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The
Gran Canarian often don't seem
to believe in queuing and people often push and shove their way to
the front. Shop assistants will not always serve customers in order;
so if it is your turn - speak up! The last person in line is called
"la ultima," and you may ask or be asked who is "La Ultima".
Some foreigners complain that Gran Canarian service people can be surly,
but we have found the great majority of them to be friendly and
pleasant.
One of the biggest
attractions of shopping on the island is undeniably the low duties
that are applied to certain imported goods, which means that one can
find a series of products at prices that are between 10 and 30
percent lower than in the rest of the European territory.
Thus, one will find very competitive prices on the island for
perfumes, cosmetics, tobacco, alcohol and, to a lesser extent,
electronic apparatus and motor vehicles.
Gran Canaria have a
lot of shopping streets.
One of the best known in Las Palmas is the street Calle Mayor de Triana.
This street is a
pedestrian zone and you can find all kinds of shops, cafés and
restaurants here. Together with Vegueta this is one of the oldest
districts in Las Palmas, and there are plenty of old buildings and
beautiful architecture here.
Check out the shop of Zara. Housed in a beautiful building with a
patio and traditional canarian balconies made of wood, all inside
the shop. The Avenida Mesa y López is the
main shopping street of Las Palmas. It stretches almost from Las
Canteras in the west of the city to Playa Alcaravaneras in the east.
Here you can find many of the more exclusive and upper class shops
of the city. But also plenty of other shops. The national
shoppingcentre El Corte Inglés has two big buildings here with
plenty of floors filled with all kinds of things.
About commerce
Gran Canaria has a long commercial tradition thanks to the activity
of its strategic port, which was a free port until the accession of
Spain to the EU. Through this port, the island has been supplied
with the most diverse goods from the respective continents,
including goods that have been difficult to find in other parts of
the European continent.
In addition, Gran Canarias status as a tourist destination has
placed the island in a very privileged position from a commercial
point of view. Commerce has reached a high level of development on
the island, being based mainly on a potential market of almost 4.5
million people, including the resident population, tourists and
visitors.
Opening Hours:
Some bigger shops and stores may be closed on Sundays but the
general opening hours are 10.00 - 20.00, with a few taking the
customary siesta between 13.30 and 16.30..
Supermarkets are usually open between 10.00 - 22.00, although in the
tourist resorts they might be open from 08.00 - 23.00 or 24.00 |
