I was wondering the other day about the various shops and services that are available in the States, and how closely they conform to places elsewhere... I already had the very dislocating experience of having to suss everything out when I first arrived in the UK (almost four years ago) from Australia; thought it might save me some time if I heard some opinions beforehand this time around!

so accordingly, please let me know what YOU THINK are the US equivalents of the following (caps used because I know this will depend on region, and opinion, and there's no One Right Answer, and some of those places already exist in the US, and it's all a bit of fun really )


Primark -
Waitrose -
M&S -
Tesco -
Next -
Monsoon -
Wagamama -
Jessops -
Woolworths -
Debenhams -
The Body Shop -
Traidcraft -
Threshers -
Med Kitchen -
Paperchase -
Yo! Sushi -

there'll be more... please add some, or I will when I think of them

Primark -
Waitrose -
M&S -
Tesco -
Next -
Monsoon -
Wagamama -
Jessops -
Woolworths -
Debenhams -
The Body Shop -
Traidcraft -
Threshers -
Med Kitchen -
Paperchase -
Yo! Sushi -
English Pubs (general) -
DFS -
B&Q -

Again - I am sure there are more and I know there is Ikea but I want to know where we are going to get furniture for our house

wagamama? wtf?

We have The Body Shop in the US too. (I love their hemp hand cream!) I'm not familiar enough with most of the others you mentioned or the area you'll be living in to offer more than that!

B&Q is the same as Home Depot or Lowes, as far as I know!

I'd say Target is kinda equivalent to Primark for the clothes though probably better.

Grocery stores are very regional, so it would be hard to say. Where I live, Bristol Farms is close to Waitrose and Ralph's is equivalent to Tescos.

There is no Wagamama or Yo sushi equivalent, though where I live not an issue since there are so many good and cheap Japanese places.

Threshers - no real equivalent since all liquor stores seem to be mom and pop type places

Paperchase - most Borders have a paperchase in them

Bodyshop - we have body shop where I live, maybe the Bath and Body works is an equivalent. But who cares about that when you have SEPHORA!

Next-Gap

Monsoon-Ann Taylor

Jessops-can't think of an equivalent, most camera shops are mom and pop where I live

Primark - New York & Company
Waitrose - Walmart or Martins
M&S - A mixture of maybe Nordstrums and Wegmens?
Tesco - Walmart
Next - Gap
Monsoon -
Wagamama - Nothing like
Jessops - ?
Woolworths - Hallmark
Debenhams - Hechts or Nordstrums
The Body Shop - The Body Shop
Traidcraft - ?
Threshers - Any liquor store!
Med Kitchen - Kohls?
Paperchase - Don't know... Maybe Hallmark?
Yo! Sushi - ?

wow, so interesting! thanks for all replies thus far; keep 'em coming

never thought Walmart would be put as an equivalent to Waitrose! I always see Waitrose as really posh, and Walmart as really scummy
mind you, I've never been inside one, and am not likely to, as my fiance boycotts them

and a couple of people have put Next as Gap, but here we have both... I always see Gap as more for jeans and casual stuff, and Next one more rung up - some casual gear, but some more office type stuff (I got my favourite skirt there )
and they have homewares... niiiiice

so is Gap different in the US?

Well, I know we have both Next and Gap in England, but Gap is really the only thing I can think of that would be the same... Or maybe Bebe?

Walmart isn't scummy really, lol... But then again, it depends where you go I s'pose!

Maybe Next is like Loft? I Loft.

I agree.

Waitrose could be a Whole Foods/Fresh N Wild or other fancy grocery store.

And ASDA is Walmart here.

I find Next = Gap not true though. But I never really liked Next, it seemed cheap to me. We do have a cheaper version of Gap - Old Navy - which is likely the closest to a Primark that you'll get.




Oh, yes it is! It's definitely cheap clothes that fall apart & probably sweatshop clothes.

DFS scares me! There si nothing like it here. Maybe Walmart?

There are plenty of 'fake' Irish pubs, some good, most not. Fewer English pubs.

I see Next and Gap as both selling decent quality sensible clothes at a moderate price that won't be completely out of fashion in 2 years. Next probably has more "dressy" options, maybe it's equivalent is the Banana Republic

Yeah - the English pub thing is going to be missed - the sort of country pub where you can get nice home cooked meals

Stater Brothers is kinda like Waitrose a bit at least imho

What about Sears/Macy's for Debenhams?

Oh and if you are lucky you might live near a LUSH! Which again imho is far superior to the Body Shop They have one in Honolulu and one in Waikiki and I went to both (and spent far too much money!!). They also have one in LA and I e-mailed them to suggest one in Palm Springs (which is closer and nicer than LA )

Maybe Next = Limited or Express?

I like Lush - we have them in Aus, and I THINK I've seen some here (or something remarkably like), but they're a bit overpowering; just walking by the door can bowl me over with all the perfumes gusting out

This is what I've come up with so far. Some are specific to the St. Louis area but others are applicable nationwide.

