discount shops / variety stores
Explanation:
Here you go; two translations for the price of one, two for a pound...
After looking into this a bit I've come to the conclusion that tiendas multiprecio seem to correspond to what are called discount shops in the UK and variety stores in the US.
References in a moment...
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Note added at 1 hr (2010-12-21 09:23:04 GMT)
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1. multiprecio = "veinte duros" aka "todo a cien"
Multiprecio is a euphemism for a kind of shop that sells cheap items; there may be many different prices but they're all supposed to be a bargain.
This is what used to be called a "tienda de veinte duros" or just "veinte duros", a term which survived the introduction of the euro (20 duros = 100 ptas) but is heard much less often in the last few years, since practically all these shops seem to be run by Chinese and are known, logically, as "chinos".
"Actualmente funcionando como multiprecio (Tienda veinte duros)"
"el establecimiento de negocios destinados a productos 'multiprecio' (las tiendas de veinte duros) en la calle Real"
Even enshrined in local "Convenio colectivo del Comercio de Actividades Diversas para la provincia de Valencia para los años 2007, 2008 y 2009":
"[...] tiendas denominadas de 'todo a cien' o 'multiprecio' [...]", http://convenios.juridicas.com/convenios/comercio-actividade...
They allegedly offer greater quality guarantees than the "chinos", at least according to this (perhaps not unbiased) worker: "Todos los artículos que se distribuyen en la tienda multiprecio en la que yo trabajo desde hace 7 años, están homologados y son seguros, cosa que no se puede decir de mis vecinos orientales." http://www.ciao.es/Gangas__Opinion_1042397 . But they are basically similar. They're like bargain basements, except that they're separate shops, not part of a department store.
2. But I don't think they are UK pound shops, though I'm not 100% certain of that. It does look to me, though I no longer live in the UK, as though in pound shops things do cost a pound, as Patrick says in the discussion, whereas multiprecio, as the name suggests, is not one-price-only. Nor are "veinte duros" or "todo a cien"; presumably once everything there did cost a maximum of 100 ptas (latterly 1 euro), but that's not been literally true, or at least not universally, for some years, I think.
So I think "discount shop", for a UK audience, is the term. Not "store", I suggest, because a "multiprecio" is typically not that large and because "discount store" suggests something like Walmart, and I don't think that's the same thing.
3. Variety stores (US): see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variety_store . They're like dollar stores, and sell the same kind of stuff as multiprecios, but like the "veinte duros/todo a cien" they often don't seem to operate a rigid single price point.
Another term I'm finding is "mixed-price chains/shop", but I'm not sure it's caught on yet. However, it may be worth considering.
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Note added at 2 hrs (2010-12-21 09:33:58 GMT)
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In the selfless quest for linguistic accuracy I've even visited The Sun's website for you:
"THEY'RE as cheap as chips - and making a mint.
A new wave of pound shops is taking a grip on Britain's high streets.
And it's proving a money-spinning business for tycoons - Poundland, 99p Stores and Poundworld are raking in more than £1BILLION a year at the tills between them.
New research shows some 22 per cent of former Woolworths stores are now in the hands of the bargain bucket brigade.
And there are dozens of smaller rivals springing up to lure shoppers with everything from cut price teabags to undies, cutlery and saucepans.
Pound King, Pound Mania, 1 Pound Shop, 89p Stores, 80p Stores and Poundstar are names common to shoppers.
Add in "mixed price" chains such as Poundstretcher, B&M Bargains and Wilkinson and you've got an industry generating sales of £4BILLION a year." http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/3108591/Pound-...
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Note added at 2 hrs (2010-12-21 09:57:34 GMT)
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The point of that last reference was that The Sun distinguishes between "pound shops" and "mixed price", so pound shops are not mixed price. But I wouldn't put "mixed price", myself: very few hits as yet, and The Sun puts it in inverted commas.
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Note added at 5 hrs (2010-12-21 12:37:03 GMT)
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A little more digging clearly suggests to me that in the UK:
- discount store is very common but covers a lot of things that are not multiprecios
- discount shop is much more common than value store / shop
- value store is much more common than value shop.
| Charles Davis
Spain
Local time: 06:48
Meets criteria
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 304
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