Hoarding

Last weekend, we went to the Safeway, and we had a big find.  They had Cheerios!  And not just the Middle Eastern Nestle kind.  The REAL General Mills Cheerios, imported from the States.  Yeah!  It is really hard to have kids, especially a baby who is just starting solids, and not have Cheerios.  Not only that, but they had MULTIPLE KINDS of Cheerios!  They had Honey Nut Cheerios and Apple Cinnamon Cheerios and regular Cheerios. So score!

People here tend to develop a problem with hoarding.  If you see it, don't just buy it, buy ALL of it.  That's just what you have to do - you may not see it again for months, so stock up.

Well, I guess Mike and I are still too American-minded for no-holds-barred stocking up, because the price of the regular Cheerios was a deterrent.  So we got one box, which was really two boxes wrapped together like they do in Sams.  That should last us for a while, anyway.  We also got a box of Honey Nut Cheerios because they were there and we couldn't resist.  But then just as we were walking away, Mike noticed that there was a special sign up for the Apple Cinnamon Cheerios.  Imported honest-to-God General Mills Apple Cinnamon Cheerios for 1 SR.  One Riyal!  That's 26.7 cents!  Per box!  Are you KIDDING?

OK, what's wrong with them.  They are 26.7 cents a box.  They must be expired.  And indeed, they were on sale because they were expiring in 4 days.  Four days from now?  That's technically still good!  Heck yeah, I will eat nearly-expired Cheerios for 26.7 cents a box!!  I will even eat already-expired Cheerios for 26.7 cents a box!  So we stocked up!  We bought all seven boxes left on the shelf.  For a whopping $1.87.  Score again!

So we have become hoarders, after all.  But only if it's a good deal!

 Our stash, on top of the microwave.  The very top box is Nestle Cheerios, which are made in Dubai.  They are close, but not quite the same.  They are available just as infrequently as regular Cheerios. 

American Cheerios vs. Dubai Cheerios.  Note the Arabic on the white box.  

All the imported food items get these white square labels stuck on them.  It is a description in Arabic of the item, including the ingredients and the expiration date.  So you know this is the real deal since it has the sticker.  

 

 The Mott's applesauce also comes with a label since it is imported.  They are not very discerning about where they stick the label sometimes, but on top of the jar was not such a bad place. 

 The guy who was sticking labels on the imported pudding, however, must have gotten lazy.  Dude.  We all don't speak Arabic.  Some of us would actually like to see the front of the box.

And it's really bad when they put it on the back of stuff like brownie mix or muffin mix, right over the directions.  How many eggs do I need?  How much oil?  How long do I cook it?  Thanks, Saudi official.  Even Arabs need to know what to add, you know.