(From top) Models walk the open-air ramp at the Great Singapore Shopping Challenge; participants with a presenter at the Challenge; cheerleaders at the do. Pictures by Smita Roy Chowdhury

People in Singapore shop only in May, June and July. They save throughout the year and wait to splurge at the Singapore Sale,” an Indian friend who had lived in Singapore for a few years told me when she learnt I was going to visit the Sale.

I had thought then that she was exaggerating; I know now she wasn’t. For, the eight-week-long shopping madness at Asia’s shoppers’ paradise draws people in unbelievable numbers from the island over, irrespective of age and origin. Every mall dotting the high streets of Singapore seems to be full, making shopping almost a serious national pastime for two months.

Island-wide dream discounts, vibrant midnight markets, new product launches, prizes to be won at every street corner, exclusive tourist privileges, all this and more make up the most-awaited event in Singapore’s retail and social calendar ? the Great Singapore Sale (GSS).

Hosted jointly by the Singapore Tourism Board and the Singapore Retailers Association, the 13th edition of the shopping carnival kicked off in a “bigger and better” avatar on May 26 amidst much fanfare.

“Our strategy this year was to build on the past successes of the GSS and focus on giving customers what they really want. So for the whole eight weeks, shoppers can enjoy great discounts on just about everything and enjoy various other facilities to add to the excitement,” said Jannie Tay, president of the Singapore Retailers Association and chairperson of the GSS 2006 steering committee.

The offer

Great discounts mean “up to 70 per cent off” on anything and everything, anywhere and everywhere, from the plazas at Orchard Road and Marina Bay to shops in the ethnic patches of Chinatown and Little India. That is the calling card of GSS 2006, on till July 23.

In addition to the numerous downtown stores and malls, this year’s GSS witnesses a record high in heartland participation. Hundreds of shops from around 30 neighbourhood centres ? Bedok Central, Bras Basah Complex, Clementi Town, EastLink Mall, Hong Kah Point, Marine Parade Central, People’s Park, Tampines Street 11, Toa Payah Town Centre and more ? are all part of the carnival.

So there are the street fashion and fabric stores of Chinatown offering jaw-dropping discounts, family sales challenges at Bedok Central and Clementi Town, lucky draws at Tampines Street 11 and so much more to add to the splurge spread.

For those who can’t make most of the Sale during the day, there’s the late-night shopping experience on offer at many malls, especially over the weekends. The downtown malls of Tangs, Wisma Atria Shopping Centre, Centrepoint Shopping Centre, Plaza Singapura, Raffles City Shopping Centre, Suntec City, Millenia Walk and others are taking turns to extend their shopping hours beyond 11 pm on weekends. There are several late-night specials and giveaways to spice up the after-hour shopping experience, too.

Another highlight is the Singapore Showcase that features ‘uniquely Singapore’ lifestyle products and collectibles from premier gift shops across the island. The new range on offer at GSS 2006 is the Pernakan porcelain collection from Museum Shop by Banyan Tree, hand-painted opera face tote bags from Homespun, a collection of souvenirs inspired by famous Singapore artists from Art Ferris. There are trendy fashion accessories from Perlini’s Silver, devotion accessories from Risis, flower power children’s wear from LIFEbaby and Samsui woman figurines from The Red Thread Retail Gallery, on display at the Chinatown Heritage Centre.

The challenge

The extravaganza was kick-started by the Great Singapore Shopping Challenge. Organised by The Association of Shopping Centres (Singapore) for the third year running, the unique challenge aimed at showcasing GSS as the best bargain festival of the region.

The challenge was split into two categories ? domestic and international. The domestic category comprised seven local teams, while the international section drew 17 teams from India, Australia, UAE, Germany, China, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

agged off in front of Takashimaya on Orchard Road at 12 noon on May 27, each three-member team was given an allowance of S$1,000 to indulge in an adrenaline-driven three-hour shopping spree to grab the best bargains from select product categories at four participating malls and one ethnic district.

The shopping trip started from Wisma Atria and moved on to Centrepoint Shopping Centre, Plaza Singapura and Millenia Walk, before culminating at either Chinatown or Little India.

The deal was to complete rounds of all the five places and return to the starting point within three hours. Each team was accompanied by an official from MasterCard who would make the payments adding up to the shopping limit of S$1,000.

The team that would end up with the maximum savings ? original price minus the sale price ? would walk away with the prize money of S$10,000. The prize money would go to charity.

“This is an opportunity to engage shoppers in a fun and interactive way. It challenges them to creatively seek bargains and the best buys of the season. In the process, it heightens awareness of the malls and stores, translating to higher participation and sales,” said Anthony Yip, president of The Association of Shopping Centres (Singapore).

Dressed in orange-and-white T-shirts and with cheerleaders egging them on, the 25 teams set out on the frenzied challenge trail, armed with shopping bags and things-to-buy lists. After a super hectic three-hour trek, which stretched quite a bit longer than the stipulated time, the teams returned with their booty. From clothes to electronic goods to household items to jewellery, the Sale bags were bursting at the seams.

After an open-air fashion show featuring garments from local brands, Vivian Balakrishnan, minister of sports and youth development, handed over the prize money to the winning teams. While the domestic category had only one winner, in the international category, Australia ran away with the top prize of S$10,000, followed by Malaysia who bagged S$6,000 and the Philippines who pocketed S$3,000.

Adding to the carnival spirit filling the air in front of Takashimaya, were local bands playing and dancers performing their vibrant best.