GROCERY STORE WINE SAMPLES AND PRICE COMPARISONS

If you shop regularly, you know how it is when you go into Wal-Mart or the grocery store and they have little samples stations for various items set up, right? Have you ever been in a grocery store that had wine samples? I was just in the store a few minutes ago, when I noticed a bunch of people crowded around a sample station..and lo and behold, I peered through the crowd and saw the wine bottles...4 different flavors...and you could get a Dixie-cup-sized sample of each one. Now, I have never been one to have the urge to get lit while in the grocery store, so no, I didn't indulge. But these people were getting drunk on samples. It was hilarious. Maybe the store owners were hoping wasted shoppers would spend more money? Times like these, I wish I had my camera in my pocket. :)

Folks have asked me about price comparisons to stateside, so here is a sample. I don't know how locals afford to buy groceries, because an example of a good monthly salary for the locals is about 700-800 USD a month. Keep in mind, that is a well-paying job. The foreigners who work for the oil companies or Nestle tend to make a killing...hence, when you have locals working side-by-side with foreigners doing the same jobs and one is making 5 or 6 times than the other, there tends to be a lot of friction. That is why there are local rates and foreigner rates. That is why it cost me 20 TT to take a taxi from the mall to my house (about a mile) and my neighbor only has to pay 5 TT. Trust me, the only reason I took a taxi was because I had too many bags to carry all the way home. My limit is about 20 pounds for each arm to walk that mile, and that day, I think I had way more. Anyway, price comparisons....

Product, US price, and Trinidad price (converted to USD):
BK Whopper (I only eat one about once a year, but aren't they about 3.50 or so at home? Here, right at 4.75 USD).
Tide Detergent, US 7.50, Trinidad 10.00.
Cosmo magazine...US 4.50? Here, 10.00.
Guinness Beer (anyone know how much at home? I know some of you drink it..but here, it is about 75 cents a bottle). I haven't seen any American brands of beer here at all...wonder why? LOL
Coke, 20 oz. bottle...US 1.50, here 50 cents.
DirecTV, the package with the usual channels plus HBO, Cinemax, etc. etc. US 92.00 a month (at least that is what we pay at home in PA), same package in Trini is about 55 USD. (This was told to me by someone at the school).
Bounty Paper Towels..US 1.59, here 3.30 USD.
A Cheap CD Walkman - US 19.99, Trini 53.00.
Marlboro Lights (oh shut up..I know..)...US (PA) 4.00, here 1.90.

No icees here, no Wendy's, No Taco Bell, No McDonald's. No Olive Garden here. Quincy has begged me when I come home in a couple of weeks to get something from Olive Garden, freeze it, and bring it back with me because he is sooo sick of seeing the Olive Garden commercials on the US stations and it is KILLING him to see it and never be able to try it. I will have to do this and see if I can get it through customs and security at the airport. I heard they like to stab frozen items to make sure they don't contain any surprises, so I told him that it may not survive the trip..but he said he doesn't care if they stab it, he is still going to eat it.

On the brighter side, since I am a resident now, I get local rates in Tobago...which means when my gang comes down, we don't have to pay 100 USD for a beachfront hotel, only 52 USD per night. Now I like that one. :)

SPA!
Oh, did I tell you? There is a spa over at the mall, and you can get a complete 90-minute seaweed facial for the equivalent of 19.00 USD...and you can get a "deluxe" deep tissue aromatherapy massage with heated stones and steam therapy and a body polish (90 mins) for the equivalent of 25.00 USD. Maybe I will schedule one...maybe to coincide with the next wine sampling at the grocery store in the mall. :)

Tomorrow, the beach, no worries. Nothin' but tannin' and relaxin'.

See ya.