# Anything you wish you had stocked up on before the move?



## lutzkk (Aug 18, 2011)

Hello friends -

We are moving from the US to Dubai in August. Family of 4, including 2 young children. I've heard (and seen in the Dubai stores) that some items are much more expensive in Dubai and am thinking of "stocking up" on items via a Sam's Club run before the big move. I'm not talking about food of course, but is there anything you wish you had brought with you to Dubai because it is so much cheaper back in the states? A few things that have crossed my mind include linens, rugs, hair styling products, etc.

Anything come to mind?

Much appreciated,
K
:ranger:


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## Laowei (Nov 29, 2009)

lutzkk said:


> Hello friends -
> 
> We are moving from the US to Dubai in August. Family of 4, including 2 young children. I've heard (and seen in the Dubai stores) that some items are much more expensive in Dubai and am thinking of "stocking up" on items via a Sam's Club run before the big move. I'm not talking about food of course, but is there anything you wish you had brought with you to Dubai because it is so much cheaper back in the states? A few things that have crossed my mind include linens, rugs, hair styling products, etc.
> 
> ...


Patience, stock up on patience. Wish i had thrown the bird a few times at inconsiderate motorists with a smattering of choice anglo saxon words back in the UK just to get them out of my system!

Clothes are so much more expensive here than US, RL polo's as an example are around 130USD, Levi's 501's are around 150USD so any branded clothes for your family would be wise.


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## gemsy62 (Dec 23, 2011)

Clothes, bedding, curtains, all textiles basically, and yes hair products are a rip off here because only rubbish ones are available everywhere and you have to hunt for decent ones. Plus the humidity means you need so much more! 

Shoes if you are anything bigger than a 39, most places don't stock 40+ for women so its an absolute nightmare to get shoes


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## fcjb1970 (Apr 30, 2010)

I was just back home and went to Costco and was thinking to myself I wish I had a crate to carry stuff back. The staples that you use all the time (shampoo, moisturizer, razor blades, toothpaste, etc) are going to cost more here and you know they will get used, plus the brands you like may be hard to find. Good vitamins or other types of supplements cost an arm and a leg here, so if you use those I would stock up. I brought a years worth of vitamins back with me, they cost 1/4 (less actually) the price there.


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## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

Clothes, bedding and black out curtains. All little electronic gadgets you 'may' want before you go back home on your yearly vacation. 

Rugs are cheap here. 

Hair products will be the same brand but wont work the same. So stock up. 

If you like regional texas seasonings, buy them there. 

If you are going to send a container, then send a bbq grill over. They are ridiculous here.


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## ccr (Jun 20, 2010)

Jynxgirl said:


> All little electronic gadgets you 'may' want before you go back home on your yearly vacation.


Clarity on the above...

Just make sure the charger is not 110-only, then you will need to use converter.

TV / video need to be universal and not NTSC-only (US system), then you are stuck with watching the materials you brought for them.


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## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

ccr said:


> Clarity on the above...
> 
> Just make sure the charger is not 110-only, then you will need to use converter.
> 
> TV / video need to be universal and not NTSC-only (US system), then you are stuck with watching the materials you brought for them.


Sorry  mean little things. Like kindle, new unlocked cell phone, a laptop, little mp3 speaker thingy (WTF - 20$ in usa for good one and was like 200 dirhams here for same!!!!), and that kind of stuff. 

Oh, crock pot, espresso machine, george foreman, blender, kitchen aid mixer, etc is nice to bring if you have a container..... Just get a big transformer and use it for them when needed. The cost of an espresso machine here is the same price as you would pay to have decent enough quality of the entire group above plus other stuff. Is quite expensive for 'stuff'.


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## lutzkk (Aug 18, 2011)

Wow this is a great response. Thank you so much for your suggestions! What do you think is the best way to bring over the toiletries? In a checked bag? In the air shipment?


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## Canuck_Sens (Nov 16, 2010)

lutzkk said:


> Wow this is a great response. Thank you so much for your suggestions! What do you think is the best way to bring over the toiletries? In a checked bag? In the air shipment?


don't forget supplements (if you take them) and tylenol lol 

ohhh boy you know when you take Tylenol for a next day fix ? yeah you cannot find it here.


