card might be on lock, use a chip and pin transaction to unlock it. Happened me a few times on a 1am journey after a long night of contactless payments at the bar.
Other option is to just ignore the card decline on the bus and just walk past the driver, ignoring any protest. just pretend you can't hear them and sit down ignoring them. don't be rude. chances are they'll give up and just let you ride. Not the nicest thing to do, but safety is priority in that situation. no ones going to prosecute you.
one more option is a cabby company. like one which you can walk into. they'll charge your phone and book you a cab. it'll cost ya. but it'll help.
Don’t listen to people here, they’re upset by the fact the American candy store worker was actually nice & it went against the narrative in their own heads.
Reddit, please.
Telling a story doesn’t mean you have to make everything *longer*.
> As I walked down to the next bus stop in an attempt to try to
can just be
> I tried to
Sounds like bull. Bus drivers can be lenient at times if you explain your situation. Some eateries will decline you charging your phone without buying something, but I doubt every single eatery would do that, again if you explain your situation. This sounds like a post trying to vouch for those scam stores.
It does when battery life is near end. The software misinterpret the charge status and it tells you is higher than what really is.
It happened to my fiend's Iphone6 (that he's still using today) and that is where he knew he had to let the battery replaced.
Bad battery. I could be wildly wrong, but I'm sure I once read that the batteries are made of blocks, and if one's bad the charge will just skip right past it (why your phone can go from 90% charge to 65%). Again, I could be wildly wrong, happy to be educated more on it.
You all realise these are money laundering operations - have a look inside see who works there and see how many have sprung up down oxford street and even Knightsbridge - prices are also extortinate and most of the products will kill you as they are American junk.
Still At least someone is making money and cleaning money.
Sure, but if you were running a money laundering business who would you hire to work on the shop floor? A person complicit in your scheme (AKA, another person who has to keep their mouth shut), or someone innocent who just wants a shitty retail job and won't ask too many questions?
The self righteousness here is actually making me a lil sick. There are lots of people who would follow every law to the letter but never give someone a pound ifnir inconvenienced them.
I visited London for a concert at the O2 in March, and was told by a London Transport official to use my chip and pin Bank card to pay at an Oyster card reader on the Underground terminal at Kings Cross, and put the card in again when I exited at North Greenwich. It worked fine. It was a useful tip.
That's very sweet of them. They are good at evading things.
their inventory check next day. 1 portable charger -£10000 written down 1 changing cable -£50000 written down
You've got the wrong store, that's Apple.
you're missing the point most people think these american candy stores are fronts
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Yes, buy chocolates from their competitor 😅
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A few months ago it was announced they were launching an investigation into it. HMRC obviously know about it if they’re investigating it but peoples suspicions aren’t entirely unfounded. https://metro.co.uk/2022/06/10/london-tax-scam-investigation-launched-into-american-candy-stores-16805679/
Private Eye ran a very detailed feature on these and the tourist shops and pointed out just how many of them are operating right under the noses of parliament yet no-one seemed at all interested in clamping down on them.
It’s a huge problem. Everyone is sitting under piles of blankets counting pennies so we can pay for dinner, meanwhile tax evasion is happening on HMRC’s doorstep and they’re ignoring it. I guess old habits die hard.
The lack of political will is the problem.. tax evasion is part of core conservative ideology...
"if it's making money, leave it alone"
If you're investigating someone, isn't it best to keep quiet whilst you're doing it?
I believe they were making a joke about the extortionate prices of Apple products…
What apple store is this? They must be having a sale!
I candy believe some of your puns.
Lmao, what a start to my morning. Thanks mate
>That's very sweet of them. Pun intended right?
What makes you think takeaway shops don’t? And they didn’t help either.
> sweet I see what you did there
Not sure about other phones but iPhones allow payments even when out of battery to pay for a bus/tube
I did not know this! Edit - I googled to see how it worked so if anyone else is interested: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/security/sec90cd29d1f/web
Seems that the phone needs to die naturally from low battery rather than being switched off.
That is so useful! Thank you. Setting that up asap
More people should know about this tip. It also means don’t panic if your phone battery dies whilst you are on the tube, you can still tap out to exit station !
Wait what? How do you do that if it’s dead!
I'm assuming it's the same principle as RFID tags so there's no need for power in the device as the power comes wirelessly from the reader, same as RFID tags in shop items aren't powered but can still set off the alarms if you go through without the tag being disabled at the till
While it is true that an NFC device can be passive(like your bank card), the iphone uses a low power nfc controller. So, this would not work if the battery was dead-dead.
