Just back from Farmacity

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winston

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May 18, 2009
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Im just back from the pharmacy chain, Farmacity. Sometimes we expats just want to say something, share something, out loud.

100 vitamins for 62 pesos!

I wont bore anyone with example after example. I earn pesos and I find there are so many things i cant afford. Scott toilet paper was 13 pesos for 4 rolls.

The dollar gets stronger every day, or is the peso a sinking rock? Anyway, I understand if your income is from abroad, you dont think things are expensive here, but in local money, it is. I consider toilet paper like that normal. Back home the smallest bottle of vitamins id buy would be 100. I could give so many more examples. I bought some bread that is worse than Wonderbread back home. Good bread in the store is too much of a splurge for me.

I guess we need to arrive with either a foreign stream of money or no standards to speak of.
 
Farmacity is not the place to shop for toilet paper, try the chinese in your neighborhood, I bought 4 rolls of Scott today at about 5 pesos. You are right about prices when earning pesos, they are impossible!
 
ACK! What am I going to do without my duane reade!! I went to a Farmacity back in January and they were a bit pricey but some things were a bit less expensive (after the conversion of course) than I can get here in NY. I guess TP is a hot commodity!
 
I wasnt clear. It was the chinese market where the toilet paper was so much. the single Scott is around 5 and is low quality. You know that the double is what you were used to back home. I shop in many locales. the prices are high here. I was stunned when I saw how many things, such as vitamins, I could no longer afford. Small tubes, small bottles, and much more than back home and outright expensive on a peso salary. Oh, and as I shopped in farmacity, the security guard kept an eagle eye on me, following me around. this never happens to me when shopping back home.
 
I brought vitamins from the states, as well as my deodorant and toothbrushes. :p

I bought some Centrum vitamins last year at Farmacity. Pricey, indeed. ;-)
 
Why do you shop at Farmacity? Almost any other pharmacy will be cheaper.
 
pauper said:
Why do you shop at Farmacity? Almost any other pharmacy will be cheaper.
Click to expand...

I guess one thinks it might be like the big chains from home. Priceline in Australia, Boots in the UK, Duane Reade or what have you in the states... Those big chains are usually cheaper. They buy in bulk and have distribution warehouses... it would make sense if they were heaps cheaper than the local Chinese supermarket.

Toilet paper is expensive here. I always thought (even in Australia) you've got to avoid the brands with the Labrador puppy on the packaging.. they're always so much more expensive??!! But at the same time, nobody wants to wipe with sandpaper! :rolleyes:

I buy toilet paper at Coto, packet of 6 will get our household through 2 weeks, and I do my big shop on saturday for the discount. In our barrio we have a few of those cosmetic type shops that sells makeup, all the hair products, creams, perfumes etc etc... hair products there are cheaper.
 
The Centrum's imported from Canada. I kid you not, read the label and you'll see. I bought some when I was back in Canada in June, 1/2 price of course. Toothpaste, I look like a crazy woman when I go buy about 12 tubes. And my Venus razor blades -- Costco 15 pack, yay! I still haven't found a woman's razor here that I like, no wonder they all wax instead. I'll probably switch to a men's gilette razor once my blades run out.

As for toilet paper, do the environment a favor and switch toe the 1 ply. 3 ply is a ridiculous waste of money, although in the States there is now an ad campaign telling you you need it to get rid of all the bits you miss -- do Americans have problems wiping their bums? Or is this an ad campaign subliminally targetting the obese. Strange developments... but I digress. Get your toilet paper at Makro, you'll be happier.
 
I buy vitamins on line from a U.S. company and have them shipped to a friend in Florida where I pick them up. I save a fortune. I wonder how many locals use vitamins? I try to buy only food and household items here. I noticed a set of sheets at Carrefour of poor quality. The price was almost double what I paid in N.Y. Clothing? You´ve got to be kidding.
 
when you shop in farmacity, you're having to pay the wages of the 3 rent-a-cops each branch has. :)
 
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