Meltdown in San Sebastián!

[TorontoGMan]

update
chipped my tooth on a fork, nearly burned the place down in San Sébastien
Lit a candle at the church in SJPP FOR @Gmangirl AND I AND CAUGHT MY FINGER ON FIRE....
Here at La Coquille de Napolean, waiting for the lightening to strike....buen Camino my ARSE!


Almost had a fire in the first place we are staying!
Had adaptor set correctly to "converter" and not "adaptor ", and STILL the multi plug thing from Costco was smoking, indicating too much juice was hitting it I think.
Any help, (other than carrying a fire extinguisher) would be lovely Friends!

 

[Bradypus]

Is it some very rare proprietary gadget? If it is something fairly common like a usb charger then in your position I would just look for a local equivalent to replace your unhappy gear. Safer.

 

[Tassie Kaz]

@TorontoGMan, when I responded to your 'super paranoid' post, I didn't expect you to take my input about things 'melting away' literally!
All these little incidents add up & equate to that wonderful gem called experience.
Keep laughing...& keep the ph# for emergency services handy!

 

[naplesdon]

Just imagine if you had left your room with the device plugged in and charging. No comment about the source of your device but this should be a warning about buying similar such stuff at the all present "China Shops" on the Camino.

 

[Kathor1]

I cannot possibly know why the "meltdown" happened but I second @estorildon's advice: Don't get a replacement in a so-called "China shop" (cheap imports that may carry a CE certification label but that's a fake).

I am actually surprised that there are not more reports like yours on this forum, given that people are so often advised to buy very cheap "no-name" plugs, cables, adaptors etc for their electronic devices.

Edited to add: I am referring exclusively to products sold in certain retail shops in the EU. I have no knowledge about the retail market in the USA or in Canada.

 

[ortemio]

It's probably too late if you have seen smoke. But sometimes there is a slide switch to set the voltage in the converter, Is it there? Is it set to 220?
Also sometimes the problem is whatever you connected to the converter, In very small print , on the bottom of the charger, you can see if it can handle 220...

 

[J Willhaus]

What were you trying to use/charge? We make sure all our electronics are dual voltage so the converter is not needed. Adapter plug only needed. Hope you have not fried anything vital...

 

[Anna Futrell]

Almost had a fire in the first place we are staying!
Had adaptor set correctly to "converter" and not "adaptor ", and STILL the multi plug thing from Costco was smoking, indicating too much juice was hitting it I think.
Any help, (other than carrying a fire extinguisher) would be lovely Friends!

I just bought a small, light usb to wall plug and left my giant converter plug at the albergue.

 

[t2andreo]

Go to any mobile phone store affiliated with a major (local) brand (Mobistar, Orange, Vodaphone). They will have something to help you. It may be more expensive, but it will be safe for your devices and will not burn down an albergue.

Hope this helps,

Tom

 

[CWBuff]

Agree with @J Willhaus - best thing is to get a device that is a dual voltage

That said re:China shops... the 'problem' is (IMHO) that now-a-days matters not which store you buy the gadget at - practically everything is MADE in China and that (sadly) is that
I ran into similar problem not so much with converter but my adaptor (and it was something I got not too long before I left for Camino). Worked fine until I got to Puerta de la Reigna and then decided to start sparking
Given that the gadget was 'needed' (besides the phone I also have my hearing aid where the case is the charger and needs to be plugged in every couple of days) I promptly went out and happily bought one in the 1st grocery store I came across. No issues after that.....

 

[BillandRobin]

Almost had a fire in the first place we are staying!
Had adaptor set correctly to "converter" and not "adaptor ", and STILL the multi plug thing from Costco was smoking, indicating too much juice was hitting it I think.
Any help, (other than carrying a fire extinguisher) would be lovely Friends!

Hey, our first night in Vigo (we were doing last 100 km on Portuguese Camino) a city bus exploded 100 feet from the restaurant where we were having our first meal . It was right out of a dystopian movie. By the next morning it was all cleaned up like it never happened. Nothing on the news. But we have the pictures. Crazy memory from the Camino. (Night of April 30th).

