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The Convenience Stores in New York City: Practical and Essential

THE convenience stores are an integral part of the New York cityscape! They are present on almost every street corner and will prove very practical during your stay in the Big Apple.

These local shops, open every day, 24 hours a daywill be the ultimate answer to (almost) all your needs 😉 .
I explain here everything you can find in these convenience stores and what their good plans are.

Schedule : open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.

Or ? : They are everywhere, you can’t miss them!

Good plan : a practical solution for meals on the go at affordable prices.

What is a convenience store?

Originating from the USA, convenience stores are neighborhood convenience stores open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They can also be found in Great Britain, Japan, Canada, France, etc. In French, we could translate convenience store by the word grocery.

It’s the sign 7-Elevena very widespread sign everywhere in the USA (in theAmerican Westin Florida, etc.) which opened the first store of its kind. Its name refers to its opening hours of 7am to 11pm. On the strength of this success, the firm then decided in the early 1960s to extend its time slots. Since then, the chain’s stores have been permanently open and have paved the way for other stores of the same type.

There are also other local shops, called bodegas. They are small independent grocery stores, often run by owners of Hispanic origin. You can find them on almost every street corner in New York!

Finally, the convenience stores that you will find the most, in the end in New York, are the CVS Pharmacy, Duane Read, Rite Aid and other Walgreens stores. They offer both a grocery side with food, cosmetics, household products… but with few fresh products, and both a pharmacy side with medicines and at least one pharmacist.

Convenience stores play an essential role in the daily life of New Yorkers, but they are also very practical for us tourists! Indeed, they allow us to easily find basic necessities and / or what to buy something to nibble or make a meal, day and night. 😉

What products are found in convenience stores in New York?

You can actually find a bit of everything in these convenience stores 😉:

food products (chips, sandwiches, cakes, fruit, ice cream, etc.)
drinks (water, soda, fruit juice, alcoholic beverages, etc.)
everything related to baby food as well as nappies, wipes… hygiene products (shampoo, toothpaste, make-up, etc.)
over-the-counter medications (painkillers, eye drops, anti-allergy, colds, etc.)
over-the-counter drugs but you need a prescription to get them.
cigarettes (be careful, no buying if you are under 21!)
and lots of bazaar type items such as batteries, sunglasses, key rings, toys, papers…

In some shops, you can even find small food stalls such as making your own hot dog, soda fountains, coffee machines, ice cream machines, etc. .

Convenience store brands in New York

You will find different brands but the best known are 7-Eleven, Duane Reade, Walgreens, Rite Aid et CVS Pharmacy.

We must also add to its brands the many independent bodegas. The bogedas are nice too because they each offer very different products thanks to the cultural diversity of New York 😉 .

What is special about convenience stores?

At the bottom of these shops, you will find an over-the-counter medicine section, see a pharmacy with a pharmacist from whom you can ask for advice. Indeed, in the USA, pharmacies are often located in drugstores, supermarkets, etc. . You will therefore not find independent pharmacies strictly speaking like with us 🙂 .

CVS, Walgreens, Duane Reade, Rite Aid, …, have these pharmacy departments where you will find painkillers, antacids, antihistamines, all accessible without a prescription. It is rather practical when you are sick because it can save you from going through the doctor or emergency room, which could be very expensive for you!!! (see my article on travel insurance here: All about travel insurance before you go on a trip to New York).

And even deeperyou will find the counter for medicines that require a prescription (prescription). Often, there is also a room with a doctor inside in what is called a Minute Clinic. He can examine you without an appointment and give you a prescription if necessary. So, of course, he won’t put a cast on you if you break your arm, but for the little sores, it does the job very well 😉 .

What are the good plans of convenience stores?

Convenience stores offer several great deals 😉:

Opening hours : open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, enough to find everything you need at any time of day or night!
Their locations: there are almost everywhere, which is practical! No need to go far from the tourist sites to get something to eat or drink.
The price : you will find something to have a meal on the go for an overall reasonable budget, in any case, you will eat for less than in a restaurant 😉 . You can even go and have your coffee in a bodega in the morning, you’ll get it for less than $2!

my good plan

I advise you to buy your M&M’s in a convenience store, you will find lots of flavors and you will pay less for them than at the M&M’S Store 😉

Conclusion

Whether you’re looking for snacks, drinks or essentials, New York’s convenience stores are a must! In addition, the prices are affordable and you will always find promotions, enough to relieve your budget a little 😉 .

2023-08-03 14:41:17
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