Why I shopped at Gitex

Why I shopped at Gitex

Gitex Shopper was perfectly tailored to make you spend money: it had fancy gizmos, dedicated sales teams, and a plethora of money-saving offers.

October 27, 2009 2:13 by Aarti Nagraj

I never wanted a laptop. With a PC in the office and one at home, I didn’t want to be anymore connected. But a few weeks ago, both my systems decide to have problems, and frustrated, I finally acknowledged the need for a laptop. And so my search began.

I had sort of decided on a Macbook from Apple last week, but its heavy price tag kept dissuading me. The saleswoman at one of the electronic stores I visited in the Mall of the Emirates calmly explained the features of a 13 inch Macbook Pro, but didn’t seem eager to sell it to me. The price was AED6,999, and they had no deals for it.

The hope for a good offer finally pushed me to visit the overcrowded Gitex Shopper at Airport Expo on Thursday. Somebody who had visited the exhibition recommended using the metro rather than take a car to avoid the traffic, but the journey was far from comfortable. It took me two hours to reach the exhibition from Dubai Media City, and by the time I squeezed my way into the actual hall, I was exhausted.

The crowd at Gitex Shopper almost convinced me that Dubai is on its way out of the financial crisis. While there were a lot of people randomly milling around, checking out gadgets and trying to win stuff, many people were also spending money. The sales staff at the counter was extremely enthusiastic – most of them young, good looking college kids earning AED60 per hour (by the end of Gitex, many of them made around AED5,000 each), and they looked quite busy.

Pages: 1 2 3 4

Tags: buy, crowds, Deals, Dubai, electronic goods, Gitex Shopper, laptop, Macbook Pro

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4 Comments

Karthik on October 27, 2009 2:51 pm

Congratulations! on your new Mac Book Pro. It’s worth every penny spent
Jasmine on October 28, 2009 6:56 am

Bravo! You actually picked it up! I’ve been thinking of getting a Mac desktop for quite a while now, and went to Gitex to either pick that up; or a new iPhone 3Gs.
Honestly though, after some basic research, I was so frustrated with the crowds and the smells, I just could not make myself buy anything. A friend mentioned the possibilies of getting faulty/faux products due to bulk buying that was taking place and I was out of there in minutes.
P.S. – Did you see the food court? It was HORRENDOUS!
John on October 28, 2009 8:19 am

oh…yeah…u were right….

i just went to look around and ended up buying a Lenova netbook from Jackys….eventhough my Office laptop and the home Laptop were just fine….

The reason…freebies!!

- External HDD
- HP Printer
- Anti-virus SW
- Cooling pad
- Headset
- Mouse
- Backpack
- Netbook Sleeve

Dunno whether it was worth it….

GITEX Shoppers was well-packaged to sell….i guess…

Everyone seem to be buying Laptops
Rohan on October 29, 2009 1:12 pm

This Gitex was a perfect way to make a fool of the patrons who visited. I draw your attention to the Blackberry offer, where they were offering a Blackberry Storm free on purchase of a Black Berry Curve. All this for a AED 2250. Interesting !! .Hell Yeah ! .What they offered you was a one month free service of BIS( Blackberry Etisalat Services) on your existing number plus the number they hand you over. Alas till this date the service has not started for me and I am sure this is the plight of 100 others who have opted for the same. When contacted plug ins ( the retailer), they pass the buck on Etisalat and vice versa.

The Gitex was nothing short of sham and a way to fool consumers by retailers like Plug ins and telecom operator Etisalat. Anyone having the similar experience are invited to pen thier angst.