Shopping
Karachiites are avid shoppers, and, as such, Karachi boasts an incredible diversity in terms of shopping, accommodating anyone's preferences and budget. Products that shoppers can buy in Karachi come from a vast variety of sources, from one of the many local cottage industries to authentic brand wear by renowned international designers. The city has many modern, high-end shopping malls such as Park Towers, The Forum and Dolmen Mall, in addition to local mid-range bazaars and a gamut of streetside vendors. In places such as Park Towers and Dolmen Mall, all famous stores such as Khaadi, Amir Adnan, Sputnik Footwear and English Boot House, all have a presence.
The main shopping places are: Tariq Road, which has clothing shops; Saddar, which has an electronics market; and Boat Basin, which has restaurants.
However, due to increased modernization and awareness, the once-flourishing hawking business has recently seen somewhat of a slowdown in most areas of Karachi, especially in regards to street food vendors.
Karachi has a thriving textiles industry, which is one of, if not the largest in Pakistan. This industry alone covers a vast variety of businesses, from large-scale suppliers that cater international demand in developed countries, to locally hand-made goods by grassroots vendors.
Most vendors in Karachi are open to bargaining, which is a common sight at most bazaars and among hawkers. As a result, prices of products vary immensely among every vendor, with the exception of upscale high-end shopping malls, which usually have fixed prices. In Karachi, it is also general knowledge to be cautious when bargaining with vendors, especially in bazaars and with hawkers, as they often sell substandard goods at high prices to unaware shoppers. Apparent foreigners, in particular, are often ripped off.
A major contributor to Karachi's wealth in shopping is that most of its residents belong to the middle class and relatively well-off.
Read more about this topic: Karachi Culture
Famous quotes containing the word shopping:
“Most baby books also tend to romanticize the mother who stays at home, as if she really spends her entire day doing nothing but beaming at the baby and whipping up educational toys from pieces of string, rather than balancing cooing time with laundry, cleaning, shopping and cooking.”
—Susan Chira (20th century)
“The most important fact about our shopping malls, as distinct from the ordinary shopping centers where we go for our groceries, is that we do not need most of what they sell, not even for our pleasure or entertainment, not really even for a sensation of luxury. Little in them is essential to our survival, our work, or our play, and the same is true of the boutiques that multiply on our streets.”
—Henry Fairlie (1924–1990)
“If Los Angeles has been called “the capital of crackpots” and “the metropolis of isms,” the native Angeleno can not fairly attribute all of the city’s idiosyncrasies to the newcomer—at least not so long as he consults the crystal ball for guidance in his business dealings and his wife goes shopping downtown in beach pajamas.”
—For the State of California, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)