Stores, Malls or Markets in Mexico

Sipalito has a gorgeous array of items from all over the Michoacan State. Their jewellry collection of fabulous, and they also have a large variety of rebozos, which are traditional scarves. I found the rebozos, though of high quality, to be only of thin cotton and very bright striped colors, so if you're into something a bit warmer and for more variation in design, hit the local market.

What to buy: The owners have a large collection of items squeezed into a small space; everything from furniture, to straw animals, and giftware. They also have some funky fun items, such as Frida Kahlo-themed straw bags.

What to pay: Prices are not cheap, as these are unique hand-crafted items. You get what you pay for; however, I thought the prices were fairly reasonable.

the biggest crafts center is LA CIUDADELA , near downtown, metro Balderas near zocalo

http://www.laciudadela.com.mx/

What to buy: you can buy all kind of crafts, like textiles, ceramics, jewErly, pottery, paintings, steinglass, glass products, etc

You can buy quality goods for hiking, traveling, mountaneering,camping, surfing, ALL KIND OF SPORTS GOODS..... also specialized brands and things ..

What to buy: If you search big brands like north face, boreal, colleman, etc

there is http://www.dscorp.com.mx/rubens/index.html
in street Venustiano Carranza in downtown you find some options.

more expensive better quality brands
http://www.vertimania.com/

MIXCOAC

Patriotismo 899 Loc. 1
Esquina Río Mixcoac
Col. Insurgentes Mixcoac
México D.F.
ventas.mixcoac@vertimania.com

Tel. ( 55 ) 56 15 52 29
Tel/ fax ( 55 ) 56 15 52 30




SATELITE

Federico T. de la Chica # 11-B
CD. satelite CP. 53100
Naucalpan Estado de México
ventas.satelite@vertimania.com

Tel. ( 55 ) 53 93 52 87
Tel/ fax ( 55 ) 53 93 84 26

when you go out to le crucicetta at night, nearly all the shops insist you try their liquers, drinks etc.
not being much of a drinker or a party pooper i partook in quite a few mixes.. contained all the usual stuff, grasshopper, snake, scorpions, yeah right. they would not tell you what they was till you had drank them.
anyway i was suitably tuned in when ta dah out comes the bucket containing 8 yes 8 live scorpians.. grabbing one by the sting i allowed the shopkeeper to run it up my arm and place it back in the bucket. the man then turned round to get yet more drinks when being the brave soul under the influence i decided to put my hand right into the bucket.. quick as a flash i shouted WHHOOAH and yanked my hand back, the man nearly fell off his ladder, husband went white and was ready to have three shades of the soft stuff , whilst shouting WHAT'S UP, WHATS UP. when i patting my heart, calmly turned round and said, "God i thought there was a cockroach in there". he took me back to the hotel at this point. i was lucky that time. know your limit and be wary of the stuff you do not know.

What to buy: silver, gold, cotton dresses but most things are very cheap.

What to pay: nothing for the drinks, all on the house.
most places accept american dollers or pesos.

Bargaining is a characteristic of Mexican commerce. Even in stores with "fixed" prices bargaining may be productive. For tourists it is best to act as if all prices are negotiable. The best places for negotiation are markets, stalls and small stores, but certainly you should bargain with street vendors, tour operators and corrupt police officers if you plan to pay the bribe.

What to buy: Buy what you need. Buy what you want. But in most cases, I would suggest that you should be shopping for things in Mexico made by Mexicans. Look for unique handcrafted items and beware of the existence of machine manufactured substitutes or imported substitutes brought in specifically for the tourist trade. In a "warnings tip " I gave some of the don'ts, here are some do's:
1. Be prepared to take some time to enjoy the process.
2. Look, touch, smell and ask about lots of the items even it is only with sign language. Try to learn more about quality and its relationship to price.
3. Smile, laugh, shake hands.
4. Feel free to praise without indicating a commitment to buy or even bargain on what you see.
5. Show that you are interested in buying, but are not committed to it. You are more than 'just looking'. You may notice that if you carry a bag that looks like you just bought something you will be offered better prices. (Remember never accept a first offer.)
6. Check out other shops for similar items.
7. Always offer a price lower than you are willing to pay. (How much lower depends on how comfortable you are with your understanding of the market price and your style of bargaining.)
8. Consider buying more than one for a discount.
9. Show interest and disinterest at the same time. "I like it, but it has this flaw. . .and your price is too high." (This can be done non-verbally.)
10. Walk away if you can not get a price you want to pay. (If you are not leaving the market, you might just pass by on your way out to give the vendor a second chance at your best offer.)
Also you will find that a final offer is more effective if it is a single bill or handful of bills and coins which empty the wallet or pocket.
11. Know the exchange rate.

