17:44 Jan 12 

In later years, they would've been more aptly named "Anything-but-100-peseta shops"...

17:35 Jan 12 

Not greatly acquainted, although my boys invented a family rule this summer, which was that they were to be allowed a daily visit to a pound shop clutching a pound coin each. The range of products didn't seem to be as great as here, but maybe I was going to little ones.

Also to be found in Japan (did all my souvenir shopping there!): I of course referred to them as "cien yen" shops... (before the chinos took over here, there was a brief flurry of 100 peseta shops here in Spain).

17:35 Jan 12 

I totally agree with you, Jane. A pound shop is the English version of our "chinos".

17:32 Jan 12 

Perhaps someone should start one on the most useful thing for a translator bought in a chino... Or ask how many things you currently have within your field of vision that come from one... Some of the exercise books cluttering my desk have been good buys, but the bicycle pump definitely wasn't. Why haven't I binned this? Now I have. Mind you, I bought a football pump in Cxxxxxour yesterday, and that lasted as long as it took to pump up one ball. Come on moderators, rub me out!

17:32 Jan 12 

If this is for the UK market then our equivalent is the pound shops.

16:59 Jan 12 

A bicycle from a Chinese shop attempted to "murder" me. Twice.

16:58 Jan 12 

I have rarely bought anything in a "chino" that worked/survived the day without falling to bits. Their glue tends to be particularly useless. However, I must admit I got a very good mop bucket there recently.

16:48 Jan 12 

The "chino" phenomenon may have developed since you lived here Aoife. Huge emporia that sell everything from knickers to frying pans. Mainly dirt cheap, quality very variable, and a great range of things that are so cheap you might as well buy them even though you don't really need a new set of fridge magnets depicting emoticons/a complete set of Allen keys/a toe separator device for making it easier to paint you nails etc etc. Very difficult to come out without buying something you hadn't intended to, and this is the thinking behind the display this customer is talking about.