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NYC here.

If someone asked the average New Yorker what a bodega was, the most probable answer is "What are you, stupid?"

Not me, because I would be mugging you.

A small shop? What's an incredible concept. Who would have thunk it?

America truly is the land of innovation.

Keep your bodegas. Ain't none of you guys can beat our local gas station/post office//DMV/liquor store/UPS pickup point. We don't even need a special name for it. It's just The Store. Sure it's not within walking distance. But then not even the neighbors are either.

You can fill up your car, get your mail, buy new tabs for that car/boat/UTV/truck or get a fishing/hunting license, buy a 12 pack of beer, send a fax to your parole officer, and buy a gallon of milk with a frozen pizza to either cook there or take it home. It also has 2 tables and 5 chairs to relax at, (no purchase necessary). I know people who do all of that in one visit.

These comments are so weird. I only found out what a bodega was recently, so I've added it to my brain as "corner shop". I didn't even know they were peculiar to a specific area until this post.

So they're corner shops. Everything people comment about them being different still comes under the umbrella of "corner shop". It's weird to see people yapping about how they're different and then giving reasons that... still mean corner shop.

The real magic is I can walk to several open bodegas almost any time of day or night.

new yorkers think having an american, chinese, indian, italian, and mexican restaurant to choose from makes them unique. im not even kidding i saw a new yorker tweet that those choices can only be found in new york city

So after reading through all the valuable comments here it seems like a bodega is a way to say you live in New York while trying to not seem like you're bragging about it but you actually try to brag about it

Wait till I tell Americans that small discount supermarkets exist within walking distance in Denmark.

What's disappointing is that bodegas are as close to a "third space" as you're likely to get. It's not a place you're meant to hang out, there isn't even seating, and you are supposed to buy something. And yet, there's a hint at some kind of community.

UK, Ireland and Australia have a slight improvement on that with pubs. They're also commercial establishments, but culturally it's more of a community thing. It's also not just about alcohol. You can get a hot meal too. Even if someone isn't going out to hang out with friends down at the pub, it's often perfectly normal to go there and eat alone while reading a book. Even that is a bit of a community activity, because you'll see some of the same faces and exchange greetings or at least waves or nods.

Places with serious winters (and I'm including NYC in that), really should have third spaces that are not for profit and designed for various kinds of hanging out: board games, indoor sports, gaming, cooking. That just doesn't seem to be a common thing in the English speaking world, at least for adults.

That's not true. A bodega is a corner store with a plexiglass container for staff because they're in a shithole.

A bodega is a corner store owned by the guy behind the counter.

Most corner stores in most places these days are run by regional managers of franchisees who hire Clerky The Clowns to work the counter and have to keep producing numbers for corporate.

I ain't explaining shit. It's a bodega, fuck you. Have a nice day.

I'm from Chicago and I've never been to NYC. From what I've heard about bodegas however, the difference seems to be that a bodega requires a cat.

here bodegă means a cheap, low-quality and often run-down bar/pub, I think that's close to its original meaning - wine cellar/warehouse. How did USA go from that to corner shop, I wonder

It's all about the relationship you cultivate with the owners and operators of the bodega.

I've heard some bodegas have cats

Now try asking the Québécois about dépanneurs

They got beer and chips, and snacks in $1 bags. They also have a sweet Tortie guarding the place. That's the real reason to visit.

bodegon deez nuts

One of the main things I miss from the UK is the cornershops - generally run by an Asian family and you can find almost anything a human could possibly want to buy in there with “multipack, not for individual sale” writ on the side.

Australia used to have milk bars, which were basically the same thing, but they’ve all been closed down or gentrified into delis and brunch cafes.

This is just new yorkers being new yorkers - a city full of Emperor's New Clothes.

Huh, I've always assumed that a bodega is a shop akin to those Japanese 7-11 stores. Like the kinda store that you see in those CCTV recordings of horses breaking through automatic store doors.

Corner stores in NYC have some advantages, competition. If

In the burbs and rural areas, the stores are spread out, and if you have a shitty store a couple miles closer than a decent store, they can just produce the cheapest crap and sell it to you for exorbatent prices.

New Yorkers are ok with walking a few blocks. So if your corner shop can't complete another one 2 minutes away will draw away their customers.

Even corner shops in Baltimore and DC are pretty anemic comparatively, but they tend to have more actual restaurants peppered about.

Bodegas are our friends