The scene is a popular mall near Oxford, home to shops of Clarks, Burberry's, Bally and more than two dozen other famous British brands at lower prices than the high street.
Crystal Lu, a Shanghai woman who works in a multinational company and is travelling in a large tour group, wants to buy Clarks shoes but cannot because of the crush of her compatriots. Instead, she buys a scarf and tie at Burberry's next door which, with chocolates, biscuits and other gifts, brings her holiday spending to 4,000 yuan.
Ms Lu was warmly welcomed in Britain, which opened its door to group tourism from China last month, but her spending was modest, by Chinese standards - less than one-third of the average.
A recent survey by the Tax Free World Association (TFWA) and AC Nielsen revealed just how much money is at stake in the battle for Chinese tourists.
It questioned 1,500 citizens of Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou who had visited Hong Kong, Macau, Asia and Europe for business or pleasure over the previous six months and found they spent an average of at least US$1,000 on shopping, with those going to Europe spending US$1,781. Shanghainese spent more than any other Chinese.
While Japanese travellers still rank first in total spending, Chinese have overtaken them in the amount they spend on shopping. The most popular items are fashion, which 53 per cent of Chinese bought, followed by cosmetics and confectionery, both at 50 per cent, watches and jewellery, 39 per cent and souvenirs, 29 per cent.