The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Finding a good bargain
entails finding quality goods at the lowest price. This isn’t an easy task in
Egypt, which is why shops like Akher El Ankoud in Genena Mall are usually
packed with fellow bargain hunters.

There isn’t anything that
this shop doesn’t sell. Apart from clothes, you’d find everything from hair
clips to stationery and decorations, with a whole floor dedicated to women’s lingerie
and kitchen supplies. Akher El Ankoud has so many unrelated sections that it
can be overwhelming to go through all of them in one day. However, the
highlight of the shop is that all these items are extremely affordable.

The first part of the
two-storey shop is like a haven of hair accessories with dozens of baskets full of
every shape and colour of hair clips and ribbons starting from as little as 3LE.
There a few plastic toys on display, but they don’t look like they would sustain tough usage,
though. Famous cartoon character race cars and outfits for kids can be found,
as well as educational toys such as the alphabet puzzle (15LE) and children’s
books (3LE).

Surrounding shelves
stock popular brands of hair creams and shampoos at prices that don’t vary much
from the standard market average. There’s also a selection of obscure makeup
brands at highly affordable prices (8LE for a tube of mascara) but of questionable
quality. That being said, you can get as many nail polish colours as you want for just 3LE
a bottle! The shop also has a large section of perfumes that range around 80LE
with sample bottles available.

The top floor hosts a
collection of cotton sports bras (15LE) and linen socks in different lengths
and materials (3.50LE). This floor is more spacious, giving shoppers more
privacy to browse freely through the items. It also has a collection of ceramic
coffee mugs (12LE) and a number of paintings with Koran verses or Pharaonic
icons that vary in prices from 25LE to 150LE depending on the size.

If you’re ever in
Genena Mall, you must pay Akher El Ankoud a visit. You’re bound to come out
with at least a few useful items at great bargain prices. You never know what
you might find there, and it’s safe to say that whatever you’re looking for,
they probably have it.