Shopping days are hourly chauffeur's sweet spot. Drop at a location, shop for 1-2 hours, the driver waits, pickup, on to the next location.
Common shapes
- Bond Street / Knightsbridge half-day: Drop, 3 hours of shopping, pickup. 4-hour hourly.
- Westfield Stratford or White City day: Drop, full day of shopping, pickup. 6-7 hours.
- Bicester Village outlet day from south coast: ~3 hours each way + 4 hours shopping. 10-hour hourly.
Why hourly
The driver isn't earning per-mile during the shopping — they're waiting. Per-mile + waiting fees:
- Bicester day: 200 miles + 4 hours × £20 = £334 + £80 = £414 (standard saloon)
- Hourly 10 hours × £45 = £450
Per-mile slightly cheaper in some cases, but hourly buys you the predictability and same-driver continuity that matters when you're carrying purchases to/from the car repeatedly.
Vehicle category
Standard MPV usually right — bags accumulate, boot space helps. Executive for premium shopping context.