Groningen Shopping

I had arrived late in the central area, and was unsure what to do but then thought about some shopping. I came across this store, one of two in close proximity to each other.

There was excellent service provided by the two staff, Viola and Willem. I wanted to buy a certain style of shoe, and the size was not quite right, however they checked with a nearby branch and sadly they only had the same sizes. Luckily they fit - as I tend to buy a size larger than I need.

A franchise concept for all sorts of culinary delights. The shop also has a kitchen where specialities are made.

What to buy: Sauces, mustards, jams, jellies, marmelades, baking mixes, oil and vinegars, fruitbutters, spreads, chutneys and a section of body care products.
Apart from that, fun kitchen aids, baking utensils, etc.

What to pay: Their website offers all the prices. In the shop itself I did not see much prices which is a bit of a downer.

If your shopping for Groceries..your main shops will be:

Albert Heijn: High end, more expensive than rest, popular because of wide selection- there's an excellent one in Grote Market built in an old building with three gods guarding the enterance..very cute and hard to miss..if you keep walking straight from leaving the train station for about 1 kilometer you'll hit it.

Aldi: Cheaper, lots of stuff

Lidl: Also cheaper, lots of stuff

Super De Boer: Not as cheap as Ali or Lidl, but cheaper than Albert Heijn- the one i go to is close to Regentesstraat, smack by the canal

UPDATE: my favourite grocery shopping spot is Albert Heijn, get yourself a (free) bonus card, the more you shop the more discounts you get

What to buy: If you're shopping in the netherlands, most of labels are in dutch and not english...some general stuff i remember by now:

Kip: Chicken
Vlees: Flesh...so kipvlees is chicken flesh..
Hum: Ham
Sukker: Sugar

You can always ask any of the store help, their friendly in general and speak english..

What to pay: Grocery is slightly more expensive then in the US, comparable to the UK.everything is available..

Quality is great and variety wide

If you want to shop in Groningen, you can easily spend a whole day (or more). The Heerestraat is Groningen's biggest shopping street and all the famous brands/shops can be found there. Doesn't diifer that much from any other city in the Netherlands (see picture). The markets (Groote Markt and Vismarkt) are interesting places where you can find a lot of things. And be sure to check out all the little streets around the markets and the Heerestraat. More detail shops are to be found there and also in the Ebbingestraat.

What to buy: My favorite place: The travel book section of Scholten & Wristers between the Groote Markt and Vismarkt.

There's this cute tiny comic/cartoon items shop on the side of the road between Grote Market and the train station, you'll see a spongebob or a betty boop t-shirt smirking at you

To get there:

Ok, so you're standing in front of Albert Heijne Supermarket building in the middle of Grote Market
If your back is facing Albert Heijn, take your right and keep keep walking straight down the alley...as if your walking towards the cinema or the train station

You'll probably find a spongebob staring at you from your right

What to buy: Tshirts, mugs, socks, etc
Plenty of things Cartoon related

Xenos is a cheap place, you'll find alot of students walking in and out..
here you'll find candles, lighters, scents, gardening stuff/seeds, vases, boxes, some general food items like pasta sauces and dips etc..

What to buy: I found a funny Opuim scented candel here...!

What i ended up buying though were some cheap boxes for my flat, and candles and some herb mixed olive oil and olives..

If you're going shopping in the Netherlands (and overall to be an environmentally concious person) buy yourself a cheap shopping bag to put your stuff in
Their available all over..in different styles and sizes (trollys, messenger bags, backpacks, etc)

Otherwise, normally you pay a small amount for plastic bags at shops here.

This shop focusses on worldly culture. Travel guide books of all countries, maps, beautiful cook books, thrilling travel stories and music from all over the world make you wanna travel asap.
The unique thing for Groningen is the extensive collection of music from all over the world and the jazz section: at least 3000 titels are available and it s kept actualized as much as possible.
The shop owner imports much himself, so prices aren t too outrageous, travel guide books like Lonely Planet (in English) are proof of that.

What to buy: It s a pity but the shop no longer excists :s .... went looking for it but it has gone :(.