So many things are quite different here, naturally, but nothing more so than shopping. For example, what the stores have on the shelves is not everything that they sell. We have asked for beer, brooms, Lysol (it's Lizol here) and napkins when only foodstuffs are visible and these things have magically appeared from who-knows-where. Ask ask ask! seems to be the motto. So does bargain, bargain, bargain! I was able to buy an oven and a hand mixer today and I convinced the owner to take 500 rupees off of the price. Granted I smiled like crazy and kept pointing to the baby, "I am going to be baking things for him!" but it worked!
Prices are hardly ever listed on items so you always have to ask what things cost. This can be quite irritating for me because there seems to be a sliding scale; one price for Indians and a different price for Westerners. I always feel as if I am being sized up when I ask the price and that they seem to conclude I can afford more so they ask for more. That's typically when I chuckle and act like I have a clue what I am talking about and give a lower price. This is where it helps to have a friend with you so she can back you up and say things like, "That's crazy, the store down the street charges 300 rupees less! Come on Lindsey, let's go!" This typically works to get a lower price. Andy says I need to stop converting rupees into dollars because he is paid in rupees (which makes complete sense) however, I have no value in my mind yet for rupees, so I do quick conversion and offer them a price I think would be fair in Chicago. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
Besides the asking and bargaining, you often to not take the items purchased home with you. Doing so would mean you would have to hike up or down (depending on which bazaar you shopped at that day) the mountain with your bags of things. It's not easy, and it's very tiring. So you ask them to deliver it to your home that night. This is usually free of charge, unless you order something large like a washing machine. Then you tip the delivery man (because the store owner told me to-but only a very little! Don't tip too much!) and thank him for walking up the mountain with your washing machine strapped to his head and flip flops on his feet. Tonight my oven will no doubt find its' way up our mountain strapped to another man's head. This person is not to be tipped, however, the store owner told me not to.
Groceries too, get delivered. I can either walk into the bazaar, fill up my basket, and give the owner a delivery time or I can simply call on the phone and place my order to be delivered. Calling presents a challenge however, because you never know what is going to be available and given that there are VERY FEW options (we are talking three kinds of cereal here, folks) sometimes what you want is not what they have so you need to be very specific, or risk getting sent something the store owner thinks you want. The stores may not have what you are looking for and the owner may order it for you. Sometimes this is successful, sometimes not. One store owner could not find plain soy milk for us so he bought vanilla, chocolate and mango. Mango soy milk? Pass. So we get our soy milk from a grocer who had greater success. I have been told "I can get that in two days" so many times that when I hear it now, I move on to another store knowing full well they will never get chickpea flour, vanilla beans, or rice flour in stock. But I found them in the city, so I am set! Ordering groceries over the phone is particularly helpful on the warm, sunny days when the Rhesus monkeys are about and we need produce. Unless Andy is with us, it is quite foolish for me to carry fruit up the mountain by myself. One teacher was jumped on for carrying bananas out in the open... so I just call the store up and have a delivery man deal with the monkey harassment.
Since we are a "Woodstock Family" store owners immediately trust us and often refuse our money the first visit. We walked out of one store with a lamp, even though we had the cash for it, because the owner wanted us to "come back and pay later." You have accounts at grocery stores that you pay off at the end of the month. Today I walked in and took maple syrup off of Sadarchi's shelf and said "It's for the Cooper's!" and walked out. Sadarchi smiled at me and waved to Oliver and took out his notebook to account for the syrup. It makes it so easy not to carry cash. You just need to read your receipts very carefully or risk paying for your neighbor's butter and cheese.
The store owners are starting to recognize me more and more (or maybe they just recognize Oliver; everyone wants "the baby" to shop at their store) and we have developed some great working relationships with our grocers and store owners. It is a good feeling for me, when I feel out of place or homesick to be greeted with, "Good afternoon, Mrs. Cooper! So happy to see you today! I have more chocolate for you!"
Prices are hardly ever listed on items so you always have to ask what things cost. This can be quite irritating for me because there seems to be a sliding scale; one price for Indians and a different price for Westerners. I always feel as if I am being sized up when I ask the price and that they seem to conclude I can afford more so they ask for more. That's typically when I chuckle and act like I have a clue what I am talking about and give a lower price. This is where it helps to have a friend with you so she can back you up and say things like, "That's crazy, the store down the street charges 300 rupees less! Come on Lindsey, let's go!" This typically works to get a lower price. Andy says I need to stop converting rupees into dollars because he is paid in rupees (which makes complete sense) however, I have no value in my mind yet for rupees, so I do quick conversion and offer them a price I think would be fair in Chicago. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
Besides the asking and bargaining, you often to not take the items purchased home with you. Doing so would mean you would have to hike up or down (depending on which bazaar you shopped at that day) the mountain with your bags of things. It's not easy, and it's very tiring. So you ask them to deliver it to your home that night. This is usually free of charge, unless you order something large like a washing machine. Then you tip the delivery man (because the store owner told me to-but only a very little! Don't tip too much!) and thank him for walking up the mountain with your washing machine strapped to his head and flip flops on his feet. Tonight my oven will no doubt find its' way up our mountain strapped to another man's head. This person is not to be tipped, however, the store owner told me not to.
Groceries too, get delivered. I can either walk into the bazaar, fill up my basket, and give the owner a delivery time or I can simply call on the phone and place my order to be delivered. Calling presents a challenge however, because you never know what is going to be available and given that there are VERY FEW options (we are talking three kinds of cereal here, folks) sometimes what you want is not what they have so you need to be very specific, or risk getting sent something the store owner thinks you want. The stores may not have what you are looking for and the owner may order it for you. Sometimes this is successful, sometimes not. One store owner could not find plain soy milk for us so he bought vanilla, chocolate and mango. Mango soy milk? Pass. So we get our soy milk from a grocer who had greater success. I have been told "I can get that in two days" so many times that when I hear it now, I move on to another store knowing full well they will never get chickpea flour, vanilla beans, or rice flour in stock. But I found them in the city, so I am set! Ordering groceries over the phone is particularly helpful on the warm, sunny days when the Rhesus monkeys are about and we need produce. Unless Andy is with us, it is quite foolish for me to carry fruit up the mountain by myself. One teacher was jumped on for carrying bananas out in the open... so I just call the store up and have a delivery man deal with the monkey harassment.
Since we are a "Woodstock Family" store owners immediately trust us and often refuse our money the first visit. We walked out of one store with a lamp, even though we had the cash for it, because the owner wanted us to "come back and pay later." You have accounts at grocery stores that you pay off at the end of the month. Today I walked in and took maple syrup off of Sadarchi's shelf and said "It's for the Cooper's!" and walked out. Sadarchi smiled at me and waved to Oliver and took out his notebook to account for the syrup. It makes it so easy not to carry cash. You just need to read your receipts very carefully or risk paying for your neighbor's butter and cheese.
The store owners are starting to recognize me more and more (or maybe they just recognize Oliver; everyone wants "the baby" to shop at their store) and we have developed some great working relationships with our grocers and store owners. It is a good feeling for me, when I feel out of place or homesick to be greeted with, "Good afternoon, Mrs. Cooper! So happy to see you today! I have more chocolate for you!"
I love reading about your adventures! Keep the wonderful stories coming! Miss you tons! Give O a big hug for me! xo
ReplyDeleteDone and done! I miss you terribly...it was so great to have such a wonderful friend so close and in the same boat as me!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love, love, love reading everything! I'm fascinated by your experience and am loving all the details!! Thinking of you, we should set up a Skype session soon!
ReplyDelete