 

[WayWalker]

Almost had a fire in the first place we are staying!
Had adaptor set correctly to "converter" and not "adaptor ", and STILL the multi plug thing from Costco was smoking, indicating too much juice was hitting it I think.
Any help, (other than carrying a fire extinguisher) would be lovely Friends!

Folks, be very careful. This could have ended in disaster. Some Albergues lock you in at night. This has always been disconcerting to me.

 

[ayukawa]

The problem is not that it is made in China. The problem is that people are buying predominately on price. Your iPhones or Android phones are also built there but are manufactured at a high level of quality. As are most of the integrated circuits. I recognize it is hard to identify those products that have been responsibly engineered. But a very low price is a warning sign to me. That said, paying a high price is no guarantee either.

 

[motero99]

most chargers that ship with mainline vendor products for the last few years are dual voltage. If it says 200 or 220, can’t remember which, you just need an adapter. Hair dryers are and hair curlers are an exception. For those you might be better buying one set for European voltage

 

[trecile]

most chargers that ship with mainline vendor products for the last few years are dual voltage

I would say that applies to virtually all chargers. There is no need to use a voltage converter. A simple plug adapter will suffice.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Any help, (other than carrying a fire extinguisher) would be lovely Friends!

Don't wear any synthetic clothes.

Seriously though, may all your bad luck turn to good twofold and all albergues give you choice bunks.

 

[Rita Flower]

No comment about the source of your device but this should be a warning about buying similar such stuff at the all present "China Shops" on the Camino.

A plea - Could we please stop using the term ‘China shop’?
To me the term has a racist tone (even in brackets, even if unindented) and a stated in a later post, China produces a wide range of products, not just the cheaper things.
In Australia, we call them $2 Shops, Discount Stores or Reject shops - even though the things in them aren’t rejects.
The first place I heard the term ‘China Shop’ was on this forum - I thought the person was talking about crockery.
I think our anti discrimination laws might be activated if they were referred to as China shops.

 

[Rita Flower]

I cannot possibly know why the "meltdown" happened but I second @estorildon's advice: Don't get a replacement in a so-called "China shop" (cheap imports that may carry a CE certification label but that's a fake).
Edited to add: I am referring exclusively to products sold in certain retail shops in the EU. I have no knowledge about the retail market in the USA or in Canada.

Please see my comment on using the term ‘China Shop’ following another post.
In Australia, we call them $2 shops, Discount Stores or Reject Stores. Can we make an effort to use these or other alternative names.

 

[t2andreo]

Most of these discount shops are run by Asian migrants. They work hard and contribute a valuable product, by offering a wide variety of basic products at discount prices. I have always been able to find something I needed and at a reasonable price. I value the existence of these shops.

In fact, when I walk through a larger town or city with one or more of these shops, I usually make a pit stop to see if I can find something I can use, on Camino, or at home. It never disappoints.

Across Spain, in my decade of experience, these shops are called Oriental Bazar, Asian Bazar or some variant of that phrasing. They are rarely, in my experience, named "China Shop." I believe this has, unfortunately, become the term of reference as many, but not all, of these shops appear to be run by Asian - likely Chinese - families. They work very hard, together, to offer these products at low prices. Please refer to these shops by the proper phraseology.

This said, I accept that someone, somewhere will provide evidence of a store that DOES, in fact, call itself a China Shop. I am not trying to go political or advance any agenda. I suppose that IMHO, it is more appropriate to refer to them as I described. But, the proprietors can name their shop whatever they wish. There is space here for all opinions.

Also, it is caveat emptor when buying electrical adaptors or converters ANYWHERE in the world. It is true that most better products now come with dual voltage capable power supplies and only require a plug converter to enable your power supply to be plugged in the local outlets.

Hope this helps the dialog.

