|
THE BASICS
Kuwait is a civilized country and everything essential to modern
comfortable living is available. Healthy food in plenty of variety,
clothing of latest design and fashion, house hold items from furniture
to electric accessories, cars, motor boats, toys, sports goods, in short
practically anything and everything from all over the world is imported
into Kuwait. The prices are also reasonable because the import duties
are very low.
Setting up a home in Kuwait is quite easy. Practically everything that
you may need for the home is available and shopping is quite convenient.
English is spoken in all the larger shops and communicating is not a
problem.
Food & Water
Most food is imported and subject to stringent testing by the Ministry
of Public Health. Shops are inspected regularly by the Ministry and,
provided normal domestic precautions are taken, the food in Kuwait is
quite safe to eat.
Kuwait's water supply consists of distilled sea-water and is 'soft'.
Water filters, which require regular cleaning or changing, are standard
fittings in most homes because, though the water is clean when it leaves
the pumping stations, impurities are sometimes picked up in the
distribution pipes. Water filters are commonly used to remove these
impurities, which makes the water perfectly safe for drinking and does
not need to be boiled. For the overcautious, mineral drinking water is
commonly available in 1.5 liter plastic bottles at a cost of 150fils or
so a bottle.
Furniture & Consumer Durables
The range of furniture available is vast and caters for all tastes and
price ambitions. New furniture, either fully-built or self-assembly, is
available in Shuwaikh and in the other main shopping areas. Credit terms
can be arranged. Furniture can also be rented.
With a constant turnover of expatriates there is plenty of second-hand
furniture around for sale. This is usually advertised by word-of-mouth
or in the daily newspapers. Used furniture can also be bought at the
Friday open air markets, and during the week at the second-hand market
near the nurseries at Al-Rai on the 4th Ring Road.
A wide range of TV's, videos, stereos, refrigerators, micro-waves and
other consumer durables are available from all the main Japanese,
Korean, American and European manufacturers at reasonable prices.
Kuwait's TV system is on the PAL standard but most of the TVs sold in
the country are 'multi system'.
Clothing & Decorum
There is a wide variety of cloth and dress material available. Readymade
clothing in Kuwait ranges form cheap quality items to very expensive
designer couture. Styles reflect the multinational nature of Kuwait's
population.
Tailors and dressmakers abound. Materials are plentiful and reasonably
priced.
Laundry and dry-cleaning services are fairly plentiful.
Though Kuwaitis are by and large liberal and broad-minded, Islamic
traditions dictate clothing decorum. Beachwear, worn by either sex, is
strictly for the beach or home and will cause offence in the suqs and on
the street. Even without the traditional black aba (cloak), the
fashionable clothes worn by Kuwaiti ladies will not reveal shoulders and
upper arms and usually stretch down to mid-calf at least. Formality of
dress at work varies among different companies and occupations in
Kuwait, but styles are always modest.
Religious Worship
There are over 800 mosques in Kuwait. Members of other faiths have
freedom of worship and there are quite a few Christian churches in the
country. Kuwait's Catholic cathedral is in Watya (near the Sheraton
Hotel), and next to it there is a Coptic church, and about a block away
a Presbyterian church. There is an Orthodox Church in Co-operative
Street in Salwa (opposite the Universal American School), and in Ahmadi,
a Catholic church and an Anglican church.
Marriage
Where a marriage involves a Muslim male, the couple are required to go
to the Marriage Section, in the Ministry of Justice (opposite the
Municipal Garden just off Fahd Al-Salem Street) to legalize their
marriage contract. Each of the couple must produce proof of their
capacity to marry. Other documents required are copy of passports and
civil ID cards. Two male witnesses are required. The marriage contract
is signed and the exchange professed in front of a qadi (judge). The
Marriage Section (tel:882200) is open 8:30am to 1:30pm Saturday to
Wednesday. Stamp charges are KD1.
Christians must get married in church and then have their marriage
certificate attested at the Notary Public Department at the Ministry of
Justice in the Ministry Complex on Soor Street. A form of civil marriage
is also available in the Notary Public Department, on Sundays and
Wednesdays only. Expatriates need to bring along two witnesses plus a
certificate from their embassy showing their capacity to marry, or other
evidence such as validated divorce certificates, as well as their
passports and civil IDs. Stamp charges are KD2.
The attested marriage contract is in Arabic. Couples wishing to register
the marriage in their own country usually need to take the contract to a
government licensed office for translation and then to the Ministry of
Justice for authentication before taking it to their embassy for
registration. Couples married outside Kuwait must have their marriage
certificates attested by their embassy in order to use the certificate
for legal purposes.
SHOPPING
Kuwait's shopping malls range from the most exclusive (in price) to the
ordinary. The more exclusive contain many boutiques selling
international brand names. The choice is phenomenal.
