Errands in Chile

Anyone recognize this logo?  It's for Lider, one of the major supermarket chains in Chile.  A fun fact about Lider is that it comes in 3 sizes; the standard Lider, the smaller "Express de Lider", and the HUGE Hiper Lider.  To prove it, I've included their respective logos below.  Santiago is sprinkled with Express de Lider stores.  I haven't actually entered a Hiper Lider but I have spotted them from the highway... one can only hope.  Lider is known for having some of the cheapest prices of all the supermarket chains in Santiago.

A couple weeks ago, a  Chilean mentioned that Walmart owns Lider.  My mind was blown! It was right there in front of me the whole time.

If you can't find what you're looking for at the Express Lider, the next best option is Jumbo.  In my mind, Jumbo is the most Walmart-equivalent store in downtown Santiago.  While Express Lider is grocery-specific, Jumbo has extensive sections for a wide range of products including groceries, home improvement, toys, toiletries, electronics, and imported goods.  But it's usually pricier than Lider.

And if you can't find what you're looking for at Jumbo, there's Mercado Libre, an online store that mimics Amazon, in some cases quite literally.  Many Mercado Libre vendors purchase their items from Amazon.com and then handle the shipping to Chile.   These vendors make purchases a la carte after your request is made, so you have to wait an average of 3 weeks to get your order.  And you have to pay triple the Amazon.com listed price!  The Chilean government charges exorbitant fees for imported goods, so I'm guessing the steep prices are split between the vendors and these import fees.  A few items, I've been compelled to buy on Mercado Libre include specialty batteries, solar eclipse glasses, Antacid (I can't seem to find a Tums-equivalent at any Chilean pharmacy), coffee filters, and brand-name smoke and CO detectors.

Getting into the mechanics of Mercado Libre, unfortunately, it seems American credit cards don't work on most Chilean online stores.  My best guess for why, is that Chilean credit cards use a combination of your RUT (like SSN), password, and real-time software token to verify your purchase.  In contrast, US credit cards rely on address for verification.  There's no field for this information and the purchases get rejected.  Some very international-facing companies, like airlines have features enabled for US credit cards, but these are by far the exception.  

Fortunately, Start-Up Chile facilitates the process of obtaining a Chilean bank account, which is critical for online shopping here.  But there's more bad news... in Chile the customer really PAYS for their credit card.  For example, a credit card can easily include a $40 monthly fee, plus a $120 annual fee.  Most credit cards do come with some sort of perk.  For example, I saved $5 on my flu-shot for using my brand of credit card at the clinic! However, these perks are usually not particularly valuable and far and few between.

One other notable aspect of Chilean errands is their love for numbered tickets and "modulos" or numbered stations.  In the US, these are classically found at the DMV or deli-counters at grocery stores.  In Chile, they are EVERYWHERE.  When you go to any clinic, you must first go to a screen to print out a ticket with a number.  When it's your turn to check in a screen will flash with a letter/number combination and the station that will see you.  The process is the same at any corner drugstore, the phone store, the deli, the Civil Registry, and the police station.  I'm a fan because this system lets you peruse the shop or take a seat, instead of holding your place in line.

Now you're ready to go shopping in Chile!