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by Carol Fleming - 03/05/2010
"Going to a Mall and clothes shopping is unique in Saudi Arabia. Most shopping malls are for women and family only, barring entre to single men or groups of men. Most shops do not have fitting rooms for women either. This article provides the rules."
As a newcomer to Saudi Arabia, there are some important cultural customs one must know about shopping at the shopping malls (vice a traditional souk) in the Kingdom.
To begin with the majority of malls are viewed as family malls. There will likely be security guards at each entranceway to the mall to ensure that only women and families are allowed entre. Single men or groups of men are generally not allowed admittance to the mall. However there have been exceptions made to this rule in the case of some men from Western countries but do not expect that to be the norm.
In regards to women’s clothing there are no fitting rooms in the shop unless the woman is shopping on a ladies-only floor or in a ladies-only mall. Therefore at a typical shopping mall, in order to try on clothing to ensure it is the right fit, the woman must either pay for the outfit or leave the sales clerk her iqama or passport. It is my personal recommendation to never leave such a critical document with an unknown sales clerk. However if paying for the outfit in order to take it outside of the shop in order to go try it on in the woman’s washroom, be sure to know in advance the policy of the store if the outfit is not to one’s satisfaction. Some stores will provide a full refund for a returned item. Other shops will not give a refund and provide cash credit at the store, even though the item was only removed from the store for a few minutes in order to try it on.
There may be some male sales clerks who will offer a fitting room in the back of the store for a woman to try on an outfit. It is strongly recommended to not take advantage of what may sound like a kind offer. There could easily be a hidden camera in the fitting room (which is usually a store room). Additionally if a woman is caught trying on an outfit in a shop and circumventing the rules by the Religious Police, she could find herself in serious consequences on morality charges. It is not worth the associated risks.
A woman should also be careful when taking new merchandise to the woman’s washroom in order to try on an outfit. Some of the washrooms will have small fitting rooms adjacent to the washrooms. If trying an outfit in the evening hours after the last prayers chances are these rooms will have lines waiting and many times the rooms are occupied by young Saudi girls who are taking photos of themselves in multiple outfits and sending these photos to their friends. As a result, one might be in for a long wait in line.
Some washrooms do not have fitting rooms leaving a woman with the option of trying on the outfit in the toilet or changing publicly in front of other women in the area where the sinks are located. If attempting to try on an outfit in the toilet, a woman must be very careful of her possessions and the state of the floor. The chances are the floor will be flooded with water and not all doors have hooks to hang a purse or clothing.
I have always found it helpful when shopping for clothes in Saudi Arabia to not only know my own body measurements for sizing but to also take a tape measure with me. The sizes of clothes in Saudi Arabia for women can vary from UK, USA, Italian, Saudi and “Free Size.” Believe me, there is a big distinction between all of these respective sizes.
However with patience and perseverance one can find many selections and styles to choose from in Saudi Arabia which fit well and look great.
Carol Fleming
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