lord-kitschener:

ap-sa-ra:

tenu-ki:

I feel terrible whenever I hear my parents talking to each other about our household’s income. We only own a South Asian store, where we sell like spices, henna, frozen Desi foods, hair products, skin products, daal, etc (typical Desi store stuff). That’s our only source of income. It used to be okay-ish back in elementary and middle school, but ever since these American stores started to sell some of these things (at prices higher than their worth), less people have been shopping at our store, hence our income declining.

Please, I’m begging y’all, support your local South Asian stores, and shop there if you need any of those “South Asian” items (if there is a South Asian store near you). At least 60% of the owners are likely going through the same as my parents. Also, I can almost guarantee you’ll save money shopping at the local Desi stores as opposed to stores like Safeway, Vons, Krogers, etc.

for those that may be unfamiliar, here are some neat products you can usually find super cheap at SA stores:

– coconut oil in massive bottles. get that stuff in bulk, it’s exactly the same as the overpriced shit from whole foods or w/e

– cool unique drinks like mango and lychee juice and coconut water with jelly. also limca and thums up, which are soooooo good. trust me.

– super cheap pretty jewelry. maybe not real gold and silver, but you’ll find the same types of bangles and chains that UO constantly rips off for muuuuch cheaper

– sometimes super cheap designer knockoff bags, if that’s your thing lol

– henna! I know there’s a lot of debate over whether this product can be used by non-brown people, but if for whatever reason you’re going to use it (please avoid traditional designs if ur not from a culture that uses it), do yourself a favor and buy yourself tubes of the paste from south asian markets. they’re usually really precise and easy to use, and unless you have an allergy to the plant, better for your skin than those sketchy artificial stick-on stencil messes they sell at hobby lobby or w/e

– henna hair dye too! and other nice hair products like neem oil

– maybe this is just our old local store, but ive seen many pirated (and non-pirated) copies of Bollywood movies on their shelves

– incense!! they usually have nice varieties and also cute holders and candles too

– obviously, there is also lots of great food and produce typically available. Asian desserts and snacks are really unique and fun to try, so check those out too

support local businesses owned by POC and immigrants!!

Also, the people running these little shops are usually much more knowledgeable and interested in their products, which is especially useful if you’re not very sure what it is you’re needing (like which spice for a food, or what to do with an unfamiliar fruit or vegetable) or how to use it properly (things like henna or cookware, for example). And the posters above are right, it’s almost always either the same quality stuff or even better, and for much cheaper. You can do a big favor for your own wallet and for the wallet of a local family and their business.