THE SUPERMARKET STAGGER
- 4/10/2007 <--Prev : Next-->
THE SUPERMARKET STAGGER
Killing time in Zimbabwe is certainly not a problem these days. When
one has a spare
moment or two, it necessitates a frantic dash around the closest
supermarket for a spot of
"Hunting and Gathering"
Now the the use of the word "dash" might not be quite correct as it is
not easy to "dash"
around at all with most of the extraordinary eclectic shopping carts
that festoon our
"supermarkets" these days.
With the exception of the smart crimson plastic carts at Ascot Spar and
the double dekker
ones at Solomons, the shopping carts in most Bulawayo supermarkets have
to be seen to
be believed.
If you get one with a complete handle you consider yourself lucky, four
wheels are an
extra bonus, and rubberised wheels are a rarity !! And so one does not
"dash" one
probably has a frantic "clunkety clunk" around a store in search of
commodities.
The hygiene side of these carts too is extremely suspect and it is
advisable to carry one's
own antiseptic wet wipes with one !!
I generally get one of the trollys that has to be pulled rather than
pushed and it has such a
rickety sideways gait, that a thirty minute truculent trolly trundle is
worth an hour in the
gym !
There is not much use in taking a shopping list, its a kind of "take
what you can find"
scenario.
And take your BIG cheque book, because in spite of the fact that this
"price freeze" was
supposed to reduce the prices, every single item in the shops is twice
as expensive as it
was when the whole debacle started. Everything costs a million dollars
or close to it ....
Sadly a shopping experience in Zimbabwe leaves a lot to be desired from
what we
remember before this madness started. The shop workers are
disillusioned as there is
little on the shelves. They are tired as there are few buses because of
the freeze on taxi
and bus prices.
They have probably had to walk to work for at least a couple of hours
and they journey
home will be as gruelling, after a days work.
Standards have not dropped, they are just not there any more. In
several of the
supermarkets, shoppers have to climb over trash left on the floor,
manoeuvre past empty
boxes, cabbage leaves and dirt.
Counters are not clean. We do not have the fancy disinfectant wipes
that first world shops
have. Counter assistants might make a desultory pass over the shopping
counter with a
dirty rag if one is lucky.
Meat, if one can get it which is very very seldom, is not packed
hygienically, and drops of
blood mingle with the tomatoes and onions as they are thrown into the
same cart for the
journey to the car.
Packets are a thing of the past, shop keepers charge high prices for
packets because they
in turn paid high prices for them ..... This has been excellent for the
environment, but the
legacy has been a serious outbreak of gastrointestinal ailments which
is concerning the
medical profession.
