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Shopping

  Atlanta, Shopping

Native Atlantans’ passion is their home and the suburbs abound with ways of spending money on it. From huge DIY emporia where anything from a complete Jacuzzi to a water garden might catch the eye (and break the bank balance) to food marts, all are full of gadgets, decorations and embellishments for the home. For those living in mock Colonial houses in the wooded northern suburbs, antiques are an essential part of the decor and these districts have a selection of antique and mock‐antique shops. To live in these superbly adorned palaces, one must look the part and clothes shopping, beauty salons and hairdressers rank second.

The suburbs of Virginia Highlands and Little Five Points have shopping districts of individual stores; Buckhead’s east and west villages possess an array of art galleries and boutiques, Bennett Street is filled with antiques and reproductions at almost feasible prices.

Malls are by far the most convenient place to spend time and money shopping; most have generous parking, a cinema and restaurants. The larger and more varied are Lenox Square (Peachtree Street and Lenox Road), with the MARTA Lenox Station adjacent. The mall, the largest in the southeast, has over 170 stores including Macy’s, Rich’s, Neiman Marcus and Laura Ashley. Phipps Plaza, just a connecting shuttle away in Peachtree Road in Buckhead, features Saks Fifth Avenue, Niketown, Tiffany’s, Gucci and Parisian. Peachtree Center, 213 Peachtree Street, is the only mall within easy reach of the hotel district in Downtown; it offers a good variety of shops and food outlets. Underground Atlanta has an array of tourist‐type merchandise interspersed with food outlets.

For the visitor, by far the best take‐home items are electronic and high‐tech goods (foreign visitors should check that these are compatible with their local power source). It is worth comparison shopping via the Internet first and collecting any pre‐purchased items in the USA. Visitors should also check that warranties and service plans cover countries outside the USA.

Books are another bargain; several bookstores have in‐house coffee bars and encourage browsers to consume the entire stock before buying. Barnes & Noble, Borders and Chapter 11 are all excellent literary emporiums. For out‐of‐town newspapers and magazines, Joe Muggs Newstand, 3275 Peachtree Street, is well worth a visit.

Shopping malls stay open until around 2000, Monday‐Saturday, as well as 1200‐1700 Sunday. Sales tax in Georgia is currently 7%. In theory, it is possible to redeem this amount when goods over US$300 value are exported but Hartsfield Airport customs currently do not have the facilities to handle this. Visitors departing from another airport should obtain a detailed sales receipt with the name of the buyer (matching the passport) on it.