Fun weekend in UB

Interesting weekend: Davaa (bless her!) called me on Sunday and said she was going to the State Department Store and did I want to come? Of course! So she and her brother (Davaa Daash) picked me up and we drove to the store. It is a very large dept. store - maybe 6 floors - and I had a great time just seeing what is available. I only bought a few things, e.g., a spoon (you can't possibly imagine what I have been using in place of a spoon at my apt.), and a plug adapter so that (maybe) I can plug in my microwave and broaden my menu a bit.

One of the most interesting things about the trip was seeing the check-out procedures. Things were purchased in 3 different departments and 3 different procedures were employed. At one department, you examined the items at a desk, paid for it there and then went to a 2nd counter with your receipt and received your item there. At dept. #2, things proceeded exactly as in America: select your stuff from the shelves, take it to the cashier, pay & walk out with the thing you selected. At the 3rd department, the procedure was the same as Bill & I remember from our time in Moscow: select your item, take it to the counter, where you are given an invoice. Take the invoice to a cashier, pay and receive a receipt. Take the receipt back to the 1st counter and get your item. I could see no apparent reasons for the different procedures, but that's what makes being here interesting and keeps things challenging - one might even call it a game.