My Own Personal Shopper...

Shopping here is something to adjust to. There aren’t many supermarkets and grocery stores like in the US. It is not self-service. Most stores are small and are pretty much an open area with counters and shelves behind them. You just talk to the salesperson and he/she gets you whatever you want (too bad they don’t deliver). And it’s the same in the bazaar. So while the freedom to choose what you want is definitely limited, it cuts down on the spontaneous purchases. It’s hard to stand in front of someone who has multiple customers and not know what you want, so it’s easier to go prepared. At first, it was just necessary to explain that I was looking – unlike the familiar grocery stores; here the options can vary greatly from store to store. So now that I know what’s available at each place, I can plan. Shopping can be time consuming – the bazaar for fresh fruits and vegetables, a certain store for chicken, another store for cheese, etc. And since most foods are not available frozen or packaged, it’s necessary to go much more often.

In my town we do have one “American style” grocery store – complete with aisles and grocery carts. The selection isn’t much different than the rest of the stores in town, but when you don’t want sales pressure or want the feel of home (not to mention the air conditioning in the summer) it’s where I go. But I also enjoy the local shops. I have one place that I go regularly and have come to know the two storekeepers. Different than I’ve ever experienced before, it’s nice to have a conversation with them (as opposed to massive amounts of continually changing employees at American grocery stores). We talk about what I’m baking (since most times it’s different than Azeri food), work, and just general conversational things. It’s also nice to be known in the bazaar – the more known you are, the better chance you have of not getting ripped off with the foreigner price, and instead getting the local price – and on a Peace Corps living stipend, that’s a necessary thing!

Who knows? I may just seek out those small little mom and pop shops when I return to America – that is, if there are any left...