I enjoyed my last night of living in an ultra-capitalistic society Sunday night, when I went to my local 24-hour Wal-Mart Supercenter at ten at night to buy cheap stuff. Nothing like buying 250 aspirins for $1.99!
Now that I’m back in Austria, I have to go to a small-ass store that’s never open (only open Monday through Friday until 6 p.m. and noon on Saturdays), where I’ll get a tiny package after having to ask for it. It’ll cost me a good $5 for 20 aspirins.
That’s one thing I really enjoy about the United States… Life is so simple! Want clothes at two in the morning? You can buy them. Same goes for groceries, hardware, toys, cleaning supplies, electronics, and just about anything else. In Austria you have to go to the convenience store at one of the few gas (or train) stations that are open, just to buy food on Sunday. You’ll often be charged ridiculous prices and have no selection. In the U.S. you can go to the largest store in the county, also usually happens to have the lowest prices. And, you’ll even be greeted by a 75 year-old man or woman who is working there because his or her pension sucks.
And as soon as I sleep off some jetlag, I’ll write about what makes Austria so great…