So, shoot me for being shallow but one of the best things about India is the shopping and the CCIE in Delhi is a fantastic place to start and finish a holiday in Northern India. Let me explain. If you are new to India go along to the CCIE and get an idea of the quality of product and typical prices. Then armed with this sort of info, you can go off to the little shops and street hawkers and have a fair idea of the prices you want to beat and the product quality to aim for. Then, at the end of you trip, go back and buy all the stuff you fell in love with on your first visit and couldn't find after.
The store is laid out over 5-6 levels. It has a fantastic range of products - from carvings and curios, through pictures, household (look out for the block printed cotton bedspreads), clothes, leather goods, and so much more. Bank on having an afternoon here and don't book anything for afterwards - it will take you longer than you think.
They run an excellent system for your purchases. As you go round the shop you pick up the things you like, take them to the nearest counter and they give you a receipt. When you have finished, you take all the receipts to the basement and pay for all the items together. Then you go to the collection point and everything is waiting for you. So you don't have to struggle round the shop trying to carry everything.
You can even get a cheap coffee and sandwich on the way round.
The prices are all fixed and fair. A lot of money goes back to the communities that make the products. You can get things cheaper elsewhere - but you can also get really ripped off too. At the CCIE you know the prices - you don't have to go through 3 cups of tea and an hour of negotiation to buy something. There are people to help but nobody nagging or hovvering over your shoulders. Nobody is getting commission on what you pay.
Watch out when trying to get a taxi or rickshaw. Some of my friends have been taken to other shops by unscrupulous drivers who wanted commission. As a general note, never 'let' anyone take you into a store in India - they can get up to 30% commission on everything you buy even if all they did was walk you into the store. The guys on the street saying 'let me take you to my uncle's emporium' are just chancers out for commission. This includes some tour guides - so if you see something you like in a store, go back later without any 'guide' or helper and tell the shop 'I've come in on my own so there's no commission to pay, now tell me your really best price'.
CCIE is easy to find. Just off Connaught circle, past a row of little shops and opposite the Imperial. Just make sure you are in the right place. Mumbai also has a cottage industries that's quite good. The one in Chennai isn't worth bothering with. Also watch out for the regional cottage industry shops nearby in Delhi- these are less fixed with their prices and more expensive
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