Countdown Day 4: Corner Market

China has big stores, but it has tons and tons and tons (and tons) of little stores. Some of the stores are mobile -- a buggy on the back of a bicycle, for example, or a blanket spread on the ground with wares for sale. But most of the smaller stores are of the "mom-n-pop-corner-market" variety.

Now, before you get images in your head of gleaming 7-11 markets with refrigerated beverages etc., just stop. No such luxuries exist in the village near our house. Rather, this is the typical corner market:
They sell the staples that the locals need: beer, various salty sauces for cooking, eggs (usually), dried noodles, baiju (a fouler than foul liquor), cigarettes, etc. The contents change from store to store, with some stores having a better variety of stuff.

We have a favorite corner market that we frequent that's across the street from the gym. The women who runs it is nice to us and doesn't charge us a foreigner mark-up. Plus, they stock PBR, which is one of our staple foods here.

The coolest part about these markets is that they're open late and they seem to be able to sell whatever they want to. None of these pesky regulations prohibiting them from selling beer before noon (for instance).