Story: An Eye for Bargains

My experience has shown me that shopping is something that people either love or hate. I was born with the shopping gene. My 85 year old grandmother can shop for 8 hours straight without breaking a sweat! There have been times in the past where having this gene has hurt me (knee-high purple leather boots, anyone?). When I am traveling though, I have found my love of a bargain to be more of a blessing than a curse because I always search out the best market in town. I have even been known to rearrange itineraries to be in the right place on the day that they have their market.

Market shopping is great because it is almost always bargain shopping. Whether it is a huge place with permanent stalls that is open every day or a small, portable, once a week affair it will surely offer some unexpected delight! No matter where you are on the planet there are certain similarities that you can expect to find. It will invariably be open air (although possibly covered by a roof), there will be tasty food and the prices will be somewhat fluid. However, there will also be differences, the smells wafting through the air, the products on display, and the language of the stall owners.

One of my favorite markets in Europe is Munich’s Viktualienmarkt. The vendors are mostly housed in semi-permanent buildings scattered around a central area. This central area is a cheerful beer garden covered with dappled shade from the overhanging chestnut trees. These trees were vitally important in the days before electricity, as their shade helped keep the beer cold. Before you sit down for a drink you must peruse the market. This is mainly a food market and the displays are mouthwatering. Stalls specialize in everything from cheese, to wine, to vegetables and even seafood. German organization makes it fun and easy to shop. They even take the time to line their vegetables up into precise and even rows. Buy whatever tickles your fancy, make a pass through the beer line, and take a seat at a table. Tables with no tablecloth are fair game. At tables with a cloth they will expect you to order food.

Another great European market is the Naschmarkt in Vienna. During the week it is a food market but on Saturdays it is supplemented with a huge antique and flea market. As you are walking through it seems to go on for miles, because the stands are lined up in a long chain. Make sure you bring your pointy elbows here as it can be very crowded and you may have to fight for your spot at a busy stall. Besides the wonderful selection in the food area the antiques area has something for everyone. Tables are piled high with used clothing and people just literally rummage through it until they find something that they like. Then, if they can, they will try it on right where they are standing. Old books are also prevalent, with some choosing to display them sorted and stacked and some choosing to use the chaos approach, similar to the clothing vendors. Obviously there are many stands here selling antiques and knick knacks, as well as things like Crocs shoes and t-shirts. If you can’t find it here, I’m not sure you could find it anywhere! I once saw a stuffed Alf doll for sale here. Does anyone even remember that show?

In Asia, one of the best places to go for cheap clothing is Psah Toul Tom Poung in Phnom Phen. This market is known as the Russian Market in English, because in the 1980’s the Russians were the main customers. It is a covered market selling food, souvenirs, bootleg CD’s & DVD’s and clothing. Many clothing companies now have operations in Cambodia, so the clothes here are real name brands not knock offs. Some of the items end up in the market because they have small flaws so watch out for that. You can score something like a Gap tank top for a dollar or two. (Cambodia’s currency is pretty much worthless so the money they use is actually American dollars, take lots of 1’s and 5’s). This is a place where you bargain so make sure you are prepared to haggle. Other brands to look out for are Abercrombie, Aeropostale, Benetton, Hollister and Columbia. It is very easy to go crazy here. Only buy as much as you can fit into a tuk-tuk as it is a bit of a distance from the center of town.

In Thailand the northern city of Chiang Mai is known for its night market. It is composed of carts that are wheeled out nightly to line the street and several pavilion areas off either side of the street. This is a very touristy market and almost all of the products on sale are meant to be purchased as souvenirs, but it is still a great experience. There are silk purses and robes, knock off designer handbags, paper lanterns and all kinds of jewelry. When you get tired of haggling you can go to one of the pavilion areas and watch some Thai dancers. The food stalls are located in the same area so you can purchase a bowl of sinus clearing hot Tom Yam Goong soup to eat while you watch. Since this is a night market the most important thing to remember isn’t your wallet, it’s mosquito repellent!

I could go one and on, since pretty much every market has a reason to make it onto my list of favorites. Besides finding wonderful things to buy, I treasure their ambiance and the chance they afford me to interact with the local people. Whether it is fresh chops from a clean, refrigerated cart in Italy or a pig head with flies crawling all over it in Cambodia, it is a lot more interesting and enriching than buying shrink wrapped “meat product” at my local grocery store!