It should come to no surprise that there are Walmarts here in China; after all most of the merchandise they sell at Walmart in America is from China. However the Walmart in China is nothing like a Walmart in America. There are differences, lots of them. For one the place is packed every weekend, it is almost as bad as black Friday in America, but like every weekend. Though the lines are not too bad as there are cashiers at every register. In fact, there is an over abundance of sales associates. There are a couple in every aisle and at times you may find a group of six or seven standing there. This may sound like a good thing, and at times it is, but after a while one misses being able to shop at peace. I have sales associates follow me, stand near me when I try to look at something and then do a sales pitch of whatever item I am picking up or a of a similar item. Exactly what they are saying I do not know, sometimes they will point at price and tell me which is a better deal, other times I have no idea why they want me to buy one and not the other. One day I was trying to pick out hand soap, I was just going to buy the cheapest and in a name brand I have heard of before. However the sales lady argued with me, and eventually put her brand of soap in my cart. When I removed it and placed my own in it, she fussed at me.
However it is not just the sales associates. On another trip to Walmart after picking up a loaf of bread, an older woman came up to me and tried telling me I need to buy crustless bread. After refusing several times she picked up the bread and threw it in my cart. Maybe it is the fact that I am a single male and they believe I cant shop on my own, but this is ridiculous.
As far as food goes….
When shopping for groceries, I can find very few foods I am familiar with. They do not eat food out of cans, so no soups or tuna. Instead there are whole aisles for noodles. If I find American foods it is in strange varieties, like Raspberry Oreos, or Roasted Squid Lays. There is a whole section on honey, with all different types of honey and you fill up mason jars. The produce section is decent but you have to go to a sales associate who will weigh it and place a sticker on it. They do not weigh items at the registers or punch it codes, everything must have a bar code. This does makes lines go way quicker than they do in America. The smell of durian fruit fills the air here as they have a person who will slice and package it for you if you choose to buy one.
However the meat department is a vast departure from Walmart in America and to the FDA. Meat is unpackaged and laid out in great piles in the aisles on ice. People place their hands in bags and grab the meat they want and then turn the bags inside out to hold the meat. Customer service representatives here can be seen handling meat with their bare hands at times. In another section fish and shrimp are kept in large aquariums where people can use nets to grab the fish they want. I have watched people grab the shrimp with just their hands though. Then there is a large section of where they prepare all sorts of food for you. Here you will see whole ducks, chicken feet, noodles, fried rice, all being prepared.
Check out is speedy. People only buy as much as they can carry. Purchases are made in cash as there is only one line for credit cards. One must bring their own bags or else they charge you for some. (Another reason for speedy lines). However if you buy something too heavy for you to carry home, Walmart does deliver. Outside of the Walmart there is always a group of people on mopeds willing to take you home.
While I am not a fan of Walmart stateside, when I go back it will be a welcomed site to see for once.
Sensei Cuso 