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## Felixtoo2 (Jan 16, 2009)

I may be wrong but I'm not sure Tylenol is a permitted drug here as its one of the ones I specifically have to avoid to pass my works drug and alcohol tests.


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## Canuck_Sens (Nov 16, 2010)

Felixtoo2 said:


> I may be wrong but I'm not sure Tylenol is a permitted drug here as its one of the ones I specifically have to avoid to pass my works drug and alcohol tests.


It is not commercialized here that I know cuz I asked in the pharmacy. Drugs are strictly regulated, but I brought some with me and no issues. I even imported supplements hehe


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## fcjb1970 (Apr 30, 2010)

Felixtoo2 said:


> I may be wrong but I'm not sure Tylenol is a permitted drug here as its one of the ones I specifically have to avoid to pass my works drug and alcohol tests.


Tylenol is acetaminophen, Panadol is paracetamol which is the same thing as acetaminophen, just called a different name in the US than it is in most of the rest of the world. Not sure how your company forbids you to use an over the counter drug. There is no marker in it that say it was Tylenol and not any one of the 100s of other brands of the same chemical formula


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## Bulls_96 (Apr 21, 2010)

This is a great thread!
I'm sooooo taking my Foreman grill now!


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## Maroonandwhite (Oct 19, 2011)

Alright, since grills pop up in all these threads-- is lump charcoal available? Or will I be limited to briquettes?


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## Maroonandwhite (Oct 19, 2011)

Is lump charcoal available, or will I be limited to charcoal briquettes?


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## BedouGirl (Sep 15, 2011)

You can buy charcoal here, there's no need to bring it with you.


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## Maroonandwhite (Oct 19, 2011)

Thanks BedouGirl. I'm specifically trying to find out if "lump charcoal" is available, which is quite different from the normal, uniform little squares of charcoal (briquettes). Certain charcoal grills require the former. I'm sure that seems ridiculously specific, but any Big Green Egg enthusiasts out there will sympathize with me!


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## scary (Apr 18, 2012)

wish we had brought a car or motorbike as Canada does not have Peugeot, Citroen or any of the little dinky cars you can get over there, also the cars here are built to be slower than the Uk cars.


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## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

Kidd Kraddick always talks about his Big Green Egg.... I love podcasts  

Never saw one in the uae....  So something tells me you will not find it. You would think that would be out here, as is quite expensive and exotic and IF ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD would love to blow a whole lot of money on something, it would be people in dubai. Maybe they have a distributor that you could get info on through the company directly. If someone should sell it, they would surely sell charcoal for it.


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## BedouGirl (Sep 15, 2011)

Maroonandwhite said:


> Thanks BedouGirl. I'm specifically trying to find out if "lump charcoal" is available, which is quite different from the normal, uniform little squares of charcoal (briquettes). Certain charcoal grills require the former. I'm sure that seems ridiculously specific, but any Big Green Egg enthusiasts out there will sympathize with me!


Because of the picture I had in my head, I googled it and I wasn't that far off . While googling, I checked Dubai and UAE to see if there is an agent here and there isn't! The place I think you could try contacting is Dubai Garden Centre http://www.desertgroup.ae/en/sectio...ai-garden-centre/dubai-garden-centre-overview

When I wanted a chimnea before anyone here knew what they were, DGC had one. They may be able to help you with the lump charcoal. Thinking about shipping it here, if it's treated with any flammatory products, then you could end up delaying your shipment, if you manage to get it into the container, I would speak with your shippers about it.


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## Bigjimbo (Oct 28, 2010)

Bring Night NUrse, by the casket load. If you get a head cold out here theres nothing similar...


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## BedouGirl (Sep 15, 2011)

Bigjimbo said:


> Bring Night NUrse, by the casket load. If you get a head cold out here theres nothing similar...


As I just discovered after living here for more than fourteen years and finding I needed it and couldn't get it!!


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## Val_TX (Mar 16, 2012)

Be sure to load Skype on any computer or better yet, download the Skype full setup file - 25 MB, make sure it's not the one that accesses the Internet to complete the download. Skype website is blocked in the UAE.

