waynoga

Thanks for the helpful information.

When we visit Panama I would like to check the prices of kitchen appliances.
Thinking it might be cheaper to buy new instead of shipping.
I want a good quality such as Kitchenaid. I will want a mixer,blender and food processor. Where is the best place to check on these items. Name of store.

Again thank you for all your help.

Wayne and Betty

MRWOOHOO

Hi folks, you can get whatever appliances you may need just about anywhere in Panama City as well as other locations throughout Panama. In the city of David (20-30min from Boquete), there is a really nice home appliances/furnishings store right next door to a large, new, clean, Rey grocery that you can buy really whatever you could possibly purchase in the US. My advice is to bring as little stuff as possible. Your life and your habits will change.

PanamaForum.com

You can get kitchen appliances at Panafoto stores, but if you are looking only for mixer, blender and similar stuff you can get them at any Supermercado Rey or Supermercado 99. There are also Do It Center stores, they might have kitchen appliances as well.

I think Panama is the only country in Latin America where you can get almost anything and everything you can get in your home country. People from neighboring countries come here for shopping tours to buy plasma TVs, sound systems or gaming consoles.

MRWOOHOO

Absolutely, this is a "Third world country with first world amenities".

tallman33

What does the phrase third world mean? People say it like the third world is some terrible uncivilized place. Isn't the third world just the part of the world that isn't Europe/United States or the (now dissolved) Soviet Union?

MRWOOHOO

If you want to know what I "mean" by third world here is my understanding of the term Third World definition - Wikipedia

expatplayer

Interesting definition. It says that now the term is used to denote poorer, undeveloped countries. Why is Panama considered third world? It's not poor and undeveloped, is it?

MRWOOHOO

As far as Latin America goes it is doing well but yes there are allot of poor people and allot of Panama is not developed. Take a look at the entire North coast of the country. If you notice there is not a single road directly linking Bocas area to Colon. That is a couple of hundred mile stretch that shows nothing but beach and jungle. People live in that area but you wont see anything anywhere on it.

Laura

I agree, while Panama is a third world country it has a first world infrastructure.

As for appliances, apart from what has already been mentioned, you can get kitchen appliances at: Confort, AudioFoto, Hometer, Muebleria Ancon, Raenco, Rodelag and Farmacias Arrocha. All of these have good quality appliances and I'm sure there are even more shops, but of which I can't think of for now.

__________________
Laura

themark

I think the United States has a higher poverty rate than some third world countries, so I don't think poverty determines it.

You can also think about buying appliances online. There are many internet shops that will ship the products to you.

Lalaguayaba

Really? Where's that statistic from?

The U.S. might have a higher percentage of poverty than, say, Sweden, but I don't think any of the seriously poor countries could hold a candle to our low numbers of 'poverty cases.' In this case, poverty may mean that the U.S. threshold, which is about $10,700 ($2000 more than the avg. Panamanian annual salary) isn't enough to own a car, a home, etc. but you still have clean running water, electricity, heat in the winter, a/c in the summer, and food to eat. You may not take vacations in Fiji--but you are not in danger of starvation or freezing to death in the winter.

First World - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Poverty - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
List of countries by percentage of population living in poverty - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Poverty in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Here's an excerpt that I found helps to get a feel for the difference between the European model and the American sense of poverty:
"A recent study published in the Washington Times showed how many of the appliances modern middle class and working class households take for granted are lacking in poverty stricken households. Among the households constituting the bottom ten percent, 36% were lacking microwave ovens, 53% were lacking clothes dryers and 79% were lacking a computer. Furthermore only 19% were in possession of a garbage disposal and only 23% owned a dishwasher. Color televisions, VCRs, and stereos were among the more commonly found mundane appliances with 91% of households in the bottom ten percent owning a color television, 55% owning a VCR, and 42% owning a stereo.[20]
However, as noted in "EU versus USA", only 11% of those in the general UK population own a dishwasher, and the penetration rate of microwave ovens in the EU is generally well under 30% [21]. The report goes on to note that 46% of poor households in the US own their own home, and 30% have two or more cars, and 63% have cable or satellite TV."



