Away from the tourist center of Prague, near the Palmovka metro station in Libeň, a non-residential space was being rebuilt for some time, and the operators soon announced that a new convenience store would open there. The window was then filled with countless souvenirs for tourists and marijuana-smoking accessories, just like in the historical center of Prague.
We knew several weeks before the opening that this convenience store would be built here. When we spoke with a resident, we could not find positive words for the new business. He was mainly bothered by the aforementioned legal marijuana, as well as by tourist items.
In addition, there are several other convenience stores near Zenklova Street, where the new grocery store with an expanded range of products was created.
One Vietnamese is about sixty meters from the new one, and another is across the street. There are also two supermarkets nearby, Albert and Billa. Let’s not forget the Palmovka metro station, where similar stores have also mushroomed.
The competition is simply high. Marijuana everywhere
We were so curious about what the new store would bring. And how it would fare against local competition. But the prices of “legal” marijuana and other smoking paraphernalia and souvenirs must be lower than in the center. So we went there right after it opened to find out how the local convenience store was doing.
At the checkout, we found that there are as many accessories and everything related to “legal” marijuana available here as in some stores that focus solely on this product, from various pipes and dozens of lighters to milligram scales.
In addition, there are several types of legal CBD cannabis, which, for example, is not yet allowed in Slovakia for interest—also, so-called HHC marijuana. Like kratom (more HERE), HHC is now being discussed. It is a substance called Hexahydrocannabinol, which comes from cannabis and has recently arrived on the Czech market from America. It is legal, and according to the experience of several users, its effects do not differ significantly from THC, which is banned in several countries around the world, such as the Netherlands.
Big surprise
We were surprised by the favorable prices when we walked among the shelves of groceries and other products. We didn’t thoroughly compare it with other convenience stores, but from what we know, we can say that this might be the cheapest one in the area.
The assortment ranges from pencil batteries, headphones, stuffed animals, candles, and balloons for birthday celebrations to school notebooks, stockings, and other items. Everything you can think of.
There’s also a drugstore section. Listerine mouthwash for 150 Czech korunas, Head & Shoulders shampoo for 120, and many other brands are available. Nivea deodorants for 80 can also be purchased here at almost the same price as in supermarkets.
However, the main attraction is the food. We even saw a corner with mainly Asian cuisine products for the kitchen, including high-quality Kikkoman soy sauce for 110 Czech korunas, cheaper than on most online websites. You can also find coconut milk and various types of noodles here.
Canned Rio Mare tuna is also reasonably priced, ranging from 70 to 100 Czech korunas. The ham, cheese, and sausage prices are the same as in supermarkets. Cookies such as Bounty, Mars, Snickers, Kit Kat, and others cost 15 korunas.
Fair prices against the backdrop of the smell of marijuana When we talked to Znovín Znojmo’s sales representative for Central Bohemia and Prague, Karel Slavík, in connection with overpriced convenience stores in the city center, he briefly described the Vietnamese business. In addition to convenience stores usually purchasing from the Tamda wholesale market, he also talked about attacks on discount events in supermarkets. According to him, merchants have installed programs alerting them to discounts.
We even saw Znovín Znojmo’s wines, which Slavík represents, in convenience stores in downtown Prague for 350 Czech korunas.
“I disagree with that, but I am too small of a man to do anything about it,” he responded.
The new convenience store was surprising in this case as well. You can purchase the exact wine for 130 korunas. Beer cans range from 20 to 30 korunas. The advantage of the convenience store is that it is open until midnight, so if you have to go shopping in the late hours, you don’t have to worry that the small purchase would cost you a lot. In this respect, it is safe here. However, those bothered by the typical smell of marijuana will have to go elsewhere.