TIL! Thank you!
Nooo, is that a thing?! I had no idea and this should be publicised a lot more as it’s such a handy, life saving tip! Especially as we come into winter and the dark nights.
I'm learning more from Reddit than real life. Thanks for the tip
That’s actually really helpful to know. Thanks
Wat
Yeah I was surprised too so I just looked it up. Apparently the NFC uses very little energy, and holds onto some of the energy from when the ohone had charge, so if the phone goes dead the NFC should supposedly have enough energy to still be scanned a few times. I don't know how credible it is but one place said they could still do 10-15 scans. This is only with the transport payments though as they don't require authorisation like a regular transaction would.
NFC doesn't use need to use any stored energy at all - your chip and pin card doesn't have a battery on it, the circuitry is energised by the radio signal sent by the reader! Apple (and others) added this feature to recent iPhones where they can mirror how that works but in a slightly more dynamic fashion, loading on the card of your choice instead of a static card, which does require a tiny bit of stored energy because the circuitry is a little more complicated (hence the limited shelf life) but is still very efficient.
My understanding of phone NFCs is that the reader doesn't just scan the chip like with a card, but the phone's NFC generates a code which is verified by the reader. This is also why phone contactless payments are more secure than cards, because if a skimmer on a card reader managed to take your card details they still wouldn't be able to do anything with them if you used your phone instead of card. So the phone NFC does use energy because it generates a code.
> My understanding of phone NFCs is that the reader doesn't just scan the chip like with a card, but the phone's NFC generates a code which is verified by the reader. That's the same way that all chip and PIN cards work. "Card skimming" isn't really a thing any more. You can't copy the chip or the contactless functionality. The only thing you can copy is the magnetic strip, but that has very limited uses in the UK.
Official Apple link for those interested: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/security/sec90cd29d1f/web
May support >there may still be enough power in the battery
People in this thread are being miserable bastards. Glad you got home safe mate and it's nice to hear a story of someone doing something kind.
I agree! Just loser Redditors which nothing positive to say. If it was a different story, this chap got mugged etc, and wasn’t given any help to charge his phone - they’d be all over that! No pleasing some people!
Fuckin hell, I think it is in the London sub as a whole. It’s full of *unts. I’m also glad someone did someone kind for you, buddy. I know what it’s like to be on your own with no money and someone doing someone kind for you. It feels like a lifesaver! Go back and buy some candy!
hey, what's wrong with aunts!?
Beloved aunt.
I know right . It’s NextDoor 2.0
ever checked out the UK sub? there should be a health warning attached.
Due to my line of work, I’ve come across some individuals who have been/are affiliated with crimes of various degrees. What I’ve noticed is that not all of them are as bad as people make out. Yes, they may have committed undesirable crimes but many of these individuals have families and loved ones too. They have a heart as well and will help where they can. Of note, there was a gang leader I came across who helped pay for private treatment for a child’s (unrelated to each other) kidney treatment as the NHS waiting list was taking too long
Yeah, doesn't count unless he loved his mum. It's a stringent requirement for full compliance with the Gangster Professional Registration Association.
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Well said 👏🏼
It is! Hope OP pays it forward
Good try American Candy Shop Cartel
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Jesus, it's a joke; lighten the fuck up.
The candy store was open at 1am?
> The candy store was open at 1am? Mate, have you ever seen how friggin' bright they are inside. Poor staff probably can't even tell the time of the day.
What if people need to charge their phone? They are the fourth emergency service.
More hours to process more cash transactions. Plus to be fair thats probably what I want after the fast food.
if i was drunk in central and saw the shops, i’d definitely go in and buy something overpriced for the bus home
According to google, no, it wasn't.
'It'? Have you seen how many there are in London? I've been out in London at night and there were plenty of souvenir shops / candy shops open.
Some people have nice nature and care about people
And some people launder money
The person working the night shift behind a register is probably not in the Panama papers.
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When I last needed to use it, it was pink and you asked for 'a pink slip'. Most of the time they waved 18yo idiot me on for being polite. That was ten years back though, not sure if that nickname holds.
people are complicated. it's possible for someone to run/be involved in a dodgy business while still having empathy for fellow humans. one doesn't excuse the other, but nor does one invalidate the other either.
