Corner Shops

Madrid doesn’t really do corner shops but they do have something similar. Your local independent convenience store that opens early and stays open late and run by 1st to 2nd generation immigrants is advertised as either an Alimentación (grocery) or a Frutos y Secos. The main difference to London though is that here the managers are usually Chinese rather than Bangladeshi / Pakistani / Indian. No cigarettes and no newspapers or mags but they do most everything else. There are licensing laws preventing them from selling you booze after 10.00pm but with a wink and a nod, and a discreet dark plastic bag, they can usually accommodate your drinking needs. Mind you, with bars staying open late anyway this is not such a big earner for them anyway. Madrid-Uno’s local Mr Wong has three stores in the Salamanca / Retiro area and he controls them all from his master cabin perched above the till area. A PC with camera attachment shows him multi-screens of the checkouts at the other branches of his retail empire and they’re also hooked up for audio, so he can bark instructions at recalcitrant nieces, nephews and cousins. I tell you, they’re gonna take over the world these chaps.

Guía de Distritos

¡Hola! ¿Qué Tal?. Madrid-Uno is gradually getting to grips with the geography of the city, which is uphill, which is down, East and West, North and South etc. The city council dropped some informational litter through the post-box which has a nice simple map which is reproduced below. Madrid-Uno lives in Salamanca district (Zone 4).