Guys, this place is huge. This year, they've even extended to the whole of the 3rd floor (Hall 8). I got lost just getting from Hall 5 to Hall 1 (it's a maze).
Wear something green. There are a few booths that offer small free gifts if you show something green. More on that later.
Pre-register first. You can do this at http://homedec.com.my/kl. Trust me, this saves you a lot of time. I went relatively early (before the office lunch hour) and there was a long line already. People were filling up forms! Since I pre-registered, I just waited patiently for my turn, told them I had already registered, gave them my phone number and collected my free box of Cheerios. I got a red sticker to display on my being and off I went...to get so lost.
If you know which sections you want to hit first, take a map. It will save you time, but if you're like me, feel free to just browse. Exits and entrances to other halls are very tricky to find. Although there are plenty of doors to exit, there's a security guard that prevents you from leaving unless you're an exhibitor (which in my honest opinion sucks).
Prepare to dodge or embrace flyer distributors. They can be quite aggressive. One even tried flirting but I saw myself in the mirror this morning. I'm not delusional.
I didn't spend a lot of time at the booths, but I believe bargaining for a lower price wouldn't be successful here. I had compared online prices and found them to be the same and getting them to throw in free gifts were out of the question. But you might be lucky!
If shopping for everything you need for your home in one place is your dream and your goal, make sure you have plenty of free time. This place is huge and they really maximize any floor space they can.
Back to the free gifts for wearing green. There are 7 booths that offer this so you can potentially get 7 items (while stocks lasts). I managed to get 5. They were pretty happy with my green tote bag but E.S.H Electrical insisted that I had to be *wearing something*. The guy even suggested that my hair should be green to qualify. Rolling my eyes and moving on the cash register, I finally got my red and blue tote. Big whoop (not).
In summary:-
Go!
- if you recently purchase a new home. Landed, in the sky,there's something for everyone.
- if you like window shopping and being wooed.
- if you want to save time purchasing several items (from mattresses to indoor pools, from light fixtures to dehydrators) all at once.
- if you're dating and you want to get a rough idea on how hands-on your partner is going to be in the future
Don't Go!
- if you hate crowds (the air-conditioning was strong though)
- if you don't like getting lost and get easily frustrated if you can't see an exit sign
- if you value your weekends like the rare sighting of snow leopard in it's natural habitat