Most areas in Kuwait have a large supermarket run by the Cooperative
Society. These jam'eeyahs (co-ops) usually open early until quite late
at night and stock a vast range of foods and other household items. The
prices of some food items are controlled. There are also many private
supermarkets. A few are open 24 hours a day. The larger ones also sell
non-food and household items, such as toys, furniture, car accessories
and perfumes.
In areas where expatriates from the third world live or work, there are
many small 'ethnic' supermarkets, such as Indian, Filipino, Thai, Sri
Lankan, etc, which sell all sorts of foods and personal items imported
from these countries.
Baqalas are the convenience stores found in every street. They sell
everything from cigarettes to biscuits and 'fresh' vegetables. Prices
are a bit higher than the supermarkets and coops.
Traditional Open Air & Friday Suqs
Traditional markets still flourish among the modern supermarkets and
malls of Kuwait.
The suq area in central Kuwait City is a labyrinth of covered streets
and passageways lined with stalls and shops. The stalls are often topped
with low fixed roofs even though some of the alleyways are roofed over
higher up. The City suq is in fact the remains of about twenty different
interconnecting suqs, some removed by development, others destroyed by
the invasion in 1990. Each suq was made up of shops that specialized in
particular items, such as clothing, hardware, spices, etc, and many of
these are still open for business. In the Suq Al-Hareem, for instance,
women selling everyday items sit with their wares on platforms running
down the centre of the street. Shopping in the City suq area is an
interesting and cheap alternative to the modern supermarkets and
shopping malls, though bargaining is essential to secure a good price.
Other traditional suqs still survive in Kuwait, notably in Fahaheel and
Jahra. There are also several suq al-jum'a, Friday markets, which take
place only on that day of the week, when they operate from early morning
until evening selling everything from second-hand furniture and clothing
to carpeting and 'antiques', as well as various species of livestock.
The major suq al-jum'a is at al-Rai just off the 4th Ring Road.
Fresh Foods
Most of the food shops sell a mixture of chilled or frozen produce,
canned and preserved foods. Plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, fish
and meat however is available.
The main suqs for fresh foods are in Shuwaikh (in Canada Dry Street, on
the right hand side when traveling westwards, a block before the
flyover is reached) and in Fahaheel (on the south side near the coast).
These are essentially wholesale markets for fruit, vegetables and meat,
but the vendors welcome all buyers and prices are cheaper than at the
supermarkets.
Most areas of Kuwait have a nearby suq selling fresh vegetables and
fruit. There are also several main vegetable suqs, such as the one near
the Hawalli Immigration roundabout in Salmiya, which sell fresh produce
that has either just been imported or harvested in local farms.
The main fish suqs are on Arabian Gulf Street, and in Fahaheel. A
splendid new Suq al-Samak (fish market) was opened on Arabian Gulf
Street just east of the Seif Palace in 1997.
The rubian or prawns for which Kuwait is famous are only sold during the
official fishing season which, in an effort to preserve stocks, is now
restricted to six months a year (September to February).
Some fresh beef is available in the main suqs in Shuwaikh and Fahaheel
but most beef is imported frozen or chilled. Australian sheep are the
cheapest, but the several types of Arabian stock on sale are by far the
tastiest.
Most neighborhoods have fresh chicken shops where live chickens are
kept in wire cages, from which the buyer makes his choice. Approximate
cost for a whole chicken is 500 to 600 fils a kilogram.
Many areas have small makhbaz (bakeries). The bread, either kubous
Arabi (Arabic bread) or kubous tandoor (Iranian bread) is baked on the
spot.
CONSUMER
PROTECTION
The quality of food, medicines and household goods on sale in Kuwait is
usually very high, though problems do occur from time to time.
The Ministry of Public Health (MPH) is responsible for ensuring that
food is fit for human consumption. However the Food Control Department
at the Municipality (Baladeeyah) receives complaints concerning spoiled
food or food sold beyond its expiry date. The Food Control Department
has centers in each governorate and these are usually located near the
'coop' supermarkets. The centers are open from 7:00am to 2:00pm and from
4:00pm to 8:00pm. To lodge a complaint, a valid civil ID must be shown.
When a complaint is lodged, a representative from the centre will
usually investigate the matter on the spot by visiting the shop
concerned. If the complaint seems to be well founded, samples of the
food item will be sent to an MPH laboratory for testing and eventually,
should tests prove positive, the matter is referred to the Legal Affairs
Department at the MPH and the shopkeeper is prosecuted.
Pharmacies are supervised by the Drugs Registration and Inspection
Department of the MPH, to whom complaints about the quality of medicines
and medical apparatus should be addressed.
The Ministry of Commerce & Industry (MCI) is responsible for ensuring
that consumers get a fair shake. The main centre for the MCI's consumer
protection department is the Commercial Control Sector in the capital
but there are 14 offices throughout the country. These offices, which
are usually located near 'coop' supermarkets, are open to receive
complaints about fraud, substandard goods, financial cheating, etc, from
7:00am to 2pm and 3:00pm to 10:00pm. The complainant's civil ID must be
shown, as well as either the defective item or a receipt for it. The
complaint is usually investigated immediately and eventually, if it
seems that the shopkeeper has a case to answer, both parties are
summoned for a hearing at the commercial prosecution office in the
Ministry of Justice.
