Living in Cancun Mexico: Grocery Shopping

There are many grocery stores here and some are nicer than others. They call them Supermerkados which are basically supermarkets with not only groceries but everything else imaginable, like for example, scooters or clothes. There are already 5 Walmarts in Cancun, also stores like Cosco, SAM's club, or City Club.

The cheapest grocery store (and thus very busy) is Chedraui. They are located all over town with the main one at the corner of Tulum and Coba. I usually go to Comercial Mexicana, just because it's closer to my apartment (right beside ADO bus terminal). One thing that struck me as different was how the baked goods were purchased. When you enter the bakery section you will have to pick up this huge aluminum tray and a set of tonsils. You then load up the tray and bring it to the counter where a lady packs it up and marks the price. Pretty good system, it's more hygienic this way as no one touches the bread and other baked goods.

Don't look for milk in the fridges. Similar to Europe, the milk is sold in cartons and because it's preserved it can stay at room temperature (until opened). Similar for eggs, since they are not washed they don't have to be placed in fridges. The rest of the buying process is exactly the same except when it comes to bagging your groceries. You will find that it's either young kids or elder people that will do it for you. Keep in mind that they are not paid by the stores so a tip is expected. 5 pesos is what I was told to give.