Shopping in the Netherlands

Hi,

I love this question, as we will spend some days in Amsterdam in Jun.
I am waiting for answers :-)

bye
Dori

I still do most of my shopping at grocery stores.

But finally, after living here for years, I've finally started to frequent the little shops -- the butcher, fish store, baker, etc.

I still don't like the typically-longer waits at the kleine winkels, but the typically-higher level of service and quality (and reasonable prices) can be worth it.

I usually buy groceries at Albert Heijn, but the TenCate street market on Bilderkdijkstraat is great for produce, batteries, household items, flowers, cheese & just about anything else you might need. Since I live in the Jordaan, Elansgracht is my nicest, closest neighborhood shopping street, where I can stop in at the Rokerij coffeeshop before spending my euros.

Wordgeisha brings up some good points. It's both a choice of what shopping areas you want, and which specific stores.

A general statement: Customer service in the Netherlands is much, er, different from what it is in the U.S. Sales people in stores here see themselves as a partner in a transaction, not as someone /serving/ you. The result is that Americans often feel like they're getting crummy service when shopping here, particularly when having to bag their own groceries at the grocery store.

An American In Amsterdam
anamericaninamsterdam.wordpress.com

Hi,

When IŽm shopping for clothes, shoes, etc., I usually go to Utrecht. The indoor shopping mall is attached to the train station, so itŽs pretty easy to get there. The outdoor centre of Utrecht starts right at the end of the indoor shopping mall.

For food and stuff like that I recommend C1000 and Albert Heijn.

Does someone have any experience in Leiden? What the shopping like there?
What does an average person use in (us doallars) on food each month?
What is the avearge rent for a 2 - 3 bedroom appartment or for a house?
What is the cost of buying a house in Leiden?
Anyone knows?