Houston Shopping Guide
Houston is a great place to shop. There are many different malls and shopping centers that make indoor and outdoor shopping very enjoyable. The variety and choice of goods is endless as Houston offers anything from department stores, furniture stores, grocery stores, clothing stores, book stores and so on.
Houston offers some of the best shopping in the world with many exclusive stores that only have selected locations such as NY, London, Shanghai and Paris. The Galleria mall is known for its high-end stores that satisfy the desire for luxury items with stores such as Gucci, Neiman Marcus and Sax Fifth Avenue.
Overall, Houston is a city with average prices, possibly below the national level. Goods range in all levels of quality and prices. Some areas with low socioeconomic populations are characterized by Dollar Stores (everything is less than a dollar) while other areas have an abundance of luxury item stores, such as the Galleria and River Oaks area.
Houston is full of culture and has something for every taste and offers a great choice of homeland groceries for foreigners. Houston also has a Chinatown in southwest Houston with many inexpensive stores that carry fashion jewelry, handbags and clothes.
Shopping is also made easy as opening hours are very convenient and this is something that expats get quickly used to. Most stores are open seven days a week including holidays, with long hours that allow plenty of shopping after work. Grocery stores are often 24/7 depending on location. Malls and shopping centers are open all weekend.
Shopping is also convenient as most stores have their own parking lots. Houston was built for cars and it is assumed that most Houstonians use their vehicle to go shopping rather than public transit and it shows when looking at shopping center layouts and stores as most are set back from the street behind some type of parking lot. Downtown has many parking garages and community lots that can be utilized when shopping there. Mall and shopping center parking lots are huge and generally safe with security guards on duty and plenty of lighting.
