Nairobi Shopping

As tourists, we tend to over react when we first arrive and are met with the first row of vendors peddling their ware.
Our initial impulse to buy this or that because it is new to us works against us!
The vendors and touts, especially just outside Nairobi at strategically placed shops such as the first overlook on the Rift Valley are particularly adept at convincing you that THEIR wares are unique and one of a kind.
DONT BELIEVE THEM! They are amongst the most expensive in Kenya!

What to buy: Wooden carvings, jewelry, art work, spears, and local crafts.
All can be had much cheaper as you gradually travel outside of the Park system and gain some confidence and skill at bartering.

What to pay: Always start low - VERY low! At least 20% below whatever it is they initially quote you with a known limit of a maximum 40 - 50% you strictly adhere to!
DO NOT pay more than 50% EVER! Unless of course, you feel you want to truly be generous.

They will act insulted, plead and tell you that there is no way they can sell it for that, they ar e losing money...etc. It's all part of the game. Once you start to walk away, trust me, they'll chase you down and accept it. If they let you walk, don't worry, you'll find the exact same thing (or very similar) at another place. Local handicraft hasn't changed in years.

We had thoughts of being able to Fed Ex or Mail souveniers back home after we had spent 8 days of intense shopping throughout the National Parks in Kenya.
Boy were we wrong!

We were quoted USD $485.00 for a medium sized box of souveniers after weigh in! Shipping out of Kenya was much higher than anywhere else we've been in the world it seemed. We easily shipped back to the US when we traveled to Hong Kong, China, Thailand and Bali, making arrangements to have someone else receive it on this side.
We were shocked when we were quoted the initial price!

We ended up buying a cheap suitcase (one medium one) and checking it in as extra luggage for our onward journey to Egypt.

What to buy: Luggage is very innexpensive in Nairobi and there are several shops to choose from. We chose one within walking distance to the Stanley Hotel where we were staying.
As it met our luggage and weight criteria, we didn't even have to pay extra. Once at your destination (if you're not flying directly home), most hotels will have a storage area where they will happily hold your luggage until you fly home.

What to pay: We tipped the porter an additional USD $10.00 for his trouble of storing the luggage for us.

Since clothing is my job, I was in particularly interested to check what the local market is offering in ready made garments. The Sarit Centre is one of the most popular in Nairobi and, as I was told, probably the best in the town.

What to buy: I was very dissapointed by seeing cloths which cost a fortune and yet it is of law quality and more or less stock. Most of the trade-marks are completely unknown (so-called "no name") in Europe.

1 more image

You can find many souvenir or curio shops in Nairobi, and most of them have the same sale strategy. The personnel will be very friendly & helpful with you and offer you a "discount" if you purchase a bunch of stuff

What to buy: There are some nice batiks, glass bead work, stone chess boards and animal carvings available

What to pay: Whatever it is, try to bargain for less than half of the asking price

I believe that Kenya is the birthplace of coffee. You can purchase wonderful Kenyan grounded coffee from most supermarkets and the duty free shops at Kenyatta International Airport. I bought a few packs of Dorman's coffee and you should too if you love coffee :)

What to pay: US$5 - $10 a pack

This is a general tip about the Sarit Centre, which is a mall built in the 1980's. There are over 75 shops here, and I found it to be nicer than most shops in the downtown area, though the whole place is rather dated (it was built in the 1980's). One funny thing is that there is a movie theatre on the top level that was only showing Bollywood movies.

What to buy: books, clothes, Peugeots, GOOD souvenirs

If you want something that is one of a kind and price is absolutely no option, then you'll love shopping here. If you are not able to drop a few thousand dollars, euros, pounds, or whatever you have in your wallet on art...then you will just have to settle for looking only. And actually, looking around isn't too bad. The collection of art and items is unique amongst the hordes of curio shops around town and many of the items on display and for sale are museum grade pieces. So even if you aren't interested in spending, still go over and take a look. There are a lot of great pieces to check out.

What to buy: numerous carvings and other pieces of art

What to pay: very high prices

Call me crazy…which I am…but one thing I love to do when I am in another country is to try canned drinks, candies, and gum that you will only find in that particular country, or the region, or just not in the U.S. Monty’s has as good a selection of all of those things as any other place I have seen around town. And hey, for 10 schillings for a pack of gum, you can’t beat it. They also have an extensive selection of magazines as well as wine and liquor - though it's not really any major reason to go running for the store. I just like all the different packs of gum. I mean...banana gum? Coffee gum?