Differences-Shopping.

So another differences entry.

I had planned to do one entry which was all about food and shopping, however, that would be an enormous entry. In fact I think when it comes to food that is going to have to be split in two as well!

So one of the marked differences between the UK and the USA when it comes to shopping is how the shops are laid out. Generally in the UK there are streets which are pedestrianised (no cars allowed, just buses) with some malls within the city or town centre. Even in each separate neighbourhood there is this kind of layout.

In the USA whilst in the downtown of a city there is this kind of format and in the inner city non suburban area you also find them there are mainly strip malls with parking right outside each store in other areas. There are also malls with their own parking completely separate. Yes, there are some of this format in the UK examples being The Trafford Centre in Manchester and also Lakeside and Bluewater but they are not everywhere like in the USA.

Generally any mall whether in the town/city centre or not are under cover. The only mall I can think of which is not undercover is Gunwharf Quays.

In the USA, especially around California there is a mixture of outdoor and undercover. For example Mission Valley, Horton Plaza, Carlsbad Premium Outlets and Las Americas Premium Outlets are outdoor malls whilst Plaza Bonita, North County and Plaza Camino Real are indoor malls.

With the strip malls in the USA you generally have the shops around in one line with the big restaurants or ones with drive-ins separately on the other side of the car parking. A lot of people tend to drive from one store to another than walking around this kind of mall. These strip malls contain small stores, supermarkets, services (dentists, nail places, coffee shops, smaller restaurants and coffee shops) some department stores and other big stores.

Examples of the big stores which you find in these strip malls are Home Depot, Marshalls, Sears, Target, Walmart, ToysRus, Best Buy, Fry's Electronics, IKEA and Bed, Bath and Beyond.

In the strip malls and malls in the USA parking is FREE unless it is in the downtown area. In the areas where there are town centre layouts where the shops are all in a line you often have parking metres but if you go a few streets back you can often get free parking.

In the UK whilst the retail parks are free car parking you find most town/city centres and malls charge (a lot of) money to park. Again parking a few streets away you can find some free parking but it is usually limited to a couple of hours.

In the UK the department stores are mostly in the malls with the exception of a few which would instead be found in a retail park which is in a different part of a town. Some of the stores you would find in a typical retail park in the UK include Argos, Homebase, B&Q, Brantano, Halfords, Dreams, Dixons, Comet, PC World and of course IKEA and ToysRus.

The supermarkets in the UK are usually in the street with the other shops when it is a town/city centre though some are in the malls or completely separate and set on their own (not in a retail park). Here the majority of the Supermarkets are in the strip malls unless they are in the downtown or neighbourhoods within the city.

The supermarket chains in the UK are Waitrose, Morrisons, Co-op, Sainsbury's, Tesco, Asda and Iceland. Though Marks and Spencer also sell their own branded food.

Here in the USA there are so many supermarket chains. Ones that I can think of offhand are Ralph's, Albertsons, Vons, Stater Bros, Sprouts, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods and Fresh and Easy. Fresh and Easy is owned by Tesco (who are in the UK) but they rebranded for the US market. It actually does feel a little like being in a Tesco when you go in there though the colour scheme is green rather than blue. The receipt is in the same format as in the UK! Whilst Target and Walmart do sell food they are not primarily supermarkets. For those who are not aware, Asda in the United Kingdom is owned by Walmart and the Asda stores mainly sell food with some other items.

In the supermarkets in the UK there are often membership cards, Sainsbury's has a nectar card while Tesco has a clubcard. Here in the USA most of the supermarkets have their own card. Here they are not just for collecting points, often there are items where you require the card in order to make a saving on the purchases.

In the UK supermarkets you often get deals such as Buy one Get one Free or two of a specific item for say £6 (yes I have found out a way to get a £ sign on this laptop- ALT156!) Here, although I have seen many buy two or more for a specific amount I havent really seen any buy one get one frees. Another offer I have seen which is mainly in Vons is 10 items for 10$ and is across a large amount of items.

