Shopping list for two apartments in Naogaon: washing machines, tvs, dvd players, air conditioners, refrigerators, freezers, rice cooker, iron, heaters, gas burners, ceiling fans, lamps, beds, chests of drawers, sofas, mattresses, bed sheets, blankets, towels, pillows, toaster, evaporative cooler, wall clocks, and assorted kitchen goods (for the Japanese Construction Manager who will live on the ground floor beneath us).
Purchasing the items on the shopping list was quite a time-consuming process, commencing with a fact-finding visit D.C.C. Market in Gulshan 1 (formerly called DIT market) to ascertain what was available. The market is a two-storied building and each floor is a tightly compressed warren of tiny shops which sell EVERYTHING. Stepping inside the market was a sensory overload as we headed to the furniture section on the first floor.
(Perhaps this is deliberate? Read about tactics to make shoppers spend more here here.) It was difficult to distinguish individual pieces, because each store carries similar stock, and as much as possible is crammed into a limited area, often stacked in piles to conserve space further. It was a noisy place, as everyone called out to me, entreating me to look at their very good quality goods, and I was soon aware that prices quoted were considerably higher than they had been back in 1998.
The first priority was to choose the electrical white goods. Together with an administrative staff member, we collected written quotations for (and took photos) of the electrical white goods from the white goods shop in D.C.C. 1 and the fancier showrooms of Sony, Transcom, and Butterfly. A price comparison sheet was compiled and the pictures were an immense help when making the final decision. Then it was a matter of waiting for the internal company documentation to be completed, cheques to be issued, presented to the showrooms, cleared, and then for the purchased items to be delivered directly to Naogaon. I was surprised that all the major brands have showrooms all over Bangladesh now and arranging delivery to far-flung Naogaon was not a problem at all.
Later, during the shopping sessions at the market, I was accompanied by a most accomplished negotiator from the office who took care of this very skilfully. I learned a lot from him. The key really is patience. The longer you are prepared to argue for a price, the higher the chance of said price being accepted becomes. And sometimes you do have to walk away, and start all over again with a new vendor.
It took four more excursions to D.C.C. Market in Gulshan 1 to locate, select, and bargain for a price for the remaining items. I made a solo trip and fortuitously discovered the second-hand furniture section of the market. The building resembles an organic being with a branch mushrooming off from the side of the first floor, which makes going through a narrow passage way to reach the electrical and hardware goods section feel as if you are going down a rabbit-hole. A winding stairwell to the second floor at the end of the building leads to the second-hand furniture section of the market, where prices were much friendlier to our budget.
After this, beds and chests of drawers were next on the shopping list. The chests are divided into two parts, with one side for drawers and the other side for hanging clothes. Interestingly, the two-door wardrobes I inspected had shelves on one side, and a hanging space opposite with a drawer at the mid-way point (not good for hanging dresses). The width of hanging space was less than the chest of drawers and they were more expensive, which made me decide to do without one. Prices were agreed upon once I had decided what I desired, however the vendor reneged and wanted to charge us more, and we responded by walking away. It worked in our favour, as our next vendor gave us a fair market price, and stuck to his word. My companion was very pleased with this deal.
The penultimate excursion involved choosing made-to-order mattresses, sheets, towels, blankets, and sofas (one of which was made-to-order). I was proud of myself for negotiating a lower price for the sofa. The vendors often like to mention that have sold X piece to Y buyer for Z price, and I was shown a receipt for the same kind of sofa issued to a well-known NGO where the price was more than double my asking price. I am skeptical that it was really the same kind of sofa, but it does give you pause for thought.
Our last trip was on Monday 10th to buy kitchen goods. We went deep into the heart of the market. The shop shown in the pictures above, is fronting various fruit & veg stalls, an egg stall, and near a myriad of general stores (selling canned and package grocery items). Negotiations here were not so exciting as the items are small. But I always remember my 'Chittagong saucepan incident', and knew I should remain vigilant.
In my Chittagong days, I went shopping for kitchen goods soon after I arrived; it was an overwhelming experience, and I had left all the talking to an admin staff member. I got home and checked the prices and found I had paid Tk2,000 for a very ordinary saucepan, which was probably double its worth. I was horrified (the exchange rate was different in those days, too), and promptly took it back. To his credit, the shop owner returned my money. He probably just wanted to get rid of the foreigner with the wild look in her eyes, but he could have refused.
We moved onto another store for crockery (see picture below) and consulting my life-saver list, I ticked off what we needed. The number of dishes was not that extensive as I commandeered some unused crockery from the company bungalow. At the end of the day, these dishes are for the ground floor apartment and not us, and I tried to make quick decisions. After heated negotiations, this time when we walked away, we walked back again because the difference was too small to be a deal-breaker, our purchases were wrapped and packed in a box and carried to our waiting car.
Our final purchase was my favourite find: a portable evaporative air-cooler. I have not seen anything like it in the shops before and I am hopeful it will be effective in our kitchen. (In Bangladesh, the government issues permits for air conditioners and our landlord is only able to receive two permits for each floor.)
All shopping list items, as well as two boxes of food and one treadmill for personal use were loaded onto a truck on Monday night. Due to a truck ban during the day, the truck could not be loaded until after 8pm. It was a big job, but now everything is on its way to Naogaon, accompanied by Peter (who will cook for the CM and help clean both apartments).
With this task out of the way and knowing we have the essentials for a basic set up, I am beginning to feel excited about moving to Naogaon. Not long now.
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