The majority of Spanish shops are small family run affairs, so shopping is still a personal experience. A curious attitude of the Spanish, is the Manana attitude. Manana literally means tomorrow, but in reality, it can mean next week, next month, or whenever "I have the time".  It's important that you keep your temper under control, because most businesses are not bothered about having your custom in the first place. For example, if you take your clothes to the dry cleaners, and the assistant tells you they will be ready Manana, don't literally expect them to be ready tomorrow, you may be disappointed. Should you go and complain then be prepared to meet an angry assistant.  Customers are not always right in Spain, and sometimes they seem to be regarded as a downright nuisance for even entering the shop.

FORGET QUEUING
The noble practice of queuing, as in waiting in line, seems to exist only amongst the British and the Spanish just don't understand what is meant by queuing and people often push and shove their way to the front. Shop assistants will invariable serve the customer who pushes to the front, so if it is your turn - speak up!  The last person in the queue is called “la ultima,” and should you wish to join the line you ask who is "la ultima."

I remember standing in a rather long queue in a busy supermarket in Aquilas when a seemingly absent minded little old lady carrying a small bunch of bananas came and stood next to me. Being a gentleman, I asked if she would like to go in front of me in the queue. She nodded her thanks and then turned around and called over her daughter who was pushing a fully laden trolley. Moral, beware of little old ladies carrying small bunch of bananas.

This is not to suggest that the Spanish are not nice, enjoyable people, on the contrary, they are friendly people. It is only to say that the business culture is not similar to that in the UK.  The Spanish are very sociable people, taking long lunches and slow walks along the promenade. It is very likely that they will strike up conversations with you on the bus, or while sitting in a bar. But don't rush them with concerns about money, because time is not money in Spain.

Spanish shops vary in their opening hours, with shops in the city open for longer, while smaller shops in rural areas more likely to close fr siesta

"BE AWARE OF little old ladies CARRYING SMALL BUNCHES OF BANANAS"

SHOPPING HOURS
These can vary considerably between region, city, town and type of shop. Small shops open from between 8.30 and 9.30 (or earlier for food shops) and close anytime between 1 – 2pm After that, the all important afternoon siesta takes place, especially in the hotter parts of southern Spain, with business normally resuming for a few hours at around 5pm. They usually remain open until 8pm, Monday to Friday, then from 0930 until 2pm on Saturdays.

The early evening is the busiest time for shopping as a large proportion of the working population have just finished their daily grind and use the evening to do their shopping.

Virtually all shops in rural areas will be closed on Saturday afternoons and all day Sunday, although in busy tourist areas you may find weekend trading hours are greatly extended. Department stores, hypermarkets, and a large number of supermarkets ignore the siesta and are open without a break at all until late evening Monday to Saturday. Some department stores open one Sunday a month, generally the first one.

For those wishing to find everything under one roof and prefer shopping in more traditional establishments, there is of course, that great Spanish institution: El Corte Inglés, a cross between Harrods and Marks & Spencers, very expensive. Usually open 10am to 9pm

TAX
On most goods and services a 16% value added tax -VAT is charged.
The VAT on foodstuffs (excluding alcoholic beverages) and services is 7%.
The VAT on certain basic foodstuffs (bread, milk, cheese, eggs, fruits, and vegetables) and other products like books, newspapers and magazines, and also medicines, is 4%.

Banks’ general opening hours are:
Monday – Friday: 08:30 - 14:00
Saturday & Sunday: closed
Credit cards are accepted everywhere in Spain, cheques are not.
Although the currency is the euro, you will find people taliking in pesetas and then trying to convert to euros
When you withdraw money from the bank try not to let them give you 500 euro notes as due to counterfeit most shops refuse to accept them.

Post Offices’ general opening hours are:
Monday – Friday: 08:30 - 14:30. Saturday:09.30 - 13.30
In big cities post offices open without interruption from 08.30 to 20:30.
Sunday: closed

Chemists
Open Monday to Friday: 09.30 to 13:30 and 17:00 to 20:00
Saturday:09.30 - 13.30
In cities you can find duty chemists that work 24 hours a day, every day

MARKETS
Virtually every town and village in Spain has its own weekly food market, open from 9am to 2pm and this is the best place to buy your fruit and vegetables. Usually running alongside the food market is the travelling market that move from town to town, here you will find a huge variety of goods ranging from clothes, household goods, ceramics, jewellery, CD's and electrical goods, and in the bigger markets antiques and traditional crafts. Also, haggle over the price, it's expected, if you look like a tourist then the stallholder will ask a top price, so don't be to enthustiastic, use as much Spanish as you know, and carry a smile as big as your wallet, you never know you might land yourself a bargain. Look closely at so called brand name products, whilst they maybe of excellent quality, they are usually fakes. Be security conscious when visiting markets, don't take your passport and carry your money in a small wallet

In the cities especially there are also indoor markets and permanent street markets.

CAR BOOT SALES
Car boot sales, the Spanish aren't really into second-hand goods, and car boot sales organised by British ex-pat community are now starting to appear along the costa's, usually held on Saturdays and Sundays they are popular with tourists and locals alike.

The siesta or the afternoon nap after a long lunch may be a pleasant way to make the work day seem less stressful, and it has helped Spain achieve fame as an  easygoing country. But some would suggest that the siesta belongs in the past when the Spanish economy was based on farming , and men spent much of the day working outside in the boiling sun with temperatures in the upper thirties centigrade making it impossible to work.

Nowadays, more and more workers have jobs in offices and allied trades and live further from their work which means they are having to commute increased distances and going home for a nap just isn't practicable. This period of enforced idleness means the working day often stretches to more than 12 hours and many workers don't get home until 8 or 9pm or even later.  Nonetheless the custom lingers on and the whole country stops from 2pm-5pm making afternoon errands often impossible.

The exceptions to the siesta rule are restaurants and the bigger stores and supermarkets. Restaurants and cafes offer a continuous service throughout the day. But don't go to a restaurant at noon and expect to eat lunch. Restaurants don't serve lunch until 1 pm. Tips are not obligatory, although it is customary to pay between 5% and 8%, The supermarkets are air conditioned and open throughout the day until 9pm Monday to Saturday, but closed on Sundays.

However, don't go to the shops at 5pm and expect them to be open, frequently a sign that reads "closed: 2 - 5pm" really means 1:30 - 5:30 or even 6pm.

Signs of change are beginning to appear in Spain, especially in larger cities. Shopping malls, large chain department stores and supermarkets now stay open all day. Convenience stores with extended hours are beginning to invade neighbourhoods, competing with the small shops that have traditionally closed during afternoon siesta. Stores in tourist spots also shun the midday break.

back