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 Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2005 6:42 pm Post subject: Shopping in Singapore |
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Shopping in Singapore
Like food, shopping is one of Singapore's favourite past-time as well! It is one of the countries in the world where what you purchased are literally assured geniune.
Contrary to many reports (see footnote *), imitation goods are rare in Singapore as authorities clamp down very hard such sellers/manufacturers. So if you see "Chanel" on the front of the shirt, chances are they are geniune products.
Shopping in Singapore is also generally cheap, if you compare it to say United Kingdom. I have friends from overseas who couldnt resist the prices for audio CDs ('cheap, cheap', that's what they said), books etc. items which are quite reasonably priced. The same designer clothes in Singapore would probably costs about 20%-40% cheaper as compared to France, for example. I am speaking generally of course, a smart shopper always open up their eyes when they buy, so decide for yourself whether it is worthwhile buying the item you are eyeing.
There are many places to shop in Singapore, and any products you can think of (legal ones of course!) can be bought in Singapore. We have the world-famous Orchard Road shopping belt, where there are literally thousands of shops along the many shopping malls. Well, you probably know them all already, I am not going to talk about them either, you probably could find information on them quite easily anyway.
There are many other places to shop, especially for clothings, handicrafts etc.
Chinatown
This is one place NOT to be missed. Aside from quality goods, you will find that things here are quite affordable and more reasonably-priced than compared to prices found in Orchard Road. You can find lots more chinese handicrafts (like paintings, art works etc.), clothings etc. at affordable prices.
How to get there: Take a train to Outram MRT station, and follow the signs and walk towards Chinatown. When in doubt, just ask the locals around the station (or ask the station officers on duty) on how to get to Chinatown. You will find malls, shops etc. along the walkway.
You can also find a lot of stalls selling local food (dim sum, fish balls etc.) along the way and it is extremely affordable (S$1.00 onwards).
Check out the popular People's Park Complete, Pearl Centre etc. malls along the way. You can also find electronic goods, electronic games etc. along the way.
Little India (Serangoon Road)
This is another place not to be missed. If you are into India's culture, we have a little India in Singapore! Lots of bargain items are available along the stretch of "Little India".
There is a shopping mall towards the end of Little India which is call Mustafa Centre. This is a huge bargain-hunters ground where you can practically find ANYTHING you can name (and I really mean ANYTHING).
Oh yes, remember to drop by the places for food along the way as well! Check out the Indian Tosai (a type of Indian food) along the walk, I recommend the one opposite Mustafa Centre for the Tosai, finger licking good!
How to get there: Take a train to Bugis MRT station and ask the locals around how to get to Little India. It is about 15 mins walk away. Alternatively, if you are traveling from Orchard Road, take bus service no. 65, 111 etc., ask the bus driver to tell you where to drop.
Malay Village (Geylang Serai)
The ultimate place for those keen on learning more about Malay style of living!
There are a lot of shopping bargains along the way as well, and make sure you drop by Joo Chiat Complex (and go to S.H.E. Collection (Tel: 748-4381) on the 3rd floor for your Malay clothings, ask for the proprietor Ms Sherene Pang, and tell her Eddie Teo sent you, and you will be treated properly! She's my mother, by the way..) for all your Malay clothings requirements! There are also several shops selling cloth, gold even electronic items!
How to get there: Take a train to Paya Lebar MRT station and ask the station officers how to walk to the Malay Village (about 10 mins walk).
Outer Areas Shopping Malls
There are several "regional centres" in Singapore, located at the 'suburbs' of the country. What I can suggest that you be more adventurous, take the train!
You can probably find the same standard in terms of products and services, and at a lower price! Hey, these places are where Singaporeans shop, so you can expect lower prices as compared to say the same product available at Orchard Road!
First, toss a coin (just kidding, but you still need to decide) and decide whether you want to head East or West (if your coin has the third side, the North as well!) or North.
Then go to the nearest train station and buy a ticket that allows you to ride to the furthermost station. For example, the furthermost train station on the east would be Pasir Ris MRT station while the furthermost train station on the west would be Boon Lay MRT station. There is no furthermost station on the north however as it is a loop. But just purchase enough fare for you to take to the further most station and you will be safe.
Stay awake during the ride, and when you see a shopping mall you fancy, just alight and shop there! (I am not kidding, you will be given about 30 seconds to alight from the train to the platform, so you will have time to decide)
Along the east-bound route, you will find:
Malay Village (Paya Lebar MRT station)
Bedok Town Centre (Bedok MRT station) - no shopping mall, but a cluster of shops around where you can find practically anything!
Eastpoint (Simei MRT station)
Century Square & Tampines Mall (Tampines MRT station)
White Sands (Pasir Ris MRT station)
Along the west-bound and north-bound routes, you will also find many shopping facilities as well. We will update the information when time permits.
As you may have known, Singapore's favourite past time is to shop, or window-shop if we cannot afford it. There are literally hundreds of shopping malls, and thousands of shops selling everything imaginable! For more information, click here.
Outside Orchard Road, there are many other places as well. Check out Raffles City and the Millenia Walk. Both these places can be accessed from the City Hall MRT station (there is even an underground shopping lane leading towards Marina City!) Remember to visit Suntec City for the largest convention centre (with shopping facilities of course!) in SE Asia.
From City Hall MRT station, you can also access Peninsular Plaza, Funan Centre (famous hunting ground for IT products), The Adelphi (for HI-FI and Camera enthusiasts) etc.
So try to spend one day here too, and bring extra cash because the shopping can be very tempting!
There is another specific place that I would recommend you to go, take a train to the Bugis MRT station. Drop by Bugis Junction where you will find a nice shopping mall converted and upgraded from old shop houses!! You have to see to believe! From there, remember to drop by Bugis Village for food (remember, if you feel the prices are too expensive, just avoid those stalls!).
Nearby, you will find Fortune Centre (good for electronic buffs), Albert Court (cheap electronic stuffs as well) and Sim Lim Square (strictly a must for computer die-hards). Drop by Rochor Centre across the street, you will find HUGE bargains as a lot of the shop owners actually export their goods overseas, so you can literally purchase a lot of products at wholesale price.
Write-ups on shopping in Singapore will never end, Singapore is THE SHOPPERS' PARADISE, period. There are simply too many to write and even the government will have a hard time telling you where is the best place to go. It all depends on whether you know where to go and find what you want according to your taste and budget. From the above (which could set you back by a few days at least), I have not even covered one tenth of what's available. There are many other areas like Katong (good for food as well!), East Coast (sun and sea as well!), Bishan (Bugis Junction shopping mall) and not to forget many town center's shopping complexes all over the island etc. etc. There are simply too many to write and will probably never end, that's the beauty of the shopping scene in Singapore.
* Footnote
Many foreign publications and media reported Singapore to be a pirates' haven - NOT!
Being a local here, it is tough to find pirated or imitation goods! Imitation goods are a plenty elsewhere, but it is difficult to find one in Singapore. If you find one today, it would probably not last for more days (maximum one or two months), because the authorities will clamp them them almost immediately!
So for those ill-informed, you are hearing from the horses' mouth, I am a local and I am having trouble finding imitation or pirated goods, if you have a source, let me know and prove me wrong! Else, stop those irresponsible remarks and accusations! |
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