The Gulshan Supermarket

Known as the Gulshan Paka market, this is the place where you can find everything-from a small needle to the latest in crockery and glassware. It is located at the Gulshan 1 Circle.

But be warned, you would be hard pressed to find anything manufactured in Bangladesh, though. Everything is imported from the Far East, China and India.  Therefore there are no fixed prices!

As you go from shop to shop, you are quoted different prices for the same product. Whenever you ask the price for a product to the shopkeeper, there is a slight pause as he tries to gauge you and quote what price he can charge you or what price you would be willing to pay. It is advisable to go from shop to shop comparing the prices of the products that you want to buy. You can then know at what price you can actually buy the product. It really pinches when for a biscuit pack, imported from India, which carries the printed price of Rs 20, you are asked to pay taka 60, which is more than double the price!!! Similarly, Kellogs cornflakes, which carries the printed price of Rs 135, you are asked to pay taka 460!! In another shop, for the same Kelloggs, the asking price was taka 420. See what I mean? So, it would help to move from shop to shop and see where the prices are the lowest!

There is no brand of healthcare, oral care or anything else that is not available in these markets, only if you are willing to look and bargain hard! The ground floor is devoted to vegetables, fruits, grains, cloth, and other household items. On the first floor, are the tinned foods, cosmetics, soaps etc.

Be prepared to be assailed by all sorts of smells and sights as you traverse through the market. Especially, for someone who is a vegetarian like me, the meat market can be very daunting to pass by. The press of people and the cacophony of voices, combined with the humidity and the haggling can make one want to turn tail and run!