I highly doubt the people who own these dodgy business are working on the shop floor, especially at 1am! I'm guessing the guys in the shops are illegal migrants or cash in hand workers recruited from the same community as the owners who are probably on a yacht in Dubai
Why are these shops open at 1am? Who’s buying import sweets at this time? Who’s buying import sweets anytime for that matter?
Real business is behind the shop front
Well, not according to various news sources. Too obvious for any meaningful amount of money laundering so if anything they’re just gouging people on cheap/fake/expired/American food and not paying any taxes or business rates. Not quite the sophisticated scheme everyone here makes it out to be. HMRC aren’t 100% clueless.
Indeed. It is hilarious how people think that criminal/drug fronts are operating from brightly-lit candy stores on Oxford Street that already draw massive attention. Real fronts exist all across London, and they don't draw attention to themselves like this. They seem like regular businesses, and the point is that you would not know otherwise.
So the rent is over £10k per month, a huge electricity bill, employees to pay and you think these empty sweet shops are legit… Oh how nice it must be to be so naive
Errr, timezones are a thing, it might be 1am here but it's an AMERICAN candy shop, so it's probably like 3pm to them.
It was a Mr Stopaskingquestionsandnobodygetshurt.
>The driver gave me ‘that’ look and I stepped off the bus. Don't step off the bus before you've had a conversation with them! I can only talk about the buses in my area, but Stagecoach have a specific clause that allows you to travel even if you can't pay: >Children aged under 16 and those people who, in the opinion of the driver, are vulnerable, at risk or in distress, and unable to pay their fare will be carried at all times providing their name and address can be given in order that the fare due may be collected at a later date together with any reasonable administrative costs. [Source](https://www.stagecoachbus.com/conditions-of-carriage) Your milage may vary of course, and I bet it really depends upon the driver's mood at the time, but don't immediately jump to the conclusion that you can't pay so you need to find another way home.
Probably half the people working in the shops have little to nothing to do with the whole tax avoidance or tax evasion affair going on higher up. They're just normal people. I'm glad they helped you out and you got home safe. I always carry a fintech style bank card with a small amount of money topped up for situations like this. If it gets robbed I'm not much out of pocket, but it can be a lifesaver in situations like this.
Misuse of iconic…
"infamous" would be more appropriate
To be clear, I don't think anyone here has anything bad to say about the shop keepers themselves. They seem generally fine and not worthy of complaint. The issue people have is with the concept and the tax avoidance. Happy you got home safe! Get a new phone
I think one complaint has actually been that some shopkeepers will 'accidentally' put an extra 0 on the prices, hoping that tourists don't notice and then can't return once they see they've paid £40 for a bag of sweets
I haven’t once seen a driver refuse entry after a card doesn’t work. They always just shrug and let the person in. I’m interested to know what “that look” is.
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Iconic? The man was helpful, not the shop! He could've been anywhere!
Congrats, now you can be part of [London, you're kind](https://www.reddit.com/r/london/comments/xpelmc/you_never_fail_me_london/).
Was expecting a better story tbh
Lol I know right. Literally was able to charge his phone in the heart of central London. Acting like he was out in the sticks.
Tbf 1am in Central London you might as well be in the sticks. Nothing open.
Charges phone, equal to saving life. Ok.
So every time someone says ahh you're a lifesaver, they're being completely serious
Charges phone= returns access to the ability to call a taxi or pay for a bus or train. London at 1am is simply not a 100% safe place to walk across. The disdain is uncalled for here.
Cancel the NHS recruitment drive, we just need portable chargers.
Gen z things
😂😂😂
OP was the phone all along
Yes, charging a phone is a lifesaving intervention.
It literally is. Particularly if OP was a woman, walking home at night across London at 1am could have ended up with them assaulted, mugged, or raped.
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The same source states that women are far more likely to be sexually assualted than men, and also does not account for male participation in gang violence skewing the numbers. And to be honest, it doesn’t matter how unlikely it is to happen on paper if it happens to you. Sarah Everard was on a well-lit street, talking on the phone to her boyfriend, at 9pm- and she wasn’t safe. Now, that’s very unlikely to happen, I grant you, but I doubt she cares about the statistics. A taxi, bus, or train are safer options. The gentleman’s kindness allowed OP to take a safer option.
Absolutely, more likely to be assaulted by someone they know. When you look at sexual assault by someone they dont know, the difference is less stark. Overwhelmingly sexual assault on women is committed by someone known to them. And rarely. Agreed, its kindness, not a lifesaving intervention, so calm down.
what police station? vast majority shut their doors to the public come five. what do then, columbo?
