Often, at the entrance to the store, customers are met by a greeter – a volunteer who greets visitors, answers questions and helps to find their way in the supermarket. As a rule, this form of employment is chosen by older people who are bored with sitting at home in retirement and want to benefit society. Along with the usual shopping carts and baby strollers in the form of cars in American stores, there are electric carts with a seat for elderly customers, disabled or sedentary overweight people who find it difficult to move independently over a large area. Car parks are always equipped with storage for carts so that you can not return them to the trading floor, but leave them next to the car. Many supermarkets have vending machines at the entrance that accept glass and plastic bottles, as well as cans. In return, they give out coupons that can then be used to pay for groceries at that store. Machines that accept change work on a similar principle: in order not to count coins at the checkout, you can pour them directly from the piggy bank into the machine, and it will issue a coupon for the appropriate amount. I must say, the same schemes are common in some European countries. What surprised an American in Russian supermarkets: 4 important nuances.
< /p> Huge rooms, a wide assortment and rows of shelves with a variety of goods – at first glance, supermarkets in the United States are very similar to ours. But if you take a closer look, it becomes clear: there are many differences, and they literally begin at the doorstep. “Subtleties” decided to understand the peculiarities of everyday American shopping. 1. Welcome at the entrance
2. Electric carts
3. Bottle vending machines and change
4. Unusual assortment
In almost any American supermarket, you can always buy popcorn, go-dogs, all kinds of cereals, pads and other breakfast cereals. Bread is sold mainly white, sometimes gray, for black, most likely, you will have to stomp to the nearest “Russian” store. Unlike meat, there are few fish in supermarkets, mainly salmon or cod. But seasonal fruits and berries are on sale all year round – for example, watermelons, cherries and raspberries, which ripen in the southern states. Garlic is represented by dozens of types: regular, pickled and even cut into small pieces. Coconut oil, which is exotic to us, is also often found, which many Americans use more readily than butter or sunflower oil. Customers are offered a huge selection of various condiments, sometimes with a rather unexpected composition: one of the popular snacks is pickled cucumber sauce. Put “class” if you went on rest with underpisannnilny karanyesshom che­ ;moyesnom!
5. Drinks in huge bottles
In the United States, the English system of measures is used: the weight of products is indicated in pounds (about 450 g), and the volume of liquids is indicated in gallons (3.79 l) or ounces (30 ml). Milk, juice, lemonade, and even vegetable oil are often packaged in one-gallon containers. If you definitely can’t drink that much milk, you can buy a container the size of half a gallon. But in this case it will not be possible to save money – it costs almost as much as a large bottle. To find out roughly how much a kilogram or a liter costs, you need to multiply the price per pound by 2, and divide the price per gallon by 4.
6. Piece vegetables
But vegetables in American stores are sold not only clean and packaged, but also by the piece, and not by weight. You can buy separately both large watermelons or melons, as well as ordinary cucumbers, zucchini, eggplants, avocados or peppers in individual packaging. Since the price per piece is the same, it is advantageous to choose larger specimens. And some fruits and vegetables are laid out on the shelves even sliced: for example, slices of watermelons or oranges, divided into slices. Goods without packaging, which the buyer picks up on his own, do not need to be weighed – this is usually done by the cashier.
7. Fresh flowers
The almost limitless range of American supermarkets includes not only products, household chemicals, kitchen appliances and appliances, but also various cute little things. In many supermarkets, fresh flowers are sold at checkouts – and not only before March 8, as we do, but all year round. Each bouquet is carefully packed and supplied with a bag of fertilizer: pouring its contents into a vase of water, you can extend the life of plants for a week or even more. 10 features of our mentality that seem strange to Americans.
8. Generous tastings
Contrary to a common rule, it is quite possible to come to American stores hungry, especially on weekends when tastings are held there. At these events, you can thoroughly refresh yourself, because they offer not a tiny piece of cheese or sausage, but, for example, fried meat, Chinese dumplings, hot meat balls in sauce or high-calorie snacks. True, after a hearty snack it is difficult to resist an unplanned purchase, but, having thought better of it before the checkout, it is not difficult to return the excess to the shelf. “Why do they suffer so much”: foreigners — about Russian cuisine.
9. Return without problems
Literally any product can be returned to the supermarket – up to underwear. To do this, you only need a check: the money is returned to the card immediately, without presenting any documents and filling out applications, and the goods are accepted even without packaging. In some stores, the return period is limited, but usually it is no less than 30-45 days. In others, an unsuitable purchase can be returned at least a year later.