Shopping in America

If you live in the States, this might be a very boring post. If you don't, though, you might find it amusing (maybe a little?). Every time I go grocery shopping I feel I'm taking a tour, not just checking items off my to-buy list. You can learn so much about the local culture just by browsing through the products on the aisles! When I'm at Walmart, I sometimes feel I come from very far away ... Which I do, duh, but I feel the gap between Argentina and America is even broader than I'd imagined. And don't let me get started with online shopping! The sales are actually real. It's so hard not to give in to temptation when you're offered so many incredible bargains. I hate to see myself fall for them; I don't want to be weak and feed the capitalist system so shamelessly! (Ok, I might have gone too far) Especially when we need to save. I try, though; but sometimes I just surrender.

This past Friday, for instance, I got an ad from Shoe Dazzle which read "Triple treat: 3 for $49.95". The second I opened the link, I knew that was it for me. 5 minutes later, these 3 babies were in my cart and 2 minutes later, I got an e-mail with my order confirmation.

In my defense, I haven't worn a pair of wedges for over 2 years. I didn't bring any from Argentina because they were all shabby and not worth stuffing into my suitcase. As for the satchel, I got it with the hope it'll match my new lipstick.

Coming back to grocery shopping, whenever I'm at the store I have my cell phone camera ready to go because I know I'll find something amusing to snap. Do you want to see some of my latest photos?

Chocolate cupcake mix in a jar!!! Who on Earth would think of a jar as a marketable container for cupcake mix?! It looks like a bottle of fabric softener! Something that also looks very unappealing to me is green tea sold in cans :/.

And white rice in the frozen section? Isn't that funny, too?

 

You can find containers for practically anything here. I'm not sure I'd buy one for a single cupcake, but they do look cute.

Here's something I'll definitely buy one day: colorful ice cream cups :p.

I'm impressed by the broad variety of products there are. Marshmallow vodka does not sound very appealing, though.

 

Unlike Argentina, people here peel corn off before buying it.

I kind of want one of these cute watermelon knives.

 

America is all about themes and seasons. If you like say, Hello Kitty, you can stuff your house with Hello Kitty trinkets, clothes, games and even food. Fall, for instance, is all about pumpkin spiced food, everything orange and spooky because of Halloween and Christmas ... I think mentioning that there's something called Christmas in July says how big this holiday in this country.

 

Home Depot is another place I really enjoy going to. There's a section where they customize your keys to the color and topic of your choice.

There's a place where you can test spray paint ...

And they sell 3-day survival kits! I had certainly never seen anything like this anywhere else.

What things caught your eye while in a foreign country?

What things from your home country do you think would amuse nonnatives?

Have a great week, everyone! ;D

Related posts:

A tour to the 99c store 

First impressions