Tom

 

[Richard Smith]

A plea - Could we please stop using the term ‘China shop’?
To me the term has a racist tone (even in brackets, even if unindented) and a stated in a later post, China produces a wide range of products, not just the cheaper things.
In Australia, we call them $2 Shops, Discount Stores or Reject shops - even though the things in them aren’t rejects.
The first place I heard the term ‘China Shop’ was on this forum - I thought the person was talking about crockery.
I think our anti discrimination laws might be activated if they were referred to as China shops.

But in Spain they are called "chin", I had no idea what this meant when I went looking for a replacement wall plug for the one I left in Acebo, until a lovely council worker who was collecting the garbage showed me.

 

[Goyo]

update
chipped my tooth on a fork, nearly burned the place down in San Sébastien
Lit a candle at the church in SJPP FOR @Gmangirl AND I AND CAUGHT MY FINGER ON FIRE....
Here at La Coquille de Napolean, waiting for the lightening to strike....buen Camino my ARSE!


Almost had a fire in the first place we are staying!
Had adaptor set correctly to "converter" and not "adaptor ", and STILL the multi plug thing from Costco was smoking, indicating too much juice was hitting it I think.
Any help, (other than carrying a fire extinguisher) would be lovely Friends!

Bad stuff often happens in threes… tooth, finger, smoking adaptor. Here’s you are good to go from here on out. Que le vaya muy bien en tu Camino

 

[Kit3010]

update
chipped my tooth on a fork, nearly burned the place down in San Sébastien
Lit a candle at the church in SJPP FOR @Gmangirl AND I AND CAUGHT MY FINGER ON FIRE....
Here at La Coquille de Napolean, waiting for the lightening to strike....buen Camino my ARSE!


Almost had a fire in the first place we are staying!
Had adaptor set correctly to "converter" and not "adaptor ", and STILL the multi plug thing from Costco was smoking, indicating too much juice was hitting it I think.
Any help, (other than carrying a fire extinguisher) would be lovely Friends!

 

[Victoria65]

I agree but but disagree. After living in Portugal for 8 years, many China shops are called just that! “Chinese Shop, Loja China, China Supermercado. These stores are all owned and proudly run and maintained by hard working Chinese families. They name their own stores, why would we deny them that right? We also had numerous “American” stores, is that any more or less derogatory! Mexican tiendas, Indian shops etc., etc.

 

[C clearly]

They are NEVER, in my experience, named "China Shop."

I beg to differ! It is true that I have never seen the word "shop" in the name, but I have definitely seen the word "China."

I thought the person was talking about crockery.
I think our anti discrimination laws might be activated if they were referred to as China shops.

Where did the word "china" as crockery come from? Not every use of the word is derogatory or discriminatory.

 

[trecile]

Almost had a fire in the first place we are staying!
Had adaptor set correctly to "converter" and not "adaptor ", and STILL the multi plug thing from Costco was smoking, indicating too much juice was hitting it I think

Can you please tell us what you had plugged into this adapter/converter thing? I haven't seen a charger for electronics in decades that needed a converter. They are usually only necessary for appliances like hair dryers, curling irons, and toasters - did you happen to bring one of those?

 

[Kathor1]

Please see my comment on using the term ‘China Shop’ following another post.
In Australia, we call them $2 shops, Discount Stores or Reject Stores. Can we make an effort to use these or other alternative names.

So what do you propose as a replacement term on this international English-speaking forum for shops of a kind as they do exist in Spain? In one of the European languages that I frequently use a “discounter” is a supermarket chain like Lidl (but are Lidl as ubiquitous in Australia and the USA as they are here?). A “Reject Store”? Never heard this before so how many readers on the forum know the term? And €2 shops - not sure about that. Pound shop - yes, but that’s another country and currency than the one used in Spain.

