As a major cosmopolitan city, Buenos Aires has always been a good place to shop. But since the
devaluation of the peso in 2001 it's become even better. Just as the price of food and lodging went way
down for foreigners, domestic goods got about 65% cheaper as well. Buenos Aires has great values on
leather goods, shoes, music, housewares, casual clothing, and dress clothing, just to name a few things.
However, Buenos Aires does not have great values on most imported items, especially electronics. For
imported goods, expect to pay what you would in your own country.
A word about customs, taxes, and international travel: Argentina has a value-added tax called
impuesto de valor agregado, or IVA. It's currently 21%. A lot of listed prices you'll see have
the IVA included in the price already. When you leave Argentina, you can apply to have all your IVA
refunded. You have to keep all your receipts and fill out a mountain of paperwork. I've never bothered
with this since prices are so low even with the IVA, so I'm happy to let Argentina keep its tax money.
Just be aware that you don't have to.
Before you go too crazy buying recuerdos (souveniers), remember that your country has limits on
how much you can bring home without paying duties. Your government's webpage will have this
information, or if you forget, contact your embassy in Buenos Aires. And don't even think about taking
anything organic or alive back with you.
Maybe even more of an issue is the weight of your luggage. International flights have very strict
limits on the amount, size, and weight of baggage. I've found it's easy to exceed the weight limit on
most airlines, and yes, they will weigh your bags. If you're over the weight (or size, or you have too
many suitcases), they'll charge you an astronomical excess baggage fee. So keep an eye on what you're
buying, and if you can bring an empty suitcase down with you, that's even better.
There's so much shopping in Buenos Aires that it would take you weeks to do it all. Below are a few
highlights.
 Florida Pedestrian Mall
(Florida Avenue between Marcelo T. de Alvear and Rivadavia)
Capital Federal has two pedestrian streets closed to vehicle traffic. Florida (pronounced "Flor-EE-da")
is the longest of the two at 10 full city blocks. This street is always heavy with pedestrian traffic
during business hours. Both sides of the street are lined with shops and restaurants, although Florida
is mostly shops. The two pedestrian malls hold a lot of intrigue for Buenos Aires West missionaries as
these streets are off limits to missionaries. Having missionaries out shopping for souveniers doesn't
project a good image of the church, so if you're a newly called missionary, make sure you obey this
rule.
You can find just about everything you'd want on Florida, but it seems to have a large number of
businesses that sell dress clothes. This is where the new generation of successful Argentine
businessmen buy their suits, so they are available in any price range. There are stores that sell
Armani and Gucci suits for around AR$3,000, but you can also find suits for as low as AR$100 (conversion). There are places that sell ties
for anywhere between AR$3 and AR$150. I think most men could use more dress clothing (I know I could),
so take advantage while you're in Buenos Aires to pick up some nice stuff for cheap.
Shops on Florida also sell many things besides dress clothes. There are a lot of shops, catering mostly
to tourists, that sell unique Argentine items (mates, leather maps, tango figurines, asado
knives, etc.). You will want to stop at one of these places and get some souveniers.
When it comes to buying leather goods, there is nowhere better than Florida. If it can be made of
leather, you will find it here. Just look for stores that say cuero and you're in the right
place. Don't forget to walk through the many strip malls that open out onto Florida; I remember several
leather stores in these malls. A word on leather: Lately there have been people illegally importing low
quality leather from other nations and selling it as Argentine leather. The government responded by
placing a seal on all authentic Argentine leather, but this was easily counterfeited. So the only way
to spot imported leather is to remember that if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. It won't
take you long to figure out how much real leather should cost, and though it's tempting to buy what
appears to be the same item at hugely discounted prices, realize that it's probably a scam.
 Lavalle Pedestrian Mall
(Lavalle Street between 9 de Julio and Leandro N. Alem
Depending on how fast you shop, Florida probably took you the better part of a day to cover. But you're
not done with pedestrian malls yet, because you haven't even seen Lavalle. It's pretty similar to
Florida except it seems that there are more restaurants on Lavalle. You won't starve on Florida, but I
think you have a better selection on Lavalle. There are parillas that serve traditional meat
dishes, cafes that cover the rest of Argentine cuisine, and plenty of American fast food.
