Roaming Brit
  • Blog
  • The Story Of Us
  • Other Blogs
    • Forever Enduring Cycles Blog 2015 >
      • Forever Enduring Cycles
      • Bipolarcoaster
      • Books For Sale
  • Gallery
  • Spain
    • First Month
    • Three Months
    • Six Months
    • One Year
    • 2 Year Anniversary
    • Spanish Views
    • Gran Alacant >
      • GA Advertiser
      • Gran Alacant News
      • LoungeD
      • No Wives Club
  • About
    • New Life
    • Wedding
    • 21 Years
    • Timeline
    • My Story
    • Australia 2016/17
  • Guest Bloggers
    • Penelope Wren
    • Debra Rufini
    • Claire Coe
    • Richard Guy
    • Optimistic Mummy
    • Julie Rawlinson
    • Letters Of Hope
  • Links
  • Contact
  • My Writing
    • Short Stories From My Youth
    • Verruca Almond
    • The Streets

From a new life in spain, to an old life in britain, 'roaming brit' documents uncertain times!

Picture

On 31st January 2016, my partner and I left Southampton to start a new life as Expats in Gran Alacant, on the Costa Blanca. This blog will document our journey, as we navigate the Spanish system, travelling a path untried and untested. With Brexit looming, political turmoil in Europe and an unpredictable future, harsh decisions have to be made. Illness, family bonds and a Change of heart all make for challenging times in a life of a 'Roaming Brit!'

Picture

Shopping!

11/6/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
Picture

Supermarkets

Picture
Shopping is very different in Spain, compared to The UK.  As I write this today, I have to say, I am still not used to The Spanish way of purchasing provisions. Coming from Britain, things could not be more different.  There are probably four shopping areas in Gran Alacant, with The GA Centro Commercial being the biggest, The GA Centre has three supermarkets in it, Lidl, Consum and Mercadona.  The three are all very different and unlike supermarkets in Britain, they do not compete against one another.  There are no special, buy one get one free or two for one offers.  They have their own pricing structure, and as we do, most people shop around for the cheapest goods.  Apart from the local markets, there are no other small independent grocers, as there are in The UK!

Picture
Unide is our local supermarket, probably the one we use most. It is a short walk away from our house and a short drive away from The GA Centre.  The food, whilst a little more expensive, is more or less comparable to the other major players.  The shop is convenient and if we didn't have a car, would be the one we used all the time, as we did when we first came here.  The supermarkets are also very different to those in The UK. There is less variety to choose from.  The range of products on sale are much smaller and  every day staples seem to be less expensive.  Bread, milk, eggs are all a lot less expensive, and as long as you buy Spanish products, you will will always under cut the typical British food bill.

Picture
Picture

British Quicksave

All supermarkets have a range of British food here.  The area has a huge British population, which of course puts demands on what Spanish supermarkets sell.  The products are over priced, but for Brits like me, who love their Marmite, they are essential.  There is also The British Supermarket, Quicksave, which sells everything British, and stocks products from ASDA and TESCO.  All of
it, is more expensive than you would pay back home, but the service Quicksave offers is second to none.  If you want something that isn't there, you can order it from them and they will stock it for you.  A little bit of Britain  in Spain and it goes down well. Everytime I go in there, it is packed!  I can get Marmite and HP Sauce and Darrell can now get his vegemite, after ordering it from the shop.  At 4.60€, it isn't cheap, but it does allow us, to at least have a few luxuries from back home!
​

Late Night

In reality, 24 hour or even late night shopping does not exist, at least in this part of Spain.  Although locally there are a couple of late night shops in  the local area.  Orange clad outside, they sell essential items, that you may need, not for 24 hours.  They usually close at two 
Picture
or three o clock in the morning.  They are particularly useful on a Sunday, when everything else is shut down, because here at least, on a Sunday, nothing is open at all.

