Hajj and Umrah Tips & Tricks - Shopping
Don't bring a janamaz/musalla from home. Just buy a nice one there.
You can also bring a small bag/purse you can wear under your jilbab for your money/passport. Don't bother with big handbags- you'll get searched every time you enter the haram and will have to watch it all the time.
DO NOT waste your time shopping. You're only in Makkah once in your life (anything could happen and due to life circumstances, being busy, illness etc you may never return again).
Make a list of what gifts you have to give to whom beforehand and write down what you need to buy and quantities. That way you won't waste alot of time trying to decide what to get for who.
Some common gifts include:
Dates (yes they have chocolate covered dates!!!)
Zamzam water
Hijabs & Jilbabs
Prayer Rugs (called sajadahs there)
Jewelry (gold, fake and everything in between)
Metal work (tea sets etc)
Incense Perfumes & Perfume bottles
Thobes
Kufis
Cards
Desi (IndoPak) dresses
Books
Watches
DO NOT bother going any malls. They're usually WAY too expensive, but if you want to waste your time window shopping or looking at American and European designer stuff go ahead.
A NOTE about shopping, every shop owner and I mean EVERY (even those who are very nice and islamic and kind to you) will try to get every penny (riyaal) from you if they can. For your first time out just walk around and ask for prices of different things until you get a handle of how much things go for. (Brothers please ask your mothers/wives what a good price for gold/gram is before you try to buy anything there!)
DO NOT speak English or any foreign language in stores, just urdu or arabic. . They will totally rip you off. Even if all you know is "Kam Hatha" and they know you don't speak Arabic as your native language because of your accent for some reason if you speak English they up the price 200% automatically.
Travellors from Sub-Continent, just speak plain Urdu. That will do!
You must bargain for everything you buy. Everything is marked up as par for the course. A good trick is to offer half then work your way up.
Remember to go to many stores to get an idea of price range. Sometimes they will try to bully you into buying something by grabbing it and stuffing it into a bag. Don't let them.. take your time, get what you want and check it. If you feel that the guy is ripping you off but really want/need the stuff, buy it anyway because you'll regret it after. Anything there is cheaper than anywhere here. Don't let pride stand in your way!!
DO learn all the Arabic numbers (1 to 20, and every 5 after that till a hundred and you'll be set) and phrases like that "Kam Hatha?" - How much is that?, "BiKam?" How much?, "Shuayyeh" Move over, and "Laa..." No...
Don't tell them you're from America unless you're window shopping. Don't dress expensively, shop keepers there are extremely sharp. You can even wait a few days until everyone else has found the best places to buy things cheap - find out where they are and THEN save time and just get what you want.
SISTERS be careful about going shopping alone; always go with a brother (hate to say it but you're safer from harassment) or with a group of sisters.
Beware of pickpockets. Despite the tough laws, the crowded environment of The Hajj provides easy opportunities for these criminals.
This is not a tip but a very useful suggestion, so I included it:
The Saudi authorities should encourage the setting up of hypermarkets (similar to Carrefour) in Mecca and Medina so that shoppers can buy a good part of their needs under one roof and without price haggling.
