Superstores and the Bus

Some urbanites among our readers may understand going shopping on public transit.  We certainly did when we lived in Novosibirsk.  But two years of southern california, where to go half a mile one gets in a car, can make anyone soft.  Here most locals go shopping on the bus.

Near our guesthouse, "just" on the other side of train yards (behind 3 major train stations), is a big box superstore, called in Russian Ashan (Ашан), though the French company name is actually spelled Auchan.  Walmart type prices.  Probably Walmart quality, but when you need goods right away, that actually matters less.  You think you've seen a "superstore"? Super Walmart, Target Greatland?  Think again--the Ashan is at least double in size--and then there's the second floor!

S went to Ashan once and hauled stuff home on the bus.  The photo shows the haul on the second trip to Ashan this week.  The plastic plaid bags (which we call "china bags") were purchased on this trip.

Superstore + public transit = bad idea.

She estimated the load of all the bags (shown here waiting at the bus stop) to be over 20 kilos (more than 40 lbs).  You trying carrying that down the street to the bus stop, hauling it up bus steps (which for some reason are much steeper than regular steps--why?), and then from the bus stop back to the residence.



From S's email to another expat in Moscow, about S's first trip to Ashan:

Yes, I made it to Ashan.  Also made it out of there in one piece.  Its not a store, its an ordeal.  I dont think I have ever seen a store that big.  And do they put the signs announcing the contents of the aisles 20 feet up in the air on purpose to make you feel small?  I still had to walk half the length of the store just to read the signs.  And the store was so big, they had an entire aisle labeled as something I was looking for.  Recommendations to go to Ashan should come with a warning label--not for the faint of heart, or not less than 3 hours, or "abandon hope all ye who enter.". But it only took me two entire times of having my entire order rung up (twice, different kassa) to get out of there, and they accepted my visa card, which not all stores do, so yes, I probably will be going back.  Seriously, the first floor was entirely food, in a space larger than an entire Superwalmart has everything.

And about the follow up trip:

• So when did I go back?  Saturday.  Some things I needed I didn't get the first time.  Traffic jam of shopping carts.  The main aisle looked like MKAD.  This time it only took 2 hours, but then I tried a different way home, and that took almost 2 more hours (couldnt find the bus stop, bus only came every 15 min on Sat, missed two of them, etc).