Dubai: The fascination with bottled water has reached its peak as vendors working at the Burj Khalifa souvenir shop are selling 700ml bottles for Dh299.
The costly bottled water, according to a salesman, is imported from the UK and customers are apparently snapping it up.
There is nothing extravagant about the bottle and although it does not come in the shape of the Burj, its picture is attractively reproduced on it.
Take a video tour of the Burj Khalifa
The outlet At the Top, the official franchise to sell Burj Khalifa memorabilia, had a constant flow of customers who wanted to buy gifts that still had the previous brand name.
While there are more than a dozen items on display, only a select few actually bear the name, including baseball caps, golf shirts, T-shirts, posters and pens.
Beat the clock
"I heard on the radio that the name of the tower was changed so I wanted to buy a souvenir before they were removed from the shelves. I feel like what I bought is a limited item now because they will not be around for long," said Erica Ferrario, a tourist from Italy.
No official comment has been given as to how long the outlet will be selling items with the previous name, Burj Dubai.
Cheah Kok Seong, Operations Manager of At the Top, said they will continue selling items with the former name until they are informed otherwise by the management.
"We have no idea how long we will sell them because the news broke suddenly, and it is still too early to say what will happen.
"Nobody has come to ask for a refund because they were upset about the change in name; on the contrary, everybody wants to buy souvenirs with the old brand name.
"The visitors see the goods as something unique and we certainly have seen more demand than on the Burj Khalifa's opening night," he said.
The cash register at the outlet, located on the lower ground floor at Dubai Mall, did not stop ringing from 10am when it opened to the public as the crowds of visitors took advantage of the opportunity to do some shopping while waiting to purchase tickets for the Observation Deck.
Pictures from the Burj Khalifa observation deck
"I feel like I am buying something special because I do not know how long the old name will be available.
"I am sure it will be removed soon, so I made sure to buy the golf shirt with the name written on its pocket," said Reed Runnels, an American attorney, who was visiting Dubai for a day while in transit from the US to Saudi Arabia.
Kiosks at the shopping centre which also sell statues of the Burj Khalifa with its old brand name engraved on the bottom, said that they were not going to withdraw them from their shops any time soon.
"These are the items I received from the supplier and it is their decision if they want to update the name or not.
"I will continue selling the previous stock until it runs out," said Malou Manlutac.
