Looking for discounts? The best guide to cheap shops in the Netherlands!

Looking for the equivalent of a dollar store, euro shop or pound shop in the Netherlands? Here's what we know about cheap shopping in the land of kortingen (discounts).

The longer you live here and look around, the more you'll learn about the best places to shop. Sometimes we all just need some guidance on budgeting money and how to best divide it. 

Well, we've compiled a list of the best cheap shops in the Netherlands so you can get the best kortingen (discounts)!

Cheap shops in the Netherlands for household items: 

Let's start where most expats start in the Netherlands - looking for household items. 

1. Action 

Action is amazing. It's what saved me when I first moved to the Netherlands with little money and an unfurnished house. Action is a store that sells random household items such as cutlery, phone chargers, photo frames, bedding, toiletries, cleaning products and general decorative items. Everything is ridiculously cheap and many products don't seem that cheap if you choose well. Action also has a lot of stores across the country, so it's easy to find if you want to shop there.

2. Big Bazaar

Big Bazaar is very similar to Action, but personally, I think the items look a little cheaper and there is a little less choice. However, it's great if you're looking for a bargain with household items or decorative items.

3. SoLow

Again, similar to Action and Big Bazaar, SoLow offers you cheap household items. These range from items like scarves and gloves to more "grown up" items like jokey sex games and beer pong (sheep, sheep).They also sell car and bike items, cookware, cards and decorative items. Unfortunately, SoLow is only found in some cities.

4. Kruidvat

It is a Dutch chain of stores specialising in health, personal care and beauty products at very affordable prices. You can also find a lot of cleaning items but also snacks at them. They very often have offers like 1+1 or 2+2; so sometimes it's good to wait a bit if you don't need certain products urgently. 

Cheap shops in the Netherlands for furniture items: 

1. IKEA

We all know and love IKEA. I think this store speaks for itself. Plus, they sell the best meatballs. Needless to say!

2. Flying Tiger 

Do you want hippy and cool items at good prices? Check out Flying Tiger! This store has become a bit of an obsession for many of us. As you stroll through the store, you end up slowly filling your cart with more and more interesting products (some of which you'll probably never use). Flying Tiger is a perfect store to fill your home with unnecessary and cheap items! It's worth it though! 

3. Leen Bakker 

Leen Bakker is one of the largest furniture store chains. You will find a wide range of furniture and accessories for every home decor.

4. Kwantum

At Kwantum you will find contemporary home products at the lowest price in the Netherlands. From furniture to flooring and from curtains to home accessories.

Cheap supermarkets in the Netherlands: 

Once you've bought a few shelves, it's time to fill them with affordable food! Let's talk about affordable supermarkets in the Netherlands.

1. Aldi 

If you're looking for the cheapest supermarket, go to Aldi. Aldi is honest, cheap and good for essentials such as bread, milk, chopped tomatoes, sauces, butter etc. If you're strapped for cash, go to Aldi to do your shopping!

2. Lidl 

Lidl is slightly more expensive than Aldi, but with a bigger and better range of food. Lidl does special weeks, so it's perfect for expats looking for certain products. Last week they had "British Week" and I went to Lidl four times to buy bacon, sticky toffee pudding and cheddar cheese, so it's worth checking out what deals they have each week.

Cheap clothes shops in the Netherlands: 

Your next step as an expat in the Netherlands may be to reinvent yourself to romanticize your experience of living in a new country - and how do you do that? New clothes of course! But please, make them affordable.

1. Primark 

Most people know what Primark is and luckily they have it here in the Netherlands! Primark is good if you need something cheap and cheerful to wear. They also sell some household items and bed linen to decorate your home. Primark stores are mainly concentrated in the north and central part in the Netherlands, so you may have to travel a bit to get to one! 

2. C&A 

C&A is one of those stores where one item can be considered quite expensive and another cheap. There are some really nice clothes there and the discounts are really good, so go for a shopping spree  and you can find something really cute. Definitely a shop where you can find nice but cheap clothes.

3. Zeeman 

Zeeman is a very inexpensive store with clothes and household items in their shops. Items such as underwear, gym wear, t-shirts and sweaters. Household items are usually items like cleaning products and kitchen items. A good shop for a quick visit if you want some cheap t-shirts and a bottle of bleach.

4. Wibra 

It's a Dutch discount chain. Sells mainly textiles and clothing, but also other products.

Cheap shops in the Netherlands for electronics: 

The final task may be to find an adapter for all the sockets that have suddenly become useless. There's a shop where you can find something that works and is cheap too - we know it's a tricky combination but, trust us.

1. MediaMarkt - only when they have discounts 

The best place to buy electrical products is MediaMarkt. They have lots of stores all over the country so you can go to the store to see the items for yourself. The range of goods is quite extensive, but there are usually discounts. 

So, if you're looking for electrical items, here's where to go.  Only if there is a discount enabled - otherwise it can be a bit expensive for some items.

To check the prices of electronic products at various stores for a particular product, you can use : https://tweakers.net/. They also have a graph where you can see how the price has varied over the last period.

Online magazine:

1. Bol.com:

It is an online store in the Netherlands offering general merchandising products in categories such as music, film, electronics, toys, jewelry, watches, children's products, gardening and DIY. Fast delivery. 

2. Amazon.nl:

Online shop for electronics, computers, clothing, shoes, toys, books, sports, beauty, personal care and more. Fast delivery.

I hope this guide to "cheap shops" will help you find as many discounts as possible!

Tips: 

1. At each of the shops listed you can get a loyalty card. With every purchase you make you accumulate points that you can use in various ways: discounts, gifts, etc.
2. OK App - You can Download the OK app that turns your mobile phone into a smart wallet. So you can easily store all your loyalty cards, discount cards and tickets in the app and you don't have to carry them all in your wallet.
3. Stocard: Like the OK App, it's an app where you can store all your cards. 

Author: Oana Papin

Photo credit:  Unsplash