Hypermarkets

Instead of Safeway, Wal-Mart and Target, Abu Dhabi has Carrefour, Abela, Abu Dhabi Cooperative, and other superstores.  People call them hypermarkets because they sell a blend of food and consumer products.  Carrefour is actually a large French chain, and there are three stores here in Abu Dhabi.  Patrick and I ventured over to the one located in the Marina Mall, which is also home to IKEA.  Carrefour was completely overwhelming - it was enormous, there were people everywhere, and you can buy just about anything you want, from produce, meat, and seafood to iPods, DVDs, and home appliances. It even has its own Dunkin Donuts and Baskin Robbins. 

Looking for a screwdriver in one of the aisles, we came upon a young man dressed in a long white robe wearing an American University hat.  Patrick of course strikes up a conversation, and it turns out that grew up in Abu Dhabi and recently graduated from AU where he studied economics.  He now works at an Abu Dhabi company that promotes economic development in the UAE.  We were sure to get his card. After shopping for some fruit and water, we waited for a cab for about 45 minutes. We had heard that cabs are hard to get at the end of the day, especially at the Marina Mall, which is situated on a little island at the end of a long bridge.

The Abu Dhabi Coop is a bit different than Carrefour - it sells mostly food and doesn't have as many Western brands (or Western shoppers, for that matter).  However, it did have two aisles dedicated solely to "chocolates" so I was happy about that!  This store is in the Abu Dhabi Mall right next to our hotel, so I stocked up on cereal bars, fruit, and water for our room.

We have yet to check out the Abela superstore and the Spinney's supermarket, which is supposedly a favorite among the Brits.