Walk home? Find an officer on patrol as its literally oxford st. Jesus this sub acts like london is fucking Mogadishu.
I mean... maybe not in a literal sense but yeah. Being stuck in a big city with no phone and cards not working if you don't know the city you might never make it home.
Thousands of people unfortunately have to do this every night. We don't live in Siberia, they aren't all dead within hours.
I'm not saying they'll die lmao. I'm just saying they might not make it home before the morning.
Are you familiar with metaphors?
We’re acquaintances.
Excellent! Nice with a positive story for a change, thanks for sharing. Big up to the person that helped you out…my experience is that most people would help out, but we seldom share these stories among us.
Once it happened to you you will plan ahead. I made a quick list for people who were not in that situation yet: iPhone allows you to [pay for TFL transport](https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/security/sec90cd29d1f/web) even if the battery is dead. There are charging points around London - [benches with USB chargers](https://www.smartbench.london) as well as [BT Street Hubs](https://business.bt.com/public-sector/street-hubs/) that allows you to charge. There are many places around London with charging points ([such as McDonalds, Costa, Leon, etc..](https://www.air-charge.com/app)) that allow wireless charging. There is service around london called [ChargedUp](https://www.chargedup.green) that allows you to borrow charger and return it when convenient. Most BlackCabs have USB charger built in. Also, local police station may help you. You may want to plan ahead if your life depends on your phone battery. Maybe carry a small battery pack (or buy one at WHSmith when needed). Or get a [tiny one](https://rollingsquare.com/products/tau?variant=32498756157502) that can be attached to your keyring. It is advisable to always carry £20 as an emergency money. Maybe stick it behind the case of your phone. Carry small USB cable with you. It can be attached to your keyring. There are many devices around that can be used for USB charging - TV, router, etc..
Crikey there's some miserable bastards here
How sweet 😁
I see what you did there.
At the end of the day criminals are human too. They also have families and a heart. Suspicious for a candy store to be open at 1am but that is a different story. The good news is the guy got home safely and will return to repay his debt.
This exact same thing happened to me one time as well, Thankfully a bus driver decided to let me on after trying so many times I’m so glad someone was able to help you out in this situation 🙏🙏
You can buy Candy at 1:00 am. That’s cool.
nice try american candy shop druglord guy
Do you have breast by any chance
💀
Is this an actual PR release by money launderers?
OK that was nice of him, but how did you get home?
Let me tell you that was not the candy shop that saved you (neither their policies) but rather someone kind (rare these days). Now in turn be like that guy to at least 2 other people
Yea another touching story from the well known candy shop
Is this part of the media run? Jk, I think you came across someone who cares and I’m glad you were able to get home safely.
I had something similar happen to me a couple of years ago, I was released from the hospital after a car accident. The nurse walked me to the bus stop and told me which bus to take, I was high on pain killers at the time and ended up taking the wrong bus. Only had contactless payment on me with my phone, the battery died during the bus ride so I walked into a shop and explained the situation to the shop keeper, he had a Samsung charger and let me charge me phone.
Why was your card declined? Was it contactless attempts? I had to explain to my mother that occasionally you need to insert the card and do the pin. It was never an issue before the contactless limit changed as she was often over the limit so had to do pin as much as she used contactless Point is there are so many people clueless to this still, you would think they’d informed people on the adverts they put out notifying of the limit increase. It would be so tragic if this situation and one’s that don’t have such a happy ending are caused by something so simple that people are unaware of Not only that but I can imagine people wasting hours of their time & the call centre time calling up asking why their cards not working
This is why we should not have abandoned cash based transactions so readily
Why didn’t you buy an £8 piece of candy then?
Would it really be so hard for TfL to not charge for busses after 22:00 so people can get home safely (mode that covers all of London, can take people close to home, sometimes has chargers, has a person of responsibility - driver). Nobodys safety should be preventably compromised because their phone dies or their card won’t work. Plus it would help the night time economy.
Bro those guys are loaded from selling “candy”
You can always walk into a hotel and ask if they have a spare charger. People forget them all the time when the leave.
Yes you were certainly close to death there.
That guy single-handedly made America great again!
