Shopping for the items that you need in U.S. stores can be overwhelming at first for international students, but with a little practice, you will soon be getting the most for your dollar.
These different types of stores in the United States cater to different needs:
Convenience stores and gas stations are a quick stop for small, daily items like newspapers, maps, soft drinks, and snack food. It is common to see several stores—British Petroleum (or BP), Speedway, or Texaco, to name a few—grouped together in one area or spread along busy streets and highways. Avoid purchasing grocery items at these stores as they can be rather pricey.
Grocery stores such as Kroger, Meijer, Piggly Wiggly, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe’s are where people buy the majority of their food and toiletry items in the United States. Shelves stretch on seemingly endlessly, stocked with sometimes five or ten different brands of one product. You might want spend the first few trips to the grocery store walking up and down each aisle to get a feel for the layout of your local stores and thus more easily plan your weekly route. Grocery stores are not typically found in downtown areas; urban dwellers usually shop several times during the week, purchasing only the necessities that they can easily transport home by bus or train.
Department stores are even more sprawling, “one-stop shops” that offer everything from furniture to groceries to clothing and prescription drugs and banking services. Macy’s, Sears, Kohls, Kmart, and Costco are some of the largest U.S. department store chains. As mentioned, many department stores (as well as grocery stores) contain banks, pharmacies, eye doctors’ offices, and small eateries.
The frequency with which you shop will depend on your personal habits and usage, but many students find it helpful to have one scheduled “shopping day” per week. Make a list of food and toiletry items that you regularly use and try rotating the items that you buy each week. By shopping strategically, you will be able to take advantage of sale prices and special discounts. Here are two more tips on saving money:
Use coupons and in-store discounts. Once you’ve decided on your favorite local store, ask a cashier to put you on the company’s mailing list. By doing so, you will receive special notification of discounted items. Also, most cities’ Sunday newspaper are filled with manufacturer’s coupons that you can clip out and take with you when you do your shopping.
Buy generic items. Most U.S. stores have a “generic” brand of everyday items like toothpaste, breakfast cereal, condiments, and shampoo. In many cases, generic products are considerably less expensive than their brand-name counterparts and comparable in size and quality.