Open market day!

This posit is all about shopping for fruits and vegetables in Dubai Fruit and Vegetable market. It is an open market located in Ras Al Khor industrial area 3. Should you use a public transport, my advice would be to take the metro till Al Rashidiya station and grab a taxi onwards, because you will need a car boot for your purchase, trust me on this one. As every civilized person we try to shop in hypermarkets. However, this is not a money saver. Open market is good for those with families, or for any fresh fruit and bargain lovers. There are 3 pavilions within DFVM (Dubai Fruits & Vegetable Market). First one is sort of retail pavilion, where you can buy fruits and veggies in lesser quantities. As you drive along an pass the first pavillion, there will be the second one. Street signboard says, it is a local market. And, the third one is supposed to be Iranian market. I have to say that almost all of them sell almost the same fruits and veggies. The only difference I guess is just the naming. Alright then, let me tell you what you should be aware of and what are the pros and cons of shopping in DFVM.

ADVANTAGE
Majority of supermarkets/hypermarkets of Dubai sell fruits and veggies for higher price. Some of them even buy from DFVM and re-sell with a margin in their stores. Obviously, had you shopped for fruits and veggies in DFVM, you would have saved pretty much of your hard earned cash. You can bargain the way you want to, and most of the time you get the price you want. Many produce is organic. At lest they seem to me organic.

DISADVANTAGE
It is an open market at the end of the day, so during summer season you should either go shopping very-very early, and I mean like 4 or 5 am in the morning, or chose hypermarket because it is air conditioned and parking is covered. It is located more-or-less in outskirts of the city. Normally, it is mostly wholesale there, so you must definitely be on wheels. Keeping a taxi on wait will cost you a lot. So, if you happened to arrive in a taxi, let it go away because there will be another taxi that may take you back.

WHAT YOU SHOULD BE AWARE OF?
I am not sure if I can call them shopkeepers but sellers are mostly from Indian subcontinent, hence do not use Queen's English while talking to them. They will not understand you. Their first and foremost priority is to sell you as much fruits and veggies as possible. That means, you will be bombarded with fruits or veggies you don't even know. Make clear to them that you know what you need to buy exactly. Be friendly and don't try to dress to impress as you will be considered as someone who does not bargain, so the chances you will get good discounts will decrease. Check every product you are buying carefully. Sometimes, in a box there might be almost perished goods as well. If you don't need a certain produce in large quantity, make sure you bargain the price first and again make it clear that you will buy 1 or 2 kilos instead of the entire box. Ask where are the goods from. Do not buy Chinese carrots in any way. They have neither taste nor sweetness. Same applies for Chinese apples and pears. As there are no shopping trolleys, you should use a real person with his trolley and pay a tip at the end.

HOW MUCH YOU CAN SAVE?
Well, this is entirely up to your negotiation skills. But here is a general pricing idea of essentials:

• One kilo of potato can cost you as low as DHS 1.8/kilo while in hypermarket the same potato can be sold between DHS 2.5-3.5/kilo. That is almost up to 50%.
• Apples can cost you like DHS 20/box (box has normally 2 lines and weighs about 3-4 kilos), while the same apple in hypermarket can cost you between DHS 9-17/kilo. That is a big saving.
• Same thing with onions. Open market: DHS 1.5/kilo. Hypermarket: DHS 3.0-9.0/kilo.

Well, again you can really do the math by yourself once you visit the open market. Prices fluctuate depending on season and outside factors.

As a conclusion, I would say, get up and visit DFVM at least once on your week end.

LOCATION MAP FROM GOOGLE FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE

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