For groceries there are a number of little corner shops underneath the apartment complex, or a Tesco within walking distance. Tesco is quite scruffy and poorly lit, as is a nearby Walmart. Much nicer is the Carrefour about 2km into town, which is worth the short taxi ride.
Carrefour was the first large supermarket chain to enter China and have all the best locations, largest stores and widest selection. Under the World Trade Centre is the Market Garden supermarket, selling high-end goods including Western food items such as Marmite and Lea & Perrins.
Larger supermarkets seem to have a huge number of staff hanging rounds trying to convince you to buy certain items, especially in the toiletries section. It seems that Nivea or whoever sends along a representative to the store who gets to stand next to the Nivea display and wave things at you and shout loudly until they realise you’re incompetent at Chinese. Most Western brands are now available and compete for space with the local items, but do all cost 3-4 times the price yet are still cheaper than back in the UK.
A marked difference between here and home is the number of live animals for sale in the supermarket – all manner of seafood and reptiles can be bought, still swimming or kicking, ready for you to take home and dispatch for supreme freshness. The number of cuts of meat on offer far exceeds that in most UK butchers, with the heads, intestines and other less identifiable body parts all widely available.
Carrefour also contained a small pet shop, with small fluffy dogs, cats and rabbits in cages, all looking doe-eyed and waiting for a new home. At least I think it was a pet shop…
Have you been to Jenny Lou's? There are a couple of shops around Beijing, and they serve all imported stuff. Worth a visit when you're craving!
Definitely looks good – thanks for the tip!