Groceries

There are many grocery stores around Jeddah.

Produce is seasonal and most groceries will have both produce imported from the US or Europe, and more locally grown. The price difference can be significant so double check that lettuce to make sure you is not buying the super expensive one!

Here is a list of the large supermarkets:

Star Market – This is inside Saudia City at the shopping complex just west of the water tower (inside the complex you will find a pharmacy as well). Star Market tends to have all the food staples you would need as well as produce that lasts longer than from some of the larger stores. Produce is seasonal and most groceries will have both produce imported from the US or Europe, and more locally grown. The price difference can be significant so double check that lettuce to make sure you’re not buying the super expensive one!

Danube - There are several locations with slightly different offerings; the closest one to Saudia City is on Rawdah Street (the street that borders Saudia City to the north).

Manuel’s – Several locations with more high-end grocery. They have a good variety of imported items. They also have a pretty good sized health food area.

Al Bashawat— Kind of a Saudi dollar store – more focused on household goods. Great for cheap items like party supplies, cleaning chemicals, soaps, tissue, plates, glasses, dishes etc.

Sarawat - International Market with a lot of Asian imports

Hyper Panda - There are several location and one is located near the current AISJ School with Better and bigger fruit section. Some imported items.

Star Market - Several locations across the city.

Lulu’s – Large grocery store with a huge produce selection

What’s for Dinner?

There are an overwhelming amount of restaurants in Jeddah that offer dine in, carryout, and delivery ranging from cheap street food to formal dining.

Dining In: Most Saudi restaurants are small and serve chicken and rice (kubsa). There are many American chains including Chili’s, Applebee’s, TGIFriday’s, McDonalds, Pizza Hut, PF Changs, Cheese Cake Factory, Shake Shack, Steak House, and Subways. You will also find Chinese, Thai, Indian, Sushi, Italian, Turkish, and Lebanese.

Restaurants are usually divided into family and “bachelor” sections. Most do not take reservations.

In smaller restaurants usually meant for take away you can get very cheap meals of famous middle eastern soul food, such as shawerma (similar to gyros), hummos, foul and tamis (bean dip and fresh flat bread hot from the tandoori oven), falafel, matabbak (folded thin pancakes with savory eggs or sweet banana fillings).

Food Delivery

You can get almost anything delivered in Jeddah (including McDonald's!) Many restaurants have delivery service which arrives within 30-45 minutes, unless it is a peak time on the weekend. Tipping of the delivery man is expected (5-15 SR) unless delivery is already included in the order (be sure to look when you order!)

These are the most popular online ordering apps:

• Hunger Station

• Hello Food

• Talabat

Tipping

It can be customary to tip service workers in Jeddah. The men and women who usually take on these jobs are paid very minimally, so your extra tip is very much appreciated. In Jeddah, you should often tip people that you may not be used to tipping in the US. For example, at the grocery stores, if someone bags your large basket of groceries, a 2-5 SAR tip would be greatly appreciated. If they carry your groceries out and load them in your car or taxi, approximately 10-15 SAR would be appropriate. For food deliveries, around 5 SAR would be appreciated. Tipping at restaurants is nice as well. A good amount is approximately 10% of your bill, though it’s not the cultural norm to tip, so anything is really appreciated.

Be careful with service workers as well. They will seem super helpful, wanting to carry your groceries out to the car, or your luggage around the airport. However, they aren’t doing this just out of the kindness of their heart, they are seeking a tip. If you don’t want to pay men at the airport for helping with your luggage, be careful to say no thank you, and walk away. If you do choose to hire them, you might pay 10-40 SAR depending on the load and distance. If they argue with you over the amount you have given (and many will), say you don’t have any more, walk away, and ignore them. They will get the idea and leave you be. There is no need to panic or argue over a tip. Just be firm and ignore them after you have paid. Ignoring is not considered rude here, it is customary if you don’t want something.

Housekeepers and Gardeners

Many people will choose to hire a housekeeper to come in to their home to clean/iron/laundry. You can hire them for a one time clean, weekly, or more often. Some have even got lucky enough to find a housekeeper that will also cook meals for them. The rate is about 25-35 SAR per hour for basic cleaning. Be sure to agree on a price. Some teachers will pay a monthly rate and others have found it easier to pay after each clean.

There are several gardeners around Saudia City who take care of many of our yards. They will also wash your car every morning if you ask. Prices greatly vary from 20-100+ a month, depending on what you want them to do.

--Do be aware that in the past, some gardeners have come to new hires' homes and tried to tell the people that they were the gardener for that villa and that you are now obligated to hire them and pay them a certain amount every month. THIS IS NOT TRUE. You are not obligated to hire them or pay them what they are asking. The best thing to do is tell them (if / when they come to your house) is ask them what they plan on doing, how much they are asking, and tell them you will speak with your colleagues and get back to them. At this time, please reach out to the Welcoming Committee for further information before committing to a price.

Here is a list of some well-known housekeepers and gardeners from past years.

Teaching Supplies

The school will provide each teacher with basic supplies. Many other teaching supplies can be found in Jeddah.

Jarir Book Store is one of the main suppliers.

