In many parts of North America, the traditional department store feels like a dying species. Shopping has moved online, malls have changed, and the enormous stores that once sold everything from school shoes to furniture, perfume, towels and televisions have disappeared from many smaller cities.
Panama is different.
Walk into a shopping centre in Panama and there is a good chance you will find exactly the kind of giant department store that seems increasingly unusual elsewhere. These stores remain an important part of everyday shopping, and for travelers they can be surprisingly useful. They are often enormous, practical, chaotic, colourful and, most importantly, full of bargains.
Panama has a whole ecosystem of department stores, each with its own personality and price range. Some specialize in inexpensive clothing. Others carry furniture, appliances and household goods. Some are particularly good for shoes, children's clothing and school supplies, while others mix imported American merchandise with discounted fashion.
And for a backpacker who suddenly realizes they need a pair of sandals, a rain jacket, cheap clothes, toiletries, a backpack, a towel or even a new phone charger, these stores can be much more interesting than the expensive boutiques found in Panama City's luxury malls.
Conway: the classic everything store
Conway Panama is probably one of the most recognizable names in Panama's department store world.
Conway occupies an interesting middle ground. It is considerably more than a basic discount clothing shop, but it also doesn't feel like an expensive department store. Depending on the location, shoppers can find clothing, footwear, furniture, household products, electronics, appliances, pharmacy items and other everyday merchandise.
It is particularly useful because you never quite know what you are going to find.
Conway regularly runs substantial promotions. Recent 2026 promotions have included discounts of up to 50 percent on selected merchandise, as well as 20 percent reductions on categories such as furniture and clothing.
That makes Conway the kind of place where it can actually pay to wander around rather than arrive with a very specific shopping list.
A backpacker might walk in looking for a pair of shorts and leave with shorts, a cheap shirt, sandals, a towel and something completely unexpected that somehow seemed essential at the time.
That is part of the Panama department store experience.
El Campeón: bargain hunting territory
El Campeón is another major name, and it sits much closer to the value end of the market.
El Campeón carries a broad mixture of products, including clothing, footwear, beauty products, household merchandise and furniture. It is particularly useful when price matters more than having the latest international brand.
For travelers, this can be a fantastic place to replace basic clothing or pick up things that are inconvenient to carry while backpacking.
Need inexpensive sandals?
Check El Campeón.
Need shorts?
Check El Campeón.
Need clothes for a night out because everything you packed has been destroyed by humidity, hiking and hostel life?
Definitely check El Campeón.
The chain also operates an online store and offers pickup and delivery, including delivery to locations outside Panama City.
And importantly, El Campeón is not some tiny neighborhood shop. It is part of the broader network of large Panamanian department stores that continue to compete aggressively on price.
El Costo: when the price is the point
Then there is El Costo.
The name itself tells you something about the philosophy.
El Costo is strongly associated with affordable shopping and carries a huge assortment of everyday merchandise. It is one of those places where the objective isn't necessarily to create a luxurious shopping experience. The objective is to get stuff at a reasonable price.
Clothing, shoes, household products, furniture, appliances and seasonal merchandise can all appear under the same roof.
And this is one of the great differences between Panama and many North American shopping environments.
A traditional department store in Panama can still feel like a genuine general store on steroids.
You can enter looking for a shirt and end up walking past refrigerators, mattresses, kitchen equipment, toys, shoes and school supplies.
The country's consumer protection agency, ACODECO, continues to include El Costo among the major chains it surveys when comparing retail prices. Its January 2026 school shopping survey, for example, included El Costo alongside Conway, El Campeón, Titan, Dorians and several other major chains.
That gives you a pretty good idea of how embedded these stores remain in everyday Panamanian shopping.
Saks: the department store with a bargain hunter's secret side
Then there is Saks Panama, which can be particularly interesting for visitors.
Saks has a somewhat different feel from the most aggressively budget oriented stores. It offers fashion, household products and other departments, but one of its attractions is its discounted merchandise and promotions.
Saks itself advertises special promotions and says shoppers can find products at special prices in its branches.
It also has a loyalty program called Loyalty Plus, which allows customers to accumulate points and receive discounts. Membership is free, and the program works across Saks and Dorians locations.
Saks has locations in places including Los Pueblos, San Miguelito, Los Andes, Albrook, El Dorado, Westland, Santiago and Via España.
For a traveler, this is important because you don't necessarily have to trek across Panama City to find one.
There may be a department store closer than you think.
Dorians: another bargain hunting option
Dorians is another name worth knowing.
Dorians and Saks operate under the same Loyalty Plus program, and both are part of Panama's broader department store landscape.
Dorians is particularly interesting because these stores can contain a mixture of regular merchandise and discounted imported goods.
That means shopping can sometimes feel less like buying from a carefully curated fashion store and more like going on a treasure hunt.
You might find something excellent.
You might find something hilariously strange.
You might find a brand you recognize at a surprisingly low price.
And you might find nothing.
That unpredictability is part of the fun.
Titan, La Onda, El Fuerte and Machetazo
The department store ecosystem goes far beyond the biggest names.
There are also stores such as Titan, La Onda, El Fuerte and El Machetazo, each occupying slightly different positions in Panama's retail landscape.
