Shopping in Russia and in the USA

Today I will tell you about shopping in Russia and the USA.Shopping in Russia varies from shopping in US. It is a challenge to find any or more than two supermarkets in the remoted rural towns and settlements in Russia. You just need to go any shop nearby to get most of food items. The range, size and quality of goods promise to impress you. For the most part the shops are operated as elsewhere. Things to bear in mind are: 1)The seller selects for you  fruits and vegetables from a display. You can participate in this process as well. There are no plastic bags to snap off a roll, but you will be provided with a plastic bag if you don’t have any. 2)More about plastic bags. You would better take it from home, otherwise prepare to spend some money. Though at some bakery counters you will get you bread put into a free plastic bag. 3)You have to sack your own groceries to the bag yourself, as no one will do it for you. No one will take your bag to the car either.

Russians pay cash. Not by the credit card. Inside the shop or shopping centre looks similar to the one in US. The shopping area is divided into several parts-counters/ So if you are running out of milk you certainly go to the dairy counter. There you  will find different kinds of butter, margarine, eggs, cottage cheese, yogurt, long-life milk. At the bread and cake counter you will see a variety of bread kinds, rolls, buns, rusks, croissants, fancy cakes. At the fish counter there is a variety of canned, kipper and fresh fish and sea food, like salmon, plaice, crab, lobsters, sprats and so on. The gondola for baking ingredients, cereal products and other bluff you need to get at the dry groceries includes flour, sugar, oils, spices, noodles, mustard, vinegar, sultanas, honey, mayonnaise, barley, semolina and other oats. Shopping in the USA is different but not too much. There are relatively few local grocery stores in America and hardly any grocery or butcher shops. You have to go to the supermarket for most food items. People get there by car, as shopping centres aren’t close enough. When you come in the supermarket you take a shopping trolley if you want to get a lot of groceries, but if your shopping list includes only several items you would better take a basket, so that someone else could take the trolley. It is easy to orient inside, but even if you get lost you can ask the shop assistant to show you where they store certain goods. You will be provided with all- canned, fresh, smoked, minced-meat, fish, and vegetables. There is a special beverage counter where you can get coke, diet and regular, juices, beer, etc. The labels inform you that a certain product may be on sale, or on a reduced price, or it is a special offer, or if you can get two items but pay for one only. You can get your picture rolls done; you can get cosmetics and make up, paper products and cleaning supplies there. As well as get some small presents, cards, newspapers, and journals. You will find there semi-prepared frozen goods counter. It is a treat for those American who don’t  have time for cooking and for those coach potatoes(lazy bones) that prefer to eat unhealthy microwave food. There you can get some pizzas, burgers, rolls and other items, including frozen yogurt and different ice-cream for kids. Usually people pay by credit card. If you don’t have too many purchases and you want to pay cash, you are supposed to go to a different checkout. When you come up to a checkout you should put everything from a trolley or basket on the moving line. After that you have to worry about nothing. They will do everything for you- wrap your medicine and small items into separate small plastic bags, and sack your groceries into strong plastic or brown-papered bags. Besides, you can ask one of the employees to take your bags to the car, and they will take your trolley or a basket back, too. Shopping habits are about the same in both counters. I think it is always good to go shopping anywhere, especially if you have some money you can easily spend on whatever you want to get.