Chinese Shops

Picture
I was amazed by the chinese shops in this region of Spain.  The Chinese shops, just like Bazar, sell everything you could possibly need, apart from food.   Furniture, to electricals, stationery and gardening, they sell literally the whole kit and caboodle.  They also sell a lot of what you don't need as well.  Personally I love the shops and there is always something to find.  As a rule they are reasonably priced and for places like the urbanization we live in, they are a means to an end.  If you are looking for something to finish off your new home, you are guaranteed to find it in one of these.  

Shoppings Malls

Picture
If you want to go clothes shopping you will have to head to Alicante or Elche, which are the two closest towns, providing a vast array of shopping centres and malls, as well as department stores.  'Gran Via' is a typical shopping complex, just outside Alicante.  'Gran Via', has a large Primark, which is popular with expats, offering a large range of clothes at reasonable prices.

'Gran Via' as well as the more central 'Plaza Mar', cater for a wide range of customers on a large scale.  The supermarkets, like Carrefour, offer a far more extensive shopping experience.  We tend to go here, about once every few weeks to buy the things we can't
Picture
buy in Gran Alacant.  Items tend to be a lot cheaper  and you can also buy in bulk if you wish.  The shopping Malls, in my opinion are far better than those back home. They are much larger and also offer a large array of smaller independent stores, on top of the major multinationals, like Zara and Primark.  

Consumer Rights

Unlike The UK, there are no or very little consumer rights in Spain.  Don't expect to take faulty items back to the shop of purchase and get a refund.  Shops are not obliged to do this by law, although many do, out of good will, especially the larger stores.
​

Summary

You can live as cheap as you want in Spain.  It can be very inexpensive on a day to day basis to survive.  If you eat as The Spanish do, it can be even cheaper.  If like me, you want certain British products, you will have to pay for them, but as long as you limit what you need to the basics of what you desire, that really isn't a problem.  You can of course obtain most British products on The Costa Blanca.  The region even has Iceland on its door step, if you wanted to stock up on frozen food.  There are British specialist shops and you can also order items online for delivery.  All of the supermarkets stock a range of British goods, including our local grocers, Unide, Dialprix in Masa Square and the large Department Stores in Alicante.

Furniture remains expensive in Spain, compared to The UK,  Antique furniture is few and far between here, most of it, having been destroyed during The Spanish Civil War. You can of course buy it, but most are either reproduction, or completely out of the price range of most consumers.

Cars are also very expensive, holding their value well.  Of course in a hotter climate, cars rust less and need less work carried out on them.  We worked out that the car Darrell left behind in Britain would cost double here, to what we paid back home.  The buying process is of course very different, with the added complications of the Spanish system.

Electricals, seem in the main to be far cheaper than the UK.  I bought a new lap top when I arrived here, the equivalent of which in The UK, would have cost at least a third more.  Televisions and Music Centres, are also much cheaper.  All the time, one should always factor in the lower wages in Spain.

The difference in shopping habits is reflected in The Spanish people.  They are much healthier, they use and consume less and they spend a smaller proportion of their income on living, eating and buying consumables.  In the UK we do have access to far more, that one does here, but does that really make it any better.  Well in conclusion I can safely say, after five months living in Spain, the way of doing things here, seems to be better in most respects.  The cost of living is far lower and you only ever buy what you need.  In a way, it is rather like stepping back in time, but in a good way.  Spain is not for everyone, but for me at least, it has been about relearning life skills, which I am enjoying, reassessing my lifestyle and using housekeeping methods, my Mother and Father used in the 1970s.  In the main I am happier now than I have ever been. Shopping is just a small part of life here, much smaller than at home.  That makes me happy! 

Of course everyone needs to shop, in order to survive.  Once you understand, just how much you need in reality, you are able to change your buying behaviour.  I can say without a shadow of a doubt, that my shopping habits in the past were wasteful and thoughtless. I would discard more than I would actually use, now it is a completely different story.  Life is firmly different, living in Southern Europe.  Not only the way of life and culture but every single aspect is opposite to the way I am used too. Learning to live in a different way, is part of the experience.  The skills I learn here, I can use for the rest of my life and hopefully avoid, making the same mistakes, I made in the previously.  It is important to use this period of my life, learning and growing, without the access of the past.  Life isn't about the accumulation of things, it is about living, understanding my capabilities and limitations and most importantly being exposed to real life, without the cushion of a welfare state and the get out clauses, that were responsible for the failures of the past!