Primark - TKmax
Waitrose - Dierbergs (around St. Louis anyway)
M&S -
Tesco - Super Target (if you have one... Sells everything and food but better quality than Asda which would be likened to a super Walmart)
Next -
Monsoon -
Wagamama - Panda Express (a poor imitation but the closest I can think of)
Jessops - Creve Coeur Camera (again around St. Louis)
Woolworths -
Debenhams -
The Body Shop - The Body Shop (they have those over here)
Traidcraft -
Threshers - World Market (Has a great booze section with wine and beer from around the world)
Med Kitchen -
Paperchase - Papyrus (they have their own stores and sections in most Borders bookshops !!)
Yo! Sushi -

I'll work on the completing the rest.

Mark

I would definitely liken Waitrose/M&S Food to Whole Foods - Oh I love Whole Foods!
Next - Loft
Yo! Sushi - You will forget all about pricey Yo! when you start getting to know your local Japanese restaurants. Same goes for Wagamamas
Debenhams - Macys!! There are a few good department stores though - Kohls, Belk, Dillards, JC Penny, Sears, Saks!
Pimark - Definitely Target clothes (better than primark but similar prices) Old Navy is great for cheap t-shirts and jeans
Woolworths - Target
B&Q - Lowes/Home Depot
Iron Bed Company/Lakelands - Bed, bath and beyond and linen n things (for all your bedroom, kitchen and bathroom stuff.)
WHSmiths/Waterstones - Boarders or Barnes and Nobel
Paperchase - Papyrus
Topshop - Forever 21/Old Navy/American Eagle

Oh I'm supposed to be working and now all I can think about is shopping. . .

oh, this is fun

I have no doubt you're right about the sushi places - it was like that in Sydney too - but I still find it interesting to know

Teehee, this topic has just fueled tonights conversation with Alan. He pointed out that Threshers = ABC but I HATE ABC so def would say World Market or mom and pop packet store for booze. I find it so strange that you can't buy alcohol from just any old store, but hey ho. There is a bar not far from Alan's house called Summits and they have a beer list of over 300 beers (domestic and imports.) You sign up for a "passport" when you go in and everytime you buy a beer its crossed off your list, once you meet one of the the mile stones (100, 200, 300) you get your own inscribed beer glass/mug and they serve your drink in that till you upgrade. I LOVE IT! I think the micro breweries are a good alternative to a proper Englsih Pub too. There used to be an awesome English pub at the CNN building in Atlanta with scotch eggs and all but they have closed now i think. A lot of the imitation places are really hit or miss...mainly miss i'm afraid.

Sorry a little

Oh but I LOVE it!!



ABC?? You in Hawaii?! They were *everywhere* we loved them because they had everything and were just down the road from our hotel I can imagine they would be really annoying to the locals though

I've never seen them in any other state though...?

I wonder if there's a local ordinance in Honolulu that there has to be a concentration of 20 ABC stores per square mile or something

I'm from the UK, but am in the US on a student visa. In the City that I am in, there are a lot of German pubs. They aren't the same ye ol' English pubs, but they do fine!

and it really doesn't matter about the equivalent, because at the end of the day.....I just miss the cheese!!!!!!!

Primark -
M&S - There really isn't anything like it as you don't see department stores w/ groceries in it here. But I would say if you are talking about M&S Simply Foods Whole Foods would be close or perhaps Wild Oats.
Tesco - I agree Super Target or Super Wal-Mart. Depending where you live a Shop-Ko or Pamida would be similar as well.
Next/Monsoon - You have no shortage of shopping. If you live in an urban/suburban area you'll find plenty of shops like that. I believe most of them have been mentioned but I'll throw Delia's and Mango into the mix.
Wagamama - The only places I really see franchised Chinese is at malls. Most restaurants are family owned by first/second generation immigrants.
Jessops - Ritz Camera
Woolworths - I think Target/Wal-Mart/Shopko/Pamida would be close enough
Debenhams - Von Mauer/Macy's/Bloomingdales/Sak 5th Avenue/Dillards/Younkers/Herbergers/Nordstroms/JC Penney - I think I covered a good most department stores here
The Body Shop - They are in the US as mentioned previously, as is Crabtree & Evelyn. Also try Bath & Body Works
Traidcraft - Ten Thousand Villages
Threshers - I agree with World Market, also Pier One
Med Kitchen - Mediterranean food isn't quite as popular in the US right now, however there is a small chain in Chicago called Roti that is quite tasty.
Paperchase - Papyrus/Crane & Co.
Yo! Sushi - in Chicago Tokyo Lunch Box is a good option

Most cities have a good selection of Irish pubs to choose from. The only chain like O'Neill's I can think of is Fado's over here. English pubs are few and far between...there is a chain called Fox and Hound that might be in your area.