ACODECO's price comparisons regularly include many of these chains, which demonstrates just how competitive the sector remains. A 2026 survey included El Fuerte, Machetazo, La Onda, Picadilly, El Costo, Titan, El Campeón, Madison, Conway and Dorians in the same comparison of school related products.
This is excellent news for consumers.
Instead of having one giant retailer dominate everything, Panama has multiple competing stores where prices can vary considerably.
That creates opportunities for people who are willing to shop around.
The real secret: don't assume the mall is the cheapest place
Panama has some spectacular shopping malls.
Albrook Mall is enormous.
Multiplaza Panamá is much more upscale.
Westland Mall, Los Andes Mall, Los Pueblos and other shopping centres offer completely different combinations of stores.
But if you are looking for bargains, the most glamorous mall isn't necessarily where you should start.
A department store can sometimes offer much better value than a specialized international brand store.
This is particularly true for basic items.
There is little reason to pay luxury mall prices for a plain T shirt, inexpensive sandals, beach shorts, towels, children's clothes or basic household goods.
The department stores are where many Panamanians shop for these everyday necessities.
School shopping reveals just how competitive it can be
One of the best demonstrations of Panama's department store culture happens every year before the school year.
Families shop for uniforms, shoes, backpacks, belts, school supplies and other necessities, and price comparisons become important.
ACODECO actually publishes price comparisons between major chains.
Its January 2026 survey compared selected school shoes and belts at stores including El Fuerte, Machetazo, La Onda, Picadilly, El Costo, Titan, El Campeón, Madison, Conway, Dorians and Oca Loca.
That is a remarkable number of competing stores selling overlapping categories of merchandise.
For shoppers, it means that comparison shopping can genuinely pay off.
The same item, or similar versions of it, may appear at very different prices depending on the store.
The strange joy of Panama's department stores
There is also something wonderfully old school about these stores.
They are not trying to be minimalist.
They are not trying to make everything look like an Apple Store.
They are not necessarily trying to convince you that a pair of jeans is an investment piece.
Instead, they are packed with merchandise.
There are racks of clothes.
Stacks of shoes.
Displays of towels.
Rows of perfume.
Children's toys.
Kitchen equipment.
Furniture.
Mattresses.
Backpacks.
Cosmetics.
Seasonal decorations.
Random objects that you didn't know existed until five seconds ago.
And somewhere in the middle there will probably be a sign advertising 50% OFF.
For someone accustomed to North American shopping, it can feel surprisingly nostalgic.
And this is why they are fantastic for backpackers
Backpackers have a unique relationship with department stores.
You arrive in Panama with a carefully planned backpack.
Three weeks later, that carefully planned backpack has become a disaster.
Your shirt is permanently stained.
Your shorts are falling apart.
Your sandals have disappeared.
Your towel smells like something that should be studied by scientists.
You suddenly need a rain jacket.
And you have absolutely no desire to spend $80 on it.
This is where Panama's department stores become extremely useful.
You can often find inexpensive replacements without needing to visit five different specialty shops.
They are also useful when traveling through the interior.
You don't necessarily need to return to Panama City every time you need something.
Large shopping centres and department stores can be found outside the capital as well. Saks, for example, currently lists a Santiago location in Veraguas alongside its Panama City and Panama Oeste branches.
Panama's department stores are a cultural experience too
For tourists, shopping is sometimes treated as something you do only when you need something.
In Panama, spending an afternoon wandering through a large department store can actually be part of experiencing everyday life.
You see what people are buying.
You see what brands are popular.
You see what prices ordinary families are dealing with.
You see the huge importance of school shopping.
You see the difference between imported merchandise and locally targeted products.
And you quickly discover that Panamanian shopping culture isn't simply about luxury malls and international brands.
There is a huge middle and value market underneath it.
That market is alive and well.
The great Panama department store strategy
For travelers, the best approach is simple.
Don't buy everything at the first store you enter.
If you have time, compare.
Check Conway.
Check El Campeón.
Check El Costo.
Check Saks or Dorians.
Look at Titan, La Onda, El Fuerte, Machetazo and other local chains.
And don't automatically assume that a famous international brand is going to give you the best deal.
Panama's department stores frequently run temporary promotions, clearance events and category specific discounts. Saks actively advertises promotions, while recent Conway promotions have included significant reductions on selected merchandise.
The best bargains can also be the least glamorous ones.
A $10 pair of shorts that survives six months of backpacking may be a much better purchase than a $70 pair from a fashionable mall boutique.
A shopping tradition that refuses to disappear
Perhaps the most interesting thing about Panama's department stores is that they aren't relics waiting to disappear.
They continue to serve a very practical purpose.
Panama is a country where shopping malls have become major social and commercial centres, yet traditional department stores have managed to coexist with international brands, online shopping and enormous modern malls.
They survived because they offer something extremely difficult for online shopping to completely replace:
the ability to walk into one enormous store and find almost anything you need at a competitive price.
And for travelers, they can be one of the country's best kept shopping secrets.
Forget the idea that Panama shopping means nothing but luxury malls and expensive designer stores.
Sometimes the best discovery is a giant, slightly chaotic department store with five floors of merchandise and a sign saying REBAJAS.
That's where the treasure hunt begins.