Retail Therapy

People back in the US are always asking me what the shopping is like here in South Africa.  What brands are there?  What stores do you have that are also in the US?  Etc...  So I thought I would write a little bit about retail therapy.

There are several indoor and outdoor malls just like in the US, some so big I get lost every time and others much easier to navigate.  Located inside the malls is what is most different from the US.  Here in South Africa the malls are filled with banks, pharmacies, grocery stores and of course clothing, shoes and jewelry stores.  Cafes and restaurants are also plentiful in the malls here.

Some of the stores we have here in South Africa are also found in the US such as Adidas, Lacoste, Polo, Aldo, Steve Madden, Rage, Diesel, Guess, Tommy Hilfiger and Sunglass Hut.  Found at a mall about 45 minutes from us is more upscale shopping with stores such as Louis Vuitton & Salvatore Ferragamo.  Then there are stores like JCrew which would sell to men and women in the US but here it's only for men.  A couple of stores here look likes ones back in the US but have different names.  I swear we have an Old Navy here as the displays, clothes and set up are just like that store, but here it's called Pick-N-Pay Clothing.  When I asked the workers if they had ever heard of Old Navy, they of course said "no".

The clothes in the stores can either come in sizes from the US, the UK, Euro, or South Africa.  It does not matter if I check the tags, I always have to try it on as I can't remember my size.  I have found that Adalyn wears a way bigger size in some of the South African clothes, for instance I bought her pajamas for a size 8 girl, though she would normally wear a 4-5 in the US.

Shoes are also different depending on where they are from.  In the US I wear a size 8.5-9 and here I am normally in a size 7.  Not all stores sell shoes in half sizes either, you are sometimes limited to a size too big or too small.  Clothes and shoes are labeled differently too.  Tennis shoes are know as tekkies and most of the baby clothing is called something different.  A onsie is called a vest here, overalls are called rompers or dungarees, and what I call footed pajamas is called a grower.

Regardless of any differences, I have been able to shop without any issues, having family bring over necessary clothing items that we need which I can't find here.  To get items at the same quality as in the US, I think you do have to pay more here.  It is nice to have a mall that is a one stop shop for banking, grocery, pharmacy and clothing needs.