​

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture


0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    51-year-old Author and professional blogger. Expat formerly living in Gran Alacant on the Costa Blanca! Currently, residing in my adopted home of Perth, Western Australia.

    Picture

      Contact Luke.

    Submit
    Picture
    Click me & email for more information!
    Picture
    Picture

    Categories

    All
    Asia-2019
    Australia
    Australia 2022/23
    Bettys-revenge
    Bipolar
    Bipolarcoaster
    Britain
    Bullying
    Business
    Cancer Research
    Cats
    Characters-i-have-known
    Charity
    Charlatan-or-confidant
    Christmas Thoughts
    Claybornes World
    Coming-out-stories
    Cooking
    Coronavirus
    Croatia 2022
    Current Affairs Politics
    Darrell In The Uk
    Death Of Queen Elizabeth
    Dunbars
    Easy Horse Care
    Events
    Events That Shaped My World
    Family
    Fascinating-facts
    Friends & Colleagues
    Gran Alacant
    Guest Bloggers
    Ibs
    Immigration
    Information
    Inspirational People
    Interviews
    Japan And Thailand 2020
    Jersey-2019
    Lifestyle Break
    Lockdown-life-in-photos
    London 2022
    Lounge-d
    Luke-martin-jones-awards
    Marmite Watch
    Memories Of Fareham
    Memories-of-home
    Memories-of-southampton
    Memories Of Spain
    Me-too-oxfam
    Milestones
    Moving
    My Life
    My Writing
    Non Touch Toast
    Oxfam Sociopathy
    Penelope Wren
    Photographs-of-hope
    Platinum Jubilee
    Quotes
    Rabs-world
    Remembering Gran Alacant
    Reviewing Gran Alacant
    Santa-pola
    Self-isolation
    Shopping
    Short Stories From My Youth
    Southampton
    Spiritual
    Teaching Jamie
    Thailand 2022
    The-darkness
    The-streets
    The Two Of Us
    Travel
    Verruca-almond
    Visits From Friends
    War In Europe
    Weight Loss & Health
    Year In Review 2015
    Year In Review 2016
    Year In Review 2017
    Year In Review 2018
    Year In Review 2019
    Year In Review 2020
    Year In Review 2021
    Year In Review 2022
    Zest

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Tweets by realtruthblog
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture


    Instagram
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    A place to call home
    Finally, a place we can call home.  A community of like minded individuals, who used to call Britain home.  Now Spain is our choice, an altogether gentler, happier, sunnier and safer experience!
            Luke Feb 16
    Picture
Picture
Picture

Telephone

+447999663360

Email

lukemartin.jones@gmail.com
  • Blog
  • The Story Of Us
  • Other Blogs
    • Forever Enduring Cycles Blog 2015 >
      • Forever Enduring Cycles
      • Bipolarcoaster
      • Books For Sale
  • Gallery
  • Spain
    • First Month
    • Three Months
    • Six Months
    • One Year
    • 2 Year Anniversary
    • Spanish Views
    • Gran Alacant >
      • GA Advertiser
      • Gran Alacant News
      • LoungeD
      • No Wives Club
  • About
    • New Life
    • Wedding
    • 21 Years
    • Timeline
    • My Story
    • Australia 2016/17
  • Guest Bloggers
    • Penelope Wren
    • Debra Rufini
    • Claire Coe
    • Richard Guy
    • Optimistic Mummy
    • Julie Rawlinson
    • Letters Of Hope
  • Links
  • Contact
  • My Writing
    • Short Stories From My Youth
    • Verruca Almond
    • The Streets