clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Silicon Valley Intern: Shopping Is Way More Fun in India

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.


Aniruddh Chaturvedi wearing Google Glass; image via Facebook

Aniruddh Chaturvedi, an eloquent young Indian man who came to the U.S. to study at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA, and who also recently interned in Silicon Valley, wrote an email to Business Insider outlining the aspects of America he found the most surprising. Third on his list is that shopping is way more fun in his home country than in the United States:

The retail experience is nowhere near as fun/nice as it is in India. Because labor is cheap in India, there is always someone who will act as a "personal shopper" to assist you with holding your clothes, giving suggestions, etc. In America, on the other hand, even if you go to a Nordstrom or Bloomingdales, there is almost nobody to help you out while you're shopping. Shopping in America is more of a commodity/chore than it is a pleasurable activity.

The rest of the post is well worth a read. The international student also has some astute observations about American ethics, how we treat people who are overweight, poverty and lots more. Now we're off to employ those free, underutilized personal shoppers at Neiman's and Bloomingdales.
· The Most Surprising Things About America [Business Insider]
· Where This Bay Area Olympic Champ Shops and Beautifies [Racked SF]