It's probably against the law to leave the county without a few soccer jerseys, so you'll have to get
serious about finding some soccer stores. Even though you can buy soccer memorabilia anywhere in the
city, Lavalle has the most stores competing against each other (and therefore, the best selection and
prices). You should probably get a national team jersey, and you might also want to consider one from
your favorite local league team, or one that just looks good. But note that most shops carry jerseys
from other countries, so if you see one you like, ask which team's it is because it isn't always
obvious. When you first walk into a soccer shop, the first thing you'll notice is that the national
team jersey costs AR$90 while a seemingly identical one costs AR$25. It's because the AR$25 one is
trucho (fake). Look closer and you'll notice that the fake one doesn't have the Adidas logo, and
the gold shield on the front is printed on, not embroidered. Most local teams also have fake replicas
around. It's your decision about how much you want to spend, but note that AR$90 is less than you'll
pay for a real jersey in most other countries.
If you're not a big shopper, the pedestrian malls are still worth a visit for a few reasons. First, the
carnival atmosphere means that you might see plenty of street entertainment. It's not uncommon to see
musicians, human statues, magicians, painters, and tango dancers start doing their routines in the
middle of the street. Have a camera handy and be on the lookout. Second, you will notice something
that I've always found charming about Buenos Aires: Trendy cosmopolitan stores in antique buildings.
Take a look above the storefronts and you'll notice that the McDonald's in front of you is inside a
building that would be a historical landmark anywhere else.
 Galerías Pacífico
(Corner of Florida and Córdoba)
You'll be amazed at the variety of shops on the pedestrian malls, ranging from very inexpensive to
extremely upscale. Just off Florida lies a mall called Galerías Pacífico, but it may as
well be a whole different world. In contrast to some of the shops right outside the door, everything in
the mall is extremely upscale. Major international brands dominate. If this doesn't sound like what
you came to shop for, it's worth a trip anyway because there are a few hard-to-find items in there.
A few women I know who are familiar with Buenos Aires are raving about these serving dishes made out of
stuff called Peltrina. It's a nice silver that doesn't tarnish, or so I'm told. Anyway, I get lots of
requests to bring some back when I go to Buenos Aires, so while I'm there I usually get extra for other
women on my Christmas list. They end up loving Peltrina, so my list of things to pick up next time is
even longer. I've had people tell me where you can get it, but the only place I've been able to find it
is in a few stores at Galerías Pacífico. It's not too expensive for international visitors,
and it makes a nice gift.
In spite of some of the most upscale shopping in town, the real draw of the mall is the building itself.
As mentioned above, Buenos Aires is known for trendy, modern stores in historic buildings, and
Galerías Pacífico is no different. Standing in the food court, take a look at the ceiling
three stories above your head. These magnificent murals were painted by several artists in 1945. The
building itself was constructed in 1890. It's not the oldest building in town by hundreds of years, but
it's remarkable that the building has survived all the construction and remodeling. For a minute you
will feel like you're in an old cathedral, until you cast you view back down where the mall stores will
remind you of where (and when) you are.
 More Shopping
Alto Palermo (Corner of Bulnes and Santa Fe) - This is yet another of the very large malls in
Buenos Aires. It reminds me of malls in the United States, right down to the food court. But in
addition to trendy mall clothing stores and cell phone kiosks, you'll see harder-to-find items like
automatic weapons. No, I'm not kidding.
Abasto (Corner of Aguero and Corrientes) - Another nice mall, but a little ways from downtown.
There are quite a few places to buy music here. There's very little actual Argentine music, but Latin
music in general is popular. In my opinion most of it is pretty good, although some types are downright
awful. American music is also popular. The younger crowd is into American "boy bands," so you'll
probably hear plenty of that.
Artisan Fairs (There Are Several) - These are great places to buy unique handmade items at good
prices. You can find almost anything, but patriotic items, leather goods, and jewelry are most common.
The biggest fair I know of is outside the Recoleta Cemetery every Saturday morning. As you might
expect, you can only pay in cash.
Table of Contents
Visiting Buenos Aires: Main Page
Where To Stay
Where To Eat
Things To See & Do
Shopping
Transportation
Paying
B.A. Today
Useful Phrases
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