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Diane Putnam

Diane Putnam club

Posted: 30 May 2017

Taken: 29 May 2017

9 favorites     24 comments    324 visits

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Earthquake in the detergent aisle

Earthquake in the detergent aisle
If this was a big supermarket, instead of Bi-Mart, there would be 4x more brands available for laundry detergent. A Russian friend of mine told me about her first days in the US after immigration (1990s). When she went to a supermarket, she could barely function for the sheer scale of the building and all the choices for each product. "It was like a museum!" I asked her how she was able to choose just one thing and she said by whether or not she liked the picture on the label. Later, after she learned English, she got much better at understanding what she was buying. Since then, I think about her almost every time I'm in a cereal aisle.

Years later, I tended to do the same thing when I was in Japan, because it was often the only way I had a clue what was inside the package. That's how it goes when the written words are entirely incomprehensible. ;-b

Steve Bucknell, Pam J, Ronald Losure, Smiley Derleth and 5 other people have particularly liked this photo

24 comments - The latest ones
 Edward Bowthorpe
Edward Bowthorpe
Great photograph Diane,eddie,x
7 years ago.
Diane Putnam club has replied to Edward Bowthorpe
Many thanks, Eddie my friend!
7 years ago.
 Andy Rodker
Andy Rodker club
I recall a similar occurrence, Diane.
At my university in London, a friend used his flat as a safehouse for Eastern European dissidents. This was in the late 70s.
One morning I took a Russian to the shops shortly after he arrived. It was only a very small supermarket (at least by today's standards). He was a middle aged man, seemingly unimpressed with what he was experiencing in the West so far (or at least that particular corner of North London - admittedly easy to be unimpressed by!) and as he entered the shop he stopped and looked around and stood there trembling with confusion and astonishment! I will never forget that look on his face!
(We bought vodka!).
7 years ago.
Diane Putnam club has replied to Andy Rodker club
I love stories like that! A safehouse was definitely crucial, then. I am currently reading a collection of memories of the period after the collapse of the USSR. Everyone so desperate for food, heating, housing, work... Really a terrible time. That's what three of my San Francisco Russian friends came from. The one above, Lisa, told about the most amazing thing: massive piles of fresh fruit, vegetables and meat. She laughed and said they ate nonstop for months - especially fruit!

The book is The Last Soviet.
7 years ago. Edited 7 years ago.
 Gudrun
Gudrun club
I have got to the point where I ignore all the brands who advertise a lot. In German supermarkets the expensive brands are at eye level (they pay for that!) and the cheap no name stuff is at the bottom.
Our discounters like Lidl or Aldi only have one product, that's why they are cheap.
7 years ago. Edited 7 years ago.
Diane Putnam club has replied to Gudrun club
Yes, same thing here. The big corporations pay for space - always eye level. For some reason, the "natural" products, like hand soap or shampoo, are on the top shelf. Generic is almost always just as good!
7 years ago. Edited 7 years ago.
Pam J club has replied to Gudrun club
Lidl and Aldi were where I used to shop in the UK !
7 years ago.
 Gisela Plewe
Gisela Plewe club
Ich wollte einmal in einem Land, dessen Sprache ich nicht verstand, Gelierzucker kaufen...ein Abenteuer.
7 years ago.
Diane Putnam club has replied to Gisela Plewe club
Oh, you had to gamble! Another case where you have to rely on the picture on the box. Danke, Gisela.
7 years ago.
 Léopold
Léopold club
We usually buy Tide and you Diane ?
7 years ago.
Diane Putnam club has replied to Léopold club
Whatever is unscented and on sale! : o
7 years ago.
 Peggy C
Peggy C club
A relative used to be a supermarket Store Manager - then Area Manager of a North Carolina chain of supermarkets. She asked, "how do you decide what to purchase when so many things are available?"

Told her ..'I look at the top shelf and then the bottom shelf -- usually those are the best buys -
eye-level are Name brands..
Store brands (which in my experience) are on a par with pricey name brands.'

Think there should be fewer brands -- have you ever stood in an aisle wondering what the heck to get ? How many kinds of green peas are there?

