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How much is a gallon

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  1. #21
    Quote Originally Posted by hello_there:
    Another unhelpful at best and rude comment - the type of which puts people off from asking questions like this.

    Grocery costs were a big surprise for me when I first moved here as we didn't really change much in terms of what we bought each week (and for the most part we still don't 6 years on). For some families moving to HK is more of a career move and less of an "experience" - and in the former case one might want to eat familiar things from home and be less open to adapting to the extent that it isn't absolutely necessary. Neither approach is right or wrong, just different and either way knowing what to expect helps to plan the move or decide whether or not to make the move at all.

    Also, the online shops (PnS, Wellcome) don't list prices for many of the imported or specialty items they (sometimes) carry, including organic milk. 360 and City Super where organic and other imported products are more common don't have online shopping and therefore cannot price things from them easily.

    I actually found the question pretty normal - if there was something my family used a lot of or a particular kind of I would want to know if it was available and the approximate cost. In our case, it was high quality (eg. no fillers) dog food not made in China that was the issue when we moved here instead of organic milk, but similar difficulty in acquiring a supply and adjusting to higher HK pricing for something that we used a lot of and were used to being able to buy at home.
    i guess in my opinion, it was a rather odd question to ask, without any other information. Sure, if the OP included a bunch of staples they refuse to give up on, then that is one thing. But to ask a single topic on a single price point for a single staple (milk) ... im just left bewildered.

    How much of an effect could the cost of a liter of milk have on an expat who is required a significant wage already in order to obtain a work visa. If the cost of this milk is really making that much of a dent in the salary that they need this info to consider the position, I would suggest the OP strongly reconsider.

  2. #22

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    Quote Originally Posted by jgl:
    And does a gallon of organic milk usually come with a free apostrophe?
    only on Tuesday's (sic)
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  3. #23

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    Quote Originally Posted by BaconBreadBaker:
    i guess in my opinion, it was a rather odd question to ask, without any other information. Sure, if the OP included a bunch of staples they refuse to give up on, then that is one thing. But to ask a single topic on a single price point for a single staple (milk) ... im just left bewildered.
    Hey, maybe the OP is constructing his indexed basket of goods the same way as we shop- one item at a time.

    Or perhaps it would just be easier to refer to something like this: Cost of Living Index By Country
    BaconBreadBaker likes this.

  4. #24

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    There have been loads of threads on geo about milk. But usually the question asked is "Is organic milk available" or "where can I buy lactose free milk" ... to which there are sensible answers like "it's not" or "you can't" or " Great but it costs a fortune". Just asking the price was odd - availability is much more critical. (lactose free milk is very hard to find, for example).

    Re supermarkets, MarketPlace by Jason has just started a new online store aimed at expats, which is why I included it in my list, and they are quite common so it's likely a good one to try. I thought 360 did have an online store, by the way?


  5. #25

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    Quote Originally Posted by MovingIn07:
    I thought 360 did have an online store, by the way?
    Not that I'm aware of. They have a shopping concierge or something where you can email them your grocery list - if you know exactly what you want from the store - which they will then prepare and ship to you, excluding whatever items that are out of stock. Didn't work particularly well when I tried it as the form expects you to be able to identify by product and brand very precicely what you want without the items in front of you. If you get the name wrong you either don't get the product or get something else, sort of like an unwanted surprise. Cannot browse what they have online.

  6. #26

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    Quote Originally Posted by BaconBreadBaker:
    i guess in my opinion, it was a rather odd question to ask, without any other information.
    People ask one off questions that could be considered 'odd', trite or insignificant without much background all the time - where can I find a "good" [donut/ chai latte/ pastrami sandwich, etc.] or where can I find a lot of [popsicle sticks/ helium balloons/ Korean brand diapers, etc.]. The cost of organic milk is similar - a one-off query likely from someone who probably uses a rather lot of it (if I read their earlier posts correctly they have a toddler). Doesn't mean it is a significant factor in the OP moving one way or the other, but something like milk in the US can make up a large part of a family's food bill (I've asked my sister in NY who has two young kids and milk is the grocery item they spend the second most on monthly, after meat), which is perhaps why someone would ask - just to have an idea of what they can expect to spend on something here.

    I find that, especially lately, on this board I (and other users) have to justify what I am asking about otherwise the only replies I get either tell me why what I am asking is a stupid question or that I should really be looking at what is a better alternative in someone else's opinion. While sometimes the alternatives may prove helpful more often than not questioning someone's motive for wanting information about something just doesn't help.
    TheBrit likes this.

  7. #27

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    Hello there

    Even you have to admit the

    Where can I find a romantic restaurant etc type of questions without any mention of budget, cuisine, location etc etc frustrating.

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  8. #28

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    I also don't understand what's wrong with recommending something you think is better.


  9. #29

    @Hello:
    The OP first asked "how much is a gallon", and then in a followup post said "i'm contemplating a move to HK". The lack of information lets our minds run wild. You imagine one scenario and answer one way. I imagine another scenario and answer another way. Neither can be right or wrong...until we open the box and see if the cat is dead.

    until I get more information... I stand by my post. If the cost of a liter of milk is going to sway your decision on taking a job out here, then the OP should strongly reconsider what they are doing this for. Maybe it is still the right decision, maybe not. Only the OP knows right now.

    bookblogger likes this.

  10. #30

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    Just for the record, most of the milk in HK is not sold by the litre, it is sold by the quart, which is 946ml. This is a quarter of a gallon.

    Only the Australian Pura, Greenfields, and a few other brands are sold by the litre. The local Kowloon Dairy, Nestle, trappist, etc are sold by the quart.

    You may not realise this because a quart and a litre are very similar shape/size. But they are not the same. HK has no standards and no consumer protection in areas like this. In Australia, it would be illegal to sell milk by the quart because it is misleading and there are standard sizes you must conform to. I am guessing in the US its probably illegal to sell by the litre.

    shri, gunsnroses and bookblogger like this.