Forget about the odd mall or department store, the real business of buying and selling takes place on every street corner or in one of the cavernous bazaars of Bhuleshwar and Kalbadevi. Leave your credit card behind, take a deep breath and plunge straight in. The biggest of these enormous bazaars is Crawford Market, where the shopkeepers perch vertiginously atop piles of fruit and vegetables. The central animal market is a real Noah's Ark, and you can even escort your doomed purchase to the nearby meat market for slaughter, although less hardened carnivores should make straight for Mangaldas Market instead. This is where Mumbaikars choose from the dazzling array of fabric and material, from the finest silk saris to raw cotton.
Shopping is serious business here and speedy transactions are unheard of.
No money changes hands before many cups of chai are consumed and dozens of prices are ritually offered and scorned by both parties. Much doleful sighing and sad head shaking from both parties must accompany the serious haggling before the deal is struck and everyone parts the best of friends. Get a local tailor to make an impeccable copy of a favourite garment from your new material, or go native and get fitted for some floaty shalwar kameez or kurta pyjamas. Pick up some stylish sandals from Kemp's Corner, or get a cobbler to make them to your own design. Brave the machinegun-wielding guards at Zaveri bazaar or the glittering 'TBD' store at the old Opera House and accessorise your new outfit with some seriously glamorous jewellery.