Culture Reality Check

[sts7049]

the coto in neuquen is a miserable experience. it was always 30min minimum wait to check out

 

[Rich One]

the coto in neuquen is a miserable experience. it was always 30min minimum wait to check out

There must be reason, some Coto offers in Clarin mention price not valid in Neuquen location xxxxx ?

 

[jblaze5779]

the coto in neuquen is a miserable experience. it was always 30min minimum wait to check out

One time, no joke, the line for the carneceria was from the back of the store, out of the front of the store, down the escalator, out of the mall and to the back of the parking garage.

I am not exaggerating.

 

[Redpossum]

The local Carrefour Express locations here in microcentro are all pretty good.
But it's still just a glorified 7-11; I have to go to the verduleria and the carniceria separately.

When I lived in Las Cañitas, there was a huge Jumbo nearby, in the big shopping across from the giant mosque. That was an expedition just to walk from the back of the store to the checkout lanes at the front.

It's Argentina. What can you say? YMMV

 

[on the brink]

Cañitas has everything: butchers, verdulerias, bakeries, and a fully stocked small Chino market, with excellent prices. Better than Jumbo or Coto.

 

[Greg S]

We spend five months here and five in Florence, Italy. The supermarket service is considerably better here.

 

[cuando_volverá]

Shop neighborhood shops....you'll find what you want ( if you keep your eyes open ), make friends with a number of families, and help the locals in that the money you pay them goes into their pocket ...... not into the bonus pool of some corporate suit 5000 miles away that makes more $ by eliminating customer service and minimal pay to employees.....the neighborhood stores want you to come back and make an effort toward that....... BUY LOCAL

I agree. They may not be friendly, but they are happy to take your money without delay.

 

[cuando_volverá]

I have 4 or 5 Bolivian verdulerias within a block. The prices are astronomical Capuchina lettuce $280 per kg. tomatoes $350 per kg.
I walk 5 blocks to Coto the prices are Capuchina $120, tomatoes $200 prices from Monday 17th. I would rather buy from the Bolivians but....

I always thought that was because of my accent.

 

[Redpossum]

OK, guys, but seriously - 200 pesos a kilo is less than 50 cents a pound. Are we really complaining? What are tomatoes going for stateside these days?

 

[Redpossum]

OH, and decent tomatoes, (not great, but decent), were 150 a kilo at my local outlet of the Peruvian Vegetable Mafia last night.

While I'm at it, let me add that while I joke about the PVM, I am deeply aware that those people work long, hard hours in brutal heat doing a dirty, thankless, poorly-paid job. The prices are not their fault. As in most things here, the problem is a chain of distribution which is ridiculously long and horribly inefficient. The growers are paid insultingly low prices while the consumers are gouged shamelessly, and the produce is often less than entirely fresh by the time it reaches the kitchen of the consumer.

This also applies to eggs, which is particularly aggravating when trying to poach them, grrrrr!

***edit***

While I'm at it, let me answer the rhetorical question I asked in my previous post in this thread -

Price of 1 kg (2 lb.) of tomatoes in San Diego, California - USD

Average price in San Diego, California: $4.96 ($4.96). Find out the current prices for a whole list of other products in San Diego, California (United States).

www.expatistan.com

It's showing 4.38 USD per kilo for tomatoes in San Diego, which at 226 ARS per dollar, is 989 ARS. I'm not sure what to make of that. But this is a live data site, so that will fluctuate.

Looking around that Expatistan site is horrifying. I haven't been stateside since early 2014, and I didn't realize how much prices had gone up. I'd be homeless if I was still there.

Cost of Living in San Diego, California, United States. Feb 2025 prices in San Diego, California.

Cost of Living in San Diego, California, United States :: Average prices of more than 50 products and services in San Diego, California, United States.

www.expatistan.com