Saturday 29 June 2013

Shopping in Venice: fun and tips for the tourists

Each time we write an article about shopping, some of our readers ask us if we bought something. Most of the time the answer is no, but in Venice we bought carnival masks. A souvenir to hang on the wall of our living room.

On the first picture you see the S. Marco street where many top fashion brands are located like Prada, Versace and Louis Vuitton. Japanese tourists were buying in these shops but we just smiled when we saw these prices. There was one shop where the total outfit for a lady with blouse, jacket, trousers, shoes, scarf and a handbag was priced above 12.000 euro. Who buys these things?

We were more interested in the local products like a pen with coloured feather, the Venetian bear, Murano glass, coloured pasta, lace, gloves, masks…. I had to stop in the Ferrari shop and Kristel at an outdoor selling point for handbags. It was certainly a shopping experience.

A few tips for the interested buyer. Always ask the price first. A month ago a tourist had to pay 64 euro for 4 ice cream cones, he called the police. Second tip, when you buy something take the receipt with you, the tax inspection could ask you the receipt in the street, when you do not have it, you get fined. Third tip: when you want to buy something, buy it immediately, don’t come back, the risk is high that you will not find the shop back in the maze of Venice alleys.

Iedere keer als we een artikel over winkelen publiceren vragen er enkele van onze lezers of we iets gekocht hebben. Meestal is het antwoord neen, maar hier hebben we Venetiaanse maskers aangeschaft als souvenir en muurdecoratie voor onze woonkamer. 

Op de eerste foto zie je de S. Marco straat waar vele top modemerken gevestigd zijn zoals Prada, Versace en Louis Vuitton. Veel Japanse toeristen kopen in deze winkels maar wij hebben eens gelachen toen we de prijzen zagen. In een etalage stond een mannequin pop met kledingvoorbeeld voor een vrouw omvattende een bloes, jasje, broek, sjaal en handtas. De totaalprijs was boven de 12.000 euro. Wie koopt er deze kledij? 

Wij waren meer geïnteresseerd in lokale producten zoals schrijfpennen met gekleurde veren, de beer van Venetië, Murano glas, gekleurde pasta, kant, handschoenen, maskers.... Ik wou de Ferrari winkel binnen gaan en Kristel in een verkooppunt voor handtassen. Het was een leuke winkeldag. 

Enkele tips voor kopers. Eerste tip, vraag altijd eerst de prijs. Een maand geleden diende een toerist 64 euro te betalen voor 4 ijshoorntjes, de man belde de politie. Tweede tip, vraag altijd een rekening, belastinginspecteurs kunnen jouw rekening vragen als je de winkel verlaat, kan je die niet voorleggen krijg je een boete. Derde tip, als je iets mooi ziet en je wil het kopen, doe dit dan onmiddellijk, het risico is hoog dat je de winkel niet meer terug vindt in dit doolhof van smalle steegjes.. 
 
Shopping in Venice

Shopping in Venice Feathered Pen

Shopping in Venice Bear

Shopping in Venice Murano Glass

Shopping in Venice Murano Glass

Shopping in Venice Pasta

Shopping in Venice Gloves

Shopping in Venice Extreme clothing

Shopping in Venice Versace

Shopping in Venice Prada

Shopping in Venice Louis Vuitton

Shopping in Venice Ferrari

Shopping in Venice Lace

Shopping in Venice Handbags

Previous Venice article: San Glacometo church and Arte Musica, Venice

Previous Shopping article: The historic trade importance of the Grand Bazaar, Istanbul

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12 comments:

  1. Héérlijk shoppen... !
    Lie(f)s.

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  2. Lovely.
    Kristel, did you buy a handbag? Something you bought, at least, I'm sure... :)
    Regards

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  3. Lots of tempting things! I think I would have bought the mask as well.

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  4. I think you got the best souvenirs! I personally find that too many shops destroy the ambiente of this magical place...greetings from bella Sardegna!

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  5. Wonderful photos! I would love to visit Venice one day.

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  6. It looks like a fun place for shopping. I Like the venetian glass. however, I rarely get sucked into buying anything on holidays as it is always expensive, weighs the suitcase down and is rarely used when you return home. I would rather spend on tours and experiences. Must say though we are softies for buying caps. We have a collection of caps from around the world.

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  7. Oh you are sooooo right about probably not finding a shop if you want to come back. Those mazes of streets are mind boggling. But oh so very interesting too. FYI, the only thing I bought in Venice were masks too :)

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  8. O my gosh -- I would have maxxed out several credit cards on this trip. Those mushroom lamps are adorable!

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  9. I like window shopping! (Easier on my wallet).

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  10. ik zie paar leuke dingen als souvenir, maar ook kitsch. Het is wel altijd leuk om in deze soort winkels te neuzen. Bedankt voor je tips. De Maskers voor de woonkamer zien we zeker nog een keer als ze aan de muur hangen?. Groetjes, Dietmut

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  11. I love what you said about not being able to find the shop again. I was fascinated by a shop that was filled with beads from Murano, and had quite a time finding it. Those streets are like a maze. I also bought a pen when i was there which I just love ! Bet your carnivale masks are amazing. I found those very interesting and so beautiful

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