One of Singapore's major attractions is shopping. The sheer range is impressive, and prices for many goods are still competitive with other discount centres. But these days, with tariffs dropping everywhere around the world,

Singapore is not the bargain centre it once was. 'Duty-free' and 'free port' are somewhat throwaway terms. Remember that not everything is loaded down with import duty in your own country and that Singapore also has some local industries to protect.

There are still plenty of bargains to be had on all sorts of goods, but there are also a number of guidelines to follow if you want to be certain to get your money's worth.

First of all, don't buy anything unless you really want it and don't buy anything where the hassle of getting it back home will cost you more than the savings you make.