Evolution of Shopping

Shopping . . .

….. is the one word that brings ultimate joy on a woman’s face. Even when we don’t want to buy anything, we derive joy from window shopping. All people are different in their own sets of tastes, preferences, and choices of international or local brands.  Anyways, the whole concept of shopping has evolved over time from street shopping to Malls and now online shopping, all fields offering their own flare of convenience to their loyal customers.

Street Shopping the Mumbai way

Mumbai! The city of dreams a place where people from varying cultures and walks of life reside together adding their own flavors. It’s an extremely popular destination for national and international tourists who are completely overwhelmed by its dazzling experiences 🤩. People from all over the world as well as the local flock to these shopping centers. What Mumbai is best known for are these street shopping markets where we can find good quality products for an affordable price and each article has its own unique streak. It’s very common to find local shops lined throughout the city streets selling from regular household products to luxurious items. However, there are a few areas where we have agglomerated and this my friends are where we will find a diversity of people, tourists as well as our residents rubbing shoulders through the narrow lanes, bargaining for the best prices, and eating their way into the yummylicious food 😋.

From South Mumbai to the suburbs’ many such agglomerated markets which stand out because they have carved their own niche. Colaba Causeway is known for having a range of authentic Indian artifacts, the best cashmere, and unique accessories. Lamington Road, also known as the IT hub of Mumbai, is famous for its wholesale and retail market of electronic goods as well as spare parts for outdated electronics. Chor Bazaar initially was a market where the thieves used to sell their stolen goods, but over time it became a market for buying some of the rarest secondhand goods. OH! the list is endless, but I can assure you every single market on the list has its own unique charm and individuality which makes them a popular tourist attraction.

My experience of Street Shopping

I for one am extremely lucky to call this city of dreams my home. Coming from a down to earth family I was always taught to cut the coat according to your cloth, hence whenever I went shopping, I always asked myself, “Is it value for money?” and “Do I really need it or do I simply want to splurge?”. I grew up near a popular street market, and I remember holding my mother’s hand hustling through the attractively displayed wares where I was completely awestruck by those perfectly stacked piles of produce, showcasing of amazing colorful salwar’s, bright vivacious dupatta’s (Traditional Indian attire) the gentle jingling of bangles as the wind gently wafted through them and I almost always gave in to the temptation of roadside pani puri 😉. During the time I was growing up in Mumbai, the concept of Malls was quite new and expensive, so despite the so-called SALE, the prices were not so luring. To me what was more important was how street shopping played with our most appealing senses the vibrant colors never failed to attract me, the voices of the peddlers quite charmed me and those heavenly mouthwatering varieties of food drew me like no other temptation giving me no choice but to fall prey to their forbidden pleasures. The joy I derived from street shopping was like therapy of its own, it was a time when I socialized with my friends, wandering from shop to shop trying to find my own unique style. That was the best part about shopping in the local markets where everything one laid one’s eyes on had a particular singularity and an innovated look of its own, despite having all these qualities the prices were affordable yet we bargained with the street vendors, convincing them to be their regular customers despite visiting the shop for the very first time! I know it sounds dishonest but trust me friends it had a charm of its own 😊.

Malls of Dubai

The introduction of Malls got a revolutionary change in the shopping world. Initially, a European concept that took over the world at large. A place where you got them all no wonder, they named it a Mall 😉. A vast space where a family can spend an entire day from shopping for groceries to brands, kids having their play-area, the ladies having a self-care day at the saloon followed by a relaxing spa, the men catching up on their favorite movies and ending the day at the food court where each one is spoilt with choices, not realizing to have entered during the day which is eventually taken over by the night. Dubai, the city that runs to outdo itself and seems never to fail at it. Each and every mall is a state of the artwork, Ibn Battuta Mall whose architecture is inspired by some of the countries visited by the Moroccan Berber explorer, Ibn Battuta, The Mall of Emirates houses Ski Dubai the first Snow Play to be artificially created, Dubai Festival city which has the most amazing water and light show, Wafi Mall is like walking through the museum of Egypt and Dubai Mall not only holds the record of being the largest mall in the world but also has an amazing Dancing Fountain to top it off with the cherry on the cake is the spectacular light show displayed on the tallest building in the world.

Street Shopping to Mall Shopping

The transition from a street shopper to a mall shopper was not at all difficult for me once a shopper always a shopper no matter where 😉. Whenever my hubby and I had to go shopping we made a day out of it. We used to plan a movie, spoil ourselves to the delicious food, and finally shop for groceries, and have a happy day. After my kids arrived mall shopping for me was a blessing in disguise all I needed was a pram and walking shoes, I could buy all my groceries, kids clothes, toys, and furniture all under one roof and as they grew up all I needed to do was drop them by at their play-area where they enjoyed themselves as for Mamma she enjoyed a well-deserved self-care day and a silent cup of coffee. ☕

Online Shopping going Viral

Online shopping as they say in today’s millennial slang has gone viral and why not who wouldn’t want to shop at the comforts of their house. The best part is that it allows us to compare not only the products but also the prices and helps us buy the best quality products at the most affordable value. Online shopping provides immense comfort to working people and to new mommies who do not have time to go out and shop.

However, the pandemic caused by COVID-19 online shopping emerged as a hero, when the whole world came to seize their activities isolating the streets and shutting down the malls people had to buy everything online from their daily groceries to electronic for kids online session to cakes for celebrating their joyous days to food to eat all within the safety of our four walls.

To “Total” it Up

Street shopping, Mall Shopping, or Online shopping having all these options have made it more convenient and easier for us to shop. All of them may have their own set of pros and cons on the table similarly all of them also have their loyal customers.

HAPPY SHOPPING!!

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