Medina Food Store

Medina Food Store is one of several convenience stores competing for the local business in the immediate area. It stocks all of the usual staples like milk, bread, confection and soft drinks, as well as a good selection of inexpensive spices alongside the pulses and grains. And of course, there are the usual jars and cans, as well as an unfeasibly large selection of dates! More quirky items, not often seen in this kind of store, include large bags of BBQ charcoal stacked by the door, and a row of glittering shisha pipes racked up on the top shelf closest to the counter.
They used to sell Halal meat from the chilled counter at the back of the shop. Sadly, these days this is filled with Arabian-​style cakes and confection, as it wasn’t feasible to continue stocking it. With the main serving counter at the front of the store, and the chilled counter at the rear, it meant that two people had to be consistently present, which just wasn’t economically viable. There was insufficient trade to make this option workable. They tried operating both counters with only one member of staff, but shop-​lifting became such a big issue they have been forced to suspend meat sales until they can find a Halal butcher to take the counter over as a separate concession.
Somewhat unsurprisingly, the theft of meat is pretty common. It’s a high-​cost item that people have found increasingly difficult to afford as the recession grinds on. All meat retailers are suffering the same problem across they board; supermarkets and independent stores alike.
Peshwan, who was serving when I called in recently, told me that things are looking up. The owner is talking to a butcher at the moment, and so the issue looks like it maybe resolved quite soon.