The problem with this are the costs incurred in having the products shipped to Panama from somewhere else; I'm not sure that too many Panamanian stores have an online presence in the small appliances market. Check w/FedEx, UPS, DHL, etc and see just how much it is to ship something to Panama, and you might think twice about mailing off possessions.
I was able to find everything that we needed easily in David, a hand mixer, blender, microwave oven, etc. The stores look the same as they do in the States, it will be a giant box of a store with a big sign out front to lead you in, and will have all the recognizable Japanese brands that you are familiar with and trust.

Cheers.

panman

I have heard that 14 million children in the United States are "food insecure" which is the government's term for hungry. 1 in 8 people in the U.S. are poor.

Nosfer

that number's insane... and they say United States is "wonderland"

Lalaguayaba

Considered relative to our population of ~300 million, then 14 million kids that are 'food insecure' is not insane at all. The vast majority of ppl in poverty in the U.S. live in the Appalachian Mountain region (Appalachia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) and the deep south. I wouldn't say that they are 'poor by choice,' but many refuse to move to areas with better economic prosperity, and many (far too many if you believe all the statistics) refuse federal or local government help in the form of welfare, welfare-to-work (workfare,) and food subsidies.

These areas of the U.S. are noted for their deep suspicion of the government (since its not the 'Southern' government, but one run by 'Yankees',) general sentiment of 'being too proud to take a handout'--even when it would keep their children from starving, and general distrust of any group (Church groups excepted) try to help them out.

Appalachia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Southern United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Also, consider that poverty is relative--being 'food insecure' may mean that the household doesn't have what the government is calling a fully-balanced diet. It doesn't mean that they are going hungry--they may just not have meat for dinner 5 time a week. The children may not be drinking milk or eating cheese--just peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. They are not the bug-eyed, swollen-bellied children of the African plains, they are hill kids who may only have an outhouse in the backyard instead of swing set.
From this statistic, that puts 10.5 million hungry at some time in 2002. Like I mentioned, that is far better than most countries with such a diverse and heterogeneous population that numbers around 300 million.

And by now, we are soooo far off topic, that this should just move somewhere else....

Cheers.

coolandhot

I always thought the United States was known for it's relatively high poverty rates in comparison to other similar countires. Social inequality is a trademark of the US.

waynoga

Please do not use wikipedia for any source of imformation.
Anyone , that means even you and me, can change anything on any page at any time.
Don't believe me, go there and try it.

Nosfer

[off-topic] i've got a list here with worthless articles from Wickypedia that have HUGE word count

http://www.cracked.com/article_14981...a-entries.html enjoy

Lalaguayaba

Surely you're able to tell the difference between satire and a real article?
Really? QuickSnack and QuickSnack Lite? What part of that did not pop out at you as satire?

Many of the articles on the Wiki, since they may be added to and revised by users, are needlessly defaced by ppl wanting to 'just add a joke,' or make fun of the topic at hand. While 'Cracked' may be funny reading material, they definitely don't have the readership and scholarship that the Wiki has on a bad day.

Cheers.

expatplayer

Personally, I have found that Wikipedia is usually more reliable than most "edited" encyclopedias. Wikipedia is actually heavily moderated by volunteers, who ban vandals and revert their changes.

GordonS

In addition to the comments above, Wikipedia articles must be substantiated with references. If a reference is required this is noted so that a reader can judge whether it can be considered correct or only possibly true. Many of the articles are written by people who obviously are trying to set out only the facts. At least the 100 or so articles I have referred to. In the articles in which I have a degree of expertise, I have found the statements to be accurate according to my knowlege and verifiable. Pretty good for a 'cyclopedia. Considering that many World Class encyclopedias such as Britannica and World Book are also written by experts in their field, Wikipedia matches those "senior" reference works very well, is extremely accessible AND FREE! (nice bonus)

__________________
Gordon and Randy,
Canada