Mega, A Mexican Grocery Store

Bienvenido loyal reader! Please join Bruce and Mary as they become familiar with their new grocery store. As usual, for those of you email subscribers who prefer to view these posts from the blog-site, please click here.

Well I guess it was bound to happen and I cannot say we feel sorry about it. Walmart had been our primary grocery store for our whole time here on Calle 47 and we didn’t feel too guilty about it as Walmart’s social contract, as I have mentioned before, is much more humane here than it is in the US, but it is still Walmart. So when Walmart quit carrying Mary’s insulin (not only did they quit stocking it, they had never heard of it and were quite sure that they had never stocked this particular kind of insulin ever before, this insulin that Mary had been buying from them for three years) it was time to make a change. So the move to Mega was quite simple and so far we love the place.

 It’s a little less convenient to shop at Mega but it’s not too big a deal. We walk up to the Santa Ana bus stop and wait for a yellow bus as they usually cruise up Tecnologio and right by Mega on Circuito Colonias. This one does.

You gotta admit this is a pretty impressive store front.

Flat escalators feel weird.

 Of course the first order of business is…. cervezas!

 I am glad to see they are still running their party pack special – A twelve pack of Leones and Pacificos for only 89P!

 Opposite the beer section is a comfy cafe.

 This is the wine and liquor section………

….. where I can consistently, so far that is, find my cheap box wine and my Oso Negro in the big 1.75L bottles. Oso Negro is a Mexican vodka that is just barely good enough for my martinis. Walmart had gotten really chancy on these two important products.

The dairy section.

 And the frozen foods area.

 The meat department. It seems carne is a little more expensive here than at Walmart but we don’t buy much meat anyhow.

 And the seafood department.

These squid tentacles look pretty tasty, eh?

I save about a peso on my Guaymex sardinas. Say, can anyone out there tell me what happened to Guaymex sardines in Chipotle sauce? I have not been able to find any for probably about 2 years now.

In their little specialty foods section they even have tofu!

 We especially love the wide aisles at Mega. BTW, after this pic I got busted by security and my claim of free advertising on this blog did not impress them much.

 I took this pic surreptitiously, shooting from the hip. Mega’s produce is far better than Walmart’s and a little cheaper.

 Mega, like Walmart, chisels off the wheels of their carts so the rims will wedge in these flat escalators, preventing runaway carts.

 I am guarding our comestibles, groceries, at the bus stop on Circuito Colonias while Mary stations herself at the corner for a good view of oncoming taxis.

 This friendly taxista is on the scene within minutes.

 Mary is chatting up our cabbie, as usual. We find out the most interesting things from these guys. Right now he is telling Mary about his favorite cantina, Casa de Paja. We’ll have to check it out.

 And we’re back at our casa where I reprise my beast of burden role.

Thanks for visiting gentle reader. One thing that Bruce and Mary have learned about life down here is that just when you think you’ve got things figured out the rules change. But then change is good, eh?! Hasta proximo Domingo! 

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March 4, 2012 · Bruce · 14 Comments
Posted in: Life in Merida

14 Responses

  1. Joanne - March 4, 2012

    I love Mega too. Chedraui is great but not very convenient for you. And I have experienced the same thing with other farmacia items – not only is it “no hay”, but they NEVER had that item that you’ve purchased from them before. You could show them a receipt for said item and they would still tell you they never had it.

  2. Bruce - March 4, 2012

    Hola Joanne,

    I thought that bit about how they never, ever had that stuff you’ve been buying for years would have some resonance with other expats. If I live to be a 100 I will never figure out how theses stores stock. And you’re right Chedraui is a little too far out for us.

    Cheers!

  3. Jamie - March 4, 2012

    Thanks for posting guys….very interesting…..miss you too! : )

  4. Mary - March 4, 2012

    Good to hear from you Jamie! Been a long time. Funny how just plain grocery shopping can be an adventure down here! Makes every day a challenge! Thanks for reading, my friend!

    Abrazos,
    Mary

  5. LINDA - March 4, 2012

    FYI ABOUT THE GUAYMEX SARDINES IN CHIPOTLE SAUCE……..they have several divisions in their company and the sardines in chipotle are now sold in a rectangle can under the label PONTO.
    Hey it’s a slow night at work so I looked it up for you!
    LOL I had a wonderful week in the Yucatan last month staying in Merida..Progreso and Valladolid. Looking forward to a whole month in 2013. Keep up the pics and fun stories.
    Thanks, Linda in Indiana

  6. Bruce - March 4, 2012

    Hola Linda,

    Thanks for the info on the Guaymex Chipotle sardinas, I will be on the look. You had a busy week down here, glad you enjoyed it.

    And thanks for reading.

    Cheers!

  7. Kevin Gerth - March 5, 2012

    Bruce and Mary, we were close, yet so far away…. but we still (somehow) managed to have a great time without you! What’s up with that? Man, am I tan!
    Your ol’ pal, KG

  8. Bruce - March 5, 2012

    Haha, Kevin, but then it doesn’t take much for you to turn brown. We were thinking of you guys while you were down here.

    When you get a chance tell us about Isla, possibly our favorite place in the Caribbean.

    Cheers!

  9. Pat - March 11, 2012

    Come on, guys. I need to know about Casa de Paja. Hope all is well in Merida.

  10. Bruce - March 11, 2012

    Haha, Patrick, we will give you a full report ASAP!

    Things are going well here, starting to heat up which I love. Can’t wait for 100 degrees!

    And do let us know how you are settling into Playa.

    Cheers!!

  11. Cathy - March 12, 2012

    Hi Bruce and Mary- I love reading about your adventures. Just wondering if you have a car down there? I read about you taking taxis and buses alot. There was a recent episode of International House Hunters that featured homes in the center of Merida. Amazing what is behind some of the facades. Sounds like there is a fairly large expatriate community.
    Last question, how does one get a job like yours as a moderator? Sounds cool.
    Cathy from Alexandria, MN

  12. Bruce - March 12, 2012

    Hola Cathy,

    Thanks for your kind words! No we do not own a car and wouldn’t have it any other way, but with that said, we are nearly the only expats we know who do not have a car.

    That is so true, you can tell nothing about a casa from the street.

    My best guess for the number of expats in this area is around 5000.

    If you google online moderation jobs, you will see quite a few opportunities. But we were lucky to fall into our jobs, a good friend turned us onto them (he was already with the firm)

    Thanks for reading.

    Cheers!!

  13. sharon - March 21, 2012

    Just checking in to say hola, Mary and Bruce. I am possibly the only other ex-pat here who has no car!! I keep going back and forth about that….

    Congrats on making the switch. If there were 2 of me…one to watch the groceries and one to hail the cab…I would do Mega also. I love that store.

    Sharon

  14. Bruce - March 21, 2012

    Hola Sharon!

    Long time no hear or see. Yes, it does help to be two of us, there.

    Say we’re heading to MN in a couple days and wrapped up in getting the house ready for the owners (what fun) but we’ll be back March 31. Then we’ll have to get together soon after, let us know what works!

    Cheers!

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