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Guide to Spanish Shops, Where to Get Stuff!

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When you first arrive you will probably need a lot of things, if you’ve shipped your belongings you’ll need to go shopping while you wait for them, and even when you get them, you’ll still need stuff! It takes time to learn new shopping habits and the array of new brands, trying to figure out what is sold everywhere, so here is our cheat sheet of chain stores that you’ll find all over. You will have lots of independently owned shops in your new neighborhood that you’ll want to explore too!

Leroy Merlin/Bauhaus

Big box hardware – they have all the departments with small and large items in all of them: paint, garden, hardware, bath, kitchen etc. They also rent equipment and have the departments to design and renovate your kitchen/bathroom too.

MediaMarkt

All things electronic basically, from washing machines to hair dryers. Plus some basics like batteries and headphones.

Norauto

All things car. They will fix your car too if you don’t have a better local place (you can make appointments online if you need to), and they have a large shop for car liquids and parts.  

Decathlon

If you have kids and/or love sports, you will live here. What we love about it is they always have very well priced items for kid’s sports equipment and clothes (you’ve been there, you want a cheap buy-in because you don’t know if it’ll stick, probably won’t!). However, they also sell the serious stuff, and some great sports clothes and swimware.

IKEA

I don’t think we need to explain this, just stating we have one!

El Corte Ingles

Department store: El Corte Ingles offers everything you’d expect as well as having a grocery store.

Chinese stores

They are on almost every street, and even smaller pueblos will have at least one. Often called Chinos, Bazar China or some version of those names with another. They are like variety stores, they sell every little thing you might need from pens, paper, plant pots, small amount of hardware items like small tools, lightbulbs, plates, kitchen utensils, pet supplies (not food) etc. They are a great place for cheap items that you are not concerned about the quality.

Grocery stores

The main grocery stores here are Mercadona, Consum, Masymas, Lidl and Aldi– you will have one of these, at least, close to you.

More than a Grocery Store

Carrefour and Al Campo are stores that offer a supermarket, but also clothes and other things like hardware and home goods.

Tedi

A step up from the Chinese stores, it’s still cheap things like bathroom accessories to craft goods and seasonal décor, but it’s slightly better designed. If you’ve got small kids it’ll be your favorite place, great for paper, pens, stickers, craft supplies.

Casa

A small home goods store, great for little things like table cloths, decorative pillows, glasses, plates and such. There are many great stores for homegoods, this is a good place to start.

Shopping malls

Bonaire: Located just west of the city it is one of the largest shopping centers in Spain in a nice open air environment. It has 120 stores/restaurants  (including Sophora, Primark, H&M, Natura, Rituals, Singularu, Mr. Wonderful, Zara, Starbucks…) as well as an Al Campo, a movie theatre, bowling alley and an adventure space.

Aqua: Located in the city near the Arts and Sciences, Aqua is a smaller mall, but still has everything you need for happy shopping (Singularu, Starbucks, Zara, Druni, Flying Tiger, Natura…) and is open air.

El Saler: On the other side of the Arts and Sciences, this is a more classic, large and enclosed mall (not open air). They have lots of shops including Zara, Foot Locker, Claires, H&M, Mango, Miniso, Natura…

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