Pettah's covered bazaar streets are each informally dedicated to a particular trade: Main Street for electronics and hardware, Front Street for fabrics and clothing, Second Cross Street for spices and dried goods. It is chaotic, crowded, and entertaining, and you can find almost anything here at prices well below what you'd pay elsewhere in the city.
The best things to buy are spices — cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper, and dried chillies are all cheaper and better here than in the tourist shops — and bolts of fabric. Bargaining is expected for most things, though some shops have fixed prices. The market is busiest Monday to Saturday mornings; quiet on Sunday, closed or thin on public holidays.