Grocery shopping in Ushuaia

I really contemplated writing this as its’ own blog post, but after mulling it over, it was just too funny to omit.

Take a good, long, look at this thing below.  To date I don’t know what it is, or what its name is, but for the sake of this blog I am naming it Martín. Martín would lead to the most complicated grocery trip of my life. IMG_5755First I was so excited to be in Ushuaia, it was the end of the world!  After I dropped my things at my apartment I headed to the grocery store to grab a few items.  While I was there I ran into my Swedish friend Magnus that I had met a few weeks earlier in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile.  Really, what a small world.  I was so excited to see him!  We talked for ages before finally wrapping up our respective grocery hauls.D0D800CC-A813-4E39-9924-90D674766D5D

Checkout round 1

I got in line, emptied my basket and then was denied checkout because I didn’t yet know of Martín.  I was very confused.  The checkout guy, Manuel, was explaining to me in Spanish, a language I am fluent in, but I had no idea what he was asking for and why I couldn’t pay for my groceries.  A polite Australian traveler told me I had to go back to the front of the store and get a Martín.  I repacked up my bin and walked around to find it.  Someone pointed me to where I could collect him.

Checkout round 2

I got back in the same line, with Manuel, and unloaded my bin.   Again I was denied checkout because I hadn’t activated Martín.  The same Australian again politely told me that after I collect my Martín, I have to scan it at a scanner and then decide how many grocery items I am going to purchase.  I repacked up my bin, found the scanner, scanned Martín and selected under 20 items.  (I really don’t know what happens if you select under 20 items and then you try to checkout with like 25. )

Checkout round 3

Three is a charm right? Right! LOL.  I got back in the same line, with Manuel, and unloaded my bin.  The Australian had now gone so I was left to help myself.  Again, I was denied checkout because Martín had assigned me a checkout lane, which was not the lane I was in.  I repacked my bin and walked over to the correct line.

Checkout round 4

Finally, after making a scene for myself, I was able to checkout.  I left thinking that was way more complicated than grocery shopping ever needs to be.

xoxo love you Martín!

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