Shopping High: Finally! UK Treats On The Cheap in Madrid!

I woke up to an aubergine sky, perpetually wet streets and this mist-filled air. Hello, dreary saturday! You remind me so much of  London´s bed weather.

I was tempted to stay under the covers all day, catch up on Homeland, my current  series obsession, order greasy Chinese food and be the sloth that I am.  But N, my cheery and very reliable Pinay friend who comes to my flat twice a month to  clean, reorganize and straighten my stuff messaged me that she was arriving at half past two, so I had to move my lazy ass off the bed and get out of the flat while she did her cleaning magic.

I walked the cold, drizzling streets with a few tasks in mind.  First, get a replacement sim card for my phone, next, window shop for a  pair of winter boots.  I wasn´t in the mood to ride buses or the Metro so I  just walked to the nearest mobile phone shop. Closed.  Hmmm, okay, I suppose I have to go to the mobile phone shop´s bigger branch at the city center tomorrow.  And sige, I´ll do the window shopping for boots tomorrow na lang din.  Didn´t I tell you I am the laziest sloth ever? 

Instead of going off to accomplish the tasks above, I decided to just walk ahead and find  a coffee shop where I can have a hot cup of tea and a soft couch to laze on while I pass the time. So walk I did and that was how I stumbled upon a shop called Dealz.

Dealz? with a Z? Isn´t it a bit lame  for a shop name? In Filipino lingo, it is ohmygawd jologs!  But then I saw something that made me stop.  Dealz, Part of the Poundland Family. Huh? Poundland UK? And my memory turned to that delightful Poundland discount shop in Hounslow, London which I visited without fail every weekend in search of great deals.  I recall buying a lot of Neutrogena items, Toffifee, shortbread biscuits, and other sweets there on the cheap! I peeked inside  Dealz and saw a lot of people shopping, so of  course, my bargain hunter Amazonian self went in and attacked!

The first thing that´ll make anyone happy at Dealz  is the price.  All items are just 1.5€ each! The pricing makes sense since one British pound is roughly 1.3€ and in the UK, the shops are named Poundland.  Sure, there´s a bit of a price adjustment but 1.5€ is still cheap since it´s less than 100 Philippine Pesos!

                                        Tempting Sweets at Dealz  Image from economica.es

I learned that this is the first Dealz shop in Madrid. Lucky me as  it´s just a twenty minute walk from my flat!  The store is spanking new and looks very inviting with wide aisles, still immaculate walls and gleaming metal and wooden shelves. 

Now for the products. I am happy to discover that Dealz is the place to go for people who long for british sweets and treats!   Like any other discount stores, it offers a mishmash of brands and product lines: grocery items, health and beauty, household stuff, DIY and craft items, and even party favors.

I saw Imperial Leather, Simple, Dettol and Original Source bodycare products.  There were also english language books for kids.  A happiness-inducing range of  Cadbury, Tunnock's , Rowntree, Aero and Kitkat sweets, english spreads,  A1 sauce, english mustard, crisps and a whole load of british treats.   There are a few Spanish goodies too, but really, I would come back here for the British treats that I couldn´t find anywhere else in Spain.   Even the Spanish folks were excited with their finds.  Case in point: while I was checking out the Cadbury treats, one Spanish lady literally swooned when she saw Cadbury Milk Trays on offer at 1.5€ each and then proceeded to load four boxes into her shopping basket.

                                       Image from economica.es

There were a lot of Filipinas in the store too.  I think I saw ten while I was there.  A group in particular were congregating around the stack of giant Toblerone bars.  One lady was asking her companion if it was possible to fit 20 of these bars in her carry-on bag.  She´s  focused on buying gifts now for those who are in the Philippines.  There was the  other Pinay lady who was confused on what english book to buy for her kid in Pinas.  Or the two younger Pinays who were ratting on their pretentious friend while sniffing out the body lotions on offer and discussing how many bottles of lotions can they fit in their baggage. How sweet, no? At sales like these, us Pinoys would usually hoard goodies not really for us but for the people we love back home.  Moreso  now because it´s Christmastime, the happiest holiday for us Pinoys.  And that is why for the thousands (or perhaps millions) of Filipinos homeward bound to the Philippines this holiday season,  the buying of gifts and small keepsakes for their loved ones is a task that´s taken seriously.  

Now back to Dealz. So what good deals have I got from my first visit to this UK discount store?

                                A set of three ramekins, 1.5€ per set

                                          Coley & Gill of England Toasted Marshmallow Candle, 1.5€

                               Oral-B Sensitive Mouthwash, 1.5€

                               Original Source Pink Grapefruit Shower Gel, 1.5€

                               Simple Mint Invigorating Shower Gel, 1.5€

                            

                                Heinz Baked Beans with Pork Sausages, 2 for 1.5€

                               

Snacking Essentials Healthy Snack Packs, 1.5€ per pack

Cadbury Goodies! Brunch Bar, Dairy Milk Caramel 4-pack, 1.5€ 

Tunnock´s Caramel Wafer Biscuit, 6-pack my favorite UK choc treat ever! 1.5€ 

Terry´s Chocolate Orange Bars 4-pack, 1.5€

Now, just so it´s clear.  No, I do not plan to stuff my face with chocolates until I die or turn into a female version of the Michelin Man.  Most of the sweet stuff, I´ll bring home to the Philippines for the fambam. See, I am an OFW through and through! My family are chocolate fiends and  I so enjoy hoarding chocolates and sweet treats for them. I know they will love these UK sweets, especially my mother who still keeps the tin can of Terry´s Choco Orange I brought home from the UK ages ago. 

So definitely, I will drop by Dealz again soon. Ermmm, perhaps tomorrow, when I do my Sunday morning jog :-) Will post my new finds again soon!

Dealz Madrid

Calle Bravo Murillo 192

Metro Station: Estrecho