In uk.railway solar penguin wrote:
OTOH that's probably not relevant. Tourists laden down with suitcases
and in a hurry to catch a plane, are less likely to go upstairs and
look around shops. Plenty of time for that in the departure lounge
later.

But a commuter who's just missed his one-an-hour train back home to
somewhere on the south coast might want to kill time in the shops
while waiting for the next one.

I wonder whether Waterloo's shopping fortunes have declined significantly
since the departure of Eurostar? The various clothing shops (Monsoon etc)
seem to fit more with the international traveller market than commuters
(though perhaps TM Lewin for the 'need a clean shirt for the office' market)

Yes, Victoria has Buckingham Palace. But Waterloo has the London Eye
(or whatever it's calling itself this week) as well as the Aquarium
and the IMAX. And it's probably more convenient for Big Ben and
Trafalgar Square too.

But do tourists lurk around railway stations for shopping purposes? Mosey
around stalls on the South Bank, perhaps. I can't see them popping upstairs
at Waterloo to buy a T-shirt depicting a Routemaster then taking a trip on
the London Eye.

St Pancras can get away with it as it's a shopping hub for residents of the
Railway Lands development around KX plus (to some extent) the area around
the station - Old St Pancras, Bloomsbury, etc. The housing around Waterloo
is (AFAICS) mostly social housing - not exactly prime targets for upmarket
shopping malls.

Theo