Small shopping bill

Robert

Stay Frosty!
Jan 2, 1999
20,574
341
83
dr1.com
Just thought I'd post a list of a few items I just brought at Multi-Centro. Not sure how these compare to USA prices?

I'll have to do this more often so people can see the prices here.

6 x chicken fillets - RD$67.55 (US$2.70)
Small cream cheese - RD$58.62 (US$2.34)
Oral B tooth brush - RD$60.84 (US$2.43)
4 x toilet rolls (soft) - RD$97.37 (US$3.89)
4 x Onions RD$25.39 (US$1.01)
Medium tube of Colgate - RD$42.95 (US$1.71)
Medium Scope mouth wash - RD$91.84 (US$3.67)
Small tub of butter - RD$24.95 (US$0.99)

Going to the bathroom is getting expensive!
 

Ken

Platinum
Jan 1, 2002
13,884
495
83
Going to the bathroom is getting expensive! [/B]


What are you buying, Robert, imported toilet paper? We buy a Dominican brand, Marcal, or something like that, single ply, 1000 sheet package of 4 (double normal roll), very good quality, for less than that.
 

mondongo

Bronze
Jan 1, 2002
1,533
6
38
Don't forget that the average Dominican (not the average Sto Dgo Dominican) makes 10X less than the average American.
 

andy a

Bronze
Feb 23, 2002
532
0
0
Dominicans waste a lot of toilet paper.

They wrap it around their hand several times until they get the desired thickness.

Don't know why the whole hand has to be wrapped.

Just more Dominican logic.
 

ArJay

New member
Jan 1, 2002
147
0
0
I guess that implies no restriction on flushing it. Hotels in some areas post signage explicitly prohibiting flushing the paper waste. That takes some getting used too. (gag) Looks like the big cities's sewage systems have got that going for it.
 

mondongo

Bronze
Jan 1, 2002
1,533
6
38
Before goign to the Gulf, US troops are being told not to shake the Iraquis' left hand. Due to lack of toilet paper, some Iraquis take care of business with the left hand....than wash it as water becomes available...story is true....at least according to NPR.
 

Amber

New member
Jan 24, 2003
318
2
0
60
YUKKKKK!!! MONDONGO! That can't be true! But that hand wrapping bit is true, the reason being that one-ply paper..hehehe
Actually, there are many ways to make living here cheaper. One can go to the local maket, for instance and save about 30% on the cost of most things. But for imported products, you've got to pay the price. If you can learn to kill a chicken, (trying not to gag here) you pay about four pesos less per pound. It's not worth it in my book, but anyone is welcome to try it. Seafood is also much cheaper at the marketplaces. Toiletries are another story. The best bet is to buy bulk.
 

Tony C

Silver
Jan 1, 2002
2,262
2
0
www.sfmreport.com
Robert said:
Just thought I'd post a list of a few items I just brought at Multi-Centro. Not sure how these compare to USA prices?

I'll have to do this more often so people can see the prices here.

6 x chicken fillets - RD$67.55 (US$2.70)
Small cream cheese - RD$58.62 (US$2.34)
Oral B tooth brush - RD$60.84 (US$2.43)
4 x toilet rolls (soft) - RD$97.37 (US$3.89)
4 x Onions RD$25.39 (US$1.01)
Medium tube of Colgate - RD$42.95 (US$1.71)
Medium Scope mouth wash - RD$91.84 (US$3.67)
Small tub of butter - RD$24.95 (US$0.99)

Going to the bathroom is getting expensive!

Of the stuff you listed only the Onions were cheaper than what they would cost in the US. Then again I don't know what size onions you purchased.
 

gretchsean

New member
Feb 7, 2003
12
0
0
Oops,

Sorry, I must have tabbed when I was supposed to space or something like that. What I was going to say is all the talk generated by the T.P. makes me think I should pack a couple suitcases with charmin. lol
Seriously, Thanks Robert your post is helpful. Not to mention giving us a different picture of who you are.

Sean
 

andy a

Bronze
Feb 23, 2002
532
0
0
Although prices may be high in general in the DR, there are still some things cheap (at least, before the latest price increases).

For example, at an exchange rate of about 20 to 1, two people could have a modest, but good, breakfast at home for a dollar, not counting the cost of cooking gas.

1) 2 eggs each = 5 pesos.
2) 1 grapefruit = 1 peso.
3) 1/4 pound ham = 5 pesos.
4) 2 peices of bread each (hamburger sized) = 4 pesos.
5) coffee for 2 (1 packet of Santo Domingo) = 4 pesos.

Ham especially is a bargain and salami is even cheaper.

The key is to shop at the right place at the right time. For example, a pack of hamburger buns can vary from 10 pesos to 20, and the fresh ones only seem to be put out on certain days.

The biggest problem with a good diet is green vegetables - hard to find and expensive.

Concerning toilet paper, it seems like Charmin and the equivalent made by Kleenex were available in 4-packs for 25 pesos in the supermarkets. Those were small rolls, and I never worked out the math (lazy me) to determine how the price compared with the big rolls sheet by sheet.
 

AZB

Platinum
Jan 2, 2002
12,290
519
113
PIB, you don't need extensive researh to know that dominicans waste alot of toilet paper. Just look inside the waste basket and you will see that they make a big, thick roll of paper and then wipe and then throw it away in the basket. If you try to flush this rolled paper in toilet, you will certainly clog it.
 

mondongo

Bronze
Jan 1, 2002
1,533
6
38
I still get shivers up my spine thinking back to my childhood in San Juan de la Maguana....an old latrine....sagging wood planks...a cement throne..even as a kid I couldn't believe who the Einstein was who put a heavy CEMENT throne on top of sagging wood planks...never have I felt a more visceral fear...therefore, I learned to recognize those leaves in the back woods that were soft and absorbent.....ahh..the good ol' days...
 

Hillbilly

Moderator
Jan 1, 2002
18,948
514
113
Most Dominicans were never taought at home just how to properly wipe themselves. Sometimes the women are taught, because of obviousl hygienic problems but the "Males" are seldom taught. Letrines and wastebaskets do not need to be helped, but septic and local sewage systems could use the help.
this is one area that needs to be taught , even in school...
Funny just how backward folks can be at just this simple thing.....

HB
 
Last edited:

rafael

Bronze
Jan 2, 2002
1,633
28
48
61
www.dr-tourist.tv
When I first moved here, it tooke several attempts to get the novia and her son to switch to flushing the TP. As long as there is water, there is plenty of pressure available. In fact upon flushing, water almost flys out of the toilet.

It was also funny when my Dominican ex first came to the states. Invariably, she would forget to flush as she was not used to having water that was 100% reliable and she thought she'd wait.

Off topic, . . . . . .. a few weeks back when we were in a lame resort in San Pedro, with my novias son, who ahd never stayed at a hotel before, he was hysterical.

Kept coming out of the bathroom with the "goodies" you get. Little bars of soap, he thought were cool, sewing kit even cooler, plastic bag for dry cleaning was really neat.

So the next morning, we wake up early and tell the kid to shower first, so I can rest a few more minutes. Luckily, while resting I started thinking about how he had never stayed at a hotel before.

I had my novia run into the bathroom, before he started to shower as I realized he NEVER had a shower with HOT water before! If the poor kid innocently used the left faucet . . . . . . . . he could have been scaulded!
 

Barry

New member
Jun 28, 2003
88
0
0
That left hand business is true in alot third world countries. I am left handed and people give me dirty looks when I eat or pass them money with my left hand.
 
Last edited: