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 (Junction 8 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!
Relevant Links:
Places.Online Singapore - a web site which gives you all the information to places in Singapore.
Click here for information on places to shop
in Singapore and click here for the main site.
