Showing posts with label shopping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shopping. Show all posts
To haggle or not to haggle?
You're browsing a souq in the Middle East and a stunning carpet catches your eye. It would look very cool in your place back home, wouldn't it? You catch the carpet salesman's eye: "How much you want to pay?" he asks you. What do you say? Do you offer the first price that comes to mind? A price that turns out to be crazily high and makes his day? Or do you hesitate for fear you'll suggest a price so low it might insult him. Of course they rarely do, but you're not to know that. Whatever you say - if you say something - you're about to begin the process of bargaining, a much-loved sport - some would argue an art - in the Middle East, Asia, and parts of Africa. But you hate to haggle, so you contemplate stomping off, and even showing your frustration, and you wonder why he can't just tell you what it's worth. The sales guy won't care, because there'll be other tourists. But you're the one who'll miss out on the gorgeous carpet. So what do you do? Well, consider the advice of these travel bloggers over at Eric's travelblogs.com for starters: Melanie from Intrepid 101 asks: "Do you want to engage with real local people and leave your antiseptic double plastic-wrapped lifestyle behind? If you are an intrepid adventurer, not a sunburned-pink tour bus tourist yearning for their next Big Mac, haggle." The Daily Transit's Ben Hancock argues "Unless you’re scraping or have no access to further cash, there’s rarely a legitimate reason for travelers whose bank accounts are stacked with strong currency to demand they get the same price as locals. Providing you’re not getting wildly ripped off, just count on spending a bit more won, yuan or baht if simply because you can afford it and these people have ends to meet." Gary Arndt from Everything Everywhere remind us that "A price is what a willing buyer will pay to a willing seller. Nothing more, nothing less. There is no “correct” or “right” price, or for that matter a “fair” price," and tells us "I have yet to meet anyone who had their feelings hurt during haggling. If anything, they will respect you more for playing the game well." Gary's advice is so true of the Middle East in particular. Whenever I write my 'bargaining 101' boxes in guidebooks to the region, I outline the etiquette followed here in Dubai where I've honed my skills - carpet shopping of course! (Read some of my advice at 10 Reasons to Shop Dubai: the Ultimate Dubai Shopping Guide at Viator.) Whether you choose to play the game or not is up to you. And I have to admit that I'm not always in the mood to haggle either. But when the moment's right, it can be fun, and sometimes the pleasure has nothing to do with securing a bargain, rather it's the social interaction. And, you know what, that's often true for the sales guy too.
Shopping Cyprus
When you think of shopping in Cyprus, Lefkara lace is probably about all that comes to mind. As lovely as it is, if you know where to look and what to buy, Cyprus has some gorgeous surprises in store, in both the North and the South. While Larnaka and Nicosia have some fabulous boutiques and design stores, you won't find anything you can't buy outside of Cyprus, so the best buy is traditional handicrafts. Handmade lace and embroidery is what the island is celebrated for. There's a long tradition of lacemaking using traditional techniques passed down from generation to generation, the most coveted lace being lefkaritika from the village of Lefkara. You'll also find rustic textiles, including bedcovers, wall hangings and tablecloths, made in the North (where the colors are more vibrant and the styles are more Turkish) and the South (where they tend to come in neutral colours in heavy natural wools, which is more typically Mediterranean). Other handicrafts include colourful handwoven baskets, rustic pottery, ceramics, and glassware, lovely olive wood products (including big beautiful bowls and wooden cooking and salad spoons), and chic jewellery (often contemporary interpretations of ancient Cypriot styles). Aside from the villages where traditional handicrafts are still made - Omodos, Fyti, Liopetri, Sotira, Xylofagou, Geroskipou, Koloni, Omodos and Foini are all good places to look in the South - the best place to buy handicrafts in the South is at the government-run Cyprus Handicraft Centre and in the North at the Buyuk Han in Northern Nicosia. If you're taking things from the North to the South and are unlucky to get searched at the border, your Northern goodies might get confiscated. Hopefully, as border restrictions relax, that's one rule that will be scrapped.
Top 10 things to buy in Dubai, pt 2
Oh yes, there are more exotic goodies to buy in Dubai...6) Carpets and kilims - the UAE has a reputation for having the finest quality carpets in the region at the lowest prices. This is because there is a discerning audience of locals and expats who know their carpets (and know how to bargain!), there's no tax, and because Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan are just across the sea, so the carpets don't have far to travel. Carpet come from far and wide but the best buys are obviously Persian carpets.