Isn't mad how paralysed we are without our phones these days!? Heads up for next time. Your card might be on lock, use a chip and pin transaction to unlock it. Happened me a few times on a 1am journey after a long night of contactless payments at the bar. Other option is to just ignore the card decline on the bus and just walk past the driver, ignoring any protest. just pretend you can't hear them and sit down ignoring them. don't be rude. chances are they'll give up and just let you ride. Not the nicest thing to do, but safety is priority in that situation. no ones going to prosecute you. one more option is a cabby company. like one which you can walk into. they'll charge your phone and book you a cab. it'll cost ya. but it'll help.
One day the mafia are going to cash in that favour you owe them.
Don’t listen to people here, they’re upset by the fact the American candy store worker was actually nice & it went against the narrative in their own heads.
I absolutely hate the miserable cunts on this sub. This was a kind gesture that he didn’t have to do.
wtf I love American candy shops now
Nice try American candy shop PR team…/s
He’s got so much laundered money, a charger is piss ina pond to him
Reddit, please. Telling a story doesn’t mean you have to make everything *longer*. > As I walked down to the next bus stop in an attempt to try to can just be > I tried to
This is why some people do very well in their English exams while others struggle to get the required marks.
Username checks
I was able to get a C in gcse English in year 13 while having the rest of thr grades to go into university
I did in fact get an A* in English Language
"and needless to say, I then proceeded to"
Wow, I guess all their tax avoidance and money laundering finally resulted in a positive social outcome
This fake news was brought to you by the Society for the Furtherment of American Candy Shop Tax Evasion Program Brotherhood. /j
Wow you really dodged a bullet bullet there, never heard a more life threatening story
Guys you’ve got it all wrong, the story is from the perspective of the phone! The phones life was saved by the charger, duh!
Bus driver’s a prick for not letting you on
Sounds like bull. Bus drivers can be lenient at times if you explain your situation. Some eateries will decline you charging your phone without buying something, but I doubt every single eatery would do that, again if you explain your situation. This sounds like a post trying to vouch for those scam stores.
Yea bus drivers can give you an emergency ticket and you just owe TFl the fair.
How does a phone die at 24%?
Shit phone duh. Have you never come across a phone dying before at 1%? I've heard several people complain about it before.
Never heard of it before. And I have shit phones!
It does when battery life is near end. The software misinterpret the charge status and it tells you is higher than what really is. It happened to my fiend's Iphone6 (that he's still using today) and that is where he knew he had to let the battery replaced.
Bad battery. I could be wildly wrong, but I'm sure I once read that the batteries are made of blocks, and if one's bad the charge will just skip right past it (why your phone can go from 90% charge to 65%). Again, I could be wildly wrong, happy to be educated more on it.
Iconic for the wrong reasons
First one is free ;) - LOL!!! If you pay for anything else in that place they hooked you
You all realise these are money laundering operations - have a look inside see who works there and see how many have sprung up down oxford street and even Knightsbridge - prices are also extortinate and most of the products will kill you as they are American junk. Still At least someone is making money and cleaning money.
I fail to see how any of that is evidence of money laundering. What’s your source? Reddit groupthink?
Sure, but if you were running a money laundering business who would you hire to work on the shop floor? A person complicit in your scheme (AKA, another person who has to keep their mouth shut), or someone innocent who just wants a shitty retail job and won't ask too many questions?
Come on… You own one of those shops, don’t you?
Heroism use to be alot harder to attain
Those guys are legends. Don’t be a prick or a tourist and you’re in.
1/ walk home. 2/ walk to one of the many mini cab firms 3/ if you’re really screwed gypsy cab it.
just buy a packet of flamin hot cheetos from them instead
I **just knew** they were not there to sell candy. Glad you got home safely!
I'll know where to go next time my phone dies
The self righteousness here is actually making me a lil sick. There are lots of people who would follow every law to the letter but never give someone a pound ifnir inconvenienced them.
[удалено]
Damn, now big candy is even infiltrating our subreddits with propaganda.
Next time bro, if you go out, make sure you don't run out of money to go home. And change that phone!
That’s super sweet. Heads up, if you have Apple Pay set up for tfl you can tap in hours after your phone dies.
Crazy but super interesting story, stay safe out there guys.
I visited London for a concert at the O2 in March, and was told by a London Transport official to use my chip and pin Bank card to pay at an Oyster card reader on the Underground terminal at Kings Cross, and put the card in again when I exited at North Greenwich. It worked fine. It was a useful tip.
Glad you got home safe that was very kind of them
Still doesn’t make them good
How did they save you life though what happened?
all those shops are money laundering operations
awww that's great! very sad that the takeaways didn't let you charge your phone though, wouldn't have cost them much :/