Wal-Mart!

I believe I've posted before about how much I like Wal-Mart. Oh, I know it's not the most well liked or politically correct place to hang out, but I still love it. The crowds of people, the cheap prices, the stuff scattered across the floor... It's just great!

There's several Western type stores scattered about Chengdu. The one I frequent the most is called Trust Mart. Century Mart and Carrefour run a close second. Although all three of these stores have more of a "Western" feel to them than say, your average street vendor, they are still distinctly Chinese. Because of the crowds, these stores are almost overwhelming to shop in. This is only worsened by the sales people who shout the day's special using megaphones.

I'd read somewhere that Wal-Mart was advancing on China, but I had no idea there was one in Chengdu. Then, one day I was staring at my Chengdu map when I saw it: in the far corner, in the opposite direction of my house, there was a little notation, "Wal-Mart".

After assertaining that Sarah was indeed willing to come with me, we set a date. Wal-Mart is on the opposite end of town, but we figured we would just bike there and see how long it took us. Biking everywhere has helped me gain an understanding of how the city is laid out. For that reason, I like to bike whenever I get the chance. The day arrived, we pointed our handlebars in the right direction, and headed out.

It took us over an hour to get there, but we arrived in one piece and without getting lost (this is a feat in itself!). Wal-Mart was actually a part of a larger shopping complex, which included several Chinese clothing stores and a KFC. It seems wherever there is a Western store, there is a KFC nearby.

We manueverd our bikes toward the bicycle parking lot, noticing a group of Wal-Mart employees smoking near the entrance. I commented to Sarah, "The don't look too disgruntled." She agreed, and we made our way into the shopping center.

Wal-Mart was an escalator ride up, and a short trip around the corner to find the entrance. There were no Wal-Mart greeters, and all the employees wore bright red shirts instead of those silly vests they wear in the States.

Wal-Mart had the best variety out of all the grocery stores I've been to. I picked up some banana bread, spaghetti noodles, dried coconut, and a couple of storage bins. What made Wal-Mart nicer than some of the other stores was the lack of crowds. The aisles were wider, and although there were a ton of people there, you didn't feel suffocated like you do in Trust Mart. Best of all, there were no megaphones to be found. The prices were good, the variety was good, and the people were sort-of friendly. What more could you ask for?