Shopping in Malaysia

Malaysia is a genuine shopper's paradise. Many popular international brands have their stores in one of the malls in Malaysia. Products range from luxurious designer clothing and accessories to exclusive bags, watches, trendy footwear and every type of electronic equipment imaginable. There are over 50 big shopping malls in Malaysia; greater Kuala Lumpur already has well over 20 malls in total with most of them concentrated within the Golden Triangle (nearby Bukit Bintang). Some malls attract over 3 million visitors per month. Shopping is the favorite pastime of Malaysians; shopping malls are especially packed during weekends, public holidays and school holidays. Roads leading towards the malls are then often congested; there are also heavy traffic jams around closing time as everybody leaves the mall around the same time.

Shopping malls in Malaysia usually follow the same format; every mall contains numerous floors with stores. The lower floors have the most popular international brands; usually fashion brands. The higher floors often contain IT shops (gadgets/computers) and specialty stores. There is also often a cinema, food court and supermarket located somewhere within the mall. Shopping malls in Malaysia are usually opened to public between 10am and 10pm; restaurants are often opened until midnight or even later.

A couple of times per year there are sales at every shopping mall in Malaysia. Tourism Malaysia always uses this to attract more tourists to the country; they have named it 'Mega Sale'. There is one mega sale around Christmas and one around Merdeka (independence day) in August every year. Mega Sales usually last up to two months. For most tourists shopping in Malaysia is already quite affordable due to the conversion rates of their own currency to the Malaysia Ringgit. During these shopping sales there are discounts up to 90% in many stores. Bargaining is usually not the best option in modern shopping malls, but you may always ask for a better price.

At some destinations within Malaysia you can shop without paying taxes on the products. These duty-free zones are Langkawi Island, Tioman Island and Labuan Island. Products that are especially cheap in these places are tobacco, alcohol, chocolate and perfumes.

On this page:

 

Shopping malls in Kuala Lumpur

 

Shopping malls in Penang

 

 

Shopping malls in Langkawi