From mystery meat to modern megastore in Pakistan: LA Times

Until the Costco-like facility opened, shopping in Islamabad and Rawalpindi was haphazard and a hygienic gamble.

From the Chicago Tribune
May 24, 2008

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN -- Everything is at the new superstore: trampolines, motorcycles, skateboards, romaine lettuce, mutton, live crabs, aluminum ladders. A man roller-blades through the aisles, wearing a giant package advertising "super frozen" flatbread.

The floors gleam. The meat is not a mystery. The frozen food stays frozen, and the expiration dates are not fake. There is only one fly in the fish section. Another section is devoted to cheese.

The superstore, which opened April 3, is a revelation for residents of Pakistan's capital and neighboring Rawalpindi. Customers are mostly thrilled so far, at least according to the feedback cards.

"They're saying: 'We're so happy. It's about time. Some good news for a change,' " said Faiz Hussain Awan, the store's marketing manager.

Until the Metro warehouse store opened, shopping in Islamabad and Rawalpindi was haphazard. Customers bought fruits and vegetables at one small store, canned goods and cereal at another, meats somewhere else. Buying fish was akin to gambling with one's stomach. Slabs of beef hung in open storefronts, and no one seemed bothered enough to brush away the flies...

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