I think the shop where I bought a “buff” to replace the one I had lost somewhere on the Camino Francés was called “Bazar”, maybe even “China Bazar”. And as someone else correctly observed there is nothing wrong as such with the quality and safety of electronic products made partially or totally in China. They are an important producer country for goods sold in the EU. My iPhone was produced there, under due quality control and compliance with common safety standards. That is a known fact. It is also known that this does not apply to all products. Especially with cheap items that use electricity caution is advised.

As far as I can tell, tienda China and bazar Chino are generic terms used in Spanish in Spain, and I have been using the literal translation into English on the forum in this sense: a name for these shops you can find in Spain.

 

[Kathor1]

They are NEVER, in my experience, named "China Shop."

Yes, that is unlikely because it is English. For what it is worth, entry number 8 in the RAE, THE authority on Spanish language use in Spain, for the adjective “chino, china“:

8. m. coloq. Bazar o supermercado regentado por chinos. ​

[example:] Compré el cuaderno en un chino ​

[translated into English by DeepL.com]: I bought the notebook in a Chinese shop​

​

As interesting as the use of language is, especially in a context with international backgrounds both linguistically and culturally as diverse as this forum, what I am more interested in, and I see that I am not the only one: What exactly did @TorontoGMan do in San Sebastián to achieve the described effect? Was a device connected to the plug and if so what was it?

Btw, I never see the term “Costco” other than on this forum. It is a discounter in the United States and perhaps also in Canada, right?

 

[Kathor1]

The first place I heard the term ‘China Shop’ was on this forum - I thought the person was talking about crockery.
I think our anti discrimination laws might be activated if they were referred to as China shops.

Did you really never notice what these Spanish shops have chosen to call themselves when you walked through small towns in northern Spain??? Here is one of many, this one is in Galicia in the Lugo province:

 

[Kathor1]

And now here comes the thing: If they call themselves Bazar China in Spanish in Spain, why isn't it translated into English as Bazaar China? And the answer is: bazar in Spanish doesn't mean the same as bazaar in English. Other than denoting a public market with numerous stallholders in some non-European countries (it has this meaning in both Spanish and English), it usually means a charity event where people sell things to raise money for an organisation such as school or hospital in English and it usually means una tienda en que se venden productos muy variados in Spanish, i.e. it's a shop. Context, context, context.

 

[peregrina2000]

I don’t want to wade into the politics of the debate, as I am sitting on a log, looking back over the river we just crossed after taking off our boots and putting on our sandals. Wading across the water is all of the wading I want to do today.

But I do want to correct the misimpression that this term is not used in Spain. It is the term that is always used in Spain to refer to this type of store. In fact, on many occasions, when I asked something like, “where can I buy a pillowcase” to someone walking on the street in a town, the answer was “ hay un chino a unos 50 m.” I’m not telling anyone what to think about the term, but I want to make clear that the forum is most definitely not the origin of the term.

Buen camino!

 

[ivar]

In Santiago (and everyone I know in Spain) call these stores "Chinos".... Spanish for Chinese. These are normally stores run by people of Chinese origin and have many products imported from China. I don't see anything negative about calling them that. But I understand that it might be strange if you are not used to it.

 

[Flatlander]

Just thinking about the "China Shop" thing, I suppose it is possible that the description could be derogatory. Just because it's a common term doesn't necessarily mean that it is either appropriate or good. English is full of descriptive terms that have fallen out of use that once were deemed appropriate and now are not.

As for the names themselves, chosen by and paid for by the operators, I suppose it is possible that a certain amount of "playing a role" is accepted as the price of doing business? Certainly, when common parlance is "Tienda China" or the like, it's a courageous business person who deliberately moves away from that terminology.
I've seen many "Irish Pubs" outside of Ireland, can count on one hand how many name themselves that but I'd wager that every operator is happy to have the label applied. (It's particularly amusing to see the term used in Ireland )

Of course, context is of massive importance in most things, and especially here.
Perhaps it's also relevant that Spain is currently in the midst of a sporting-inspired racism storm.
Sometimes challenging the status quo, or at least asking questions is no bad thing.

