Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Supermarket Auction

One of my favorite things so far about Japan is going to the supermarket. When you check out at the supermarket the cashiers are sooooooo friendly. They say like fifty things to me which I just nod at. The only thing that they say to me that I actually understand is whether or not I want a plastic bag. If I want a bag I have to pay about a nickel for the bag. They do this to encourage recycling. Regardless of whether you want the bag or not though, you have to put the groceries into your bag by yourself. They have a packing table about five feet from the register where everyone bags their own groceries.

But none of those things are what I love about the supermarket. What I love is that when the cashier is ringing up your groceries she calls out how much everything costs. Basically she scans things and says, "One dollar fifty. Two dollars twenty. Three dollars thirty. Six dollars. etc. etc." Because I don't understand Japanese, I thought the women were actually calling out what I had bought: "Two apples. A bottle of water. Dumplings. Sushi. etc. etc." Paula informed me that they were calling out prices and not products. Regardless it is always entertaining.