This is the third and last of the blog entries about my visit to America after almost a year in Israel. The first two entries are here: return to America I, and return to America II. This blog entry is mainly about shopping.

Daintiness

America, for all its rough edges, is big on safety. Light switches are small and cute … and outlets can’t kill you or have mini-lightning arc across when you plug something in. Apparently, they were small and cute at one time in Israel as well.

Gas Prices

Gas in Israel is the second most expensive in the world. It’s all taxes. Costs me about $100 to fill up my tank. My car rental in America was smaller than my car in Israel and it cost me $25.30 to fill up a near-empty tank. Why even bother charging at that price? This wasn’t even a hybrid … in fact, why bother spending more on a hybrid in America?

My perception has so changed after living in Israel for a year. In America: $2.83 is way too expensive (not including credit card fees). Too much tax! Now … why don’t they triple charge taxes and get people to drive smaller cars and hybrid cars that waste less? If I lived in America more than three gas fill-ups, I’d probably revert back to American mentality, e.g. “stay out of my pocket, government!”

I saw this car on the road in the New Jersey –

Israel doesn’t have old cars on the road. I don’t know why.

Price Comparisons

A gas grill less than $400 in America? Heck, by a new one each year and throw it away. Next to this, Home Depot has one for $230!

Maybe shoes aren’t that much more expensive in Israel … when I went to the Sketchers store in America, turns out sneakers are about $90. I’m just out of the loop on prices. On Amazon, prices are $38. In a Sketchers “outlet” it was more than double that. No idea how shows are so cheap on Amazon. The markup on grills, sneakers, etc, with such fierce competition is probably close to 0 in America.

Samsung Phone

There’s a Samsung store where I live in Israel. I went in for funzies one day, though only in case of emergency would I buy a smartphone in Israel when I can buy one in America for far less. Compare the displays of each store:

The price in Israel: 4399 shekels … including all taxes in the price. That’s $1290 at the exchange rate at the time of this writing. (The exchange rate is particularly bad right now.)

In the United States – what’s the price? Why won’t they tell you? I don’t know. I’m really at a loss to understand why the way they display phones in each country is different. Interestingly, the icons showing the features are in reverse order in Israel, and the color choices are different. <shrug>

So … I moseyed over to the screen in the American store to check the price. In America, you can “mosey on over”. In Israel, I don’t think they have that. Here’s the price in America for the same phone:

That’s still not the price though. There’s yet another thing hidden from you … sales tax. In Israel, tax is always included in the price (except for legal services and the like – Israel taxes services whereas America does not). The 6.625% tax in New Jersey bring the total to $1071 in the United States compared to $1290 in Israel.

I’m actually quite surprised as I write this that the price difference is not that much. It’s basically … higher taxes in Israel making the difference (18% vs 6.625%) When the U.S. dollar was stronger, the price in Israel would have been $1157.

I’m really surprised the price is that close.

Anyway, I have a 2023 model phone and paying in either country would be a waste of money. My phone cost me $0 this year.

Credit Card Usage

Rarely, rarely do stores bag things for you in Israel. If you’re buying one item, there’s a bag. If you’re buying 10+ items … such as at a supermarket … don’t expect for it to be bagged. In New Jersey, it seems they still bag for you – where they have bags since they’re banned in many stores.

In Israel, they ask you at checkout, “ashrei?” … credit card? Then they sometimes ask you how many payments you want to make. In America, payment by credit card in supermarkets and large stores is assumed. Tap your card in America and that’s it. No talking necessary.

With an Israeli card, you can split payments over 12 months. When paying with an American card in Israel, there’s no such option. Instead, in America, we might arrange for monthly billing. So, for example, I might pay my car insurance in the United States in installments. In Israel, the bank has that service rather than the company. I want to use my American card in Israel so no installment payments. The whole year’s insurance is paid up front.

America is so rich, they have double-decker hotplates!

In Israel, credit cards are accepted everywhere, everywhere … except for a Bedouin living in the desert without electricity giving camel rides. That’s it. That’s the only time I’ve paid for something in cash since coming to Israel. I didn’t even have Israeli shekels, having never used them, and paid him in dollars.

In America, credit card processing fees are so high that many places don’t take them – for example, needed cash for a haircut in America. Here, the barber takes my American card … they pay peanuts when using an Israeli debit card (they’re all really debit cards, kind of) probably not knowing how much they pay for taking an American card. The NFC (wireless) card reader for Israeli cards maxes out at about $100 … need to insert the card and use the chip for anything more than that (which, to my understanding, is less secure).

Many a shopkeeper has been surprised when I tap the credit card machine and charging more works just fine. American credit cards are the best here, plus you’re getting the best exchange rate at the time and things like 2% cash back on all purchases, for my card.

Must you make me feel guilty, Costco? Please, most of the stuff in the left ends up in a landfill too.

The U.S. was cold

The Meadowlands, New Jersey, from the plane

The week I was there in August, the temperature got down to the 60s at night. I’m told I had just missed a week of 100-degree heat … it was hotted in New York than Israel for a good stretch of the summer. I can understand why it is that suits and ties are much more common in the United States. Even in the summer, I needed one walking around on Shabbos at night. August is hot in Israel – doesn’t get below about 80 degrees here though if you go to Jerusalem which is in a mountain, it’s much cooler and less humid.

When Jews arrived in the Dominican Republic, those off the boat thought those already there were mocking them in their coats. No, they were really cold in the 70s with wind, they said. It’s all what you get used to, I think.

Technology Updates

New York City: They are phasing out MetroCards. Now, you just tap your credit card on the turnstile, and you automatically get a free ride after 10 (I think). So smart and efficient. No need to go to a machine to buy a card, token, and so forth.

Refrigerators: To turn on Shabbos mode on my refrigerator in Israel I can’t just unscrew a light bulb (there was that time I had to spend Shabbos at secular relatives … unscrewing their light bulb went over like a new idea lighting up over a cartoon character’s head wouldn’t). There isn’t even a button or combination of buttons on the refrigerator to turn on Shabbos mode … you have to use their app. As the only person in my family who has the app installed, I turned the refrigerator in Israel to Shabbos mode … from the United States. What is the world coming to? Technology is supposed to make our lives better.

Biometrics in Airports: I don’t want airports having my biometric data! Retina scan? Nah ah. Then … oh, there’s no line to enter Israel? Just take a picture of my face? I can be off an international flight and out of the airport in 10 minutes? Okay, cool. Here, take my DNA sample too if you want it.

The Entire Aliyah Diary

Beginning and End

01. Aug 19, 2024: Preparation In America
02. Aug 25, 2024: First Few Days
03. Aug 29, 2024: Moving In
62. July 17, 2025: I MADE IT
75. Sept 14, 2025: Leaving USA Behind

Cultural Adjustment Fun

Cultural Adjustment Difficulties

On The Roads

Shopping

11. Oct 13, 2024: Packages. (חבילות.)
34. Feb 17, 2025: Finding Obscure Things
41. Mar 23, 2025: New Shopping Habits
44. Apr 6, 2025: Pesach Shopping & Osher Ad

Government and Bureaucracy

Politics and Thought

Travel: Indoors / Museums

Travel: Outdoors (Except Hikes)

Travel: Hikes

Travel: From Israel to …

54. June 4, 2025: Marseille and Avignon
66. Aug 11, 2025: Return to America 1
67. Aug 14, 2025: Return to America 2
70. Aug 24, 2025: US Price Compare