In the meantime, if I'm abroad and I want to know where to go to find certain things I find it better to use the terminology the locals use.

To inject a bit of humour, I was once picked up on by an acquaintance for using the term "Paddy" in relation to an (Irish) friend of mine. I (also Irish) was told in no uncertain terms that "Paddy" was a derogatory term and shouldn't be used. My (non-Irish) acquaintance couldn't provide an answer for what I should call my friend whose name is .......... "Paddy".

 

[SabsP]

Just thinking about the "China Shop" thing, I suppose it is possible that the description could be derogatory. Just because it's a common term doesn't necessarily mean that it is either appropriate or good. English is full of descriptive terms that have fallen out of use that once were deemed appropriate and now are not.

As for the names themselves, chosen by and paid for by the operators, I suppose it is possible that a certain amount of "playing a role" is accepted as the price of doing business? Certainly, when common parlance is "Tienda China" or the like, it's a courageous business person who deliberately moves away from that terminology.
I've seen many "Irish Pubs" outside of Ireland, can count on one hand how many name themselves that but I'd wager that every operator is happy to have the label applied. (It's particularly amusing to see the term used in Ireland )

Of course, context is of massive importance in most things, and especially here.
Perhaps it's also relevant that Spain is currently in the midst of a sporting-inspired racism storm.
Sometimes challenging the status quo, or at least asking questions is no bad thing.

In the meantime, if I'm abroad and I want to know where to go to find certain things I find it better to use the terminology the locals use.

To inject a bit of humour, I was once picked up on by an acquaintance for using the term "Paddy" in relation to an (Irish) friend of mine. I (also Irish) was told in no uncertain terms that "Paddy" was a derogatory term and shouldn't be used. My (non-Irish) acquaintance couldn't provide an answer for what I should call my friend whose name is .......... "Paddy".

Maybe someone could ask an owner of a Bazar Chino in Spain what he or she thinks about it?
That is my only ethical reference ( interest ) in this ( cultural ) debate.

 

[Tony Lenton]

I agree but but disagree. After living in Portugal for 8 years, many China shops are called just that! “Chinese Shop, Loja China, China Supermercado. These stores are all owned and proudly run and maintained by hard working Chinese families. They name their own stores, why would we deny them that right? We also had numerous “American” stores, is that any more or less derogatory! Mexican tiendas, Indian shops etc., etc.

Not that long ago in England we had what were known as “P… shops”. That was horribly racist and there is similar scope for that here. If they sold only Chinese products or food then calling it a Chinese shop/restaurant might be acceptable but naming a general store according to the nationality of the owners seems dubious to me. I sure nobody meant it that way but it’s always best to be cautious/polite in considering such matters.

 

[dbier]

Still want to know how the OP lit his/ her finger on fire, and whether it's healing well...

 

[Kathor1]

Not that long ago in England we had what were known as “P… shops”. That was horribly racist and there is similar scope for that here.

@Tony Lenton, not exactly the same because the word you refer to is commonly regarded as a racist slur in English and in England. All we can say about "China shop" is that the term is not meant to denote a shop that sells items made of porcelain, that it denotes a shop in Spain*) that sells cheap items such as phone cables, chargers, connectors, umbrellas and headgear, and that, anyway, I would recommend buying electrical gear and electronic items in El Corte Inglés or MediaMarkt but that would also not necessarily be understood by forum members from far away who are not familiar with Spain ...

Edited to add: *) denotes specific retail shops in Spain and in Portugal but, as far as I know, there is no equivalent linguistic term for potentially similar retail shops in other countries and languages of Europe.

 

[Kathor1]

Lit a candle at the church in SJPP FOR @Gmangirl AND I AND CAUGHT MY FINGER ON FIRE....

Still want to know how the OP lit his / her finger on fire, and whether it's healing well...

Looks like they still allow the use of 'real' wax candles in the church Notre-Dame du Bout du Pont near the bridge in SJPP. For a moment I had feared that our budding peregrino had managed to set those red electric candles on fire that you can see in the background of this photo .

