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Shopping 1.
Most shops in
the areas near the two Mosques do not accept credit cards. Do not
arrive in The Holy Land in the hope that you can survive with your
credit cards. About the only places where credit cards can be used
are five-star hotels and some jewellery shops. Visa and MasterCard
stickers can be seen in these places. Diners and Amex are not popular
here
2. To cash travellers cheques, you must produce your purchase
receipt of these cheques and your pilgrims identification tag.
Remember to bring along the purchase receipt.
3. Generally, expect customer 'unfriendly' service. One can
cite several reasons (big crowd, language problem, etc) but at the
end of the day it presents a bad image of the country. The Saudi
authorities should look into both structural and attitudinal
factors, and take corrective action.
4. Price haggling is the norm. Pilgrims from countries
where this is NOT the norm are clearly at a disadvantage.
5. Goods with price stickers/tags are a rare sight. This makes
shopping very difficult. The Saudi authorities should look into this
problem. In the long run, price stickers will help to increase sales
for the businesses.
6. Food products: 'expiry dates' are printed mostly in Arabic
numerals. Familiarize yourself with Arabic numerals so that you
don't end up buying 'expired' products.
7. Coins are never used, although Saudi currency coins exist.
If you pay SR 3 for SR 2.50 product, you'll be given one or two tiny
packets of chewing gum as "change". Of course, it works
one way only - the shops won't accept SR 2 and chewing gum from you
for a SR 2.50 purchase! The Saudi authorities should act against
this practice of not using the coins.
8. Pirated products, particularly
pirated watches, are widely sold by street vendors and others. It is
vital that Saudi authorities move quickly against the import and
sale of such products to protect the shoppers and to maintain the
image of The Holy Land as a place for honest commerce.
9. The Saudi authorities should encourage the setting up of
hypermarkets (similar to Carrefour) in Mecca and Medina so that
shoppers can buy a good part of their needs under one roof and
without price haggling.
10. Beware of pickpockets. Despite the tough
laws, the crowded environment of The Hajj provides easy
opportunities for these criminals.
11. You have to know Arabic, Urdu, Hindi or Malay to do your
shopping in The Holy Land. Use of
English is very rare.
12. Some shops have bilingual signboards (Arabic and English). In 8
out of 10 signboards, the English words are wrongly spelt. I hope
the local authorities in The Holy Land take appropriate measures.
13. If you wish to buy snacks, groceries, etc in a posh setting,
visit the supermarket in the building that houses the Hilton hotel
in Mecca.
 
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- Books
on Islam
-
Nearly
all the
bookshops
near
Masjid
Al-Haram sell
mostly
various
editions
of The
Qur'an and
audio
cassettes
of Qur'an
recitations.
The number
of bookshops
carrying
books on
Islam in
English has
increased
over the
last few
years.
A
good
range is
available
at "Dawah
Corner
Bookshop"
which is
located in
the 2nd
floor of
the Makkah
Commercial
Center,
Shop Bo.
201-203
(Tel: 5311
895, Cell:
0503621453,
www.DawaShop.com).
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Smoke-free
Mecca!
-
Beginning
from
December
2005,
anti-smoking
campaign
will be
launched in
The Holy
Land.
Sixty
officers
would
conduct
checks in
Masjid-ul
Haram.
[Many
pilgrims
huddle in
far corners
of The
Mosque to
smoke!]
Five
anti-smoking
clinics
would be set
up
to help
pilgrims
quit
smoking.
-
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About
one-third of
the male
pilgrims
in December
2006 smoked.
The Hajj is
a great
opportunity
to quit
smoking!
--------------------------------------------------
Up 10% in
2006
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Hajj
pilgrims
spent more
that US$2.5
billion in
December
2006, up 10%
compared to
2005.
---------------------------------------------------
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"Those who
walk in
search of
knowledge
walk in the
path of
God."
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"God said
you have to
do
the Hajj -
He didn't
say you have
to suffer
it."
[Saudi
scientist]
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