Shopping

Every once in a while, everyone could use some shopping! Luckily, Jeddah has many enormous malls.

Some of the top malls in Jeddah are:

· Red Sea Mall

· Mall of Arabia

· Aziz Mall

· Mega Mall

· Roshan Mall

· Al Salaam Mall

· Andalus Mall

· Haifaa Mall

· Stars Avenue

· Falmingo Mall

· Al Jamea Plaza

· Al Tahlia Mall

· Jeddah Mall

· Heraa International Market

· Khayat Center

Shopping is a favorite pastime of the locals in Jeddah. As mentioned above, there are tons of malls in Jeddah. Locals like to escape the heat during the hot months and head to the air conditioned mall. There are often kids’ playgrounds and arcades in the malls as well.

Beyond malls, there are also many local Souks (open air markets). These are fun to shop at and put to use some of the haggling tips mentioned prior. Lots of fun things can be found at souks and often for much lower prices than you will find elsewhere.

Some popular souks:

Souk Shatee: Located at Malek Road. A big hodge-podge of stuff. Household stores, abayas, party stores

Filipino Souk – Alkhalidiya across from the Saudia City compound. Cheap clothing, barbers, falafel food stands, shisha stores.

Mahmoud Saeed (Furniture Souk) - Lots of odds and ends furniture and lots of rugs!, fun things to be found here and lots of haggling to be had. Childrens toys/bikes can be found here too.

Macarona Souk - Located on Macarona Street - Great abaya stores at low costs, fabric, some call it a women’s souk

Al Balad/Old Jeddah - Balad is a huge souk located in Old Jeddah. Women who go here might want to wear hijab (head scarf) when going here as it is more conservative than other areas of Jeddah. Youtube videos and staff at school can help you in learning out to wrap a scarf. You will find tons of things in this souk. Local trinkets, cell phones/electronics, plastics, clothing (Indian/Pakistani/Abayas). There is great architecture to look at here as well!

Abaya Shopping Tips:

● Abayas are easily purchased at souks (open markets)

● Prices can range from 80 SAR to up to 500 SAR (bargaining is acceptable)

● There are designers who will custom make abayas for about 500-700 SAR

● Abayas are full- length, but it is easier to keep them clean if they do not touch the floor

● Pockets are very helpful to have in an abaya

● There are pull-over, zipped or snap styles. Zipped versions are recommended for ease and modesty.

● Be sure to purchase a matching tarha (head scarf) which you should keep with you just in case

Abaya safety tips:

● keep abayas clear of escalators and elevator moving parts and doors

● keep abayas clear of car doors

● keep abayas away from open flames

Dry Cleaning

There are many dry cleaning services in Jeddah, with the closest one being on the Saudia City Compound. Costs are quite low for the services. They offer laundry services as well as dry cleaning and will also clean rugs and other large items.

• Pristine Dry Cleaning (Saudia City): +966122339400 Ext: 7578

Second Hand Shopping

There are a few places that you can find second hand (gently or not so gently used) items. There is a place we all like to call “the Thrift Store”. It’s real name is Taif Orphan Welfare Charity is located in the Khalidiya district right off Rawdah Street and it is located very near the Saudia City compound. It has things from toys to sports equipment, as well as furniture to clothes. Every time you go, there are new things to see. You have to try bargaining with them when you get the first price. But know that sometimes they are not willing to negotiate on an item.

There are also a few Facebook pages that people sell items on, similar to Craigslist. People will list items they are wanting to sell and you contact the owners. One page is titled Jeddah Yard Sale and the other is IKEA Yard Sale Jeddah.

How to Bargain/Haggle

Haggling is common practice at souks. When you ask how much, the price will typically be inflated, often by quite a bit. You can generally offer about 30-40% less than the initial price. With some practice, you will become quite good at this if you shop at souks often. Here are some starting out tips for successful haggling:

• Never accept the first price

• Carry small bills. If you haggle something down to half the price, but only have a huge bill, chances are this isn’t going to work out for you.

• Act indifferent to the purchase. When you show great interest, shopkeepers know they can get you for a higher price because you probably will take the item no matter what.

• Offer about 30-40% less than the original price as a starting point. They will often counter offer. You can either accept, or keep pushing for your first offer.

• If they won’t accept your offer, set the item down, say “that’s too much”, and walk away. Usually walking away will prompt them to say, “Okay okay” and negotiate better for you.

• Show the money. If you say, “I’ll give you 25 SAR” and actually show them the money and try to hand it to them, they likely won’t say no. Seeing the money in front of them makes them back down quite a bit. This is why it is helpful to have small bills on you.

• If you plan to buy many things, you can definitely haggle for a smaller price. Buying more things means ultimately more money for them, so they will negotiate easier.

• Accept a reasonable price. Decide in your mind what the item is worth. Don’t throw out a low offer for the sake of arguing. After all, these people are typically low income and are trying to support a family. The extra 20 SAR ($5) probably means a lot more to them then it does to you.

• If you like a store, be loyal to them. There are so many shops that sell the same thing, so find one you like and go there exclusively. They will typically remember you even on just the second visit. This prompts them to offer you even better prices the more you go because they know they are keeping you as a customer and you might even bring more people with you.