Shopping in the United Arab Emirates

[Abdul Rehman]

Ancika


For quite a few years, there has been an opinion that in Dubai you can do some great shopping. Is this a true or well-replicated myth? Is it worth pinning high hopes on a full or partial update of the family’s wardrobe in the Emirates, and how much can it cost? Let's have a look

As It Was Before

Nobody argues with the fact that even 15-20 years ago, the lucky ones who broke into the Middle East to make money in the UAE bought high-quality clothing and equipment with functionality unprecedented at ridiculous prices. It is clear that then things for us of more or less tolerable quality and at mega-affordable prices were considered almost like manna from heaven. Because, firstly, in our country, there was a post-perestroika time with a total deficit, and secondly, the Chinese economy and industry have not yet developed so intensively and the stores in Dubai have not cracked under the mountains of cheap consumer goods.

Already 5-10 years ago the situation in the UAE market began to change. Sellers saw an increasing demand from year to year, felt the taste of money and quite fairly considered that it was much more interesting to earn more by selling as much. If they buy at higher prices, why cheap?

And So Now

Currently, the situation in the trade sphere of the United Arab Emirates is generally ambiguous. Prices, for the most part, are close to the values of the price tags for similar products sold in the vast expanses of our country. The quality of the goods offered is also different, each item must be carefully watched, it is not important that a product of interest is sold in the mall, in a small shop in Nasser Square or in the market of fakes Al Karam. There is also no clear and definite opinion about the countries-producers of products sold in the UAE.

For some, the Emirates is a place where you can buy absolutely everything - gold, furs, clothes of both world and famous brands, cosmetics and perfumery, accessories, equipment, carpets, luxury car hire and almost everything that you can imagine and want. And people do not care how much it costs, the main thing for them is something else - they dress abroad. This increases their status both in their own eyes and in the eyes of others. The only thing that is rather stressful is winter clothes (coats do not count, this is a separate industry in Dubai) and winter shoes. 

And there are those who sincerely believe that now go to the shopping in Dubai is equivalent to going to shop on the seedy clothing market in his hometown, which is littered with Chinese junk. For them, shopping is possible only in Europe and America.

And it is useless to persuade and even persuade people. This is how the situation in the world developed, that the
standard anecdote: “Gradually, the whole point of the global economy comes down to selling each other goods produced in China, possibly giving them off as their own” became the truth of life. It is necessary that everyone remembers and understands that there is nothing terrible in Chinese goods, the lion's share of Apple products - maddening half-worlds iPhones and iPads are also made in Asia in general, and the Middle Kingdom in particular, and nothing, the demand for them does not suffer. So why, then, famous brands cannot be produced there, of course, with the unquestioning observance of high and strict quality requirements?

The main rule of any shopping - see, watch and once again carefully watch what you are buying. Quality goods indecent cheap are not by definition. Much more often is the opposite. Showing diligence in the search and attention when choosing, you can skimp on great, updating the wardrobe for the whole family, and if you're lucky, you can save a lot on this. And you cannot buy anything, complaining about the high cost, scarce range and poor quality. The choice, in any case, is yours.

I wish all the tourists and shoppers excellent and only high-quality purchases! I want to believe that the tour to the United Arab Emirates will not disappoint you!