Singapore Hotels & Malaysia Hotels
About Singapore Malaysia

SINGAPORE SHOPPING 5

GLOBAL REFUND SCHEME When you shop in stores that display the blue "Tax Free Shopping" logo, the government will refund the goods and services tax (GST) you pay on purchases totaling S$300 (US$180) or more. Upon request, the sales clerk will fill out a Tax Free Shopping Cheque, which you retain with your receipt. If you've purchased up to S$300 at the same store, but on different dates, you can still claim the refund for all of the items. When you leave Singapore, present your checks at Customs along with your passport, and let them see the goods you've purchased to show that you're taking them out of the country with you. Customs will stamp the forms, which you then present at any of the Global Refund Counters in the airport for an on-the-spot cash refund-or, if you like, you can mail in the stamped form to receive a check or a direct transfer of the amount to your bank account. Certain restrictions apply-if you've been working in Singapore, for instance, or fail to take the items out of the country within 2 months of the purchase date. For complete details, call the Singapore Tourism Board at 1800/736-2000.

DUTY FREE ITEMS Changi International Airport has a large duty-free shop that carries cigarettes, liquor, wine, perfumes, cosmetics, watches, jewelry, and other designer accessories. There's also a chain of duty-free stores in Singapore called DFS. Their main branch is at #01-58 Millenia Walk, 9 Raffles Blvd., next to the Pan Pacific Hotel (665/6332-2188). The store is huge and impressive, but unfortunately, the only truly duty-free items are liquor, which you can arrange to pick up at the airport before you depart-everything else carries the standard 5% (,ST. Feel free to apply for the Tourist Refund Scheme here, though.

CLOTHING SIZES Those of you used to shopping in big-and-tall stores will unfortunately find little ready-to-wear clothing in Singapore that'll fit you-but that doesn't mean you can't take advantage of the many excellent tailors around town. If you wear a standard size, however, this chart will help you convert your 1w to local measures.
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