'The more I travel around America, the less I want to live here': Ukrainian impressions of the USA

Marketer, founder of Fedoriv, ​​co-founder of Kooperativ Andrey Fedorov believes that the USA is a great country. But, he claims, the longer he travels around the States, the more happy he is that he lives in Ukraine. He told the publication more about what does not suit him in the USA MC.today.

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Service

According to Andriy, Ukraine has many advantages over the United States. But Ukrainians do not appreciate them at all and continue to complain that everything is bad with them and dream of America. Well, if you compare, then not everything is bad.

“And one of the advantages is service. Ukraine and Kiev can lecture for Europe and the United States about customer focus. The spirit of entrepreneurship, a light mess and a “hungry” market have done just miracles for the service, ”writes Andrey. "Capitalism and the invisible hand of supply and demand are here now, not there."

Queues everywhere

In Ukraine, even if there are queues, they are small, and in the United States in the morning it is 20 minutes at Starbucks, at the airport to use the toilet, in good restaurants there is often no reservation, the entrepreneur notes. He says that you can even stand for an hour and a half on the street in front of the restaurant. If the establishment is great and there is registration, the next available date may be in three weeks or three months.

We should also note the queues to see doctors.

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“There are legends about the queues to see doctors. Sometimes you can wait five months to get an ultrasound scan. And if you have not lost consciousness and are not bleeding, then the ambulance probably will not come, - writes Andrey. - We came for breakfast at our hotel. They say: there are no places yet and wait 45 minutes. And you obediently wait. And this is one of the best hotels in San Diego. Five Stars. I imagine a hysteria on Ukrainian Facebook if something like this happened. "

"Oh yes! For two days we were looking for a place within a radius of 10 km where Yaroslava could wash and style her hair. And neither the concierge service nor the fancy apps helped.

If you think what will save the luxury segment, then the pipes. There are also queues in Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton and other top stores at weekends and evenings, and the assortment is often worse than in Kiev, ”writes Andrey.

Very expensive

At the same time, prices sometimes, according to the businessman, reach the point of absurdity. A bun and coffee can easily cost $ 15 or $ 20.

“And this is very so-so coffee from the can and the usual defrosted semi-finished bun. In big cities, you can find signature establishments or coffee shops. But often, very often on the road, you simply have no alternative, and you pay relatively a lot for a product that is very below average, ”he laments.

The quality of service is also strikingly different.

“Any American gas station will envy the quality of hot dogs or coffee, cleanliness of toilets and friendliness of staff at a conventional WOG,” notes Andrey.

In addition, tax and tips should be added to the prices themselves, and in the United States they are rather big - it is customary to leave at least 18%. At the same time, it is practically impossible to refuse to pay a tip: they, as a rule, are added directly to the bill, otherwise the waiter or taxi driver may begin to find out why you did not tip.

Lack of flexibility and exceptions to the rules

Moreover, these rules sometimes seem very stupid to our compatriots.

“I'm approaching the boat rental. 17:15. There are five boats. Can I take it? No, we have the last slot from 17 to 19. No question, I will pay for two hours and ride less. No, come in the morning. And so at every step, ”- Andrey is indignant.

Sometimes there is a feeling that the principle "the client is always wrong" is at work here. And companies do it only in the way that suits them, not you. Check-in at small hotels is often between 15:00 and 19:00. And if you arrive at 21:00, then this can be a real problem.

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“Most restaurants close their kitchens between 21:21 pm and 30:20 pm. Sometimes at 30:30. And if you haven’t taken care of dinner in advance, your choice is a queue for a McDrive of XNUMX cars or a Mexican deep-fried eatery, ”the businessman notes.

Digital culture

Apple Pay was accepted in a maximum of 10% of restaurants, hotels and stores. Physical card only. And it is most often carried away somewhere and brought back in five minutes.

“When I talked about how we throw money from card to card and other features, they looked at me like an alien. A friend of mine who studied in California complained about the quality of Wi-Fi at Stanford University and the poor quality of mobile communications in the Valley, ”Andrey wonders.

Design, aesthetics and freshness

“Probably, the packaging design is generally at a higher level. But more often the design of supermarkets or restaurants, hotels or shops is extremely functional and pragmatic. Very basic, but it works. In addition, very often the infrastructure was built in the 1970s and 1980s,” explains the entrepreneur. – We recently communicated with a client from Israel. He surprised me: “You are spoiled. Your supermarkets and gas stations are wow and top. We want to test the product with you, since the bar is higher, and only then go out into the world."

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