I'm from Ohio & even with many Chicago trips have never heard of many of those!

I'm from Iowa originally - we had both Younkers and Pamida!

What would be the US equivalent to boots or superdrug then? I'm so gonna miss boots

oooo, good question... specially the Boots card

Hmmm I dunno but I *love* Big Lots... not sure what the UK equivalent would be... maybe poundstretcher?

To create something Boots-like you'd need to combine Walgreens with Sephora, IMO. Sadly, I can think of no US equivalent.

Are they big on reward cards in the US? They don't really have a boots equivalent although Target have an awesome range of stuff for the bathroom and cosmetics etc. They even stock the boots botanics range at the target nears Alan's house which I was amazed to find. They are where I would go in the US for anything that I would normally go to boots for here.

CVS or Walgreens. CVS carries some No7 stuff too.

I really thought I would miss Boots but I don't miss it one bit any more. The amount of high end products you can get at great prices just pushes Boots way out of the market for me. Plus I have started buying handmade beauty products from places like Etsy. Really top quality stuff there too. There's also Bath & Body works, and with their sale twice a year they are a HUGE bargain. All I'm pissed off about is spray deodorant. I don't understand why they don't have decent stuff here. Yes, they have spray deodorant but it's nasty, powdery, and looks like something that left a rust ring on my grannie's bath tub back in 1974. I don't dig the blocks or gel.

what, no 'no white marks' stuff?

perhaps I'd better stock up... can that sort of thing be sent by mail?

I don't miss really Boots really either, expect for their No 7 concealer which is the only one thatworks for me - fortunately they started stocking in at my local CVS.

I was always weirded out by the way that places like Walgreens and 7-11's appear to have food, but when you actually look for something to eat, there's no fresh food whatsoever. It's all cans of stuff, and nothing that you'd actually want to eat...

Unless your idea of a good meal is canned spaghetti or rice-a-roni

Hey 7-11 has all kinds of weird hot dogs too.....like those gross pasties sold in UK corner shops.

does anyone ever actually eat those hot dogs that sit on those metal rollers all day?

Skater kids by my house do!

truck drivers!

and my dog quite likes them as well

they remind me of the hot dog sellers on the street corners in london, they'd turn my stomach when i saw them. they never throw sausages away, at the end of the day they just leave them in the trolley and warm them up the next day ..

I'd say where you are moving too is gonna be more telling than going specifically by this list.

Unless you're moving to a large US city, you likely won't find many of the 'equivalents' provided by readers within a handy distance to you.

So.....we might have the shops in the US, but will they be close enough to you to be of any use?

Well, the OP did caveat that it would be regional

I think most grocery stores are pretty regional anyway, except maybe Walmart

I'm going to Houston; fourth largest US city

and sometimes I just like to have some knowledge, regardless of how immediately practical it's going to be to me... I've done a major international move before, so I know at least some of what's going to seem weird to me, and I just want to feel a little less ignorant

plus, I knew hearing all the different opinions would be fun

I don't think you will have much of a problem finding most if not all of the listed stores. I've traveled quite a bit of the US and we could always find a Target and a Walgreens or equivalent if we really needed too. Houston is fun and there is serious shopping to be done. We love San Antonio too, that place has some amazing restaurants on the river walk. We got lost in a little time portal called Port Arther when we drove though Texas though and Alan is scared of going back in case we get sucked in again!

I'm jealous of any one moving near to Denver too they have some killer shopping on the "mile." I'm trying to convince Alan that if I can move countries he can definitely move states. He was born and raised in FL and now lives in GA though so I doubt very much he could deal with the change in climate Anyway I love this thread its definitely a welcome break from Visa stress.

Happy Friday! xxx

Now, don't you guys think Tesco is more like Giant? We have two giants near us. One is like a regular Tesco, the other one we call Gucci Giant. It's like a Tesco Extra. And it's only 15 days now until I can get in my new car and use my new Tomtom to find my way to Wegman's.... Wegman's is like a cross between Waitrose, and the Selfridges's food hall. Yum yum yum!!! Toshtishtash and I like to get halloumi cheese there...!

ooo, I LOVE halloumi
and grilled halloumi is a gift from the gods...


the irony, given I started this thread, is that I'm not much of a shopper at all
I'll get a few things for the house once I get there (and my boxes arrive), but otherwise I can go for months and not buy anything... for me it's usually a means to an end, rather than an end in itself
sometimes I DO like looking, however... and I want to be able to know where to look, rather than not knowing where to start

Hal loumi and cherry tomato skewers on the BBQ...

oh, where's my drooling smiley...?

ah, here he is:

Hmmmmm...... Halloumi

15 days Lisa? God I bet you are so excited!!

I still haven't booked my flight

Ok... I am a cheese lover who hasn't tried halloumi... this is bad... StP I am coming over for dinner if I get to my interview before you leave!!