Shopping in Saudi Arabia – Basic Knowledge
Smart advance planning will make your shopping experience in Saudi Arabia enjoyable, even if you are not too much into shopping. There are a few basic things that you have to know about.
Saudi ladies shopping in a mall
Image source
Malls
If you prefer to shop in the comfort of air-conditioned clean environment with comfortable washrooms and food courts, go to a mall. There are hundreds of malls in the Kingdom, and they can be found in every neighborhood in large cities. Shops offer electronics, cloths of popular international brands like Marks & Spencer or Zara, cosmetics etc.
Keep in mind that there are no fitting rooms for women. It means if you are female, you will have to guess your size and fit without trying the clothes on. There are refund and exchange policies in every shop, however the exchange period might be quite short, and the refund might be in the form of store credit. Read your receipt! It is not uncommon for people to just buy several sizes of the same piece, try them out at home and then return the items that did not fit. I believe that most of the traffic inside the malls is being created by women who simply might have to go back and forth returning the items to stores.
Most stores open at 10am and stay open at least until midnight, with short breaks for prayers. During the five daily prayers, all Saudi shops close. The open hours therefore are divided according to the prayer times.
In the evenings and especially on weekends malls are very crowded, because families come with kids to the entertainment section with playgrounds or to have a meal at food courts.
A bit of advice herebelow might come handy:
- Although Saudi Arabia claims to have zero (or very low value of) VAT, I personally don’t find the most prices to be considerably lower than in other countries. If you plan to purchase famous high-value brands my general advice would be to check the prices for the particular goods you have in mind and then go for your shopping spree.
Crowds shopping in one of the numerous Saudi malls
However some items indeed cost less than in the “outer world”, the best example is Montale fragrances created for the Saudi market.
- Ask for discount options or current promotions. You might be able to get a decent discount, and if you happen to visit Saudi Arabia during the Ramadan period, your shopping will be although challenging (if you plan your visit to a mall during the day time, schedule it so that you wouldn’t need to drink, eat or smoke in public) but twice rewarding: generally during the month of Ramadan all stores offer great prices. From what I’ve noticed, these prices last well after the Eid al Fitr (end of Ramadan), and around Eid al Adha public holiday. The period around the National Day of Saudi Arabia (23rd of September each year) is also good for discount shopping.
- Always check prayer times: stores are obligatory closed for these periods and you might be left stranded outside waiting for the prayer to finish.
Saudi families come to malls not only to shop but also for entertainment.
There is a list of the most popular Saudi shops in the post What Souvenirs to Bring from Saudi Arabia – Comprehensive Shortlist of Malls in Riyadh, Jeddah and Eastern Province and a few more tips in What Souvenirs to Bring from Saudi Arabia – Popular Malls in Saudi Arabia: Go Prepared.
Souks
A souk (or souq) is basically an area full of small stores. It is subdivided into sections according to the type of merchandise or origin of sellers who come from different immigrant groups.
The souks are a mixture of different shops: from spice stalls, confectionaries, tailors, jewelers and traditional Saudi apparel stores where you can buy the traditional Saudi sandals, thobes for men, ghutras, ladies’ abayas, to old-fashioned oriental perfumeries and household items.
Dates store in a Saudi souk.
Souks offer an amazing variety of goods. They are full of tiny alleys and equally tiny shops, easy to get lost in (use your GPS!).
The roads get extremely crowded at night because shops do not open until late afternoon, and most shopping is done after the final prayer.
Traditional Saudi apparel store in a souk.
You will find more information about shopping in Saudi souks in the post What Souvenirs to Bring from Saudi Arabia – Part Nine of the Top 15 Ideas for Gift Shopping
