That said, here are 3 tips I have for shopping in Vietnam especially in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon):-

• Bargain - the traders are now quite smart. The old rule of 70% discount no longer applies for big purchases. Its more like 50-60% now or they won’t bother to call you back because they know there will be others who will pay for it. For small items e.g. embroidered items you can still try to bargain it to a palatable level.
• Use Vietnam Dong - I’ve found that when I choose to pay in VND I get a better price. It might be due to the high exchange rate at this time between the RM-USD which is the other accepted currency in Vietnam. So, I ask for prices in VND and work from there.
• Don’t shop at the first store you see - in many cases, the most prominent store will be the most expensive store. I prefer to go deep into the labyrinth of the Ben Tanh market or to a store on a side road – I get the same item I want for a smaller price.

Hope this helps!

I’ve recently had a friend in the USA shop online for me. It was for a bunch of stuff and brands I can’t get here in Malaysia and something I’ve been wanting for a long time. I was lucky that she was lovely enough to do it all for me without charging me extra like some others have.

Some Malaysians living overseas have turned from doing friends a favour by shopping for them, to a small business opportunity where they buy certain items and then sell them on to their friends or online for a profit. I personally know of someone who has been doing this for years and turning a small profit as she goes along, without having to declare anything. For a housewife, she’s doing pretty well! I can’t say its a bad thing, to be honest. Heaven knows, there are so many things I want from other countries which I can’t get here, and if the mark up is within my budget, I don’t mind paying.

Because there is a return policy on goods overseas, I have also seen people who buy certain items (especially branded goods) on sale and then sell them on. While we might not get it at the exact sale price, it can still be markedly cheaper than buying it on sale or at retail in Malaysia.

For all the legitimate entrepreneurs out there, I take my hats off to you. If you want to buy such items off online sites, do be careful that you are paying for the real thing. And if you are, relish your bargain purchase!

However, when I went to enquire about making these venetian blinds, the cost floored me. Having to work on a tight budget, I was at a bit of a loss until my eyes fell on bamboo blinds. Bamboo blinds for the office?

Why not!? And why not indeed!

The blinds I found were ready made and only needed to be drilled into the wall to be hung. The length was just right, and it gave the office a nice feel which is unlike the usual clinical look of offices. Also, it is rather sheer so it let it quite a lot of natural light yet keeps out the sun’s glare.

So, the next time you are thinking of a cheaper option for office windows, think outside the box and try bamboo blinds. It does make a difference!

Have you started Christmas shopping yet? We are entering the month of December which means the Christmas shopping season is hotting up! Its not too late to take a little time to give some thoughts to the gifts you are giving people.

All too often I myself have been guilty of giving gifts I bought at the last minute and then find that the recipient does not enjoy it or its not for them.

So, here are some practical gifts you can consider for the people in your lives:-

• membership to a wine of the month club – They’ll receive a bottle of wine every month so they get gifts the whole year round!
• gift certificates or vouchers for a book store – I like this for children to inculcate the love of reading. Look in MPH or Borders or Kinokuniya
• Puzzles for kids because it helps them think while playing
• Luxury food hampers – for friends or family who enjoy their food

Alternatively you could buy a cake of the month membership and use it to send cakes all year round to your friends! I didn’t even know this existed.

I always start my shopping early to make sure I pick up some good deals along the whole year. This way, I make sure some thought goes into my gifts and that I have the time to pick them up at good prices. After all, I’m sure my recipient would also appreciate the fact that I didn’t have to break my bank to get it for them!

This is purely my view only so if you have had a bad experience with time shares I sympathise. Thus far, mine are fairly decent ones. I am a member of a time share where essentially, we pay RMX and get Y nights a year to stay at any hotel or resorts locally and worldwide. I actually got my package at a good price so I won’t complain too much.

I have used the time share nights allocation both locally and internationally and both times, I have no complaints. In fact, its saved me a ton of money on hotel rooms and vacation rentals which I would otherwise have to pay anyway!

If you are looking for a time share, you might want to bear these points in mind:-

• There are usually annual fees payable which aren’t that high but can add up.
• If you don’t use up your allocated nights within a certain period they are forfeited which means you end up losing money on them.
• If you don’t book early you risk not having any space available at your chosen hotel or resort or having to pay extra surcharges for an upgraded room
• You have to plan your holidays well in advance.
• You won’t be able to use your allocations in all hotels – some hotels might require a surcharge.

As I have said above, I have had decent experiences with my time share company (I will not name them) and my savings from overseas accommodation has far surpassed whatever I paid to join. So, for me, I would recommend it for those who plan their vacations in advance. Otherwise you might just want to stick to booking your hotels online.

Since expressing my horror at the high parking rates at the Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, I’ve since worked out how NOT to incur that sort of wallet crippling parking charges. There was once when I went for a movie and ended up paying something like RM9 for parking alone. That’s nearly the cost of a movie ticket! Worst of all, you need some high powered eyeglasses to see the parking rates because you will zoom by so fast when you pick up your ticket at the machine as you enter.

So, these days, when I plan to visit the Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, I don’t park there, but at Starhill Gallery right across the street. Starhill Gallery might house some of the most high end upmarket brands in Malaysia, but their parking is so much more affordable compared to the Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, especially if you go in the evening.

