Grocery Shopping in Dubai

Grocery shopping in Dubai has definitely been a learning experience and a change of pace. There are several hypermarkets in the area which seems to be where more locals and eastern expats shop. There are also two British grocery store chains, Waitrose and Spinneys which are located in many of the malls where more western expats seem to shop. We do our grocery shopping at these UK chains. They are nice grocery stores but the shopping experience is different...it is more like a scavenger hunt! If you see something, you should buy it and stock up! When items run out, they could be gone for weeks or forever and sometimes it is very odd and random items that run out. For example, Swanson's Chicken Broth is a hit or miss item. It is a given that weekly grocery shopping will involve going to multiple stores for basic items. Being a UK chain, there is always a huge supply of English biscuits (crackers) but pretzels and Goldfish are impossible to find. Last week, I was looking for regular Cheerios...this was unsuccessful but they have a huge selection of different kinds of oatmeal and Muesli. Grocery shopping here sometimes reminds me of being on a scavenger hunt!

I think the biggest thing I have noticed is the way people shop is very different than in the US. Europeans seem to go to the grocery store every few days and only purchase what they need. Most shoppers only fill a handheld basket when they grocery shop...not an entire cart (or buggy as they call them). Europeans don't seem to buy a lot of processed food, instead opting for fresh produce, spices and meats. There are no "big box" stores either and nothing is sold in bulk. There is not a Target and certainly no Costco or Sams Club. Although it can be frustrating at times, it isn't a bad way to shop it just takes getting used to.