Shopping...Doha style.

I will never complain about prices again!

O.K., maybe never is a bit extreme.

Today, I went to the Carrefour, one of the local grocery chains, and bought some celery on sale. The sale price was just under $5.00! It was from Australia, what did I expect. It better be some yummy tasting celery! The broccoli was about the same price but it was not as fresh looking, so I passed this time.
I paid a little over $7.00 for a med. sized bag of BAKED Doritos by Frito-lay...ouch! I just had to have my "baked" chips! Imported food is one of the most expensive items to purchase here in Doha, well , at the very least the most noticeable, simply because you have to buy it every week.
It's funny, I have found some things from Kroger here at some of the American supported
stores. Ethan always says, "Mom, we have to buy this, it's from Kroger!" I reply with, "but it costs $10.00 a bottle!"
We have learned to get specific things at certain stores and I have also learned to just try some of the local brands because they are less expensive. For the most part, the local brands have been pleasing to the palette, and if not, well, my two growing boys become very useful. ;-)

Not all things are pricey. I just filled up our car that was on "E" for about $12.00. I guess it all evens out. By the way, we are still in our rental. Buying a car here is a whole other post!
The service industry here, is the least expensive by far. We have hired one service so far... a cleaning lady. The tailors, upholsterers, carpenters, etc. are all very skilled and the labor cost is almost non-existent. Oh, by the way there is no sales tax. We are tax free here on everything we are used to getting taxed for in the U.S. This is a big plus.

This country is in love with their malls. It must be because of the heat, free time and all the wealth that the locals seem to have in abundance. These malls put places like the Galleria to complete shame. I have never seen such sprawling decadence in all my years of living.

During Ramadaan, the malls open at 7am. and they close at 3:00am. So why close?
You'll find the malls packed until the late night hours. The locals eat late, and stay out till very late. When we arrived in Doha, it was about 10:30 pm on a Tues. night. The streets were packed and were very lively. This was one of the first introductions from this city that made an impression on me.

"Sticker Shock" is the first reaction when shopping here in Doha. It's either outrageously high or ridiculously cheap. But most of the stores in the malls are outrageous. I was even told while asking to look at some sun glasses in a simple kiosk at the mall, "Ma'am these are very expensive", I asked to see them anyway, she then told me the price, and I put them down gently and said "Thank You", smiled and moved on. If I was wearing the local dress, then I probably would not have been questioned. :-)

Then there are the Souqs. Pronounced like "soup" only replace the p with a q.
This is a old time market where handcrafted and unique items can be found. The art of bartering is a typical event here. We have been told that if you don't remember to barter they will lower the price for you anyway, out of pity. Gee..... Thanks.
We have been to the souqs a few times and want to return when the weather is a bit milder, as most don't have A/C. This is a must, here in this region of the world.

The currency is in Qatary Riyals. To find out the cost in U.S. dollars you take the Q.R., divide by four and then add 10%. So when the bill rings up as 550 Q.R. I have learned to relieve my shock by quickly doing the math. Since we've been here, cash has been the only way to make a purchase for us, and it flowed through our hands like water. We now have credit cards and a real Qatar bank account. So cash is not the only means of getting by.

I'm sure the adventures of shopping are far from over. Even though we have been all over the city, there is so much more to be discovered! I'm currently shopping for rugs and house and garden plants...
stay tuned.

Love to all,
Sandy.