7) Gold and gems - after carpets, gold is the next best value buy, while diamonds are increasingly becoming a good buy. The gold market is huge in Dubai with locals and wealthy Indian and Arab expats being the biggest buyers. They're mostly buying for wedding dowries, as well as investment. Rarely do tourists walk away without something sparkly either. You'll find anything that glitters at the Gold Souq. The Gold and Diamond Centre is also a great place to shop but the Souq offers a quintessential Dubai experience.
8) Textiles - most of the fabulous fabrics at Bur Dubai's textile souq come from India, Bangladesh and East Africa, so you can expect to find lots of vibrant fabrics. Bur Dubai’s Textile Souq is the place to shop, but the sari stores in the back streets are also worth a look - the Indian saris make wonderful curtains and bed throws.
9) Middle Eastern souvenirs - Dubai has it all: spangly sequined slippers from India and Pakistan to the more exotic curly-toed Aladdin slippers from Afghanistan; colourful glass lanterns and chandeliers from Syria and Morocco; exquisite mother-of-pearl inlaid wooden furniture from Syria; Egyptian cotton sheets and clothes; the softest pashmina shawls and colourful embroidered coats from Kashmir and Nepal; gorgeous beaded cushion covers and bedspreads from India; miniature paintings from Iran and Turkey; bellydancing outfits from Egypt; sheesha pipes from everywhere... and I could go on...
10) Kitsch souvenirs - if you're a collector of kitsch or you want to buy a dozen little trinkets for the staff at the office, then you'll go out of your mind trying to decide what to buy as Dubai just has so much of this kooky stuff, from mosque-shaped alarm clocks that play the call-to-prayer when they go off to keyrings dangling with tiny iconic Dubai buildings, to Sheikh Mohammed coffee cups and t-shirts, and a million things that come in the shape of a camel. And I hear you can still pick up a Saddam Hussein cigarette lighter (which sends an electric current up your arm when you flick it!) if you're prepared to pay for it.
Top 10 things to buy in Dubai, pt 1
Here's a rundown of my Dubai shopping list, and I have to admit it's the same one I usually gave to guests who came to stay:1) Silver Bedouin jewellery, khanjars and other trinkets - most of the beautiful Bedouin jewellery you'll see in Dubai comes from the UAE and Arabian Peninsula, although some also comes from Afghanistan, Pakistan and India; ask and most retailers will be honest with you. Expect to find heavy silver bangles, anklet bracelets, engraved pendants, striking necklaces and pretty bridle head-dresses. Bedouin khanjars (daggers) make a stunning souvenir; you can also buy them framed if you live somewhere with restrictions on bringing knives into the country. Also look out for intricately engraved Koran holders and little silver kohl pots with a tiny wand attached by a fine chain.
2) Emirati handicrafts - traditionally Bedouin people, Emiratis carried little with them as they moved between desert and sea, so there isn't a huge variety of local handicrafts but you will find bright red-striped camel blankets and bags (that make wonderful cushions and ottomans), simple rustic kilims, and hand-woven palm-frond baskets and shoulder bags, and - my favorite - floor mats and cone-shaped covers used for keeping the flies off the food. They're perfect for picnics.
3) Brass and copperware - even if you're not normally a fan of either you'll love all the gorgeous stuff you can buy here, from traditional Arabian coffee pots and tea pots with tiny brass cups, to big intricately engraved trays that sit on little wooden legs, to gorgeous genie lamps...
4) Oriental perfume - whether you buy the oud (scented wood) and attars (essential oils) from a stall in the souq, sold in plain label-free bottles and containers, or you visit one of the opulent Oriental perfume shops, popular with the wealthier locals, you must buy some of the heady fragrances worn by local women. They're more spicy and pungent, and therefore hard to forget. Wear them back home and you'll definitely turn heads.
5) Frankincense - you'll see Omani frankincense sold in jute sacks in the Spice Souq (that's what those small golden rocks are). It's used by Emiratis to perfume their clothes and homes. Attend a local wedding and women will walk around the room with an incense burner so you can waft incense over yourself. You can buy the frankincense by weight, sold in brown paper bags, or in a pre-packaged kit (a better souvenir) including a small burner and coal. (Magic Coal is the best.) Ahh, I can smell it now...
