Why I Enjoy Shopping in Johannesburg More Than I Expected

I really enjoy shopping in Johannesburg hey. It wasn’t always the case, and it’s not the things that people usually talk about. Let me explain. The first time I went to Jozi, I had heard that they have a lot more shopping options because most big brands open there first and so you naturally have a larger variety.

My Experience Shopping in Johannesburg

So I went for the most touristy shopping experience, the mall of Africa. I really enjoyed the structure of the mall and the outdoor space, and they did have a few more brands like Gap and a Decathlon store and stuff but it wasn’t as amazing as everyone made it seem, because Cape Town also has a loooot of shopping options especially if your budget is very high.

Most recently, though, when I went to Joburg, I enjoyed shopping so much, and it’s because I refused to go to Mall of Africa for shopping (no hate MoA :P). I realised that not only does Joburg really have more store options, from brands like Mango and local artisans like MaXhosa, but also in stores, they’ve got more options than you would get even if the store existed in Cape Town.

A very clear example is Walmart, which is comparable to PnP Hyper or Makro, right? So many more options of basic things than I’ve seen before. Coffees, mayonnaise, the most random things, and these weren’t necessarily American products.

Even in clothing stores, there is so much more variety in the style of clothing. I might walk into a store and not like one thing, but like others which isn’t always the case in CT. So Uniq for example, a much bigger store in Joburg and so many more options, and overall a nicer design experience too!

And then of course, the malls are just fancier haha. The organisation, the way they’re made inside and outside, screams fancyyy.

Is this something you’ve felt?

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