Here in the USA you get a lot of coupons in the mail each week delivered directly to your mailbox. It's not often you get them in the UK, if ever and never through the mail unless you have signed up on a website to get them.

In the UK if you want to buy a car you generally buy privately, through Auto Trader or go to a dealership. The dealerships are dotted all over the place.

Here in the USA there are generally Autopark areas where there are all of the different garages all in the same place so you may find Ford, Mercedes and Mini all lined up. People do also buy privately or through Autotrader. Another option which is really popular in the USA (but I think very rarely used if ever in the UK) is Leasing.

The pharmacies in the UK sell medications, cosmetics, toiletries and often have an opticians and photo processing department. Some also sell some electrical items and lunch options. In the USA together with all of these items you can also find a selection of toys, books, magazines, ice cream, chocolate, cigarettes, alcohol and all manner of other items. The first time you walk into the pharmacy and see the alcohol and cigarettes it does take you by surprise.

There are mainly chains of Pharmacies here (CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid) there is also some none chains in the downtown and inner city non suburban areas. Also there are often pharmacy counters within the supermarkets.

In the UK there are chain pharmacies (Boots and Superdrug) plus little pharmacies all over the place and in the supermarkets. I think there is a limit to how many you can have within a certain area though.

In the UK there are many butchers, Fishmongers and bakeries. There also used to be a lot of greengrocers (where you can buy fruit and vegetables) but they seem to be on the decline. Here I have so far only seen one butchers, no greengrocers or fishmongers. I think there is a fish market in the Seaport Village (am I correct?). I have seen a few bakeries though!

Something I have seen here (which I wish they had in the UK) is drive in cash machines/ATM machines. Seriously useful!

In the UK the price you see on the shelf is the price you pay for the item at the checkout/cashier, the sales tax of 20% is already added. Here in the USA the tax is added when you ring the items up. The sales tax varies from state to state. The sales tax for California is 7.25%.

Lastly (as this is SO long already) one thing which is different here in the USA is that there is often someone at the end of the checkout/cash desk packing your bags. They also seem to only put a couple of items in each bag. In the UK you pack your own bags and you have to ask for carrier bags as they want you to take your own bags in as often as possible.

I am sure I got some stuff wrong, this is just how I have perceived things. If there is anything I have got wrong feel free to correct me. Also if anyone has any questions over something I have not covered please ask.

Differences -Money, roads & public transport

Some people perceive the UK and USA to be alike with very few differences. In fact prior to living here I didnt realise the amount of differences. Each day is a learning curve. I am embracing the differences.

As I have readers in the USA and in the UK I am going to put information where I can about things from both sides. I am not an expert, this is just how I have perceived something either here or in the UK so correct me if I am wrong. I am open to learning.

Money. Here in USA the money is dollars and cents. There are 100 cents to each dollar. There are 1 cent coins, 5 cent coins (known as a a nickel), 10 cent coin (know as a dime) and a 25 cent coin (known as a quarter). Next there are notes, these are one dollar, 5 dollar, 10 dollar, 20 dollar, 50 dollar and a 100 dollar. They are known as bills and are all very similar in colour so you have to be extra careful when paying in a store.

In the UK its pounds and pence. I am typing on a USA keyboard and there is not a pound sign so I cant put one, the coins in the UK are 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p, 1 pound and 2 pound. Then notes there are 5 pound, 10 pound, 20 pound and 50 pound though it is rate to find 50 pound notes! There is 100 pence to a pound so in that respect it is easy to work things out. Each of the notes are a different colour and differ in size slightly.

There is approximately 1 dollar and 60 cents to the pound. Yes, I still in my mind am converting back into pounds despite the fact the money is being paid in dollars. Force of habit I am guessing from all the years of shopping whilst on holiday out here and doing a conversion before paying.

