I have no doubt that this will be useful information for someone.
The States are certainly not Milan or Paris, but in some ways, they are even better. In what way, for example? In good and cheap clothes. Let's start with the fact that you need to decide where you will be shopping if, for example, you are in different states, since in America there is such a thing as Sales Tax. Tip #17: Find out what the sales tax is in the states where you are going to live/pass through/travel.
What does this tax actually entail? Well, imagine you are buying an item and the tag says $10, but at the checkout, they ask you for not 10 bucks, but, for example, 10.50. Why? Because of that very tax. It is individual in each state, and there are states like, for example, California, where it is almost 10%, and accordingly, it is better to do significant shopping there. In New York, this tax is 8.875%, better, right? And in Montana, there is none at all. Here I was lucky, yes. This is one of 2 or 3 states where the tax is 0%, so I calmly bought t-shirts and everything else without thinking about how much would be added at the checkout.
First of all, you will still end up at a Walmart supermarket, where you can buy absolutely everything and most often with small discounts. There is food, perfume, clothes, appliances, toys, gifts, and it goes on forever. These are the main supermarkets all over America. Usually, everyone buys food there, and for me, it was also a place to buy t-shirts. I am obsessed with this and almost went crazy when I saw this:
Besides this, there is another good store that is also designed for everything - Target, where you can find everything, just like in Walmart, but the prices are slightly higher and discounts are rarer. We bought things there much less often.
And now the highlights: Ross and TJ Maxx are two stores that are usually located next to each other. They are huge, consist of several floors, and are packed with discounted items. These items are discounted not because they are bad, defective, or anything like that, but simply because, for example, they are from an old collection. Nothing more. Quality clothing for every taste with a 30-70% discount. Yes, of course, the choice of sizes is rarely available, but there is such an assortment of choices that it doesn't matter at all. You will forget about everything in this store. And here you will understand the essence of the American system of making money. Sell cheap, but in large quantities. You seem to be buying little things for 10 or 15 dollars, and then you don't notice how you have a full bag of some things and all the money has disappeared somewhere.
Tip #18: If you are going to buy any electronics, don't go to the famous BestBuy. As far as I understood, it's quite expensive there. It's better to go back to that same Walmart.
Our nearest big city was Kalispell (a big city with big stores), it was too unrealistic to get there by bicycle, so we went either by the car of one of our colleagues or by a shuttle that our company provided once a week. Usually, it was Thursday, and those who didn't have a shift could sign up in advance and leave for half a day, and then just meet at the appointed time to return back. My friends and I usually walked around all the stores, drank coffee and had breakfast during the break, and then bought groceries at the end. A fun way to spend what you earned. In addition, those who went definitely received small (or large) shopping lists from those who were working at that time. Usually, these were cigarettes, frozen pizza, beer, canned cola/pepsi.
We also went to this same city at the beginning of the season to open a bank account and get a Social Security Number. You will also definitely have to do this upon arrival.
By the way, regarding shopping, don't forget about magnets for your family and friends. Buying them in cities turns out to be very expensive, so I advise ordering sets from Amazon. It is cheaper and significantly more convenient. And by the way, the quality is excellent.