If you dye your hair, bring the hair color. Don't believe all the horror stories about bringing prescription medications on the Internet. I wish I had brought Mucinex, Ibuprofen, and supplements as was mentioned before. 

With the US exchange rate fixed at 3.67, I don't find that electronics or clothing are particularly expensive. Even salon products like Keratase cost here about the same as the US. I've had bad luck with transformers. I previously had bought a 220V heating pad on the Internet in the US, as I burned up several transformers and 110V heating pads in Europe. 

They use UK-style plugs and you can find the adapters everywhere. 

They have Gatorade here, I wish I had brought the powder, as the favors are different and the drink seems more syrupy. Also, cereal that your kids like - I can't find anything like Cheerios. They have Jif peanut butter and many other US brands.


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## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

It isnt that hard to get the work around to get to stuff that you cant get to, even once here but it sure is easier if you research about work around for the internet before coming over....


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## nite (Apr 11, 2012)

Protein, supplements, and vitamins are 5 - 10 x's the price even at GNC. Clothing is 5 x's the price. For example - a pair of crocs from crocs web site $25, pair of same crocs from mall here $80. Retailers feel that the GCC is the gravy train. Jewelry and high end luxury items can be a bit less here. For example gold, Rolex, Cartier, Louis V, etc are around the same price or slightly less with no tax. You will definitely need a step down converter as I am sure some of your electronics are 110 only. ALWAYS check the power supply before plugging ANYTHING in. Books - An average book in USA is $12 - 20, here $40 - 75, lol. Get a kindle and load it up, you'll save thousands if you read. Also remember, there are no refunds here, so if you buy something in Dubai, make sure you are 100% going to keep it.


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## Val_TX (Mar 16, 2012)

Ziplock bags. Does any place in the world sell them besides the USA?


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## BedouGirl (Sep 15, 2011)

Val_TX said:


> Ziplock bags. Does any place in the world sell them besides the USA?


Do you mean like the Glad and other brands you can get in the supermarkets here?


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## scschroder (Apr 1, 2011)

You do need to be careful bringing Mucinex and other medicines in. A good friend of mine arrived in January and her air shipment was delayed for a week because of her Mucinex. They ended up taking that and several other over the counter drugs. You might be better off to bring a few bottles in your checked bags when you fly over.

I brought over a ton of Crystal Light packages, hot chocolate, mac n cheese. Crystal light is the only thing that is very difficult to find here-and I've never seen the lemonade. I also bought a new set of sheets for all of our beds but we had an ocean shipment not an air shipment. You probably aren't bringing your beds over. 

You can find lots of American products over here you just have to pay a very high price for them. You will find that some items are worth it and some aren't.

Good luck with your move!!


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## Val_TX (Mar 16, 2012)

I would definitely only bring any medicines in checked or carry on bags and fly Emirates. I checked 7 boxes as excess baggage and passed through customs without a glance. The rules for air shipments are complicated now and in the end, the excess bag fees were worth having my relatively small amount of things arrive with me.


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## ccr (Jun 20, 2010)

Val_TX said:


> Ziplock bags. Does any place in the world sell them besides the USA?


We found them in all 6 countries we have lived in, they might be a different brand than what you are used to.


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## Bigjimbo (Oct 28, 2010)

BedouGirl said:


> Because of the picture I had in my head, I googled it and I wasn't that far off . While googling, I checked Dubai and UAE to see if there is an agent here and there isn't! The place I think you could try contacting is Dubai Garden Centre Dubai Garden-Centre » Desert Group
> 
> When I wanted a chimnea before anyone here knew what they were, DGC had one. They may be able to help you with the lump charcoal. Thinking about shipping it here, if it's treated with any flammatory products, then you could end up delaying your shipment, if you manage to get it into the container, I would speak with your shippers about it.


Proper lump charcoal is available in LULU hypermarket near Mall of Emirates.


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## Maroonandwhite (Oct 19, 2011)

Excellent news-- thanks for the charcoal update BigJimbo!


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## Bigjimbo (Oct 28, 2010)

Its a lot cheaper then the crappy bricqueetes things as well. Burns for 6 hours as well! Proper!


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