Shopping in the US

Its been a long time since i posted Venkata’s Sankatas. I have been kept busy in trying to figure out my job and how i can be of some value to my employers.

Any case, here are some of my thoughts on shopping in the US. Even if i don’t trust myself usually, you can trust me on this. Shopping in the United States is awfully hard. The reasons:

1) The amount of choice you get. I have never had to think more than once about buying milk in India. All i had to decide was if i am buying a pack of GoodLife or GoodLife Slim. That is all it is. You go to a store here you will find

a) Full Milk

b) Half and Half

c) 2% fat

d) 0% fat

In the above you have a subset of other choices like Organic or regular, you will find Soy milk, flavored milk and a ton load of other choices. It took me 2 weeks to figure out which milk i wanted and since then i close my eyes when i see other kinds of milk except for the pack i want.

2) The stores have so many items that you don’t need but end up buying.

3) Huge stores mean you walk much longer, you spend more and you are tired.

Good enough reasons for me to find shopping very hard and wastefully expensive.

On the good side, i must also accept that they have some very simple and useful things which are probably not available in India yet. For example, i really like the food wrap, a simple plastic wrap that sticks to the container and can be effectively used to cover the food.

One small advice, Never! Never go shopping with a desi who has been in the US for more than 5 years. They are so badly outdated about India and think that India does not grow at all. About 75% of items that they go “Do you get this in India?" are available in India these days. It is so irritating when they say “I can’t live in India because i am so used to all these things”. Man! i might just strangle someone one day.

I recommend that if you plan to buy a specific item like a GPS, let’s say, do your research on the internet and order from internet. You want to know why? Because every shop attendant  in the US has an opinion about the products.

So, you go to the store spend 45 minutes walking up and down the GPS section and decide on one. You are looking at the features, price and you have almost made up your mind. The shop attend would appear from nowhere like Lord Shiva in our movies of the 60’s.

Att: how are you man?

You: Very well! thanks

Att: You find everything okay?

You: Oh! yes. Thanks. I am just buying a GPS

Att: Yeah! We have all these models here man and i personally like this one here. Let me know if you need anything

He would walk away saying this. Now, you chose a GPS after 45 minutes of careful consideration and confusion. He comes from nowhere and says that he likes another model. You are confused again and you start your research all over again. In another 15 minutes, you are tired of standing and chose something that you did not want or you just decide not to buy the GPS.

Trust me, shopping in the US is not so easy. You need skills, patience and most important of all you need to know the trick of the trade…just order online!!!