What to buy in Dubai: let's get something straight
So what should you buy in Dubai? Well, at the top of your Dubai shopping list should be those fabulous things that you probably already associate with shopping the Middle East – carpets, perfume, gold, spices, and frankincense - but there are lots of other exotic goodies you should add to your list, such as Bedouin jewellery and a few kitsch Arabian souvenirs. To state the obvious first - as Dubai and the UAE get a lot of criticism for this - while these gorgeous things are made for the local market, most are not made in Dubai or the UAE. But have you looked at the tag on that toy koala you bought in Australia? It was probably made in China or South Korea. The same goes for that tiny Eiffel Tower you bought in Paris. But there are some authentic must-buys and they're at the top of my list... have you got a pen?
10 Reasons to Shop Dubai - a taster
Since you twisted my bangled arm, here's a taste of my 10 Reasons to Shop Dubai or The Ultimate Dubai Shopping Guide. Visit Viator for the full article, which includes fab extras like what to buy where, and a lesson in bargaining.1.Dubai Shopping Festival - citywide sales, massive discounts, crazy promotions, extravagant raffle prizes, entertainment, street fairs, food stalls, nightly fireworks, and cultural activities, in the cool winter months (Jan-Feb).
2.Dubai Summer Surprises - summer (Jun-Aug) equivalent; hotel prices are slashed but it’s a sweltering 45 degrees Celsius outside. It's as if you’re in a giant sauna or God has placed a blow heater above Dubai. An experience!
3.Dubai’s Shopping Malls - I’m not a fan of malls normally; give me a shopping 'hood like Amsterdam’s Nine Streets any day. But in Dubai, where it’s too hot to stroll the streets for six months, malls make sense. Dubai’s malls boast restaurants, cinemas, theatres, art galleries, child minding centres, mosques, and ski slopes!
4.Mall of the Emirates - my favourite; enormous, opulent, marble floors, spacious ‘avenues’, fab selection of shops, swish Harvey Nichols, Virgin Megastore, superb restaurants (Almaz by Momo) and bars (Apres), chic Kempinski Mall of the Emirates, and indoor ski slopes.
5.Dubai’s Souqs - these bustling bazaars aren't the most attractive (get Marrakesh and Istanbul out of your head) but they’re atmospheric, gritty, ramshackle, and real; they don't exist for tourists, this is where real people shop for everyday stuff.
6.Because in Dubai Bargaining is a Fine Art - part of the fun of shopping Dubai’s souqs is haggling; it’s not a requirement as in Cairo or Istanbul, but if you pay the first price offered, you’re probably paying double the value. See my Viator article for bargaining tips.
7.Dubai’s Best Buys - Dubai’s best buys are carpets, textiles, perfume, spices, and gold. Buy these and other exotic goodies at the Spice Souq, Deira’s Covered Souqs, Gold Souq, Bur Dubai’s Textile Souq, and Karama Souq. (I tell you what to buy where on Viator.)
8. Souq Madinat Jumeirah - this wonderful air-conditioned, contemporary take on a souq is the place to shop when you can’t face the souq chaos, the heat has got to you, you’re not in the mood for bargaining, or you want a chilled glass of white with lunch. Prices are higher but the quality is better.
9. Dubai’s Homegrown Fashion - Dubai’s fashion scene is blooming; watch cheeky young designer Raghda Bukhash, whose fabulous Pink Sushi label playfully appropriated the red and white gutra (Arab men’s headdress) to produce cute skirts, handbags and clutches, well before everyone started wearing gutras in Europe. Available at Amzaan, owned by princess Sheikha Maisa al-Qassimi. Other hip boutiques stocking local fashion include Five Green and S*uce.
10. Dubai’s Shopping Hours - 10am-10pm daily for malls; stores outside malls close afternoons and on Friday (Muslim day of worship). Shopping is most fun in the evening when locals shop. It means nights end late, but what are days for if not dozing by the pool?
The Ultimate Dubai Shopping Guide
When we arrived in the UAE over 10 years ago, the guy from my company who picked us up from the airport chatted all the way into town, giving us a detailed intro to the country while extolling the virtues of living in Dubai compared to Abu Dhabi – where we’d just moved! “… and Dubai has a shopping festival!” he proclaimed proudly. In those days, Abu Dhabi didn’t even have a mall so we’d have to drive to Dubai to do real shopping, like buy an espresso machine for the apartment. A shopping festival was something else! If a little weird… what kind of country had a festival dedicated to shopping, we wondered. Abu Dhabi now boasts several swanky shopping centres, but Dubai, with its scores of malls and souqs is still the King of Shopping, and according to my husband Terry, I’m the Queen of Shopping, which is why I’ve written the Ultimate Dubai Shopping Guide, or 10 Reasons to Shop Dubai for Viator. You can read the full story here.