Shopping Orientation--Hours--Regular shopping hours in Amsterdam are Monday from 10 or 11am to 6pm; Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9am to 6pm; Thursday from 9am to 9pm; and Saturday from 9am to 5pm. In recent years there has been something of a revolution in the previously restricted opening hours: Against the wishes of churches and other groups, many stores now stay open on Sunday as well, usually from noon to 5pm, and more and more supermarkets are staying open daily from 8am to 8pm, or even to 10pm.

Prices--These are fixed in Holland, with all applicable taxes included in the amounts shown on tags and counter display cards. Although end-of-season and other special sales occur from time to time throughout the year, the practice of discounting as we know it is not a big part of the Dutch pricing system, so there's little use running from store to store trying to find a better price on ordinary consumer goods. If you want a bargain, go to the Waterlooplein flea market, though even there you find that the Dutch have much less interest in the sport of haggling--or margin in their prices--than their counterparts in countries farther south. They're simply too practical to quote a ridiculous price in the expectation that it will be cut in half or that you'll be fool enough to pay it.

Duty-Free Items--Duty-free shopping has been abolished within the European Union. This means that if you are traveling from one member country of the EU to another, you can no longer buy duty-free goods at airports, on ferries, and at border crossings. If, however, you are traveling to or from the EU from a nonmember country, such as the United States, normal duty-free shopping rules apply. Some duty-free shopping centers, like the one at Schiphol Airport, claim to have reduced prices for intra-EU travelers to a level comparable to duty-free prices for people traveling outside the EU.