Shopping in Delhi

Sarojini Nagar Market, located in the south part of Delhi, is an amazing place to get quality western clothing, shoes, and stuff for the home at very cheap prices. It is comparable to Canal Street in New York in terms of the shopping experience although better quality products and more bargaining.

The clothing is manufactured in India and is dumped here either because there was an export surplus or because it came from a cancelled line. In the clothing section of the market you will see brand names such as Gap, Old Navy, H&M, Calvin Clein, Levis, and Billabong, among others. It is an outdoor market so there is nowhere to try on the clothing before purchase but that is part of the fun when you are paying two dollars for a top or four dollars for a dress. It is similar to shopping at winners in that you have spend some time looking through piles and racks of clothes to get that great deal but fully worth the effort. At least every week, the market gets new products in and the men who work at the market are more interested in clearing their stock than charging prices comparable to what these products are worth in western shopping malls. Using my best bargaining skills I got some great deals on western clothing that I have missed as I have exchanged them for more modest and temperature appropriate Indian attire. I think that the most I paid for a clothing item was eight dollars.

The first time that I arrived at the market I was a little unsure about what to expect because I have learned to take Lonely Planet (guide book) recommendations more critically. Often these markets are totally overstated in the book compared to reality but this market did not let me down. It was unlike any other markets that I have seen in India. I stepped out of the auto rickshaw and saw women leaving the market each holding multiple plastic shopping bags full of clothing. I knew that I was in the right place! After spending four months in India I have gotten used to thinking about costs in rupees and realizing how little I could spend. I was having a hard time spending real money at department stores for western style clothing so this market was perfect for me.

 My most recent travels in the last week and a half back through Rajasthan and then to northern India have taken me through Delhi twice and I have been to the Sarojini Nagar Market on each of these stops. I have one more chance to go to the market before my flight home to Canada and I plan to spend the last of my rupees there.