CONSUMER COMPLAINTSHOT
LINE: 4820281
GOLD SUQS
There are several gold suqs in the country and most general shopping
areas also contain at least one gold shop. Following the depredations of
the Iraqi invasion, the old gold suq in Kuwait City centre was shifted
to a purpose-built building nearby called suq al-dahab al-markazi (the
central gold market). This building contains the government assay office
where gold can be checked for its purity and conformity with its
hallmark.
All gold sold from a shop must be hallmarked and the gold shops are
closely monitored by government inspectors. By law the shopkeeper must
give a buyer an official receipt that shows clearly the purity and
weight of the gold. A buyer should always demand this receipt and then
any doubts later as to the gold content and weight can be resolved at
the government assay office.
Most gold is sold as 21 or 22 carat jewelry. Jewelry styles are mainly
Arabic, Indian and Italian. The price of the gold content of a piece of
jewelry fluctuates daily in line with the world market price for gold.
Twenty four carat gold (99.99% pure) can be bought in bar form, i.e., in
10 gram, tola (a traditional weight somewhat more than 10 gram), 100
gram and in Kilogram bars, hallmarked accordingly. In some countries
gold bars are classified as bullion.
GOLD ASSAY OFFICE
2nd Floor, Suq al-Dahab al-Markazi
(Central Gold Market)
Mubarakeeyah Area
Kuwait City Centre
Tel: 243 6049
COMPLEXES
For a country with a population of only 2.3 million, many of whom are
indigent laborers, Kuwait has an extraordinary array of super-modern
shopping malls where most internationally known branded goods can be
bought at fairly reasonable prices.
Salmiya
Kuwait's prime shopping area is Salem Al Mubarak Street which runs
parallel to Arabian Gulf Street, just one block in from the sea. The
area includes the Sultan Centre (a large supermarket), several
international fast-food outlets, and Kuwait's biggest concentration of
up-market shopping malls. Most shops open from 10am to 1pm and 5pm to
9:30pm on weekdays. A few are open on Fridays as well.
Zahra Complex has 54 shops on three floors of upscale shopping
environment, offering high-quality fashion wear, accessories, cosmetics,
perfumes, gifts, and antiques. The complex includes two cafes.
Al-Fanar Complex has 86 shops on three floors selling mainly
international designer clothing and personal items. Each floor has a
cafe and there is a bank with an ATM on the ground floor. A fourth floor
contains an internet cafe and a cinema.
Two other up-market shopping centers in this area are Al-Bustan and
Laila Galleria. The area also contains the somewhat more down-market
Tala Centre, and Wataniya and Thuraiya complexes.
City
In the City there are three shopping complexes worth a visit. Salhiya
Centre, behind JW Marriott Hotel, is a concentration of boutiques
selling branded goods such as Hermes, Bulgari, and Valentino. Salhiya
also makes for pleasant strolling and browsing. Al-Muthanna Complex,
opposite JW Marriott Hotel, is a favourite shopping centre for
middle-class Kuwaitis and expatriates. With underground parking, the
complex's three shopping floors contain almost everything: fashion wear,
luggage, electronic appliances, perfumes, silverware, materials,
opticians, photography and art supplies. Several shops specialize in
toys for kids and teenagers, and the basement contains what is probably
the best bookshop in Kuwait.
Al-Watya Suq, at the back of the Sheraton Hotel, is a bit of a
down-scale place. But it does contain a large number of Kuwait's famous
gold and jewelry shops, as well some good sports shops.
Hawalli
Hawalli contains only one shopping centre of note, Al-Othman Complex,
recognizable by its red brick exterior. The complex has a range of
clothing shops. Regular special offers announced via FM radio ensure
that this complex is a good place for all sorts of designer stuff at
reasonable prices. Underground parking is available from behind the
complex.
Sharq
In 1998 a new shopping area was opened on the waterfront in Sharq. Built
around a marina and recognizable by its unique square-pillar
architectural style, Sharq Market is the biggest shopping complex in
Kuwait both in size and the variety of shops, boutiques and supermarkets
it contains and it seems that every international brand name has an
outlet there. The area includes a fresh fish market, several cafes,
restaurants and cinemas, as well as a sea-promenade, a yacht club, and a
health spa. Exploration requires a full day out.
New Marina Project expected to be completed by mid-November 2002 will be
the Marina Mall Commercial Center, which is the Fifth Stage Waterfront
Project. This project is divided into two parts, a land project that
includes the the commercial center, and a water area that includes the
Marina, a hotel, restaurants and aquatic services. These are joined
together by a 100 meter long bridge over the Gulf road |
