Thursday, May 19, 2011

Vamos a Walmart

Wow, it's been a month since I've posted any smart-ass posts. Gotta change that!
One reason I haven't written anything in a while is that we went back to Mexico. Again. Geesh.

I could post the same comments as the last time around. It was beautiful. And peaceful. And relaxing. Aaah...

But on this trip, we went all out and visited Walmart; Mexico-style.
I actually believe that the giant "Bodega Aurerra" in Rocky Point is owned and operated by Walmart. All in all it was pretty similar to what you can get in a Walmart in the States. The usual dollar items, the giant aisles of prepackaged food for low low prices... And let me tell you, don't worry, Walmart has done a fine job of expanding the boundaries of junk food to international levels.

But I was searching for cultural/linguistic/regional differences.
Here are a few notable ones in my opinion.



Cool local produce



Fresh-cut nopales












Tortilla factory











What I thought was pretty interesting is the marketing/packaging of Walmart products in foreign countries. In this case, they changed the logo to better target a Mexican audience. And it is definitely not targeted for your average American. Even if Walmart had a "supergirl" as a logo, she'd be closer in looks to Pamela Anderson than Rosie O'Donnell (no offense Rosie, I think you're cool).



This supermujer is pretty gordita if you ask me. We would never use her as an advertizing icon in the US, even though she represents the average American pretty well. The color scheme is pretty different too, boring white Walmarts in the States, bright green Walmarts in Mexico.

And we are still cutting down prices, but it's a little more graphic south of the border!


US Logo 

Mexican Logo
Although it was an interesting trip to the grocery store, don't do like me, you can spend a week without your Walmart essentials. Go to a real bodega... buy your fruit and veggies from a local stand, find a nice little old lady to sell you fresh tortillas, or buy some seafood at the docks.

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