Do you like this type of stores? More and more of them in downtown Prague, Barcelona, Rome and other places

https://i.redd.it/pxvq4wl2ar3d1.jpeg

by -NewYork-

49 comments

  2. No, I think the visual apperance of such stores should be regulated. I do not mind their existence, I mind their appearance. Cities should regulate the visual pollution way more.

  3. I don’t mind these kinds of stores, but I hate all the visual noise they introduce. They are almost always an eyesore, which is entirely unnecessary and should be regulated.

  6. These are mostly just money laundering fronts……

    Need to have a “business” with a hard cash flow to launder money……

  8. Here in Germany some are nice and legit but probably 80-90% are only there to support some shady business going on behind the scenes.

  9. In Prague they are a sad example of how corrupt and impotent the local government is. If you own a house in a historical center you have to consult every minor thing with history preservation experts. If you open a Café they will scrutinize your outside signs but somehow these places manage to keep operating.

    I assume they just ignore the fines. But as some point law should be enforced and the police should come knocking and forcing the issue.

  10. I wish Zabka was a thing all over Europe. One thing I loved about Poland.

  11. I don’t. Multiple favourite places of mine got replaced by these. One threw out antique neogothic style pharmacy furniture for their unholy shelves. No thank you.

  12. Are these the same stores that charge tourist few times more than locals? At least in Prague its a popular scam

  13. Nope, I do not. Objectively, though, it’s something like this:

    Cons:
    – expensive

    Pros:
    – the only shop that is open during national holidays

  15. Scam shops basically incredibley expensive along with Euronet atms both need to just die already

  16. I don’t. Half of their stock are soft drinks and snacks, and no proper groceries.

  17. they are ugly af and usually overpriced. i do not see a single reason why they should exist, i‘d prefer them gone.

  18. Dont go shopping there its very expensive. Go to some normal supermarket like Albert, Lidl, Kaufland or Tesco

  19. We also have them here in Portugal. And no, i dont like it because the traditional stores are disapearing and that destroys the soul of a city

  20. In the UK, these are everywhere (sometimes literally like 5 of them right next to each other). They all sell food from Balkan and Eastern European countries, but from my experience, they never have much that’s not already available in every supermarket. They just make the streets look like a slum and attract shady people. I never feel comfortable near these shops.

  21. In Barcelona we usually call them “pakis”, they are everywhere but they are a godsend when you forgot to buy alcohol haha

  22. I would make them illegal. I hate them so much. They dont exist jn my home town but I see a lot on trips to other countries.

  23. So fucking ugly. Why can’t these people have some basic taste when designing their stores and advertising? Literally doesn’t even cost more.to have some basic taste

  24. On a happier note: I absolutely adore the foreign ones. Great way to source uncommon food items.

  26. I’ve only encountered them abroad. Poland only has small convinience stores like Żabka or Carrefour Express. Almost all local shops are gone by now.

  27. In Barcelona they were all owned by Indians and in Rome they were all owned by Chinese

  28. These are run by slave labor. The owner recruits people from 3rd world countries who pay a certain amount. They can come to Europe but have to work for free until they repay their debts and live in horrible cramped rooms with other workers doing the same thing.

  29. My favourites are those huge neon green/red Thai massages signs written in Arial with authentic Tuk-Tuk carts in front right on the Old town Square. Ideally if everything is blinking and flashing in very tasteful colors.

  30. A whole bunch of stores like this got shut down in Manchester a few months back turned out they were just fronts for various criminal activities

  31. We have them. One of the chains it’s called [La Doi Pasi](https://retail.ro//storage/image_thumbs/thumbs/b2f704ed6993d5115b44947242168ef5/1200×628-00-90.png?v=1639146415) and it literally means “At Two Steps”. At two steps from where you live. I find it a bit more expensive than [Profi](https://www.profi.ro/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/profi-2.webp?x25032) but not by much. They both have their own products that are very cheap compared to recognized brands.