In fact there is another difference right there. In the UK if you go away we call it a holiday, here it is a vacation. They go on a two week vacation whilst we take a fortnight holiday. Holiday is mainly used here to refer to a specific date they celebrate such as Thanksgiving or Christmas (I am really excited to experience my first Thanksgiving next week)!

Driving is a completely different experience, whilst I have yet to drive (though its looking to start happening soon) I can see the differences already. The biggest difference which is obvious straight away is that the UK drive on a different side to the USA, other than Australia and New Zealand I cannot think offhand of any other countries which drive on the same side of the road as the UK. In the UK the driving controls and steering are on the right, here its the left.

In the UK there are mainly single lane roads in the towns and cities with some major roads being dual carriageways (two lanes each side) and then there are motorways. There are different classes of road firstly there are some roads which just have names (and are not numbered), D roads and C roads which are local roads which are generally still known as just the name except for by local authorities, B roads are local routes to and fromone place to another place. Generally single carriage and often down country lanes, an example of how this would be numbered is B285.

Most roads to travel between one place and another in the UK are A roads such as A24. Some are single carriageways, some are dual carriageways. Others have been improved to the standard of a motorway and therefore may have 4 or more carriageways. These roads are number in the following format A1(M). The A signifies that the road is a major road, the M signifies that it has been improved to motorway standards but is not a motorway. The number is the road number.

Motorways generally take you from one town or city to another (eg London to Manchester) with limited access to the towns. IE maybe 3 exits to a town rather than travelling directly through the town or city. I have not quite worked out how they worked out the numbering generally with roads. However, any motorways with just a single number after the M leads from London. EG M3 leads from London to Portsmouth.

As I havent actually experienced driving here in the USA I can only comment on my observations together with some research I have carried out! First off most of the roads within the cities and suburbs are at least two or three lanes wide each side though some of the residential roads only have one lane each way.

There are different types of highways, Interstate highways which have the highest speeds, US numbered highways and state highways. Many of the state highways on which we have travelled on are a single lane in each direction so I am assuming this is the equivalent of the B roads and some A roads in the UK. The US highways are still much bigger than the UK A roads but the A roads would be the closest equivalent. The closest comparable to the Interstate in the UK is a motorway. Even numbered roads go from East to West/West to East whilst odd numbered roads go from North to South/ South to North.

In the UK there are roundabouts (sometimes known in the USA on the satellite navigation/TomTom/GPS as a Rotarty) everywhere. Some are enormous and have numerous exits. Here in the USA there are very few (I have seen a couple in the BirdRock/La Jolla area and one in Borrego Springs) instead there are stop junctions. Say there are four roads leading to one junction all directions have to stop. Whoever arrived first goes first, second goes second etc. 

At traffic lights/signals in the USA you can turn right on a red signal after yielding/giving way to any pedestrians or other traffic which is in the junction. In the UK you cant turn left on red or in any other direction.

In the UK there is no set structure to how roads are laid out, there are windy roads all over the place and as such it is easy to get lost. In the USA in most areas the roads are laid out in a grid section.
Speed limits are different also. I the UK its 20 around the school zones, its 25 here. Then the normal speed limit is 35 around business districts and residential areas (unless otherwise posted) in the USA whilst in the UK its 30. Some freeways there are speedlimits of 55 though on interstates it is 70. In the UK on a road with a single lane each side you have a 60 limit and then 70 on dual carriageways and motorways.

In some cities (San Diego included) unless you live in one of the downtown areas(which we dont) you need a car. The public transport is very different to the UK. Whilst in the UK the public transport is often extremely busy and seems expensive you can travel almost anywhere by bus or train. In fact from our old apartment to my parents home which was 60 miles away I could get there in an hour and a half. On Tuesday I am taking public transportation to meet a friend in an area of downtown, a distance of 18 miles it will take me the same time and I will also need to change buses. Some cities have more public transportation that others.

There are many more differences and entries will follow. However, they will be alternated with what has been going on this end otherwise I will find myself getting extremely behind.