A lot of people wonder how it is in Panama. Can you buy the things you need? What is available here? Let me assure you that here in David, we lack for nothing. the Doit Center is only one of the stores similar to Lowe’s or Home Depot. Another is located across the street, and a couple others are down the highway.
The hardest thing about taking these photos was the number of employees in the store. I didn’t want to get in trouble for taking pictures so I tried to stay out of sight (and that is my excuse for the quality of some of the photos). Unlike many stores in the US, you won’t have any trouble finding someone to help you. If they see you in their department they will often approach you and offer assistance.
Francisco speaks very good English, so he’s a good man to know if you get stuck on something. He can often be found at the customer service desk near the front doors.
The photos are in no particular order, and only show a fraction of what is available in the store. But, I did my best to give you a general idea of what it’s like there. Here I am about in the middle of the store looking all the way to the back.
The appliance department – stoves, refrigerators along the walls, air conditioners and water heaters on the right. They didn’t have dishwashers or clothes dryers in stock but are expecting some in soon. I had to be quick with this photo because the employee who works there helped me that first night when I had to buy everything for my house. We have been friends ever since.
One aisle of the car department – wiper blades, wax, cleaning products, etc. and tool boxes on the left. There are two more aisles of car related items as well.
Lights, fans, light fixtures, light bulbs, and all things electric are in this area.
An aisle in the garden department. I’m a little surprised to see chain saws because we were told you need a special permit for one and it’s harder to get than a gun permit. Apparently there is a big problem with smuggling lumber, especially teak and some of the really expensive hardwoods that grow here.
Near the garden department – BBQ’s, outdoor furniture, and wall full of all the coolers you could possibly want.
The pet area is also in this area – doggie beds, pet food, dishes, animal carriers, bird cages, bird food, etc.
Past the outdoor furniture area is a small sports department with some exercise equipment, balls, tennis rackets, fishing poles, and other sports related items.
You can also buy a riding lawn mower, a wheelbarrow, and a plastic chair in about any color you could want.
The bedding area – sheets, comforters, pillows, pillow cases, mattress covers, etc.
Bathroom organizers!
The cleaning aisle with about any cleaning product you could imagine, as well as mops, brooms, sponges and brushes.
On the left is the back of the paint department with the 5 gallon buckets. In the center area is furniture, mainly desks, chairs, filing cabinets, and some tables.
Irons, ironing boards, laundry baskets, clothes organizers, drying racks
Pots and pans, kitchen gadgets, dishes on the right. They have a very good selection of small appliances and all sorts of kitchen items.
Coming around the corner past the appliance department is the lumber area – doors, windows, boards, etc. I like how they set up a whole tiny kitchen on the back wall with the price stickers on everything. Are those bags of potting soil in front on the left?
Mattresses, beds, wardrobes. Here I was standing at the back of the store, the little kitchen behind me, the doors on the right. This gives you some idea how far it is to the front of the store.
Flooring options
Toilets, sinks, towel bars, and all things bathroom related including a shower bench.
Faucets, shower heads, and everything you would need for plumbing. The next aisle has every PVC pipe item you could imagine.
The paint department. You can chose a color from the color samples and they will mix it up for you in the type of paint you request – just like the US.
The trim aisle – baseboards, molding, decorative items, and lots of hardware on the left.
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Are you dizzy yet, with all that stuff? 😀
We have been very happy with the quality of things we have bought at Doit. They seem to have good mid-range items, and offer a good selection. I’ve seen appliances for a lot less at smaller local shops, and for a lot more at high end stores and even at PriceMart. The tools seems good, and we’ve bought some that were much less expensive that we expected. They have done the jobs we needed around the house without a problem. Since we can find pretty much everything we need for a house, the staff is nice and helpful, and the store is close to home, this has become our go to store for most things.
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About Kris Cunningham
We live in David, Chiriqui Provence, Republic of Panama! This blog is about some of our experiences in our new country.
The Panama Adventure 
It’s like wal mart + homedepot but I bet the prices are better!
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Yes it is, and you can get some things for less, especially less well known brands. But in general things are about the same as in the US. Where you really save big in Panama is housing and food, and other daily expenses like water, trash, public transportation, etc.
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It amuses me how people in the States seem to think we’ve dropped off the face of the earth down here. There is a local forum I read with people asking “what should I bring with me from the States? Evil guy that I am I always say “Bring EVERYTHING YOU CAN. Fill as many containers full of stuff from the States as you can afford to ship.” I hope they go broke doing it. Then there are the people who write that all you can buy down here is cheap, shoddy crap from China, and I wonder how the stuff here differs from the cheap, shoddy crap from China that’s stocked on store shelves in the States?
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Well we are in a third world country, ya know 😉
I suppose it all depends on how attached you are to your “stuff”, and how much you want to spend to ship it. I’m the nice guy who tells them to bring as little as possible, a suitcase or two, and money to buy what you need. They usually don’t listen though.
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Oh, we need a Doit Center in Nicaragua. We still are sadly lacking in modern building supplies. Love the pictures. I’m drooling. lol
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But Rewired you have Maxi Pali which is pretty good. Doesn’t WalMart own it?
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Yes, we have a Maxi Pali, but it doesn’t have the building supplies like the Doit Center. We still have little mom and pop hardware stores where you have to ask for what you want, and they go into a back room to find it. 😦
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LOL! That’s what we mostly have in our town. 🙂
I have a Maxi Pali story that I’ll have to write one day.
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Have to say that DoIt is one of Eric’s favorite places, even if he has to drive the hour to Chitre for it. We have a Moreno’s in town and a couple of hardware stores that work for some things. There are also a couple of hardware stores in Las Tablas and now there’s a Cochez!
I have to say also, that yes, we did bring a 20 foot container but it was part of Eric’s retirement benefits so all we had to pay for was the customs clearance. I think if it had been our cost we would have just shipped a few boxes of personal items. We had space in the container and we bought all our appliances here. When I hear of people shipping two or three forty foot containers I wonder what they are bringing and how much of it will end up going mouldy. 🙂
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They have sales that can really save you money and a very good selection of tools, I was indeed surprised. The receipts have “Ace International Hardware” at the top of the receipts. I LOVE that store!!!
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