The Gran Morrison department store chain is a bit like a Kmart in the United States. The Vía España branch (Vía España near Calle 51, tel. 269-2211, 9 A.M.–6 P.M. Mon.–Sat., 9 A.M.–6 P.M. Sun.) is close to many of the city’s more popular hotels. In addition to a wide assortment of low-end household goods and such, the store has a music department with a decent selection of típico, rock en español, salsa, merengue, and a bit of gringo music. It also carries some souvenirs, local books, and an extensive collection of magazines in English and Spanish.
There’s a huge, five-story outlet of the El Machetazo discount department-store chain in the Calidonia area (Avenida Perú between Calle 28 Este and Calle 29 Este, tel. 227-3014, 8:30 a.m.–7:30 p.m. daily). There’s a grocery store on the ground floor. It also has a pharmacy, cheap clothing, and lots of assorted junk.