Shopping Like a College Student

February 28, 2012 – Shopping Like a College Student

A market perched near where a cruise ship docks becomes as close to a university’s student union shop as anything I’ve ever experienced. For those of us who live on ship these stores are a lifeline to the ‘normal lives’ we left behind. We do have a Crew Shop but it is the size of a large master bedroom closet. The span of products is limited and the diversity of choices of each item is generally limited to one. Two if you are lucky.

Such is the boon bestowed about the CVS Pharmacy facing the dock in San Juan. It is an eclectic general store, with enough diversity in offering to entice but rarely enough to get exactly what you want. But both selection and price beat the crew shop so they are a favorite of cruise ship crews. On my exploration of San Juan they were my last stop approximately an hour before we sailed. With just a few necessities to purchase I had plenty of time to remind myself of the other things that I was missing from life at home.

I was not alone among the crew in my shopping adventure. In fact, of the 200 plus people who were crowding into this store fully 80% were compatriots from the Silhouette. The interesting part of this, of course, is that no one is in uniform. Okay, in truth, no one is supposed to be in uniform, although some of the old deck and engine officers believe that if they simply remove their epaulets and name badges they will look like everyone else. An absurd pretense, to be sure. But with everyone in civvies, the number of double-takes that occur when you realize this is another CM who has simply ‘let their hair down’ makes it appear to be a poorly written comedy show. The bigger trick is to convince people to let you have your anonymity for this brief moment. Unfortunately, the number of ‘Good evening, sir’s that I had to field became frankly irritating. Here I was in shorts, t-shirt, and tennis shoes and I could not shed my alter ego. Finally, after one crew member had greeted me in the third consecutive aisle I found myself exclaiming, “in this place I am simply Dave,” which seemed to catch the poor soul by complete surprise.

But I was there for shopping. With the necessities quickly dispensed, I allowed myself to wander of a few minutes to identify what comforts I might like to bring ‘home’ with me. Of course the answer led to food. This may sound ridiculous when you live in a floating hotel where you can access a plethora of food almost 24 hours a day. But it is amazing what isn’t available. First, and most importantly, there are no Butterfinger candy bars! As soon as I saw the bag of Butterfinger minis I found myself transported to a kinder, gentler land thousands of miles away. Before I could leave the candy aisle, I spotted that amazing seasonal treat already on display, Cadburry cream filled chocolate eggs! I quickly snatched two to serve as special treats in place of the desserts I generally avoid. With my sweet tooth now satisfied, my urge for salt dominated my expedition. Salted peanuts were next tossed in next to the chocolate, shampoo, mouthwash, deodorant, and shoe polish. Yes, we serve salted peanuts in our lounges, but at the cost of a drink to snag the peanuts, buying a jar for my stateroom was an economical choice. Finally, as I stood in line I stared at my last temptation, trying not to succumb. It had been so long and I thought I was through with this temptation. But finally my more base urges won out. I grabbed the bag of Sun Chips, the first potato chips I had desired in two months.

I then stood patiently in line with crew mates of every stripe, and the few bemused locals. When I unpacked my treasures in my stateroom, I felt a deep feeling of satisfaction that my home away from home was now a bit closer to complete.

And I felt a deeper kinship with every college student in the world.

And the adventure continues . . .