Re: store brands -- when I lived in Florida, the husband of a friend drove a truck for a large supermarket chain --- he was at plant in south FL --- his semi was at one door .. a semi for another chain was at another door.
BOTH loaded the same product --- but, labeled for their supermarket ~

The one big vat theory held true ~

This is good in my area (Food Lion stores carry it) -- don't know about any others.

www.trademarkia.com/chaching-86691908.html

Haven't found anything not as good as a pricier brand....
7 years ago. Edited 7 years ago.
Diane Putnam club has replied to Peggy C club
I've never seen that, but I like the name! I've always suspected what the truck driver reported!
7 years ago.
 Ronald Losure
Ronald Losure club
Last year, the Kroger store in my town bought the building next door, tore it down, and expanded their own store. I almost suffered mental collapse when I went in after they re-opened. Triple the items, everything moved, and there was no map or index. I switched to the "little" store that is always on the edge of going out of business.
7 years ago.
Diane Putnam club has replied to Ronald Losure club
I know what you mean about the "moving my stuff" trauma! Every single time a store switches a department, such as all the canned goods switched with papergoods, it takes me months to lock the new location into my brain. Grrr!
7 years ago.
 Keith Burton
Keith Burton club
I don't think it makes too much difference which one you buy - except the price - most stuff is made by two or three big manufactures anyway and just packaged differently..!!
7 years ago.
Diane Putnam club has replied to Keith Burton club
There are a few generic-brand losers, but I've learned what those are by trial and error. We all have our trusted "regulars" and go directly to those anyway. One trick I've noticed for a long time is that often, two small size of something, like salad dressing is less per ounce than the double size bottle. Most people reach for the large one assuming it's cheaper. Shopping trickery!
7 years ago.
slgwv club has replied to Diane Putnam club
I've noted that a lot! Since mental math seems to be a lost art, they get away with it.
7 years ago.
 aNNa schramm
aNNa schramm club
I am always amazed when I see how many different cleaning things
are bought by one person ° ! °
For the table
For the dishes
For the windows
For the floor
For the kitchen
For the bathroom
For the toilet
etc.
7 years ago.
Diane Putnam club has replied to aNNa schramm club
Mind-boggling, isn't it? I've discovered that window cleaner works on all surfaces, even spot-cleaning the carpet. For that matter, so does vinegar, but I can't stand the smell of it on everything! One time I mopped my floor with water & a lot of vinegar and almost choked myself to death. Lol!
7 years ago.
 Sylvain Wiart
Sylvain Wiart
I prefer the wine shelf :-)
7 years ago.
Diane Putnam club has replied to Sylvain Wiart
Haha! Yes, wine tastes much better than soap!
7 years ago.
 Pam J
Pam J club
I buy mostly generic brands. Like you Diane I have found from trial and error the few to avoid. Some things I will only buy the known maker brand of.. but it isnt many and its because I prefer the taste.

My panic times when I came here wasnt the vast choice. The UK supermarkets are just as good/plentiful as the US ones. My total disorientation which had me in tears almost for 6 month was every damned thing was DIFFERENT !!!! Even the language was different !!!

You may think that isnt so unsettling.. but it actually is. It applied not just to the shops.. but nature too. I had a good knowledge of European/UK flora and fauna.. and here suddenly.. it meant nothing and I had to start again.

Grocery shopping was similar.

I also experienced others shock . The UK took alot of the Vietnamese kids who escaped in boats in the 70's. I with others in my community helped best we could to start the kids off.. these were teenagers mostly.. parents had put them on boats in the hope they could save them. Things in the UK were SO different for them.... plus the grief many were dealing with.
7 years ago.
Diane Putnam club has replied to Pam J club
I have had a hint of that kind of culture shock - in Kenya, 1988. Almost everyone spoke English, even fluent English, but after two or three weeks I suddenly felt extremely lonely. It wasn't the same English and I realized no one really understood me and I didn't understand them! I had never realized the thousands of nuances every day that we don't have to explain to each other when we're in the same culture. (This was my first trip overseas.) I would have just as much culture shock anywhere, but in Kenya it was a delayed reaction as far as communication went. Of course, everything else was different, immediately, but just talking with people was surprisingly isolating after awhile. Then, getting back here was another shock, but that's another story.

Something funny: I was chatting with a young market seller and he asked if I was American. He said Americans and British are very different to get to know. I said I thought we were fairly similar. He laughed and said, "You aren't at all similar! Tell me how..." I then had to struggle, finally said language. He laughed again and said, "No, you don't even speak the same language!" It was such a funny conversation.
7 years ago. Edited 7 years ago.

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