The American Store in Rio de Janeiro?

I've always wanted to open one of those little markets with American/European grocery items and other random stuff.

It all started years ago when it was impossible to find even crap peanut butter in Rio. It only got worse when I was expected to use an old school can opener. You know the one that is a glorified knife with a handle on it. I almost took off a finger and definitely lost some skin! Thankfully civilized ones are now readily available.

I just imagined all the things I would stock on the shelves, at reasonable prices of course. At the time though, Rio wasn't the HUGE expat center that it is now. We expats are everywhere. Hell, I think the foreigners of Leblon have taken over that neighborhood like Brazilians did Orkut.

So now I have the demand but I don't have the store. But here's the real tricky part, what would I stock? With the influx of foreigners there has been a decent increase in foreign products. You can even find horribly expensive large marshmallows if you are willing to put in an effort. Dude, Lojas Americanas has a box of candy that includes the ever popular Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. I'm not even sure if I have an angle in the marketplace anymore.

None-the-less, I can still think of a few items I would want. For example: Quality teas, trash bags, Lays Potato chips, Lawrys seasoning, Triscuits, Carpet cleaner solution (and the handheld machines), real ice cream that does not cost R$22, and assorted candies.

What would you request that I stock on my shelves? 

Target is my Happiest Place on Earth.

My kids come to the US and they turn into little consumers. "I want this" and "I want that."  It's hilarious at first and horrendous by the end. 

And it's all my fault, to say the least.  As an expat living in Rio de Janeiro, a panic floods goes over me the moment I enter into a store such as target.  Where to go! What to buy!  How to pack it all up!

So much stuff and for so few dollars. I don't even know which section to start in.  Brazilians fly up to go to Disneyland and outlet shops. I come home to go to Target and the grocery store. 

Of course there are the practical purchases such as electronics and baby gear.  Those items are worth triple their value in Brazil.  Then there's the stupid stuff. 

I bought pans, non stick, KitchenAid pans and ziplock bags. Then there are the cloth fold down kid toy boxes for storage.  I also purchased cotton granny panties for those special granny pantie days (my ass could never fit the Brazilian version of the granny pantie).  Jeans, socks, skincare, and toys are some of the many items we'll be lugging home.

Thank goodness for Christmas, sales, and a 70lb luggage limit when you buy your tickets originating in Brazil. 

Toys are a big kicker. I have two boys and they aren't babies anymore. They get hardly anything all year.  And that's because toys are EXPENSIVE!  So much so that one day I may tell my children to use... gasp... their imagination. 

So when they show me this very cool toy and ask if it's too much money, I have a hard time saying it is. FYI, my typical Brazilian store response is that it costs too much to buy and No.  

Here it's honestly hard to say that. It's like last stop shopping.  Who knows when we'll be back and there's no way in toy store hell that I'm buying these kinds of toys in Brazil.

Thus, I compulsively let them put their choices into the cart. Once it's there, it stays. Taking it out because sense kicks in makes me feel like a dick tease only with children and toys.  Better yet, a toy tease. 

Wishy washy does not a good parent make.  So I sucked it up and let them walk out with, once again, a new toy each. Under $20 and smaller than the one they originally asked for, like it makes a difference.

Oh well, all the noes in Rio de Janeiro should wash off all the spoiled of the US. 

Honestly, it's kind of nice to be able to spoil the little guys every once in a while.  Goodness knows their Father and I are spoiling ourselves!

Brazilians a part of Obama's stimulus package?

Here's a crazy idea, let the Brazilians come and fix the US economy.  Here's how the plan goes.

The US government creates a lottery for middle class Brazilians. The prize is a free round trip ticket to a "surprise" city.  It has to be middle class Brazilians because upper class has money and poverty level don't.  This plan needs those with enough money.  Hang in there, I'll explain.

So you give them the free ticket to a predetermined city.  That city will be one that is suffering a bit with this economic crisis but is big enough to have some tourist points, a target, a Best Buy, Gap, and a decent sized shopping center with an array of shops to choose from.

The thing is, if you bring the Brazilian, they will shop.  The prices in the US in comparison with Brazil are stupidly low.  Add in that they won the ticket and they will go nuts! The ticket price plus what they would have spent anyway will go straight into the US market.

I figure 1000 Brazilians will inflate our economy like an freshly workout-ed Carioca Bottom.

Just look at my husband.  The t-shirts he purchased alone could clothe half of Rio de Janeiro.  But they were only $2 to $5!  Times that buy a 100 and that's where we get you. Watch out China, we're getting sneaky up here.

Groceries without leaving the house, got to love it!

I love a stocked kitchen! I love putting all the food away and seeing my cabinets full. How could it get any better? Well, it could be delivered right to your door in separate freezers bags and boxes.

Daniel and I started bulk shopping to try to lower our grocery bill.  Food in Rio de Janeiro, especially Zona Sul, is ridiculously expensive.

Great plan and a total pain in the ass. I have two kids and a husband that works. The carts at the store don't always have a place for the kids to sit, not to mention the tiny isles and dodging of other shoppers.  We started driving to larger, nicer stores.

I know loading your kids up in the car, driving for 45 minutes to Barra, spending another hour and a half shopping (2 if the kids really give you trouble), then loading everyone and everything back up to go home sounds like fun, oh for sure, but it's not.

Sorry for sounding like a commerical but I now use Pão de Acucar online shopping. Not the mountain, the grocery store.  Google it.  You'll get pictures of the mountain and links to the store.  Win win situation.

Anyway, they rock!  I've tried Zona Sul online shopping but it sucks.  Pão de Acucar comes when they say they will and they have special little bags for freezer and fridge stuff that are labeled.  Everything else comes neatly packed in boxes.  When my stuff arrives, I'm in anal organization heaven.  Well, as anally organized as anything in Rio de Janeiro can be.

So yeah, I pay an extra R$12 for delivery and Pão de Acucar is one of the most expensive grocery stores in town.  But I'm sane! How much is your sanity worth?  Mine is definitely worth a R$12 delivery fee, about R$30 in higher grocery costs, and an hour or two online.

That last part is a bit annoying.  The site is organized but still a bit difficult to maneuver.  It almost has too many categories and is in Portuguese.  Portuguese? What are we, in Brazil or something?

But you manage!  And for you Moms out there, it means that you aren't stuffing your kids full of chips you wouldn't even have normally bought just to shut them up long enough to pay for your food. Not to mention all the stuff you have forgotten because you were distracted by your pre-schooler's questioning of fat and old people.  Thank goodness he was speaking in English!

Check it out Pao de Acucar