Expo 2020 Dubai fans can bring a part of the world's fair home with them — two months after the global event drew to a close.
A sale of left-over merchandise from the six-month-long spectacle got under way in Dubai on Friday, with prices slashed for many items.
Everything from stars on the facade of the US pavilion and mannequins used to display clothes, as well as a host of cherished souvenirs, are up for grabs, organisers said.
The National was given a tour of the depot in Dubai Investment Park before the sale, which is due to last for two weeks.
The warehouse is run by TVG, the company that looked after the official stores on-site at the world’s fair. TVG deputy manager Ashraf Mirghani said: “We’re selling all the official Expo 2020 Dubai merchandise from passports, pens, souvenir coins to more luxury items.
“We’ve been open for the last few days but only for staff who worked at Expo 2020 Dubai to be the first to get the chance to buy items at a reduced rate.
Most of the items on sale in the warehouse have been reduced in cost by 25 to 75 percent from their sale price during Expo.
Expo pins and passports on offer
The most in-demand items are expected to be event passports, expo-logo pins and limited edition coins, Mr Mirghani said.
He said the sale would be the last opportunity to pick up merchandise at the same price it cost during the event, or even less in some instances.
Mr Mirghani highlighted the booming online sales of expo-related merchandise as proof of its popularity.
The National revealed last month how official expo passports were selling for up to Dh1,750 ($476) on sites such as Dubizzle.
One explorer map with 200 country pavilion stamps was advertised for Dh5,000.
It is not only merchandise that expo fans can get their hands on during the course of the two-week sale.
Visitors to the depot will be able to purchase unique mementos such as wheelchairs that were used during the event, spare sets of shoes that were part of the staff uniform — that were not worn — and buggies used to transport visitors around the site.
“We’ve already sold one of the six-seater buggies that was used by the US pavilion for about Dh28,000,” said Mr Mirghani.
“You can buy everything from the cutlery and plates staff used, to the New Balance shoes they wore as part of their uniform.”
Follow in footsteps of Expo staff
If you want to pick up a pair of Expo 2020 Dubai staff shoes in the merchandise store, it will set you back Dh125.
Prices for the stars from the side of the US pavilion start at Dh999 and rise to Dh4,999, depending on size.
Mr Mirghani explained that many items from the US pavilion are on sale as it was also managed by TVG during the event.
Replicas of the Statue of Liberty and the Washington Monument are up for grabs, with their prices not being determined until the sale starts.
Other items include mannequins used in the merchandise stores during expo to show the range of official T-shirts and other clothes you could buy, all of which are also on sale at the warehouse.
The mannequins cost between Dh350 and Dh500, depending on size.
The staff working at the sale also worked at Expo 2020 Dubai.
Mr Mirghani, from Sudan, was himself working as e-commerce manager for the official site store during the event.
Another person working at the warehouse who also served her time as part of the expo workforce was Abigail Padayhag, from the Philippines, who was part of the team at the US pavilion.
“I am already getting requests from people who are looking for items they can’t get any more,” she said.
“The most popular is Opti, the robot mascot from the expo. People are looking hard for anything Opti-designed, from the toys to the plushes.
“They are crazy for it.”
AGL AWARDS
Golden Ball - best Emirati player: Khalfan Mubarak (Al Jazira)
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Golden Glove - best goalkeeper: Adel Al Hosani (Sharjah)
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Fans' Player of the Year: Driss Fetouhi (Dibba)
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Mohammed Abukhater, vice president at FireEye in the Middle East, said:
- Keep device software up-to-date. Most come with basic operating system, so users should ensure that they always have the latest version
- Besides a strong password, use two-step authentication. There should be a second log-in step like adding a code sent to your mobile number
- Usually smart devices come with many unnecessary features. Users should lock those features that are not required or used frequently
- Always create a different guest network for visitors
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
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UAE v IRELAND
All matches start at 10am, and will be played in Abu Dhabi
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Price, base / as tested: Dh173,250 / Dh178,500
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Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net
Some popular drinks with high levels of sugar and caffeine have slipped through the fizz drink tax loophole, as they are not carbonated or classed as an energy drink.
Arizona Iced Tea with lemon is one of those beverages, with one 240 millilitre serving offering up 23 grams of sugar - about six teaspoons.
A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.
Most sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, five teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml bottle.
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'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
One in four Americans don't plan to retire
Nearly a quarter of Americans say they never plan to retire, according to a poll that suggests a disconnection between individuals' retirement plans and the realities of ageing in the workforce.
Experts say illness, injury, layoffs and caregiving responsibilities often force older workers to leave their jobs sooner than they'd like.
According to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research, 23 per cent of workers, including nearly two in 10 of those over 50, don't expect to stop working. Roughly another quarter of Americans say they will continue working beyond their 65th birthday.
According to government data, about one in five people 65 and older was working or actively looking for a job in June. The study surveyed 1,423 adults in February this year.
For many, money has a lot to do with the decision to keep working.
"The average retirement age that we see in the data has gone up a little bit, but it hasn't gone up that much," says Anqi Chen, assistant director of savings research at the Centre for Retirement Research at Boston College. "So people have to live in retirement much longer, and they may not have enough assets to support themselves in retirement."
When asked how financially comfortable they feel about retirement, 14 per cent of Americans under the age of 50 and 29 per cent over 50 say they feel extremely or very prepared, according to the poll. About another four in 10 older adults say they do feel somewhat prepared, while just about one-third feel unprepared.
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She searched for work in the immediate aftermath of her layoff, a process she describes as akin to "banging my head against a wall." Finding Manhattan too expensive without a steady stream of income, she eventually moved to Portland, Maine. A few years later, she moved again, to Lake Oswego, Oregon. "Sometimes I fantasise that if I win the lottery, I'd go back to New York," says Ms Bennett.