  32. Sure I like them, having small store with necessary things at every corner is very convenient.

  33. These kind of stores exist for one reason only, they have like 50 employees on the payroll, they are used for mass immigration, so that they can have a working permit (have you asked yourselves how a micro supermarket can afford to be opened in such an expensive quarter?)

  34. In Prague, they are mostly owned by the vietnamese, which were largely invited here during the last century – so it’s still quite often the first generation of them. Because of limited language skills and discrimination, they have often resorted to starting their own stores like this. Some of it comes from how stores looked in Vietnam etc. (e.g. it’s not common for grocery stores to have the goods showcased like this in czechia) and some of it comes from the lack of money – these kinds of shops are a last resort for most people, because they target convenience over quality or price (open in late hours, situated in busy areas and offer a wide range of goods). The longer opening Hours and price of rent in these areas, tends to be very costly, but they couldn’t compete with regulars store chains. They quite often live in the backside of these stores too. And because they target convenience, they need to be seen – you wouldn’t plan to go there really, you go there because it’s the closest/only open store, which is why they have a lot of signs etc.

    I don’t like the visuals either, but what I don’t like the most is that they quite often turn into tourist traps – a lot of them in Prague centre have all kinds of signs informing they sell weed etc, whilst weed with barely any THC is illegal here, they also will lie to you about it containing THC and being able to get you high etc. All kinds of shady things. They are very often lovely friendly people though

  36. These are either pure shit, or a front for shady business.

    Nothing beats a classic internet café/convenience store in Northern Africa, though.

  37. From an aesthetic point of view, this is terrible, but from a practicality point of view, these markets sometimes help out a lot. Especially on weekends. BCN

  38. Those have to be laundromats, no way do these make economic sense any other way.

  39. Looks like a great way to launder a lot of money.

  40. We name them in Spain as “chinos” “el chino”

    Small stores which have everything and anything, whenever you ask them about an object it’s allways and the end of the store and then you turn right.

    99% of the times owned by Chinese people. You’ll find two types of workers, the fathers who don’t speak any other language that Spanish, that’s where the game of trying to communicate begins.

    The other worker is their child who speaks Spanish.

    I would rate them 8/10.

    Fast, economic, in any neighborhood you’ll have it

  41. Not really, but I also hate super/hypermarkets and the Aldi/lidl type ones. What I miss the old general stores with a proper butcher counter, fresh (real) bread products and fresh milk, where you could also buy a bag of nails and a pair of tights. I know I’m a dinosaur. 

  43. In Bologna is where you go to buy cheap alcohol during the night.

  44. Ah yes, the so called “Supermoney Laundering Frontmart”

  45. Absolute trash that makes older store owners leave their buildings so they can implement these facades that allegedly employ hundreds of workers but if you go there it’s every day the same one or two faces. These are just visa mills and money laundering low quality products.

  46. Späti (Mini Markets operating past 22:00) culture is a big thing here in Germany, instead of just going into a pub, you grab a drink and move to the next Späti rinse and repeat.

    Love these places, I buy my cigarettes in one, my morning coffee in another if I’m in a hurry. The one uptown is really cool and has warm snacks and fresh breadrolls around the clock plus has a big outside area with a big TV for Sports in the summer.

    I always step inside the one two blocks down, to chat with the owner (Nice guy, we talked about taxes as a freelancers last time).

    Once a year, there is a festival in town, where there are tons and tons of music acts and arts projects in the Spätis.

  48. In Prague there’s a difference between tourist trap mini markets which are only in the very center, and the regular small grocery shops usually ran by Vietnamese owners. The second kind of shop can be found everywhere and they sell normal groceries at normal prices.

    The real plague on Prague’s city center are the ‘souvenir’ shops, which are associated with the Russian mafia. The stuff they sell has very little in common with local history or traditions and it’s mostly just tasteless, making the city look bad.

  49. Konbinis in Japan:
    cute kawaiiiii mt Fuji in the back

    Convinience shops in the West:
    Looks like there’s human traficking or mney laundering

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