Geordie Shore

Having recently walked around Newcastle, I have been introduced to a rare breed of British folk: that of Geordie. If you want a mainstream, commercialized version of the young members of the population, you can simply watch “Geordie Shore,” a television show based off of MTV’s “Jersey Shore.” However, many of these people are not orange and muscular, but extremely down-to-earth and friendly. I sauntered around the mall, where I spotted the British version of the Dollar Store, called ‘Poundland.’ I also bought a pair of tights at Superdrug. I bought a CD Christmas present in HMV, a store similar to Best Buy. Further, every time I handed a cashier my cash in British Pounds, I could not help but become annoyed at the U.S. for their taxes on various store items. For example, the CD I purchased cost 13 pounds. The item was EXACTLY 13 pounds. Those of us in America buying Christmas presents at this time of year are faced with the hassle of gifts being $12.99 or $17.95. Realistically, it makes no sense. Everyone is way more satisfied with the exchanging of cash when the price tag is a full, even number, and not some weird change of a penny, nickel, or obnoxious compilation of 95 cents. Thus, despite certain goods being pricier in England than across the pond, I feel it may be worth it, if not simply for the satisfaction of handing over a full cash value and not needing to receive petty change. Unfortunately, I will only remain in Newcastle for about another week, and then I’m off to London, where ALL prices are jacked up, simply because of the city’s popularity.