You just arrived in a brand new country with nothing but whatever could fit in your suitcases. It’s likely you’ve never been the one in charge of feeding yourself, previously dependent on your parents or the DU dining hall. It’s weird, it’s overwhelming, and it’s one of the first big challenges of study abroad. I’m here to help guide you through it.
Here’s a rundown of my usage of the stores I’ve been to the most:
- The best place to go on your first shopping expedition is the Tesco Superstore (not the Tesco Express, which only carries food). It’s a one-stop shop for all kinds of things, the perfect place to get what you need and couldn’t bring with you from home (I got towels, soap, a trash can, cleaning supplies, etc from there). Tesco is also the best place for groceries if you prioritize variety (and often quality) over cheap prices.
- Lidl is the best place to get lower cost food. I’ve gone there every grocery shopping expedition after the first one. It doesn’t have the variety of Tesco, but it’s decent enough and better for saving money. Just be careful or you’ll end up like me: with armpits stained from the Lidl shopping bag (beware of dye transfer).
- Normal is a good place for any personal products. It has a huge variety of soaps, shampoos, shaving equipment, makeup – anything to do with taking care of yourself, and at a pretty good price.
- Dealz and and Mr Price are both good for affordable household goods. Mr Price has more food options than Dealz and Dealz has more clothing items than Mr Price.
- Centras are everywhere and there will almost definitely be one next to where you’re staying. They’re very good for ready meals and things you need quickly, but they’re overpriced. I use my local Centra when I need to, but I do all of my primary shopping elsewhere.
You will probably be shopping a lot, since you get very little fridge space to store perishable items in the student accommodations. That being said, Cork is super walkable; I can get to basically any of the stores I listed in a 20-30 minute walk, and a very pleasant walk at that (Cork city is awesome for pedestrians).