 

[David Tallan]

Across Spain, in my decade of experience, these shops are called Oriental Bazar, Asian Bazar or some variant of that phrasing. They are NEVER, in my experience, named "China Shop."

I always thought a China Shop is where you buy porcelain tableware and figurines (like Royal Doulton).
cf. "bull in a china shop"

 

[David Tallan]

it usually means una tienda en que se venden productos muy variados in Spanish, i.e. it's a shop. Context, context, context.

I'm not sure I would use "shop" as a translation for the Spanish you quote, as it loses the productos muy variados element. In my dialect of English general store better captures that, albeit it isn't in frequent use nowadays. So "Chinese general store"?

 

[Kathor1]

I always thought a China Shop is where you buy porcelain tableware and figurines (like Royal Doulton). cf. "bull in a china shop"

FWIW, this word association works only in English. French, German, Spanish does not use "china" in this sense. They use porcelaine, Porzellan, porcelana. And in German it's an elephant in the porcelain shop and not a bull. I think also in Spanish where it's un elefante en una cristalería but I am not 100% certain.

Dorothy, we are somewhere else now ...

 

[David Tallan]

Just thinking about the "China Shop" thing, I suppose it is possible that the description could be derogatory. Just because it's a common term doesn't necessarily mean that it is either appropriate or good. English is full of descriptive terms that have fallen out of use that once were deemed appropriate and now are not.

As for the names themselves, chosen by and paid for by the operators, I suppose it is possible that a certain amount of "playing a role" is accepted as the price of doing business? Certainly, when common parlance is "Tienda China" or the like, it's a courageous business person who deliberately moves away from that terminology.

This makes me think of "Chinese laundry" in North America. The term is a product of a whole bunch of elements (many non-linguistic) of structural racism here earlier which resulted for a strong presence of Asians in that field of endeavour.

But that is leaving a discussion of Caminos, so let's not head too far down that track.

 

[David Tallan]

FWIW, this word association works only in English. French, German, Spanish does not use "china" in this sense. They use porcelaine, Porzellan, porcelana. And in German it's an elephant in the porcelain shop and not a bull. I think also in Spanish where it's un elefante en una cristalería but I am not 100% certain.

Dorothy, we are somewhere else now ...

True, but this is an English language forum and the language we are generally writing in is English. So when I read things, my mind leaps to the general English meaning.

 

[Kathor1]

True, but this is an English language forum and the language we are generally writing in is English. So when I read things, my mind leaps to the general English meaning.

Just trying to broaden linguistic and cultural horizons ...

 

[Kathor1]

I'm not sure I would use "shop" as a translation for the Spanish you quote, as it loses the productos muy variados element. In my dialect of English general store better captures that, albeit it isn't in frequent use nowadays. So "Chinese general store"?

I am used to hearing and speaking BE. They definitely pop down to the shops and not to the stores.

It may well have been the community of the thousands if not millions of Brits who either go on holiday to Spain or live there in their second homes who coined the term "China shops" as a meaningful translation in the first place.

 

[David Tallan]

I am used to hearing and speaking BE. They definitely pop down to the shops and not to the stores.

True, but many of those shops sell only one kind of product, which is (a) why I didn't think it captured the quality of variety that the Spanish word does and I was looking for a term that did; perhaps the British have an alternative and (b) why they pop down to the shops (plural) since they need to go to different shops for different things.

 

[Rmarkob]

I stopped in a hiking store in Sarria to replace some AAA batteries in my headlamp and the owner told me in Spanish that she didn’t carry them but that I could find them “en el chino por allá” across the street. She was, of course, correct and I found them there.

