Boy, Canadian Tire really IS a great store.

I've realized that some of the things that we, as Canadians, take for granted. First of all, you really can find anything you need at Canadian Tire. If you need camping gear, sports equipment, even boots, they are all available at Canadian Tire. Here, you have to wander around to find anything you want. Sometimes the Black Market is good, but there are about 4000 little shops.
More recently, I've set out to get a class pet. The class decided they want turtles, so I obtained an aquarium (with great difficulty). The only problem is finding the turtles. We are currently in the process of collecting some rocks to put in the habitat, and then we will add some water. Where the problem lies is that there are few, if any, pet stores in Ulaanbaatar. I can't figure out how so many students have pet fish, lizards, and turtles, if no one knows where to find them.
I also appreciate grocery stores, especially the megastores that Canada has. You can go and find a variety of any product you want. Sometimes you just want to buy some mustard. I have found some, but it took 3 stores and a couple of hours of searching to find it. The stores are very hit-and-miss on the products they carry. Spices and seasonings are another issue altogether.
Restaurants are another issue. While they don't cost much, you have to have 2 meals in mind. The first one, which they won't have, and the one you are actually going to order.
There are some advantages to shopping in UB. There are many little stores which all carry little things which are unique. You can find just about anything, but it's really just luck of the draw whether you find what you want.