Shopping in Singapore

The Addict's Paradise (Shoppers, That Is)

Shopping in Singapore - just where do you begin writing about that?

A better question might be: where can you NOT go shopping in Singapore. And the answer to that would be: nowhere.

Singapore is to shopping as the Klondike was to gold diggers, the motherlode.

Seriously. This place is a 700 square km shopping area, no kidding, and you can find anything your heart desires somewhere on the island.

But, in the vein of staying practical, here are a just a few general ideas for mainstream malls, pointers in the right direction for your daily needs, and finally some ideas for some smaller, more personal and sometimes even quirky places to shop.

Orchard Road

Ahhh - the lights, the crowds, the brand names!

You can spend a day shopping in Singapore on Orchard Road and not even see half of the shops there.

It is literally one mall, hotel and boutique after another, for about 3 kilometers. Brands names galore - bags, watches, clothes, you name it.

200 restaurants, 23 hotels, 22 full sized malls, 8 galleries, 6 department stores, movie theaters, the list just goes on and on.

I could write a year and still not cover it all, so go there and experience it. Call the bank and warn them about your overdraft.

While you wait, have a look at the Shopping in Singapore - Orchard Road directory.

The Culture of the Mall

You'll be surprised how similar a mall in Singapore is to anything in North America.

In fact, Singaporean mall operators have invested a lot in the US, so you'll feel pretty comfortable when you go shopping here - even down to the US-style toilets. (chuckle)

There are dozens of malls in Singapore, but here are some of the biggest ones in a brief list.

Spare me! I know I missed your favorites, probably.

Let's start with ION Orchard smack in the middle of Orchard, architecturally interesting and complete with its own MRT station.

Check out their yearly Christmas tree - very showy.

Across from Sentosa Island and sitting right on the waterfront with a view to Sentosa Island is

, another really big one, with a rooftop playground, waterfront restaurants and the monorail station for Sentosa Island.

Downtown in the central area around Padang and City Hall is Raffles City where you can shop in luxury, and then head underground along miles of malls to SunTec City. The shopping there is not so spectacular, but it hosts many fairs where you can get good travel deals or buy cheap books at the yearly fair.

Up in Serangoon is newly opened NEX with a very clean and spacious supermarket and the usual mall tenants and chain stores. Out east is Parkway Parade and out west is IMM , which has a round of furniture stores, amongst other things.

Get another luxury fix and your literary lustings vanquished at a very well stocked book store at, respectively, Takashimaya department store and Kinokuniya bookstore with a huge selection of books, books and more books.

They also have a respectable French and German section.

A man writing about shopping. I must be mad....

Anyway: shopping in Singapore? Not. A. Problem. Never. No. Way.

Need information on the basics - groceries, meat, bread and furniture?

Computers, hifi, guitars, giant jeans and funny tees?