I think everyone in the entire world, whether or not you've been to New York or not, know that the prices are more expensive than much of the rest of the states. Although, I will say that Seattle, my home town, has also gotten pretty darn close in the downtown area. Drinks are more expensive, the restaurants are pricey, and I won't even go into rent or parking.
I want to briefly write about the prices at the little grocery marts around Manhattan. I have no big issues with the Whole Foods or other "grocery stores," but it's the ones all over the place that sell the basics (beer, milk, toilet paper, muffins, candy, yogurts, etc.) that seem to arbitrarily set their prices. I can't figure it out. Is there really a two dollar difference between 5th Avenue and 6th Avenue? How can a box of Cheerios cost me $7.00? And how can the same medium-sized bottle of water cost anywhere between $1.50 (seldom found) and $3.00?
When bringing a handful of food items to the counter, the cashier simply puts them into a bag and starts ringing up numbers until the total is always more than you would like and/or expect. It's too bad that these small grocery shops and the simplest and closest to my apartment. It's a bit of a trek to go to Whole Foods or the like and carry heavy bags across the avenues, and I certainly am not going to pay extra for delivery.
Call me cheap if you will, but I wish I could just figure it out and not have the sneaking suspician that I may not be getting the best deal I could. Although in fairness, I'm around the shops in my area enough where they know my face and are friendly, and that sets me a little more at ease. Ahh, the things we do to live in Manhattan.
