Dubai Shopping

In Dubai you can really shop! Prices are certainly no longer so significantly much lower compared to our prices at home, but it is still possible to make findings in the more than 50 shopping centres located in Dubai and Sharjah. When you shop in the United Arab Emirates, do not forget to haggle. In many stores, it is true that there are fixed prices, with specific prices for goods, which apply. But even here it is best always to ask for the “best price”. If you buy in the Souk, you can get the price down by 15-20 percent by negotiating. If you are really good at bargain you can get the price down even more! Prices vary greatly between different shops, so it often pays to compare prices between several stores before you buy.

Dubais and Sharjah shopping centres are open from 10:00-22:00 and the other shops at 9:00-13:00 and 16:00-22:00. On Fridays, shops are usually closed during the mornings, but open again after 17:00. Dubais Lamcy Plaza is also open Fridays from 10 am. BurJuman, Mercato, Ibn Battuta and the City Centre in Dubai and in Sharjah Sahara Centre opens at 16:00 on Fridays. Square and Souk starting with business at noon.

Branded goods sold here are not always genuine. There, you can usually already see that in the price. In particular, in Karama shopping area there are sold many pirated counterfeits – copies that are still often goods of good quality.

If you manage to bargain down the price of a product, you should pay cash. Otherwise it is normal that the seller will add on a few percent if you want to pay by credit card. Some shops receive U.S. dollars and euros as payment but the exchange rate of course is oftennot the best.

Dubai Shopping Tips
Some electronic goods are cheaper than at home. The price difference between the different shops may be large, so it pays to compare. Buy all branded with an international warranty. Best places to buy electronics are usually in shopping centres and airport duty-free shops. Cotton purchased here is of high quality. There is also a large selection of beautiful silk fabrics. When you buy the fabrics is measured in yards (a yard is equal to 91 cm).

Shoes
In Dubai there is a lot of good shoe shops: Shoe Mart, which has several shops, including those in Bur Dubain on Mankhoolgatan and Brotano in Dubai City Centre and Mall of the Emirates. For truly fashion-conscious shoe buying fanatics try the shoe store “Aldo”.

Books
Major shopping centres have bookshops with good range, eg in BurJuman, Deira City Centre and Al Ghurair.

Jewellery / Gold
In the gold souks of Dubai are hundreds of items of gold and silver jewellery. All precious stones are imported, some of the stones cut and manufactured into jewellery in Dubai. The craft is cheap and so is the price significantly lower than in most places in Europe. Most jewellery is manufactured in 18 or 22 carat gold. Gold and silver are sold per gram and price may vary from day to day depending on the world gold market. The gram price of gold, is available in the newspapers. In addition to gram price of raw materials for the course, the price of work which vary depending on whether the jewelry is hand-or maskintillverkat.Kom remember to always see the importance of jewelry and ask for certificates of authenticity and a receipt. In the Souk, you can often bargain the price down by up to 30 procent. You can also order a “selsela”, a chain of gold or silver with your name written in Arabic. Or buy yourself a gold bar to take home, the smallest weighing 1 gram.

Toys
In almost all the shopping centres you’ll find toy shops. The biggest is Toys’ R ‘Us in Dubai Deira Reef Mall and the Sharjah Sahara Center. The Ibn Battuta shopping center is the big deal The Toy Store.

Carpets
On the second floor of the Sharjah Central Souk you will find hand-made carpets, made of wool, cotton and silk. Check carefully that you really get a genuine carpet.

Spices
Spices and henna are nice gifts to take home. Spices can be found in kryddsouken and in large supermarkets. Middle Eastern cuisine is famous for its spices and fine fragrances, so bring your little home and cook something välkryddat and savoury!

Music
In shopping centres and Souks you will find several music stores. Famous artists in the Arab world, such as Umm Khaltum, Fairuz, Farid el Atrash, Mouhammed Wahab, Latif, Ahmed Jumairi, Khalid Al Shaikh, Amr Diab, Elissa and Nancy Ajram.

Lenses
Buying contact lenses and spectacle frames are significantly cheaper than in Europe. Glasses are of high quality and are usually finished within a few days. You can make an eyesight test at a local optician, but if you have the result of an eyesight test from home, it will usually also work well. Most optometrists also have a large range of sunglasses and you can buy sunglasses with strength at lower prices than in Britain.

Foods
Both Dubai and Sharjah are many matvaruaffärer and large supermarkets, such as Spinney and Carrefour. In these shops you can find usually foods from the major matvaruproducenterna.

Tailors
In soukområdet in Bur Dubai you can find a tailor. They work quickly and the results are usually good, but remember to negotiate the price in advance. It is okay to bring your own fabric to the tailor to get it fitted and stitched.

Developing photos
To produce photos is cheap, fast and it tends to be good quality. Many shops burn down the photos from your digital camera to a CD.