"They are the only stores we have for our city," she explained. "They have the capacity to daily receive, unload, and store the contents of one thousand large freight airplanes landing on their roofs, two hundred fifty large freight ships, two hundred fifty freight submarines, all sailing under and unloading inside the buildings, and two hundred fifty long freight trains. If necessary, they can double this capacity."
"You mean to say," I asked her, "that these stores not only store away, but also distribute everything needed for every individual? Is your city population large?"
"Yes," she replied. "I will take you through one of the buildings on the next shopping day when the people in our section are allowed to shop. That will be Monday.
"The city is divided into six zones, and the inhabitants of each zone are allowed to shop only on their appointed day. The stores are never overcrowded."
"If you shop only one day a week," I interrupted, "then you must order for the whole week in advance."
"Oh, yes, we must submit our list a week in advance."
"Suppose you haven't the time or you are sick?"
"Then, I order either by telephone or by mail from the catalogue, or I can leave my list at our commissary department."
"You just told me you have only one set of stores. Then you also have commissary departments?"
"Our commissary department," she said, "is only the distributing point where we get our daily food and beverages. We don't have to shop for them in the large, center stores."