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Turning a Non - Event into an Event
So , how does one turn a non - event such as going to a grocery store into an event ? Simple , just have a severe case of Old Goat brain lock on a Saturday and forget that malling is a pastime in these pastures not designed for those of the old goat persuasion . And , grocery shopping at a mall is not for the faint of heart . :-)
While in another portion of the city yesterday i came upon the bright ( or dumb ) idea of checking out the new Rustan's grocery at Centrio mall . Maybe a bright idea on a Tuesday but definitely not on a Saturday . As a result i paid the price . The " price " being moterela driver that couldn't ( or wouldn't ) drop us at the nearest entrance . End result , a walk of several hundred meters that had me flopping down in the first seat i found inside the mall ( a hijack from McDonald's ? )
In fairness , there are two entrances into the grocery with one not requiring a jaunt into the mall itself , if you can figure out how to get there . The fact is this is not the easiest place in the world to get to in the first place . Public transport is limited as to where they can drop you off apparently . Will have to do a Google search to know the name of the side street being used by the locals to find the easiest approach . :-)
Mall Impressions
My first impression of Centrio being " why would someone go to a mall to eat at a McDonald's " is more about being a westerner than anything else of course . Second impression was of being in a mall for the first time ever where there was no place to sit down ( which old goats routinely require ) . What i mean by that is no benches , etc , inside the mall walkways or corridor’s that i saw . Of course that could also be a subliminal message by the designers that i won't go into .
Rustan's Impressions
We actually entered the Rustan's the easiest way by accident. Just inside the door were the grocery carts so we proceeded to our left . Tip: Proceed to the right a few meters to the courtesy desk " if " you are interested in their discount shopper card " and " to see a posting of their " specials " . Their discount card gives you something like a 1 % rebate in some form for every 10 , 000 pesos spent , which ain't hard here .
Otherwise , you will go through checkout having spent ? and " not " get credit towards discount because you have to present card to cashier " before " your total qualifies . The wife handled the communication at courtesy ( after we had shopped ) so i am not privy to the details except for seeing a lot of faces with perplexed looks on them . By specials i mean the " buy two , get one free " ( Washington Red Delicious Apples ) or the " buy five , get one free " ( Libby's Vienna Sausages " ) , etc.
There is also a " Taco " stand with stand being the optimum word . Soft taco was 45 peso and decent but definitely not Taco Bell . :-) And , if they ask you if you want the hot sauce and you say no , you will probably get it anyway . As for the see through napkins , what the hell , went through this with McDonald's years ago . :-) There were a couple of other " stand up " places next to Taco but can't recall what they were selling .
Store Layout
Now , the fun part starts . I will preface my impressions by stating that as an American i grew up with grocery store chains that all had the same basic layout . That would be with rows and aisles . In Rustan's the rows and aisles are more like going on a treasure hunt . In fairness , one will have to just shop there and get accustomed to their layout . To me it's similar to what we know back home as a " fresh market " which can mean many different things .
Next time i will start at the far left of the store at the meat counters . Their meat selections were impressive both for the varieties offered as well as the cuts and packaging . Didn't spend much time there though did see Butterball Turkeys and other import brands i was not familiar with . Bought some frozen Fish fillets that according to my wife were good buys . Tip: Lunch meats are located on a separate aisle in coolers that run the length of the aisle along with frozen pizzas , etc .
One of my food passions happens to be cheese of which they carry many brands . Unfortunately , that aisle was overloaded with folks waiting for rice . Not sure which rice as there was plenty on the shelves . Came back later to check the cheese and did buy a block of Colby Cheddar which i have not tried yet . Was disappointed that all the cheese blocks were of medium strength in all brands so no sharp , xx sharp , etc . Also means that what is sold in Alabang or Cebu is not necessarily sold here ( a peeve of mine regarding Pretzels , etc . ) . :-)
The Good
Did spot some items that i had a hankering for with labels i was familiar with . Did purchase one 24 oz., 710 ml. jar of Kosher Dill Pickles from California at 155 peso . Haven't tried them yet or the cheese but will pass along the taste bud test . Also bought a carton of Florida Natural Orange Juice . Had some this am and this is the real deal . Not concentrate but the same i drank when i lived in Florida . Fresh , with an expiration date of June 13 . They has a nice selection of potatoes there were larger in size than usually found . Carrots , Lettuce , White Onions , etc .For those into Chili , they have Kidney Beans .
Can't price because somehow got home without the primary grocery ticket . Maybe the guard ( with the swat weapon .. ) kept on exit ? More likely the wife took by mistake as she also bought for another household . Overall , prices for non import items of an everyday nature seemed to be consistent with the other major chain groceries . There is an extensive selection of wines , beers and liquors . Jack Daniels was 1, 3?? , Heineken .96 , Stella Atoris , 77 , which seemed consistent with what others have said they pay elsewhere or even less .
The Bad
To crowded and not enough time to explore every aisle , nook and cranny in the store . The sign on as aisle that said Chips , Pretzels had chips but no pretzels . Pots , pans , glass wear , wash cloths , etc near the checkouts while most stores place in a far away corner . In short , to much milling about . Picked up what i thought was a wash cloth that turned out to be a hand towel . Mush mean the locals have very small hands . As for paying $25 for a medium fry pan i must be totally out of touch . :-)
The Ugly
No doubt the newness of it all but when for every 1 person that exits the grocery with groceries there are 3 or 4 that exit with nothing ... Kids being hauled around in toy cars that take up have the aisle width that were big enough to ride horses ... ok , maybe ponies... In short , just far to may people roaming around that just came to look .
Again , i fully admit to these being issues more relative to Old Goats from foreign cultures not being accustomed to a grocery store openings being a major event but most Old Goats didn't grow up going to malls to buy groceries .. :-)
Will go back , just not a Saturday !
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