Salwa market a haven for thrifty shoppers

The vegetable market bustles with activity. PICTURE: Najeer Feroke

By Joey Aguilar/Staff Reporter

For budget conscious Doha residents, the vegetable and fish market in Salwa remains the ideal place to buy fresh food items.

A box of broccoli which costs about QR23, for example, translates into a savings of QR4 or QR5 compared to the price in some hypermarkets. Vegetables such as the local lettuce cost about QR10 for a pack of six, again QR4 cheaper.

“I save about 20 to 30% or even more because I am a regular customer so the traders often given me discounts,” said a Filipino mother who buys vegetables in bulk.

Besides saving more money, she likes to cook fresh veggies for their Friday lunch at home together with her two kids and husband.

“I spend these savings for my shopping in malls,” she quipped. “Let’s say I save an average of QR15 per week, well, that gives me QR60 per month, right?”

With a variety of green and other leafy vegetables displayed in every stall, the place is a sure hit to health-conscious individuals and of course, to vegetarians.

Many small groceries in Doha selling different kinds of vegetables also get their items from the same market.

Michael, a marathoner, said it was his first time to visit the market. He is not a vegetarian but based from what he learned from his colleagues, vegetables (especially bitter gourd) and meat are a good combination especially when taken without eating rice.

Michael also bought for lunch two pieces of sherry fish for QR10 and a kilo of mackerel for QR7 at the nearby fish market.

A lady told Gulf Times that she saves about QR1 to QR2 per kilo but depending on the type of fish she buys.

“I bought a big hamour for just QR80, which is way less than what I would have to pay elsewhere,” she said.

But for other fish like tilapia, sherry, sea bass, and barracuda, she prefers to buy them in the hypermarket. Because, “they clean it faster and it is free of charge”. “While waiting, you can roam around for a couple of minutes and get other grocery items”. At the fish market, a fee of QR1 per kilo is being charged for those who want their fish to be cleaned.

The place is also popular with many low income and construction workers who need to live on a shoestring budget. A group of five workers rode in their company bus at 6am to reach the market early, said they usually cook a few kilos of fish for at least eight to 10 persons at the camp.

“With a delicious soup on the table, we eat more and at the same time save more by eating in group,” they added.