Pea visits Walmart for the first time and walks aisle by aisle comparing American products, prices, and shopping culture to what's available in the Philippines. The video doubles as a practical price-comparison guide for Filipinos considering what to buy in the US versus back home, and ends with a standalone segment on the biggest culture shocks Pea has experienced since arriving in the American Southeast.
Pea's first impression of Walmart is sheer overwhelm at the size and product variety
- Says she could get lost inside; describes it as having "everything from donuts to dipsticks"
- Many brands and products she's never seen before, making her feel like she's "been living in an alternate universe"
Skincare and personal care products are dramatically cheaper
- Nivea cream: the Philippines only carries a tiny tin for about $3; Walmart has a large size for $1.38 — less than half the price
- Vaseline comes in sizes she calls "ginormous" compared to Philippine options
- Sunscreen costs $20–$30 in the Philippines but only $10.97 at Walmart
- Jokes about "nudie Rudy berrylicious soap with cloudberry extract" — tells Americans "you have too much time on your hands"
- Notices cannabis rescue oil in a moisturizer, amused by the variety
Tanning lotion is a product that literally doesn't exist in Philippine stores
Explains that Filipinos want to whiten their skin, the exact opposite of American tanning culture
Says "you'll never see this in the Philippines"
Walmart sells adult toys — Pea's reaction: "Shame on you Walmart — I'll take two"
Spots "sweet peas" (the vegetable) and jokes they're selling her sisters for only 98 cents: "I didn't realize we are that cheap"
Frozen food section is a major culture-shock moment
- Frozen food is "almost impossible" to find in most of the Philippines; might be available at specialty stores like SNR in Manila or Cebu
- The sheer variety explains to her why Americans "don't cook anymore" — "the art of cooking is dying because of this convenience"
- Points out that most Filipinos don't own microwave ovens, so this entire product category is alien
- Filipinos cook from scratch by default; Pea wants to try frozen pizza anyway
Sugar-free chocolate blows her mind
- In the Philippines, "everything is loaded with sugar — even spaghetti," referencing Jollibee's famously sweet spaghetti
- Americans have healthy options readily available; Filipinos essentially don't
Electronics are where the price gap gets extreme
- Samsung 75-inch TV: $1,298 at Walmart vs. approximately $2,500 at Robinson's in the Philippines — literally double
- Attributes the Philippine markup to government taxes
- Laptops follow the same pattern: a $494 Walmart laptop would cost twice as much in the Philippines, and Philippine warranties are worse
- Fantasizes about buying electronics in bulk to resell in the Philippines but acknowledges immigration would stop her
Pet food variety is absurdly better in the US
- Philippines carries maybe two flavors of Temptations cat treats and occasionally a party mix; Walmart has an entire aisle
- Jokes: "You've got puppy uppers, you've got doggy downers — all your pets are so spoiled"
Toilet paper gets a cultural deep-dive
"You Americans and your toilet paper — you have a very strong relationship, you can't survive without the other"
Most Filipinos use the "tabo system" (soap and water with a dipper) instead of toilet paper
Philippine grocery stores carry minimal toilet paper variety — "maybe this much and then maybe two stacks"
Notes that Charmin was a Survivor reward challenge prize and jokes "if it's good enough for your American butts, it's good enough for me"
Kayaks being sold at Walmart surprises her — "one thing we could learn from you Americans is how to have fun"
Self-checkout is a novelty she's never experienced
- Says the Philippines could really use these to avoid long queues
- Walks through the process step by step, excited about scanning items herself
- Total purchase: $24.72, pays cash
Brief interaction with a Walmart greeter
- Pea tells the greeter she works online, is on vacation, and it's her first time in the US
- Greeter confirms there are "quite a few" Filipinos in the area
- Pea calls her a star: "Welcome to Walmart, I love you"
Overall verdict: Pea loves Walmart and doesn't understand the American love-hate relationship with it
- "Great selection and inexpensive prices"
- Says if one Walmart opened in the Philippines, "it would put all the other stores out of business"
BONUS SEGMENT: Culture shocks since arriving in the US Southeast
Acknowledges she's very dark from a beach interview the day before — jokes about turning "almost black" from one day in the sun
The concept of space is the biggest shock
- Everything in the US feels "stretched out" — houses aren't jammed against businesses, there's open green space everywhere
- A grocery store might be 10 miles away but reachable in 15 minutes; in the Philippines, 5 miles can take 30 minutes due to traffic (says she's not exaggerating)
- Driving between states gives you a sense of the country's sheer size
- Roads "go on and on" and driving is so smooth you risk falling asleep — the opposite of the Philippines where "if you blink you're dead because of all the obstacles"
- Mentions almost falling asleep driving from Saint Augustine; saved by coffee
Americans take road rules seriously
- Everyone knows etiquette like U-turn rules and four-way stop order
- Complete opposite of the Philippines where "the most aggressive driver gets to go first," bigger cars dominate, and "traffic laws are basically just suggestions"
- Pea prefers the American system: "everything is so orderly and efficient"
- Still learning American merging and lane customs
Where are all the people?
- Streets feel empty compared to the Philippines
- Even a store at "normal" shopper capacity felt "virtually empty" to her
- Philippines has 10x the population density of the US
- Does the math: "if you added nine more Americans for every one you see, that's what it feels like in the Philippines"
- Calls herself a hermit who finds it perfect, but says an average Filipino would find it very strange
The silence is eerie
- Can walk outside and hear "literally not a single thing — nothing but birds or maybe a few insects"
- This is in the middle of a neighborhood in a city, not a remote farm
- Didn't realize how noisy the Philippines is until experiencing this quiet
- Jokes: "If your Filipina comes to visit, you might have to get a recording of barking dogs just so she can sleep at night"
American money is confusing
- All bills are the same size and color — she finds it "kind of dull"
- Trying to learn which presidents are on which bills
- Coins are especially confusing: a nickel is bigger than a dime, and a penny weighs more than a dime
- Philippine currency comes in six different colors, making it easy to tell apart
- Shows her Philippine bills and says she likes Filipino paper money better than "greenbacks" because it's more colorful
- Acknowledges Philippine coins are "a mess" but still prefers the paper money aesthetics
