Prague

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Shopping tips and trends

Shopping in Prague is still enough of an adventure to provide that frisson of the ’recently Cold War state shop‘ experience. Although you can find just about anything you need at just about any time during traditional hours, you‘re still bound to encounter clerks who telegraph their ennui so effectively that it‘s easy to lose the will to live yourself (or so it seems if your quest takes you to more than two places).

The trick is to seek out the quirky, wonderful shops on sidestreets – a diverse selection of which is made in these pages – and only hit the crystal and puppet shops if you must (there’s no getting around the quintessential Czech-ness of either, nor any argument with the quality, unless you get stuck with overpriced ordinary glass). The true joy is to find yourself off the main drag, in dusty old shops, where you may still come across vintage prints and books, quaint lace and objets or other treasures yet to be discovered.

 

English is spoken, if sometimes begrudgingly, at just about all shops in the centre of Prague, and credit cards are in widespread use these days, though you’ll probably find welcoming smiles and ‘How may I help you?’s fairly rare.

The communist customer service mentality is steadily changing, make no mistake, and shops also have longer opening hours now than those you’ll find outside the touristy areas. But straying even a little outwards may mean shops that close at noon on Saturdays, and don’t open at all on Sundays.

The majority of the big stores are multinationals, come in to spruce up the shopping scene. They’ve found a welcoming public, especially for the clothing shops that sell inexpensive but trendy gear. The average Czech salary is still low compared with other European countries, and retailers are mindful of their market. The shopping mall concept has been extremely well received, with mammoth ones spread around the outskirts of town. Smaller ones can be found at Palác Flora and Nov≈ Smíchov Centrum, where half the fun is watching newly flush Czech consumers looking as content as you’ll ever see them.

With the influx of outsiders, some local shops are feeling the pinch, notably the neighbourhood potraviny or grocery store. As in the rest of the world, the massive hypermarkets, and even the more reasonable-sized supermarkets, have been slowly easing these corner shops out of business. Meanwhile high-end retailers such as Louis Vuitton, Hugo Boss, Christian Dior and Versace have all picked up on the high demand for status items in the Czech Republic and opened branches in Prague.

Of course, there’s no practical reason to hit these stores here, where goods are no cheaper and the catalogue’s quite a bit thinner. Knock-offs of these brands have followed right behind; many filling street markets are full of shoes, purses and the like, sporting the look and the ‘label’. Often enough, Czech celebs can be spotted picking up the copycat goods, which can still usually pass muster at social gatherings at this stage of the game.

When entering a shop, the clerk will ask ‘Máte p¡ání?’ (‘Do you have a wish?’). While ringing up your purchases, they may ask ‘Je∫tê nêco?’ (‘Anything else?’) or ‘V∫echno?’ (‘Is that all?’). Say ‘Kolik to stojí?’ to find out what something costs.

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