Lady in Spain

There's a huge variety of shopping in Madrid, just like there's a variety in the US. I found that in terms of grocery shopping, I was able to find nearly all the items I am accustomed to eating (pasta, chicken, spinach, etc.), though some were slightly different. There are lots of small, city-sized grocery stores (Carrefour, Mercadona, Día) around the city, and there are also some specialized stores (ex: The American Store). Additionally, there are many fruit stands, butcher shops, bakeries, and markets. Unless you go to a specialized store, which will be expensive, items will often be different brands. There's nothing wrong with that; I thought of it as an opportunity to try some different foods.

I love peanut butter, and found it particularly difficult to find. Carrefour has it, but it's expensive. I admit that every time someone visited me, I asked him/her to bring me a jar or two of peanut butter (must go in a checked suitcase). On the other hand, I enjoyed trying products that I would be less likely to find back home, such as gazpacho, paella, and croquetas.

For me, a major difference between grocery stores in Madrid and back home was that in Madrid they have legs of pork hanging in the store for purchase. This is common in restaurants there too. Another surprise came when I found that milk is sold in unrefrigerated boxes.

In terms of clothes shopping (my favorite!), there are also some differences. In Madrid, like at home in the US, you can buy clothes in a wide price range and quality range. Madrid is flooded with shoe stores and clothing shops, and the holiday sales, which extend through January, are great. In general, I felt that clothes I saw for sale in Madrid were more brightly colored than back home. Brightly colored pants, which are beginning to catch on here, were already popular in Madrid when I first arrived there in 2009, and perhaps long before then. It also seemed to me that people in Madrid on average wore their clothes tighter than I observed at home and in other parts of Europe. I don't mean to create/perpetuate stereotypes, but I noticed this by observation and because salespeople would always tell me that my clothes were too big when I thought they fit properly. Shopping and chatting with sales people is a fun cultural exchange, a great chance to practice speaking, and a good way to learn about fashion trends in Madrid. Some of my favorite stores in Madrid are Desigual, el Corte Inglés, Sfera, Massimo Dutti, el Rastro (Sunday market), and all the shoe stores around la Puerta del Sol.

Here's a post from my travel blog which covers shopping in Madrid: http://danagoestomadrid.blogspot.com/2012/08/my-madrid.html

Happy shopping!
-Dana