Shopping in Singapore

A. Electronics / Mobile

Mustafa (Little India) –Serangoon Rood (Nearest MRT : Little India / Farrer Park Station)

In case electronics is on your wish list of shopping then there are several places from where you can get good electronics. LCD in Singapore is far cheaper than places like India where even after paying Duty on reaching India it is around 50% (depending on the model) cheaper. For e.g. I got a deal from Mustafa wherein a LCD 37” cost me around S$1,400 which is around Rs.42,000 whereas it is around Rs.75-80,000 in India.

The most obvious location for many Indians/Asians is Mustafa which is situated in Little India and can be reached thru Bus and MRT. This stop is also covered on the Hip Hop Tour. The advantage of buying in Mustafa is that after shopping there are some great places to have Indian food like the Ananda Bhavan (very good Jalebi’s, South Indian Dishes) where the vegetarians can satisfy their taste buds. There is an also a PAN Shop (Beetle Leaves) shop outside Ananda bhavan and for S$1.00. There is also a restaurant called “Raj” wherein one can get good North Indian Dishes and that also not too expensive and service in Indian restaurants is extremely good in Singapore.

Sim Lim Square (Nearest MRT : Bugis Junction)

Just over the Rochor Canal from Little India stands Sim Lim Square, one of the oldest and popular complexes in Singapore for audio and video gear. Row upon row of shops on four levels deal in stereos, tape decks, CD players, TVs, VCRs, laser disc players, cameras, videocams and anything electronic. Be sure to take time to shop around, and compare and negotiate prices. Check goods carefully and insist on detailed receipts and full international guarantees.

One should not miss going to Sim Lim Square since it only a 10-15 minute walking distance away and one can get better deals than Mustafa also. Please do not confuse Sim Lim Square with Sim Lim Tower, as in Sim Lim tower there are offices and electronic accessories stores only but the place to visit is Sim Lim Square and is very near Hotel Albert Court. This is a 6 storey Electronics Mall with several hundred stores inside, however the word of caution is that one should know what is to be bought before you go to Sim Lim Square and there is an element of negotiation also inside and rates are not fixed from shop to shop. So go ahead and one can get a good deal on Computer related goods / Ipods / Consumer Electronics / Mobile etc

Niranjan Trading (Nearest MRT: Little India or Farrer Park Station)

This shop is cheaper than Mustafa when it comes to Mobile phones, it is very near Mustafa and is in the lane prior to the Mosque. This shop is owned by a Saradar (Indian) and hence speaks good English as well as Hindi. Good bargins on mobile available. The difference (depending on the mobile) could be around 10-15% between Mustafa and Niranjan trading.

B. Souveniors

For all visitors to Singapore, one would also love to take home souvenirs for their loved ones and there are lots of good places wherein one can get souvenirs at a reasonable price and one can visit the following places:

Bugis Street

There is a street market (fully covered) at Bugis Street, very near the Bugis Junction MRT and not very far from Little India and in fact nearer to Sim Lim Square. This is the largest street shopping where one can find watches for as low as S$5 and souveniors in a shop wherein you can buy any 3 items (souveniors) for S$10 which is reasonable and lots of shops wherein one can buy clothes (though more of western clothes), however there does not seem to be any bargaining there and price is fixed. The beauty of Singapore is that one can assume no cheating and good quality can be assumed. I personally bought all my souveniors from there. There is a also a Burger King next door which can be used to quench your thirst and eat some food to keep you going. Usually the place becomes very crowded during the weekend after 5 p.m. and hence should be visited in the afternoon which would help you go thru all the things comfortably.

Little India

Similar shops as mentioned above are also available along the Little India road leading to Mustafa and in fact surprisingly have more variety as well.