Michael: The Do It Center

English magazines
At Arrocha’s Japanese 
Store in Panama.


Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Turns out the Do It store in David is part a very modern and U.S. like appliance mall. We were there to pick up a kettle bell and sheets and to look at sewing machines. Partial success: we did get a 25 lb. bell and sheets, but the sewing machines were not up to Kimme’s liking. Next week we’ll try another appliance store near the Price Smart in David.

Surprisingly, the Do It store, for as large and as well equipped as it is, did not have sewing machines. We found those at a few other stores. The Do It store is much like a combination Home Depot/Home store with all the tools of a Home Depot, plus home accessories like sheets and towels, but minus the construction materials.

They even wear very Home Depot like burnt orange vests. My one criticism would be that for all the very helpful clerks they had throughout the store, they only had two cashiers. We ended up waiting over 20 minutes in line at noon on a Monday workday. If this had been in the states, people would’ve been getting pretty antsy. I’m sure some would’ve displayed there displeasure by putting down their goods and leaving.

That isn’t to say that everyone in line looked like the most happiest of campers, but a split screen showing how different cultures handle waiting could be an interesting, and I’ll bet amusing watch. Maybe people could even past their time in line watching such a program on an in store monitor. But I’d prefer they yank one of the other orange vested dudes walking around and have them pull cashier duty when needed.

As with almost all our trips so far in Panama we ran into an unexpected surprise. Yesterday it was discovering that the Arrocha store in the Do It complex, carries a wide array of English magazines such as Runner’s World and Men’s Health. We should’ve picked up a bunch, but sometimes we’re so stunned by such a discovery that we just make a note of it for later. Boot to the head for me for not picking some up on the spot.