What to pay: Only pay what you want to pay but expect to spend every peso you have in your pocket and then some. I have sometimes used being pushed to my dollar reserve to my advantage. For example, I have on occasion used the dollar exchange as a last step to speed up reaching my price. Lets say the exchange rate is 11 pesos to the dollar. The vendor has reached a price of 125 pesos and I have only come up to offering 105 pesos but would agree to 110, yet it now looks like we have reached that little impasse which threatens the deal. Rather than walk away, or make a final offer of 110 and walk away, I pull out a crisp new 10 dollar bill and offer it as payment in full. The vendor understands but probably pulls out a little calculator to try to show that $10 is only 100 pesos. Still he or she eventually agrees for "his friend". I do not know why this works, but it does. Maybe it is just the single bill effect. Good luck.

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What to buy: I defy even the most miserly or budget-conscious traveller to leave Mexico without buying something! The range of crafts produced is truly amazing, many of them very local. Some are very traditional and were being made long before the advent of tourism; others, that may seem just as traditional, are much newer in their inception but that doesn't make them any less attractive.
Whether you opt for the functional - great textiles, embroidered clothes, good quality basketware, hats of fine panama or more basic straw, ceramic tiles, leather sandals - or the ornamental - silver jewellery, pottery animals, ornaments covered in intricate bead patterns, carved and painted gourds, pressed tin work - the list is endless ... you're bound to be tempted sooner or later.
If you're a shopper from way back - bring an extra suitcase - empty - from home.

My favourite buys?
A superb Zapotec rug, made with traditional indigo and cochineal dyes - expensive but worth it - a set of Nativity figures to add to my collection of Christmas creches from around the world, a wonderfully elegant big-brimmed panama hat, the envy of all my friends back home and traditional hammocks from Merida .... and I'm not usually a great shopper!

My best buys?
Pierced tin Christmas ornaments for all my bookclub friends - the aim of the game being to find a present for each of them for less that $1 each. At 30c each, they were perfect.

When shopping for gifts to take back home don't forget to bargain! Mexicans are known for that. Acourse you can not bargain in large department stores or in most of the stores of the shopping center where the prices are established by the company. But in Playa del Carmen where the small local shops are spread out across streets you have to open your mouth and bid your way down for that souvenir you really want to bring back home for mom. Many shops carry hand crafted things and ask for a perticular price because they know your a tourist, my technique is to ask for a perticular price and to not meet anywhere in the middle with sales person...he will meet you next to the price you want cause he wants you to by his item. Another way to get want you want is to walk away or say that your not interested, most will chase after you and sell you the itrm for the price you want, if not there is plenty of shops with the same hand crafted items...just get elsewhere.

What to buy: ~Marble is very popular in this part of town, and you will find many marble crafts. (i.e. marble chess/checkers sets, pens/pencil holders, and little marble statues to name a few).
~Embroidery thats hand sewed or croched with beutiful colared kniting.

What to pay: On small-medium souvenirs: $3-$10...depending afcourse on what it is.

I was shy to bargain at first but being recruited by a group of Lebanese tourists as a translator in Acapulco helped me learn first hand how to do it.

The key to bargain is to be reasonable and polite. Bargaining in markets is usually expected but tourists from some places are not so accostumed to it. The vendor will state a price after being asked, usually about twice what they expect to sell their item for. You offer what you feel is more reasonable, often half or a little less than half of what they ask, not getting outraged, not getting flustered and not feeling ashamed because undoubtedly the final price will still be a bargain for you depending on the item. Usually one more price is stated in which you raise your offer just a bit and an agreement will be made. You can also ask for bulk discounts. If you for example want 3 or more items of the same kind or from the same shop, maybe the vendor will entertain a discount or throw in something for free! It doesn't hurt to ask.

My favorite things are onyx and ceramic pottery but there are so many nice things to choose from. Boutiques and hotel gift shops don't usually bargain on the same types of things.

What to buy: Silver jewelry, onyx, wood carvings, wall hangings and well made weavings, metal work, home decorative items and ceramic pottery. Lots of beautiful things to use at home.

What to pay: Price varies by location - boutiques and museum shops being the most expensive to markets in tourist areas.