Two Carts in a Counter.

In Canada and the U.S., it's ordinary to see couples doing their groceries together; not in Manila.  Here, wives usually go to the supermarket with the kids or the maid in tow, or sometimes with the family driver.  Shoppers also rely on baggers at the check out counter to put their purchases in bags or lately, in cartons.

I, myself, am getting used to the bagger idea; before, I always did my own bagging.  I am also getting used to the Manila practise of leaving food trays and wrappers and plastic cups on the table at fast food chains.

When our household does its grocery shopping, we keep two carts rolling.  That way, I can go freely and select whatever food or item I want. In my case, I always check the sugar, sodium and fat contents of each food product I purchase.

 If you shop at a Canadian Tire, you pay and then you receive money above.

With this habit, I consume a lot of time in each aisle.  Twice, I sensed a security guard eyeing me with suspicion.  But anytime I feel that security is hovering around, the more I'd inspect an item or linger around to annoy the staff.  I'm not used to being watched or pried on at supermarkets or malls in Canada.

Lately, our favorite supermarkets have boiled down to three: S & R and The Metro at the Global City and Shopwise at Libis.

At S & R, we discovered their delicious and big blueberry muffins and their tender roaster-sized chickens. At Metro, we've become delighted with its wide range of products which include imported peanut butters, imported coffee for my Black & Decker coffee maker,  sugar-free cookies, a wide assortment of cold cereal, and the La Pacita crackers ( in see-through plastics), which has low salt and sugar content which we could not find in any other supermarket.

I buy the small plastic version which costs around 26 pesos a piece.

Shopwise also has a good selection of imported products, and its fruits are cheaper.

What I'm missing, though is my favorite peanut butter, Kraft, and the carton of egg whites only.  I'm also looking for more variety of low fat butter and sugar-free yogurt, ( Activa is not available in Manila) and more sugar-free products.

I'm seriously missing the cheese I prefer, the Cracker Barrel brand and other fruits such as plum, peach and persimmon.

My favorite cheese.

Most of all, I miss the sales and marked- down prices. I've been so used to entering the supermarket and getting hold of the store fliers before flying down to the aisles.  Any Canadian worth his salt would always check out slashed grocery items and buy on bulk a lot of times.

Of course, I have withdrawal syndrome for not having been able to visit lately any Canadian Tire, Ikea, Walmart, The Hudson Bay,  Shopper's Drugmart and the Dollar Stores.  I especially miss Canadian Tire for its car care products and its Canadian Tire money.  The Dollar Stores for their dollar-duct tapes, sandwich and freezer bags, roller brush, dollar- AA and AAA batteries and tin foil wrappers.

It's not just saving money, if you want to kill time, you can do it at a Dollar Store.