Saturday, January 30, 2010
Alkhobar's ukay-ukay: The treasures lie beneath
To find the treasures of ukay-ukay, you need to have patience and a good eye for what's cool and hip.
Confession: I buy from ukay-ukay.Three Christmasses ago, I bought a red maong jacket which I used in a motiffed party with friends. A friend saw it and loved it. I lied and I said I bought it from Gap. He gladly accepted it as a gift.
Some years ago, I purchased an almost-new Lands' End long sleeves shirt colored baby blue for SAR20. I only let go of it -- after around two years of use -- when I noticed that the collar was tattered due to over-use.
Last Friday, I re-ventured the ukay-ukay in Alkhobar to admire its many offerings, and I admit that there were some items that caught my fancy. Hey, who wouldn't love t-shirts for SAR1 each, shorts for SAR5, jeans for SAR15, winter jackets for SAR25!
During Friday afternoon, ukay-ukays become a hub for Filipinos coming from various areas in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.
Most ukay-ukay stores in Alkhobar are ran by Afghans. In one of the photos below, you will meet Faisal, an Afghan proprietor of one of the decent ukay-ukay store in the area. Some Filipino also work as part-timers in these ukay-ukay stores, earning SAR50 for a four-hour work on a weekend.
Next time, perhaps I could give you a glimpse of some of the 'best buys' in ukay-ukay, i.e. excellent items with their unbelievably low prices.
Hey Nebz kala ko nagbago ka na? Joke... Nakita ko na naman ang lagi kong dinadaanan patawid sa highway. kakamiss din ang khobar. Yun nga lang medyo wala akong makita jan sa ukay-ukay na size 28 or 29 kadalasan malalaki.
Tanghaling tapat ba yan kinunan sa taas? Wala man lang katao-tao o baka nakapila na lahat sa jollibee.
parang familiar ang lugar na toh, lagi ko rin yatang pinpuntahan to ah. hhehe. I love the display of trophy at the sidebar. Promise! I took a screenshots. hehe
Nelson: 28 or 29 ka! Whew! That was my size five years ago. Now, I think I'm 32-33-ish. Nakakahiya.
Kenjie: Dinampot ko lang yan sa FB ni Roli. Di ko pa rin nakukuha ung trophy sa kanya.
Nebz, I always pass by that area going to our favorite Thai resto - Phuket - but never really stopped to look at the merchandise. I should go there next time to see what they have.
Thanks for sharing.
MERON din ukay ukay sa france, due to influence of some cultures and im one of them that would buy some.
Dito na lang, labanan ng best brands, louis vuitton, gucci ralph laurent united colors of benetton.
Minsan jackpot na 5 euro lang, best brand,kasi hindi ata alam ng nagtitnda LOL
Ako alam mo kasi ganun mga suot ng employers ko haha,
kaya chanel shoes orig nasa 350pesos lang, sus, bilhin ko nga 3.
Eh 10Kpesos isa nun! maganda pa, hindi gaanong used!
nebz, ty sa proposal of blog makeover. You are the best!
Ang mga pambahay kong shorts at T-shirts dito sa Au binili lahat sa Mlang, Cotabato; 'inukay' ng aking ina. She has the patience and the good eye na sinasabi niyo.
In the case of Alkhobar, hindi siya 'ukay-ukay', it's 'hanged'! Maayos na naka-hanger ang mga treasures!
Malinis ang street.
I bet there's also ukay ukay in the UAE. But I have no personal account to share (yet). I remember buying from ukay ukay in Legaspi (Albay) ages ago. A bag, wallet and a jacket.
I also go to ukay-ukay if I need working clothes. Mura na, matibay pa! Pero ingat, ibabad mo muna sa kumukulong tubig bago labhan. Just to make sure. We don't know where it came from.
Familiar sa akin to yang place! Diyan ako bumili ng sleeveless shirt na may print na Skull, na pang Holloween!But that was years ago.
@Keith: D bagay sa u.Masyado kang pogi para pumunta sa ukay-ukay.Hehe.
@Francesca: Louis Vitton sa ukay-ukay?Whew!Baka made in China? About the proposal, email mo lang sa akin ung gusto mo and I'll tweak it 4u.
@RJ: Wala ba sa Australia nito? Actually, RJ, hindi ko pinuntahan ung loob dahil nandoon talaga ang hahalukaying mga damit. Pero in fairness, nakaayos nga ang karamihan d2. Parang Surplus Shop sa Pinas -- nakahanger na maayos ang mga damit.
@Jo: I haven't tried buying from ukay-ukay in Pinas. E madalas naman kc rn ang sale sa mga malls. Like sa Pinas lang ako makakabili ng Next t-shirt at PHP100. Kaya d ko na kailangan pang pumunta sa ukay-ukay. Will try it though on my next vacay.
@Ed: Wina-washing machine ko sya in hot water. Tapos babad sa sabon for 1 day, and then hot water wash ulit. I'm sure with that process, patay na ang kung anumang nakakapit sa damit. (Minsan dinadasalan ko rin dahil baka yumao na ang may-ari. Kidding).
JVC: Malinis na bahagi ito ng ukay-ukay sa Khobar. There's an old section of ukay-ukay pero I don't get there anymore because the smell's not good.
Kahit saan pala may ukay ukay, dito rin meron pero mahal pa rin ang nabili ko lang na used dito ay yun snowboard. Pag damit kasi mahal pa rin dito kaya sa Pilipinas na Lang ako bumibili mas mura pa. Di ba kumakapit ang mga putok sa damit? Hehe
worth to buy kaya lang ay talagang kahit over used ay nakapila parin sa hanger. bakit wala ako sa pictures? :)
Merong ukay ukay dito at isa ako sa mga parokyano na tuwing Friday ay dumarayo dito. Marami na rin akong napamiling gamit, mula sa mga personal tools, damit at sapatos.
Let us be practical, kaya nga nasa abroad para kumita at magtipid.
Thanks for this post Nebz.
Dami nga kabayan diyan nagsisiksikan pag friday... nadadaanan ko rin yan everytime I go to Ramah to buy some supplies...
saan banda ang ukay-ukay diyan sa Khobar at saka sa Dammam? thank you po.
Please reply on this email rnld_aj@yahoo.com
thank you ulit.
Maraming branded na ukay2x sa Saudi?