LangMedia

As Slovakia’s economy transforms into a market economy, shopping opportunities are rapidly increasing, particularly with the construction of shopping malls. In addition to the malls, there is a great variety of small shops and boutiques in every city or town. One can find European as well as American-brand goods in these stores, and prices often differ considerably from store to store. Usually, but not necessarily, price is indicative of quality. When shopping, one should pay attention to return policies which tend to be stricter than U.S. policies or have special clauses. Certain products, such as shoes, might not be returnable at all. Open air clothing markets sell mostly Vietnamese and Chinese-made clothing of inexpensive prices.

Newspaper stands ( trafika ) sell cigarettes and tickets for public transportation in addition to newspapers and magazines. Drugstores ( drogeria ) sell cleaning and beauty products, but no medications; these can only be bought at pharmacies. In self-service stores, such as drugstores, one must always carry a shopping basket or push a cart. A shopper is not permitted to wander the store carrying random objects by hand.