Text 2255, 88 rader
Skriven 2006-06-18 10:34:11 av Carol Shenkenberger (6:757/1)
     Kommentar till en text av Glen Jamieson
Ärende: Re: CHICKEN 472 60616
=============================
*** Quoting Glen Jamieson from a message to Carol Shenkenberger ***

GJ> The vendors would think there was no point in trying to make excess
GJ> profit from you, as you were obviously savvy and knew the value of
GJ> goods, and they wanted you to come back again and again.
GJ>  
 GJ> Vendors can easily tell the difference between the tourist who just
 GJ> wants to buy a souvenir ("How quaint!") and the "one of us" housewife.
 CS> Oddly they can tell the same even when 'tourist' shoppers like me hit
 CS> Korea and places like that.  Aint hard.

GJ> Easy to tell, when you carry a shopping bag, and pick up the goods,
GJ> sniff them and pick out the best fruit and vegetables.  I was amused
GJ> by a Dane, shopping with his Filipino wife in Manila, who disapproved
GJ> of that practise.  He thought it more proper to just ask the vendor to
GJ> choose the 1 kg of tomatoes or other veggies.  They divorced, later.
GJ>  

Oh my!  That would be very strange in Asia to shop like that!  Not to mention a
little embarassing for the wife!  My guess is a cultural shift there where the
Nordic shopping allows in 'politeness' for the shop keep to dispense some of
the less pretty ones with the best ones to maintain profit margins.  Done too
far, you'd find a better shop keeper next time and they'd know that so keep it
in bounds.  It just wouldnt come across the same in Asia though.  It would
seem in Asia to be 'lazy'.  I do something a bit odd in Japan, but many of the
housewives do it too so it's understood.  

Sometimes, i get 'soup pot vegetables' and pick the slightly wilted ones at one
of my local grocery spots, who separates those out for a lesser price.  He
knows that the USA shoppers find this 'acceptable' and it helps him out.  The
Filipeno wives will do the same thing sometimes but are a bit less prone to it
as there isnt that much price difference.  (anything really wilted just isnt
put out for sale so this isnt 'badly wilted' at all, just things that look
like they have been in your crisper for 2 days after purchase).  It's anything
from 10% off to 50% off.

GJ> It also helps if you don't mind being laughed at in a friendly way.

 CS> pissed off when you order a 'hamburger' in OZ and get a slice of ham in
 CS> a samwich (grin). 

GJ> Or a slice of beetroot, dribbling red juice down over the egg, etc!

Those too!  I remember one of my first trips out in Japan.  Box of what I
thought were tissues (kleenex etc) turned out to be rubber bands <g>. 
Fortunately we needed those too as we'd just moved here and it was a household
item we hadnt stocked yet.


 CS> Here's a sample.  It's end of the school year and the 'lost and found'
 CS> locker has to be cleared out.  All the kids were taken through for a
 CS> final check to see if any of it was theirs, then after clearing that
 CS> out, each kid was allowed to select an item or so they wanted that had
 CS> In 2 weeks, they have a different sort of 'lucky bag' operation. 
 CS> Thats where the parents drop off clothes that are clean and ironed, and
 CS> that their kids have outgrown.  New folks checking in, who need stuff
 CS> because the household goods take 4-5 months to arrive and cant pack
 CS> much in the luggage on the air-flight over, get those.  I usually pass
 CS> the stuff to neighbors but some has gone there as well.

GJ> At schools here that sort of thing is done.  Parents donate out-grown
GJ> school uniforms which are sold cheaply, with the profits going to
GJ> school services to benefit the students.
GJ>  

I can see that as totally sensible and a good thing.  Here, they arent resold
but given away.  Some of the stuff is brand new, never been used.  I've
donated such as well at times.  I'll get stuff for Charlotte and when I get
back home months later, find it was too small so off it goes.

The kids do not wear uniforms here in the base school but they do out in town
so we are familiar with that.  Some stateside schools do it too but mostly
private ones.  There might be some laws involved in requiring it in public
schools in the USA.

 CS> Walkable to it, taxi home at late night.

GJ> Hmmm.  Walking?  You are going to USA, remember?  You might find it a
GJ> bit lonely being the only walkers on the street. (Unless I was there.)
GJ>  

Ah but folks do walk and don and i always were more apt to do that than most.
It sort of depends on the area and in big cities, it's fairly common.

                                       xxcarol

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