 

[JCarpenter]

This is a response to the "Buen Camino my arse" comment but not the technical aspects. I feel the pain. Having just recently experienced a day that seemed like a sitcom with a laugh track, I might suggest this: Do enjoy not having burnt the place down. Do enjoy that you get to explore Spain today. No matter you philosophy or spiritual bent, this might be a reminder that this is an opportunity to slow down your pace of life, and reduce your connection to all things stressful, and laugh at yourself. Do things with intention. Grab a view, a beer,or tea and do everything but think. Perhaps the answer, or even better, a question will come to you.

 

[WGroleau]

Please see my comment on using the term ‘China Shop’ following another post.
In Australia, we call them $2 shops, Discount Stores or Reject Stores. Can we make an effort to use these or other alternative names.

I agree. However, in Spain or Perú, you will hear such a shop called "el chino," and though I speak Spanish, I am not sure the translation of "$2 shops, Discount Stores or Reject Stores" would be understood And every such shop I've encountered in Spain and Perú had oriental staff. Many with Chinese on the signage. I never saw one in my dozens of days in Mexico.

 

[WGroleau]

This makes me think of "Chinese laundry" in North America. The term is a product of a whole bunch of elements (many non-linguistic) of structural racism here earlier which resulted for a strong presence of Asians in that field of endeavour.

I always assumed that it was the other way 'round—that long ago, laundry shops were usually operated by Chinese. Whichever, it's probably a good thing that the term has pretty much faded away.

 

[David Tallan]

I always assumed that it was the other way 'round—that long ago, laundry shops were usually operated by Chinese. Whichever, it's probably a good thing that the term has pretty much faded away.

They were. But there was a reason for that and it isn't that Chinese people were naturally better at laundry or they considered it an attractive career choice in Chinese culture. There was structural racism that limited their opportunities. It is a good thing that things have changed for the better.

 

[Kathor1]

Returning to Spain and to the question of how to call these Spanish shops in the language of the forum which is English, I can shed some more light on it: According to this Spanish Wikipedia article, they were widely known, especially in the 1990s, as Tienda de todo a 100 which translates as Everything for 100 and where 100 stood for 100 pesetas. In the United States, says this same Spanish Wikipedia article, they are called Tienda de dólar» (dollar store). And then it adds: En España son conocidas coloquialmente como "el chino".

When you click on the other language versions of this article (which are not necessarily a translated version of each other), you find the following suggestions in the English Wikipedia article for this type of shop: a variety store (also five and dime (historic), pound shop, or dollar store).

Scrolling down, I see that other parts of the world are included: for Australia, they list The Reject Shop and Daiso, for New Zealand it is The $2 Shop, 1 2 3 Dollar Shop and Coin Save, Japan has 100-yen shops (百円ショップ or 百均 hyakkin) that have proliferated since around 2001, and in China, ¥2 (or ¥3, depending on the area's economic prosperity) shops have become a common sight in most cities.

 

[David Tallan]

Returning to Spain and to the question of how to call these Spanish shops in the language of the forum which is English, I can shed some more light on it: According to this Spanish Wikipedia article, they were widely known, especially in the 1990s, as Tienda de todo a 100 which translates as Everything for 100 and where 100 stood for 100 pesetas. In the United States, says this same Spanish Wikipedia article, they are called Tienda de dólar» (dollar store). And then it adds: En España son conocidas coloquialmente como "el chino".

When you click on the other language versions of this article (which are not necessarily a translated version of each other), you find the following suggestions in the English Wikipedia article for this type of shop: a variety store (also five and dime (historic), pound shop, or dollar store).

Scrolling down, I see that other parts of the world are included: for Australia, they list The Reject Shop and Daiso, for New Zealand it is The $2 Shop, 1 2 3 Dollar Shop and Coin Save, Japan has 100-yen shops (百円ショップ or 百均 hyakkin) that have proliferated since around 2001, and in China, ¥2 (or ¥3, depending on the area's economic prosperity) shops have become a common sight in most cities.

I will admit that "variety store" and "dollar store" work much better than "general store" that sounds like it belongs in an old Western movie.

 

[CWBuff]

AAAAAHHHHHHH

the converters vs chargers, por favor