Yarn Over Because It's Market Friday!

Hello, Weekend!

It's Friday, and it's time for another #marketfriday. Today I want to share about how I think I finally found my new yarn haven. Sometime back, I shared the crafts shop my daughter and I found. It is really an all-in-one shop for crafters and a yarn haven for crocheters!

Just see these balls of yarn -- different colors, materials and sizes! I love that we are able to touch and feel the different yarns as they are on an open display shelf. It is good for me as someone new to the craft because I do not have any idea how each type of yarn differs from the other.

_{Yarns on display.}

Given this, after coming here one time, I did not go back again. Why? I thought the yarns are more expensive than they would be somewhere else. The prices are fixed and you cannot ask for a discount!

Any Discount?

Yes, I am someone who does not shy away from asking for discounts whenever I can. That is also something I learned living in Abu Dhabi for a long time already. Many areas here would be known to have shops after shops selling the same goods, so you can easily bargain for the best price. For example, there is a street where the whole block would be lined with computer shops, or hardware tools and materials, or gold and jewelry. When buying something, especially when shops selling the same goods are next to each other, a customer has a "bargaining power". I take that anyway I can. LOL.

Going back to the yarn... a few taps on my mobile phone led me to a link to Malik & Shaheed store. It's the number 2 recommendation by Google when you type "yarns Abu Dhabi". The shop I mentioned above came in first.

Malik & Shaheed Store is located at Madinat Zayed area, just behind the Madinat Zayed Shopping Centre. I know there are lots of textile shops around this area, but this one sells mostly threads and yarns, buttons, etc. Parking is particularly easy in the morning, though at night, this area could be very busy.

Unlike the other shop though, the yarns here are placed behind a glass counter. You have to ask the store attendant to show you the yarn that you need. That's not a problem because the attendant is very accommodating.

Price-wise, they are almost cheaper by almost half compared to shop #1. The same yarn at the right is priced at Dh 15 at shop #1. But wait, there's more! The attendant at Malik & Shaheed even reduced the price by Dh2. See how he crossed the original price and wrote Dh 6? Okay, I found a new friend already!

I also bought a chunky yarn tagged at Dh 15 which he gave me at Dh10. That's Dh5 discount! Now, I need to get his name next time I go there, so we'd be on first-name-basis already. Haha.

When done getting all the items I need, the attendant would put them in a plastic bag and write the total price on it so the cashier would know how much to take.

One time, I bought yarn for hubby (he got jealous and would like to try crocheting too!), and I was not sure if I took the right color. I asked my new friend if I can exchange the item if ever, and he said it's okay if I do so within 2 days. Fair enough.

What's shopping without a discount, right?

Anytime we shop, we look for the red tag, wait for a sale or whatnot. But when these are not available, you have to be ready with your "bargaining superpowers" especially in this part of the world. Asking for a discount (or a freebie) is totally acceptable (well, not in malls or some big shops) but of course, be reasonable too.

At the end of the day, we'd love to get more value for our money while the shop owner needs sales.

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_{This is my contribution to @dswigle's #marketfriday initiative.}

_{Rules of the Road
Go to the market, or anywhere that you pay money for a service.
Take pictures! Be creative (or not, we don't judge!)
Tell us a little bit about the market, what brought you here?
Post the picture(s)
Use the MarketFriday Community Platform to post #hive-196308
Drop the link into this MarketFriday post.}