The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Bargain hunters in Cairo are well aware of outlet shops,
but the Nike outlet shop on Haram’s Faisal Street may have slipped under some
radars.

In the hustle and bustle of the frustratingly busy street,
it seems that the Nike outlet shop has chosen to make itself stand out in the
brashest of ways; by  erecting a giant
‘up to 50%’ sign up above the shop.

There are plenty of t-shirts on offer, ranging from
plain models with the iconic Nike tick in several colours for 99LE and upwards,
to more extravagant Nike motifs, and generic football shirts starting at 169LE.
Tracksuit bottoms are in abundance, but again are only really suitable for
gym wear, although at the time of this reviewer’s visit, there was one style
that cost as little as 149LE. Others are usually more expensive, ranging between
209LE and 299LE.   

Although there is
a large choice of shoes organised by size, they are mostly for athletic
purposes. You can pick up some running shoes or gym shoes for between
199LE and 599LE. The lower you go down this price scale, the
stranger and more hideous the shoes become. It almost feels like some of the shoes
were rejects from experiments gone bad, especially in the women’s section.

Footballers can pick up a pair of boots for between
239LE and 599LE, and they come in a wide range of models and designs; studs,
blades and even astro-turfs. They even come in a range of shocking colours like
aluminous yellow, green and a slightly more modest red and white, for all the
pretty boys of football.

Unlike so many shop staff in Cairo, the guys at Nike
are relaxed and give you total freedom to browse without following your every
step. This doesn’t mean that they aren’t helpful; they are quick to attend to
any questions and queries, and are polite and pleasant. It especially helps
when trying on footwear, as you might often look to try several pairs on and
send them back to the stockroom, which they are happy to do, and are eager to
throw in their two cents if you can’t make your mind up.

The problem with outlet shops is that it’s a lottery.
It’s old stock, and so it’s basically a veritable jumble of odd bits and bobs.
You have to have thick skin to shop in a place like this, because you will
invariably find the perfect piece of clothing and will jump up and down at the
price, only to be disappointed to find that they only have it in extra small
and xx large. Go in with no expectations; and you will come out with a bargain.