A Shopaholic’s Guide to Spain

For the avid shopper, a Spanish shopping spree will be unlike any other you have experienced. Many of the local shops are small, family-run businesses. Larger businesses such as supermarkets and hypermarkets have also begun to appear. While these larger markets can be found primarily in the expanding Spanish suburbs, the older Spanish neighbourhoods remain true to the traditional way of shopping.

Shopping in traditional Spanish form will require a few notes upfront. One of them is that Spanish people do not generally believe in forming a queue and they tend to push and shove their way towards their goal, which is usually the front of the line. The shop owners are not much better when it comes to serving the next in line, so if you are in a queue and feel it is your turn, let it be known.

There are a wide variety of shopping offerings in traditional Spanish towns. Mercados, which are the indoor markets, are among some of the more popular. In addition, there are the travelling open-air markets that sell produce and trinket items, and the permanent street markets. Goods at these markets are often sold at discounted prices.

When out enjoying some traditional Spanish style shopping, keep in mind that high-end brand named items in these places will usually be fake. Otherwise, enjoy shopping for traditional items such as crockery, linens, ceramics, food and flowers, arts and crafts and anything else you can imagine.

If you are wondering which items constitute traditional Spanish goods, look out for the many handmade items available, including pottery, woodwork, paintings and ceramics. Leather goods are also great original products to buy but do not expect them to come cheap.

The many cheap Madrid or Barcelona city breaks on offer for most of the year are an ideal way to get some retail therapy in these great Spanish cities without having to break the bank.