EDITOR’S NOTE: Blogger Mikayla Baiocchi is studying abroad in London this semester. This is the first in a series of blogs about her travels. Readers should also note that she has yet to experience College Park’s new TargetExpress.

“I’m at Tesco Express, and I’m really excited about it,” I overheard a man — possibly a local — say on the phone as he picked up a premade sandwich and fruit.

I was quickly able to pin Tesco Express as the London version of CVS in College Park: a convenient corner store suitable for picking up last minute food and hygienic products.

But, upon further reflection, I realized that I’ve never heard anyone express their happiness about stepping foot into CVS.

Thus, I became curious as to why Londoners breathe a sigh of relief upon entering Tesco Express, while students at this university breathe a sigh of disappointment when setting foot in CVS

First and foremost, Tesco Express — the city version of the British grocery chain Tesco — sells its products at low prices. For instance, you can pick from a variety of frozen pizzas that are two pounds each. After the pound to dollar conversion, that’s about $3.

Pizza

Prepackaged deli meats can go for as low as 1.79 pounds ($2.73), and a full, premade sandwich can be as low as 1.60 pounds ($2.44).

That’s another thing; Tesco Express offers shelves of premade sandwiches, salads and meals, along with perfectly proportioned fruit and vegetable cups.

Sandwiches

Turn around, and you’ll see shelves of snack-sized bags of chips to pair with the sandwich or salad of your choosing. Walk a little further, and you’ll come across packets of nuts, perfect for on-the-go snacking.

Chips

This layout with these offerings at these prices makes Tesco Express a great place for a hangry worker or student to pick up a quick, cheap bite between appointments; a trait I think the College Park CVS lacks.

Yet, I can see how CVS and Tesco Express are genuinely similar; they offer their audiences a conveniently placed selection of groceries — even if one of the competitors is more expensive.

Both retailers offer bread, cheese, yogurt, sauces, coffee and frozen food. While the brands they offer might not be the best, they do the job for the people in the area.

However, I noticed that Tesco Express also offers fresh-baked goods, something CVS has yet to add to its repertoire. Granted, I would rather buy my scones from that specialty shop down the street — not a corner convenient store.

Hey, at least it’s trying.

Moreover, something this chain offers that maybe only American students like myself value is authentic British food.

Besides carrying the things I’m used to seeing, it also carries pork pies and English candy brands you can’t find in the U.S.

That’s pretty exciting for a foodie like myself.

At the end of the day, I’d rather be here in London, than in the place of a British student studying at University of Maryland, bound to the high prices and poor selection that comes with CVS’s “convenience.”