Kuala Lumpur is now an ideal shopping destination with the present Malaysia Ringgit valuation vis-a-vis neighbouring currencies. What could you buy? Almost anything from luxury items to everyday toiletries.
I was in KL recently and spent a week at One World Hotel which is right beside One Utama Shopping Mall. This is a huge mall with lots to see, but not my usual stay at Westin and Shangri-La KL with easy access to KLCC and Paragon and all the luxury brand boutiques situated there, but still I had a good time shopping in between business meetings. Here is a sampling of what you can buy at great value in KL today.
Buying a Mont Blanc in pen KL.
You could get this Mont Blanc StarWalker Black Mystery rollerball at about SGD 470. If you were to buy this in Singapore, the price is about SGD 750! So at $470 you could "only" purchase the more discreet StarWalker Midnight Black. So this is a discount of more than 35%! The pen price outside of Singapore is typically even higher, so if you're from say the Philippines, the effective discount is even more. If you're in One Utama, you won't find a Mont Blanc boutique store there. Look for the two Swiss watch shops, like Wata Time and you'll see they have a display of Mont Blanc pens. The tag price places you immediately at about 10% lower than the SG price, which is interesting enough. But then ask for a store discount, and they can actually give you a maximum 20% discount. Wata Time then offers to give you documents to claim an additional 5% Duty or Tax rebate at the airport so overall it's a great deal.
You won't find the latest Montblanc models in One Utama though. For those, my reco is to shop at the KLIA upon your flight out. But to make sure they have the model you like, check out the boutique soon as you enter Malaysia and transit through the KLIA. If they don't have your choice model, then you may want to make sure you pass Paragon shopping mall. At the KLIA, ask for a discount and they can give a max 10%. They won't offer this, but as a regular customer there they immediately give it to me. A bit of charm and gentle insistence here should here. Then surprisingly, the lady at Montblanc KLIA offered that I could even claim the 5% tax refund even though the store is already at the KLIA! Interesting, and good!
What else could you buy at great value? Almost anything. I got Gillette shavers, really nice nail buffs, L'Oreal special hair oils, Zara jeans all at about 40% lower than SG prices! I did notice however that UniQlo didn't have a significant price difference versus SG, so I didn't get any.
Now if you talk about food, Malaysia prices are super low. Then combine that with great tasting local dishes, and you're a winner just with the food alone.
Happy Shopping in KL!
And be good stewards of God's blessings to you.
Comments
Post a Comment