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SINGAPORE SHOPPING 3

HOURS Shopping malls are generally open from 10am to 8pm Monday through Saturday, with some stores keeping shorter Sunday hours. The malls sometimes remain open until 10pm on holidays. Smaller shops are open from until l0am to 5pm Monday through Saturday, but are almost always closed MI Sundays. Hours will vary from shop to shop. Arab Street is closed on Sun, days. Prices Almost all of the stores in shopping malls have fixed prices. Sometimes these stores will have seasonal sales, especially in July, when they have the monthlong Great Singapore Sale, during which prices are marked down, sometimes up to 50% or 75%. In the smaller shops and at street vendors, prices are never marked, and vendors will quote you higher prices than the going rate, in Anticipation of the bargaining ritual. These are the places to find good prices, if vou negotiate well.

BARGAINING In Singapore, many shopkeepers cling to the old tradition of ]lot fixing prices on their merchandise, instead making every item's purchase a little performance piece by insisting their customers bargain for it. For Westernes, who are unaccustomed to this tradition, bargaining can be embarrassing and I frustrating at first-after all, Westerners are accustomed to accepting fixed prices without an argument, and if you don't know the protocol, you can't be sure what to do. All it takes is a little practice, though, and soon you'll be bargaining with the best of 'em. I've seen many travelers go into their first market like lambs to the slaughter, only to loosen up after a few encounters and begin to enjoy the process for the sport it really is.

The most important thing to remember when bargaining is to keep a friendly, good-natured banter between you and the seller. Getting him or her mad won't save you a dime, and if you get 'em really riled up, they won't sell you anything at any price and will just throw you out. But don't let that scare you; just be nice and patient, and you'll get where you want to go.
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