Chapter 9

I told you all in a previous posting about the local version of Wal-Mart called ASDA, but I didn’t go into any detail so today I want to give you an insight to the Scottish way of grocery shopping. Those of you from the south know all about Kroger. That is my SPOT. I love that place and when I use my Kroger Plus Card I get discounts and you know I LOVE SAVING MONEY. I’m not cheap I’m just trying to become a millionaire by 30 and every penny helps lol. Also, I hear people on campus talk about the rollbacks. They say you should go late at night because that’s when the items are the cheapest. You better believe I will be trying this soon.

First of all you have to pay for the shopping carts. It cost One British Pound ($1.59 US), I believe they give you this back when you return the cart, but I haven’t tried it because my Financial Aid for school hasn’t come so I don’t waste any money! If you don’t pay for a cart you can use one of the small plastic baskets similar to what you see in a grocery store in the US. You have to decide quickly what’s important to buy during that trip. I only have two hands lol.

For the most part I can get majority of the same items I can in the US. Major brands like Kellogg, Special K, Snicker, Twix for example they have, but I can't BigK dinks from Kroger, Velveeta cheese, cheese It crackers, LOL. I can get coffee, but I am going to try and go to Starbucks and see if I can get the instant brew. The coffee Scottish people drink is not that good. Actually it’s nasty. lol and I love my coffee. It’s my Godfathers fought. He started me at a very young age (like 8) drinking coffee and I just can’t stop.

I can buy meat, cheese, milk just as I could in the US. The fruit and vegetable are AMAZING. It’s the freshest thing I have ever tasted. Scottish people love bread and they bakery makes very good fresh bread. It cost about 2.00 per loaf but it’s good. Drinks on the other hand are a different story. Most of their drinks are carbonated. I purchased some lemonade and got home and it was carbonated the worst drink I ever had. I also made another mistake and purchased carbonated orange juice. So I carefully READ the labels now. It’s too expensive to waste this good money. I like apple juice and it comes in this little carton (1 Liter for about $1 US) and it’s not that great.

When you reach the checkout line the cashiers sit in chairs as they check you out. This place is so laid back its ridiculous. Although, they are always busy and the store is packed. I forgot to mention you can order online and they will bring your groceries to your home. So you will see ASDA employees walking around scanning items and bagging them in the aisle because they are gathering online orders. Great business model in my opinion and you know I am watching trying to see how I can capitalize on their ideas in the US.

As most of you know I can throw down in the kitchen. I like to cook and eat, but my menu in Scotland is very simple. I eat a lot of chicken, salad, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, salads, pastas, and weight watchers meals that I can put in the oven. I don’t even cook the chicken it’s a rotisserie chicken like they sell at Sams Club or Costco. I trend to cook meals that are easy to make and don't take a lot of time. Why you might ask? Well let’s just say I am not dealing with Black and Decker stainless steel appliances. This is not an updated kitchen you would see on HGTV. I don’t even have a microwave. The stove in my kitchen looks like something my ancestors used. Honestly, I think it belongs in a museum the school is just borrowing it until the end of the year. I think there are instructions that say “must add wood” for best quality. Its takes about 20 mins to boil water; enough said! That is just depressing. So by the time the stove is ready I'm not even that hungry. I’m just mad! LOL

Honestly I am learning to be more patient because good things come to those that wait! Until next time be blessed.