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Postcard from Dubai, where shopping has no soul

21 Jul 05:45am

Filed under: Dubai, Shopping, Society, Travel

Dubai was, for me, one of those places that held an almost mythical appeal. Never one to shy away from retail therapy in fairly healthy doses, I had imagined the Emirates jewel to be a heavenly oasis filled with cool, crisp shopping centres, stocking anything and everything you could possibly need. Okay, want.

Workers put the finishing touches to a massive billboard at a Dubai shopping centre. Photo: AFP

There would be miles and miles of clothes, shoes and accessories ready to be snapped up by those eager to sate their consumerist urges. The odd sale, too, to tantalise the bargain hunter within, each store complete with kind and considerate multi-lingual assistants waiting to produce anything your heart desires in an instant.

Well, having arrived in Dubai for the first time recently I can confirm - I was 100 percent right.

Continue reading "Postcard from Dubai, where shopping has no soul" »

Latest 2 of 22 comments

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Matt says:

09:41pm | 01/08/10

“the retail moguls appear to have erased an identity” No they haven’t. The Arabic identity is still there, it’s merely been augmented with other things. Things that the Arabs also want, such as cinemas, malls, ski-slopes, waterparks, fancy restaurants, Porsche dealerships and so on. Read more »
Mongolloyd says:

02:23pm | 28/07/10

The west has an alternative - natural gas. A third of the worlds reserves are in the gulf. Sad days? This region will continue to grow at a rapid rate. Read more »

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