I have to admit...I have been VERY curious as to the condition and selection of a Wal Mart here in Shanghai. So, I finally got some time to visit one. I think they only have one...maybe two.
Back home, Wal Mart isn't my favorite store to visit. Many of you know exactly what I'm talking about. Out of all the stores we have back home, at our convenience, Wal Mart just seems to have the most difficult time keeping up...especially in cleanliness. Some of the stores are down right disgusting! I'm a Target girl!
So, having seen what stores and markets here in Shanghai are like already...I just had to visit Wal Mart. So, what was it like??? Actually...it didn't surprise me as much as our own local Wal Mart back home. Maybe it's because my own expectations started out pretty low before I even visited one here. It's a lot like the rest of the "local" retail chain stores. It was Wal Mart...chinese style.
The 1st floor was a gargantuan sized area of JUST food. The entire floor was food. What DID surprise me was that as big as it was, and the fact that Wal Mart is an American based company...they only had one short isle of imported food. In fact, most of the aisle was food from other countries, not even the US! But, hey, ok. As I walked around, I couldn't seem to find anything other than food...no elevators or escalators that might lead me to other, more interesting products.
I almost walked out thinking it must only be food. But, that nagging, very stubborn and not too bright part of me insisted I ask someone. Ha! When will I ever learn??? But, there I was...at the customer service counter, attempting to ask if they might have more products...where? around the corner? in a hidden corridor? is there a basement? I wasn't sure!
Of course, the person I asked did the "typical" stages of NON-understanding with me. First, the blank stare. Ok, I might be trying to ask something in English...but it doesn't take a genius to know that it is IN FACT a different language. A shake of their head would indicate they don't understand...but instead, I generally get the blank stare. And I always fall for it...it always seems to give me hope they are processing or translating stuff in their heads. But, nope. After about a minute of looking as if I had grown horns from the top of my head, the individual then turns to the person right next to her (which was privy to the original attempt at communication) and asks a series of questions and speaks a series of rapid statements. Next, the SECOND blank stare. I ask ONE question...and usually, without fail, there follows a very rapid and LENGTHY flow of chinese words to another chinese person. And then I get a blank stare from that person. I can't tell anyone how many times I just want to yell, "REALLY!??" But, anyway...we move on to the third stage...finding someone who speaks English. haha Yeah...speaking English is a very liberal term. I now know that the person they will find doesn't really speak English...but may have learned the basics in Kindergarten at some point. It's like asking me in 20 years to converse with a chinese person because I lived in China for a short time. Ha! Ok...so after some very lengthy and wild gesturing on my part, this person proceeds to point at a door. Oh! A door! Maybe that's it! Nah. It's the toilet.
So, I find Mr. English again and indicate that isn't the right door. After another round of wild gesturing, you see the light bulb turn on. I don't mean to sound nasty...it actually IS a physical transgression and you know the moment they think they understand what you want or need. Whew...hopefully. He proceeds to rapidly lead me to the back of the store. He stops and points to the Import aisle. Ok, I'm tired now and I honestly think about going home. He seems to understand my disappointment and again gestures me towards a different direction. I follow, because by now, I feel a lot like a docile sheep, being led to slaughter. A few steps away I look up and realize I had missed a sign. Silly me! I was looking for an escalator...not a travelator! haha MY mistake!
I finally get upstairs and this is where Wal Mart houses the rest of their products. It's a little different though. They have two aisles of gourmet rice cookers, and only a half aisle of toys. Strange, huh? *Twilight Zone Theme Song* I did see a Holiday section...they already had x-mas items up. However, they are the items you would find at the dollar store back home...pretty darn cheap...in quality. Unbelievably, they expect you to pay a lot more than back home! But, if you are desperate for x-mas items over here and aren't too picky...then it's good that people have an option.
I get so tired of seeing so much CRAP on the shelves here. Really cheap, poorly made, who knows what's in it, crap. I went online recently and many websites already have x-mas items to sell and have x-mas images on their websites. CUTE stuff...stuff that didn't look like it was going to fall apart if you breathed on it...stuff! So cute! The particular items I saw I have never needed or would I have been tempted to buy back home...but they were made here in CHINA, but for a different market...and the result is really cute stuff.
The toys over here are either made for this market or are imported. So, if they are imported, they make it here, send it to the US, and then send it back to sell. As you can well imagine, the prices are outrageous for some of the most basic toys you would be able to get in the States. Let me give you just ONE example: The movie CARS. Many of you are familiar with the metal die cast CARS cars, right? A package of 3 of those cars, which sells in the US for what? $8 on sale...maybe $10-15 - MAYBE!?...is $30 here. Paying $30 for 3 little cars???? It's outrageous!
The toys that are made for the Chinese market? As you can well imagine...they are so cheap in quality, you can spot them right away. They are usually extra shiny, with lots of neat, cool ways you can move them...but basically, they are cheap and there's a good chance your child will be using it once and throwing it away. But, they are also less expensive. So, pick your poison.
Also, they don't import everything that is available in the States. I have gone to the Toys R Us here (and now Wal Mart) and have come up short on my own gift giving ideas for the boys - unfortunately. It is frustrating.
The ultimate super hero here in China is called Ultra Man. He sort of looks like a Power Ranger...with more shiny armor. He is everywhere and the chinese kids love Ultra Man. He's on jackets, towels, clothing, toys, shoes, backpacks, etc. Ultra Man has an arsenal of weaponry that would make the toughest military dad go faint. The teachers at school have pretty much banned Ultra Man products at school because of all the guns, etc. that accompany him and are used to "shoot" other kids throughout the day. Every product on the shelves for Ultra Man is designed to hunt, kill or destroy. But, they're SHINY!! haha
Anyway, back to Wal Mart. It was pretty much the same as back home, except they had WAY more food, and WAY less toys and the building itself was the size of two super centers back home! I didn't visit the toilets, as I am ALWAYS afraid of what I'll find in one of those! Instead of McDonalds, they had Kung Fu food! Instead of an eyeglass shop, they had a loose tea leaf shop. Their first floor food included anything from packaged items to drinks to wine, to fresh produce to hot food to a variety of meats, nuts, rice grains, and dumpling choices.
You know...the basics! :)
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