Well… I survived IKEA… it was a total madhouse!! Monica was not able to come, but BeiJing was her replacement. She was wonderful too. Since I had never met her… I had no idea who I was looking for… so for about 10 minutes I was planning what I would do if I could not find her… or rather she find me…. My Plan B… but thankfully she made her way towards me, calling my name.
I have never seen more people in one building…except perhaps in a mall at Christmas time!! But I managed to find everything I needed to get there. I did however discover a few things. The pillows come rolled up… like a jelly roll… It really saves space.
Checking out was an experience… We were trying to keep the purchases from getting pushed off the end of the counter when the family behind me had moved right up behind me so close I could not even get to the cashier to pay my bill… and they were not budging!! It was not like I was cutting line of anything... they were definitely in my personal space and I was getting a little panicky… I could not even get my money out. BeiJing was bagging in my new bags as quickly as she could so we could get out of the way!! People here are always in a hurry!! Or at least that is how it seems.
And in China… you have to bring your own bags or buy them. This is the way it is everywhere. I thought it was odd at the Family Mart convenience store the other day that the clerk asked if we wanted a bag… it was pretty obvious we had more stuff than we could carry in our hands. He was charging us for it. Of course we cannot read Chinese… so who knew what was on the receipt! But BeiJing asked the cashier for 2 large bags and told me we would need to purchase them…. They are really nice bags and I will be trying to remember to take with on the next visit to the store!! Beijing said the government was trying to cut down on plastic usage…. But she said that most people forget to take them on their grocery visits and end up buying new ones anyway. The theory behind it makes sense.. but the reality is not panning out so well. But it really is kinda nuts when you think about it… this is a country where its citizens do not/cannot drink the water and everyone drinks bottled water…paper or plastic anyone?
Now on to CarreFour….the Texan takes on another new experience. BeiJing again came to the rescue. We walked in the door and there were phones…. lovely cell phones. She helped me get a prepaid cell phone… which does not require a passport to get!!! We were not informed about that…Yea for small accomplishments!!!! I was just a by stander in this transaction. She and the sales guy which going back and forth… then she would stop ask me a question or convey some info… then back to the sales guy… but we got to the end and 500 yuan later I had a cell phone… that worked …and I called Michael at his office to test it out!!! It’s the little things in life that make you smile…
Buying groceries in China….all I can say is thank goodness for pictures… and BeiJing. She translated packages and described how some of the available fare was prepared. She shared which product is better than the next. I am now the proud user of ‘White Cat’ dishwashing liquid… it smells like pink grapefruits… among other products in use by the average Chinese family. I went up and down each aisle and checked out what was offered!!! But I have to say … my heart leaped when I saw Barilla pasta and sauces.. and a few other products imported from the states. All which are available at a premium price.
Americans are very fortunate…even the Chinese products are more expensive than what we pay in the states… we are really lucky that we can purchase food for fairly reasonable prices. A carton of yogurt in China costs 7.20 yuans. At an exchange rate of 5.7 to 1, that small carton of yogurt costs $1.10 USD… we can buy a name brand of yogurt in Walmart for 50 - 55 cents every day and store brands for a fraction of that price. And that is just one small example. This is a country where the average annual salary is equivalent to $4000. We take our good fortune for granted all too often….
But I must say… by the time I got to the produce I was overwhelmed… and there were so many varieties of fruits and vegetables that I was not familiar with… I decided it was too much for my brain to process and it was time to go. So off we head to the check out with a basket full of cleaning supplies and a few staples to stock my cabinets… only spent 682 yuans… or $103 USD. By the way, Chinese currency is referred to as RMB or CNY or Yuan (China Yuan Renminbi).
Today’s shopping trip was enlightening, a test of patience, and opened my eyes that not having a car was going to make grocery shopping a bit more challenging. I think I understand now why city dwellers only buy one meal at a time… getting them home on foot or by cab is way too hard if you have more than a couple of bags.
With the Well and Well van full of IKEA goodies and groceries...all ready to start a new home, we were off to the apartment. A quick stop to drop off our bags and put away the groceries.. then back to the hotel. A successful day of shopping… quite a successful day indeed!!!
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