thedrifter
08-27-07, 06:34 AM
Internet helps US Marines bargain for gold
By Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief
Published: August 26, 2007, 23:40
Manama: US Marines in Bahrain have turned into savvy shoppers, making knowledgeable use of the internet to compare products and prices, a leading jeweller has said.
"The perceived idea that the sailors are often gullible when it comes to buying gold is simply no longer true. We have noticed how most of them walk into the shops well aware of the gold and jewellery items and their prices. They tell us that they use the internet to read about them and about their prices in other countries. Making comparisons has become so easy for them," Nazim, from Al Sarraj Jewellery, on Sunday told Gulf News.
The jewellery expert said that the purchase is often made in less than ten minutes. "The customer knows exactly what he or she wants to buy and they do not waste time selecting or arguing about the price, like some other customers do," he said.
Traditional market
As the home to the Fifth Fleet, Bahrain regularly receives thousands of sailors who use their short breaks to visit gold and jewellery shops both in the souq, the traditional market, and shopping malls.
"The internet-based information is not of course limited to the sailors as many of the Westerners, particularly Americans, who live in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia and who come to Bahrain for the weekend, also walk into shops already knowing what to buy and exactly how much to pay," Nazim said.
Thousands of Saudi Arabians and Westerners drive over the 25-kilometre King Fahd Causeway linking the two countries to spend Thursday and Friday in Bahrain where a more relaxed lifestyle allows them to go to the cinema and entertainment facilities.
The trip is also used by families to purchase Bahraini gold, which at 21 carats, has a distinctive quality.
Ellie
By Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief
Published: August 26, 2007, 23:40
Manama: US Marines in Bahrain have turned into savvy shoppers, making knowledgeable use of the internet to compare products and prices, a leading jeweller has said.
"The perceived idea that the sailors are often gullible when it comes to buying gold is simply no longer true. We have noticed how most of them walk into the shops well aware of the gold and jewellery items and their prices. They tell us that they use the internet to read about them and about their prices in other countries. Making comparisons has become so easy for them," Nazim, from Al Sarraj Jewellery, on Sunday told Gulf News.
The jewellery expert said that the purchase is often made in less than ten minutes. "The customer knows exactly what he or she wants to buy and they do not waste time selecting or arguing about the price, like some other customers do," he said.
Traditional market
As the home to the Fifth Fleet, Bahrain regularly receives thousands of sailors who use their short breaks to visit gold and jewellery shops both in the souq, the traditional market, and shopping malls.
"The internet-based information is not of course limited to the sailors as many of the Westerners, particularly Americans, who live in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia and who come to Bahrain for the weekend, also walk into shops already knowing what to buy and exactly how much to pay," Nazim said.
Thousands of Saudi Arabians and Westerners drive over the 25-kilometre King Fahd Causeway linking the two countries to spend Thursday and Friday in Bahrain where a more relaxed lifestyle allows them to go to the cinema and entertainment facilities.
The trip is also used by families to purchase Bahraini gold, which at 21 carats, has a distinctive quality.
Ellie