Starhill Gallery parking rates are RM5 flat rate after 6pm on weekdays and flat rate of RM5 on Saturdays and Sundays. I think that a short walk across the road is no inconvenience at all for a savings in parking charges!

If you are anything like me and refuse to buy the newspapers due to the lack of news and proliferation of advertisements, you might find yourself missing out on the latest promotions at our local pharmacies like Guardian and Watsons. Of course, it also means you have less temptation but heck, what is life without a little tempation yes?

I just found out that you can read some of the ongoing Guardian Pharmacy promotions online at their website. This is useful for when you need to stock up on things like shower creams or toothpaste or even diet supplements for those times when they have 3 for 2 promotions.

Currently, the ongoing promotion at Guardian Pharmacies until 30 Nov 2008 is a 50% off the 2nd item promotion. So, buy the first item and get the 2nd at 50% off. Not only that, you can get the new 2009 table calendar with purchases of RM80 and above in a single receipt. Yes, its the end of the year – time to stock up on 2009 calendars!

I just bought the Asus EEEPc a few days ago.  It was bought on a whim which is not always a good thing.

Fortunately, I am quite used to buying computers from Low Yat Plaza so I knew what I had to do. Here are my tips for buying a PC at Low Yat Plaza:-

• Research online for specs so you know what it should contain
• Read a few online reviews of the product you are thinking of buying
• Take a walk around a few vendors to check prices of the unit you have in mind
• Compare prices
• Stop for a break and think about which vendor has the best price or best value package
• Always ask if the software provided is genuine. I cannot stress how important it is to get genuine software especially when it comes to updates and problems in future. One vendor tried to tell me that the unit came with windows etc for “free” but when I asked further was told that it was illegal software
• See if the freebies offered are worth it or if not, try to ask for a further discount if you don’t take the freebies

If you buy in bulk e.g. 2 you usually get a lower price. However, the EeePC was going for a standard (nearly) rate of RM1299 throughout the whole of Low Yat plaza for a 4G HDD unit with 512MB of RAM. An upgrade of RAM to 1G was RM60. So, you do the math.

Either way, its a cheap little portable PC and I’ll be reviewing it soon!

Not pictures of the sale.

There’s the FJ Benjamin Branded sale on this weekend. If you like La Senza, Guess, Banana Republic, Gap and Raoul make sure you head on down to Bangsar Village II in Kuala Lumpur (3rd Floor above MPH bookstores) to grab some deals.

I was there today. I thought prices were so so. Raoul ladies shirts were RM80, skirts were RM120 for 2, dresses were RM150 for 2 but designs were awful (to me). Banana Republic dresses were RM200, tops ranged from RM70-RM120. Gap jeans were RM120 and tops ranged from RM20-80 or so. La Senza had a good range of sizes for bras and panties this morning but I’m not sure how much is left.

There are loads of stuff, and loads of people and you don’t really want to be spending precious time in the queue for the fitting room when you can be digging through the piles of clothes for bargains right? So, here’s my tip for how to dress at a clothes warehouse sale.

• Wear a light or short skirt - it makes it easier for you to try on pants and jeans or skirts which you can slip on under the skirt in a quieter corner of the hall. A light skirt will help also when trying on a dress so it doesn’t look as bulky.
• Wear a light T-shirt or spagetti strap top - It makes it easier for you to slip on shirts and T-shirts and dresses don’t show up so bulky as well.
• Wear flats - It is easier to move around in flats or flip flops and it makes it easier to try on shoes. Besides, you’ll be  considerate to other shoppers who don’t like being stepped on with heels!

So, what did you get from the sales? Spill!

First we have the L’oreal consumer products sale (L’oreal, Garnier, Maybelline etc) and then the L’oreal luxury products sale (Lancome, Shu Uemura, Giorgio Armani etc) both of which feature cosmetics and perfumes in great profusion.

There is also a Metrojaya warehouse sale at which perfumes and cosmetics again are making an appearance.

If you are planning to go for either, I’d suggest you watch out for a few things (coming from a seasoned warehouse saler):-

• Expiry Dates -  There is a reason why products are so cheap at these sales. Some are very close to expiry. Remember that products like moisturiser and sunscreen degrade even if unopened and they lose their effectiveness once approaching their expiry date. So, always always check the expiry or best before date.
• Mascara – I’ve bought mascara at a L’oreal luxury sale twice. Both times, although I paid slightly below retail, what I got was dry gunk that did not work. Now, if this was at a counter, I could return it or exchange it as mascara wands should always be wet never dry. But since it was at a sale, I had to suck it up and watch RM50 fly out the window. Its an expensive lesson to learn. So, unless the mascara is shrink wrapped, I’d steer clear of it at a warehouse sale. I’ve seen girls take one and there and then open it up to check. To me, that is one of the sources of the problem, because opening it up introduces air that dries it out. So, I’d be leery of mascara.
• Discontinued Products - Warehouse sales are an opportunity for retailers to clear stock. Sometimes, these stocks include discontinued products. If they were just discontinued and relatively fresh, that’s fine. The problem is if they have been discontinued for years. I’ve seen it happen. Products discontinued in 2003 were still being sold in 2006. So, know your products. If it is super super cheap, there is a chance it has been discontinued and they are just trying to offload it as quickly as they can.

So, bear these thoughts in mind when you hit the warehouse sales this week. And above all, be early!

Happy sale-ing!