My posts on shopping in Mumbai have generated the most footfalls. It was time for my readers who found them interesting to get an update.

In this post, I’ve tried to amalgamate what I’ve learnt over the past,  re-organised my old posts, re-tagged them, put subheadings and made them more readable.

I do hope you visit them and show them some love by sharing.

Mumbai is for Shopaholics

Not many people will find Mumbai a shopper’s paradise. Especially those who like clean. Those who like organised. Those who like calm.

But for those of you who like chaos, crowds, disorder, noise and the hustle and bustle of humanity, Mumbai is truly the oldest shopping mall in the world. Shopping in Mumbai can be fun as much as it is maddening and I’d like to share with you my favourite shopping grounds. Undoubtedly, the Kalbadevi-Pydhonie-Crawford Market -Lohar Chawl Area tops the list.  It has everything you could ask for right from a glass bead to a shower fitting, all under one sky.  This  wholesale market  is throbbing with customers from all over the country, sourcing products for retail trade back home

Specialised markets and specialised lanes

Much like the aisles of a shop, each road with its narrow side lanes specialises in a single product/category. Thieves Market is dedicated to bric-a brac, old cars and antiques.

At the Copper Market, kitchen utensils are sold by the kilo.

The Municipal Market still sells vegetables and fruit though it is slowly changing its profile to groceries and other household goods including baby wipes and pampers!

My favourite remains Mulji Jetha Market where yards of fabric are sold at wholesale rates. This is the best place to hunt for fabric for a bespoke trousseau. The side lane off Jhaveri Bazar is dedicated to laces and the other to buttons and beads.

Jhaveri Bazar is home to many high-end jewellers, though bigger names are now making way for wholesalers of costume jewellery, thanks to the two terrorist attacks it has faced in the recent past.

Equally fascinating is the Plastic market for containers and furniture.

Shopping Tips

• Avoid entering a shop at opening time unless you are a genuine buyer. Shopkeepers are superstitious about the first sale and are reluctant to serve window shoppers.
• Most shopkeepers discourage bargaining.
• Avoid being lured by ‘touts’ into visiting shops you don’t want to visit. They can pester you and become a nuisance.
• Most shops open by 11
• Don’t be fooled by the shopkeeper’s offers of tea/cold drink. If he waves out to an assistant waving his hand in a victory sign, he is actually telling him NOT to get it!
• Don’t pay attention to street hawkers who tempt you with ‘bargains’ you don’t really want.
• Keep an eye on your purse, there are many nimble-fingered urchins lurking around.
• Preferably go with a local who knows the market else you can spend hours trying to find exactly what you want.
• Enjoy the madness and the chaos of shopping in Mumbai. It’s truly a crazy place to shop in. 

Ciao,