Up until about the 1980s, most Spanish-speaking countries did not have malls or even large grocery stores. Nowadays they are more commonplace as well as are some larger chain stores that are found on the outskirts of a town, where you can buy everything from hardware to bananas. But most inhabitants of these countries still enjoy shopping in their downtown shops or markets.

If you go to a market in almost any Spanish-speaking region you will see rows and rows of stalls where vendors sell what you would normally find in a large supermarket. There may be two or three fish vendors, a few butchers, many fruit and vegetable sellers, perhaps one dealer with small hardware items, maybe another one with linens and kitchen gadgets. There is also another kind of a market, sometimes separate from the one just mentioned and sometimes just a continuation of it. This other type of market is more like a flea market where used items, antiques, books, CDs, DVDs, handmade bags and scarves, and other such things are sold. In any case, natives will often bargain at the marketplace in order to get the best price. And keep your credit cards at home because you cannot use them at the market.

Spanish-speaking cities are generally a network of busy and exciting streets filled with small shops and boutiques. Traditionally, one would go to a butcher to buy meat, a bookstore to buy books, a music store to buy a CD, a shoe store to buy shoes, and even a sock store to buy socks! This is still the case in most major cities. If you visit a really large city like Buenos Aires, Argentina or Madrid, Spain, you will also see a few large and quite interesting department stores. The most famous is in Spain, and it is called the Corte Inglés, a store similar to the British Harrods. On the ground floor you will find groceries and delicious gourmet foods, many of them from various parts of the world, plus a restaurant and a café. On the remaining levels you will see exactly what you would expect to see in a department store and much more! Believe it or not, these stores also sell hardware, baby gear, pharmacy items, sporting goods, fabric, yarn, TV sets, toys, music, books, plants, and they even have a post office and a travel agent right there inside the store. This is truly one-stop shopping. But kids and especially teenagers still enjoy shopping in the small shops along the city streets as a way to pass time with their friends.