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Shopping
A
short chapter with some information aimed at helping you
understand this country and preventing you, a tourist
from a rich country, from being had in a developing
country.
Haggling
and negotiatied prices
As
in any southern country, haggling is an institution
between an Egyptian shop keeper and a foreign customer
(Egyptians would not haggle with one another, except for
important purchase. Prices announced to Egyptians or
foreigners are indeed very different, from 1 to 4 or,
sometimes, even more! We have to recognize that the
purchase power is also different; some
examples:
- the
mean monthly salary in
Egypt
is about 300 to 40 EGP (50 Euros),
- a
health insurance system does exist in Egypt but public
hospitals are poorly equipped and very crowded so that
those getting ill most often o to private hospitals
provided they can borrow some money they will have to
pay back later; health is therefore a
major issue;
- the cost of
living, much lower than in Europe, is in accordance with
the mean salary for essential foodstuffs (some prices
are regulated, such as bread). But a mobile phone card
(they all have mobiles that are always ringing) costs 60
EGP for 30 minutes (so that a talkative person can spend
her whole salary in two hours and a half
conversation);
On
the other hand, tourists should be respected as they are
not coming to be plucked. We therefore have to negotiate
aiming at a fair result: the shop keeper or service
provider should get more with a foreigner than with an
Egyptian customer but he should also respect the
tourist. This site has been designed with this in
mind. The prices given here have been negotiated
with a win/ win approach. Showing a printed page from
this site should prevent you from arguing for hours: the
price given has to be applied; in case it is not, please
contact
us, the shop keeper or service
provider will no more appear
here.
What can be
bought ?
As in all other touristic
countries, you can find in
Egypt a lot of souvenirs referring to
historic remains :post cards, calendars, notebooks
.. With Ramses II, Nefertari, Hatshepsout or
Nefertiti.Nevertheless,
some local craft products are of
interest.
Stone
and alabaster
Some
stone statues of cats or of scribes are nice as well as
alabaster vases, cups, or lamps: these are worth
bringing back. You can find a good selection in
Ahmed Alabaster shop, in Medinet Abou,
in the street perpendicular to the temple entrance.
There is a number of different items; to give you an
idea:
- a
10 cm high basalt cat =25 EGP
- a small alabaster cup (10 cm
diameter) = 35 EGP.
Jewels
As in Europe,
gold is 18 carats and its quality is good; a large
selection of designs with a variety of stones. Silver is
also interesting. Giving indications on prices is not
that easy, but to get an idea, a silver ring = 30
EGP.
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Papyrus
A
typical Egyptian souvenir indeed! It is a kind of paper made
from the stems of a plant, papyrus, that are interlaced and
squashed, then dried; papyrus are decorated with paintings
inspired of tomb or temple scenes. The price depends on the
quality of both the papyrus and the painting. A 20X20 cm sheet
should not cost more than 30 EGP at Queens' Papyrus
Institute
on the main road to , and not far from, the Colossi of
Memnon.
Cotton
scarves
Pleasant
to wear any time, you can find any colour in light cotton or
with small stripes in thicker cotton. A large selection can be
found in a number of shops. A single colour light cotton scarf
should not cost more than 10 EGP, a striped thick cotton one,
no more than 20 EGP.
Embroidered
quilts, cushions and table clothes
Prices
amount from 55 EGP for a cushion to 250 EGP for a 90 cm X 90
cm quilt.
Perfumes
Eau
de toilette and perfumes can be made from essences of jasmine,
rose, lotus and a number of other flowers, generally inspired
by famous French perfumes. The shop Berfume
Ballace is on the left hand side, on the road from
the check point to the colossi of Memnon. A 100 ml bottle
wouild cost 20 EGP.
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