Expectations vs Reality: Shopping in DRC
Outdoor market in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, February 2020
What do you do if you need more laundry detergent? You pick up and go to the store, right? Unfortunately for us, it's not always that simple in Congo. Shopping seems like a mundane thing that would be relatively similar no matter where you are in the world but shopping in Congo can turn into a strenuous and frustrating process fairly quickly.
Here are the realities of shopping in Congo:
Where’s Waldo?
Unlike in the US, if you’re looking for something (let’s say a sturdy plastic chair that you want in the same color as the ones we already had in the pavilion) you can’t just google “sturdy plastic chair near Kinshasa” to find it. You also can’t call the stores. You have to go into the store, which, depending on traffic, could take hours, just to see if they have something.
No one-stop-shop.
We've found that it can be pretty tricky to get everything you need on a one-day trip to downtown Kinshasa. We may have to go to two different grocery stores and the street market to get all the food we need. Then a different store for plastic bins or garbage cans. Flowers? You'll have to find somewhere off a road that's selling some. Suffice to say; it's often a guessing game of where you'll be able to find the products you need.
No Receipts.
Unless you're at one of the "fancy" stores in Kinshasa, you may have difficulty getting a receipt while shopping in Congo. The shop owner may look at you in complete confusion if you ask for one. This poses a small problem for us when it comes to our accounting. Luckily, all our staff have a receipt book handy!
Price of Handling.
Imagine you're our village manager, a 100-pound female, and you're out in the street market purchasing beans and rice in bulk. Mind you; these bulk bags are about 100 pounds each. Let's not forget you parked your car a few blocks down because it was the only place you could find parking. Do you think you'd be able to carry everything on your own? Probably not, which is why we have to pay someone for "handling" to help get things to the car.
Expensive.
People are often surprised to learn that the cost of goods in DRC is high. For many things, it's more expensive than here in the U.S. Not to mention, inflation raises prices regularly, making it difficult to budget.
Be careful what you put down.
This one's pretty self-explanatory. If you put something down or look away for a second, your item might be gone. It seems an easy enough rule to abide by, but you'd be surprised when your hands are full how often you may want to set something down for just a second.
Day-to-day life in DRC is far removed from life in the US. We are grateful for our staff on the ground that help us navigate a system that is so different from our own. I know I’ve never been more grateful for Target than when I returned from my first trip to DRC.