Singapore Expats

I am looking for a store to buy a cheap land-line phone and glue. I do not know where to buy those daily non-food products. I am hoping to find K-mart, wal-mart, or Target like store. My area is Lavendar, but regardless of area please anyone tell me the name of the store. Thanks

Giant
Fair price Xtra

The two mentioned above, but be prepared for lower than K-Mart/Target/Walmart quality and not as good of prices.

You're not too far from Mustafa, that might be a better bet. Try to avoid weekends though.

I would have said Carrefour but unfortunately that's gone now. Gaint and FairPrice are OK. I've never really found Mustafa to be much cheaper for the same brand of products though.

snowqueen wrote:I would have said Carrefour but unfortunately that's gone now. Gaint and FairPrice are OK. I've never really found Mustafa to be much cheaper for the same brand of products though.

Mustafa is more for "if you can't find it" type of shopping or if it's the place convenient for you to go to.

Personally, I find it too crowded. Great for finding stuff you can't find anywhere else though.

Interesting. See I always avoided Mustafa because I hated the crowds. I've been there twice, but both times left without buying anything. I only threw it out there because all I ever hear about it is how cheap it is. I guess not then!

I think Mustafa is cheap for some but not all things. Agree that it does have the image of being the cheapest around, in my comparisons it wasn't in every case. It's good for variety for some things like personal products.

Still need to shop around in Singapore. Agree also with snowqueen's assessments on Giant and Fair Price being only ok.

A good time to go is later at night, I think they're still 24x7.

thanks everyone. mustafa not so far from my place but i do not enjoy shopping there. i bought phone and hair drier at harvey norman in raffles city. and a glue from japan home.

There's a connection between the Walmart/Costco mentality and the crappy processed food we get in the States. Thankfully, Singapore has little of either.

There ARE places to buy your stuff including Mustafas. Might not be so pleasant to shop in but it is unique and quirky instead of the same/same that is so common "back home."

Sorry for your trouble but give thanks we don't have those giant US box stores here.

scarbowl wrote:Sorry for your trouble but give thanks we don't have those giant US box stores here.

Yeah, I love paying 2-3x as much for daily staples like toothpaste, papertowel, toiletries, etc...

There's a connection between the Walmart/Costco mentality and the crappy processed food we get in the States. Thankfully, Singapore has little of either.

I have no idea what you're talking about, and wonder if you do either. What food here is so much healthier? Our Chinese grown produce? Or do you mean the organics we get that are flown in from Australia or California, and cost 3x as much as they did in either of those places (which are already expensive in their own right)?

Sorry scarbowl, have to agree with zzm on all points here.

Not that a lot of stuff that comes in boxes isn't bad, what I'd do for the choices and prices.

Plus I think the produce in the States is a lot better and better tasting than here.

Interesting handle BTW

zzm9980 wrote:

scarbowl wrote:Sorry for your trouble but give thanks we don't have those giant US box stores here.

Yeah, I love paying 2-3x as much for daily staples like toothpaste, papertowel, toiletries, etc...

There's a connection between the Walmart/Costco mentality and the crappy processed food we get in the States. Thankfully, Singapore has little of either.

I have no idea what you're talking about, and wonder if you do either. What food here is so much healthier? Our Chinese grown produce? Or do you mean the organics we get that are flown in from Australia or California, and cost 3x as much as they did in either of those places (which are already expensive in their own right)?

scarbowl wrote:There's a connection between the Walmart/Costco mentality and the crappy processed food we get in the States. Thankfully, Singapore has little of either.

There ARE places to buy your stuff including Mustafas. Might not be so pleasant to shop in but it is unique and quirky instead of the same/same that is so common "back home."

Sorry for your trouble but give thanks we don't have those giant US box stores here.

What kind of nonsense is this? Supply chain logistics are so much better in the USA that food, alcohol, beverage, and almost all retails costs are far lower than Singapore.

I appreciate the reasons for the Singapore gahmen keeping the small shop keeper model in place by blocking the big box stores... mom and pop stores tighten up when times get bad, but stay open, whereas big box stores lay off people.

But the fact is, the US has a far larger variety of anything you can name, of very high quality, and at a cost significantly less than Singapore. Take Spec's Liquor, as but one example... at least 50 different scotches in one place... at the best price... a deli section with hundreds of kinds of cheeses. meats, at the best price... and I find this in Singapore... where?

Singapore consumers would be well served if big box competition were introduced... but the small shop owner will continue to be protected.

scarbowl wrote:There's a connection between the Walmart/Costco mentality and the crappy processed food we get in the States. Thankfully, Singapore has little of either.

There ARE places to buy your stuff including Mustafas. Might not be so pleasant to shop in but it is unique and quirky instead of the same/same that is so common "back home."

Sorry for your trouble but give thanks we don't have those giant US box stores here.

The USA (at least TX and Ca where I spend most of my time) is just nothing but a Franchisee wasteland of sameness. I agree with you there. Nothing but the same brands and strip malls repeated over and over and over and over... It's at the point now where I ask people for recommendations for independent restaraunts, bars and shops - to only hear so often "Oh yeah - there was a great xxx in yyy but there were shutdown when zzz chain moved in". It sucks.

There was a K-Mart in Singapore years ago, but it only lasted around 3 or 4 years then folded up, much like Carrefour.

sundaymorningstaple wrote:There was a K-Mart in Singapore years ago, but it only lasted around 3 or 4 years then folded up, much like Carrefour.

I remember it. It was in a mall.