Kiosks

One thing that is an endless source of amazement is the kiosk. They're everywhere, at least one to a block, sometimes two or three. A major street could have a row of kiosks 5 or 6 long, on each side, often centered at a bus stop. An average size is approximately 6' wide x 5' deep x 7' high. Not very big. Little shacks, really. But you can buy almost anything there. What follows is a partial list of what I've seen in kiosks.
Cigarettes (up to 50 brands/styles); magazines and newspapers (some kiosks seem to specialize in this, having perhaps hundreds of titles on racks outside, but most have at least 20-30 titles); candy bars, breath mints, gum, assorted flavors; bottled water (gazowany and niegazowany, often 5 or 6 brands in 2-3 sizes); sodas (a similar selection as the water); juice; nuts; chips (not as many choices as your average 7-11, but who needs that anyway?); condoms; playing cards; phone cards (lots of providers here, the outside of a kiosk is often festooned with their various signs, stickers, and symbols); lip balm; lipstick; compacts; eye shadow; nail polish; nail clippers; emery boards; cotton pads; curlers; hairbrushes and combs; feminine hygiene products (haven't checked that selection); suntan lotion; hand lotion; toothbrushes and toothpaste; laundry detergent; fabric softener; dish soap; hand soap; shampoo; conditioner; household cleaners; sponges; hairbrushes; hair clips and hair bands; q-tips; tape; pens; pencils; erasers; white-out (liquid and that on-a-tape-like-roll kind, don't know what you call that); perfume and cologne; shaving cream and razors; matches; lighters; bus tickets; tram tickets; batteries (assorted sizes); makeup mirrors; lightbulbs; toilet paper (by the roll, usually); soup packets (very big here); garbage bags; dvds; toys (cars, trucks, squirt guns, sometimes a doll or two); cough drops; painkillers; cold medicines; antacids; band-aids; postcards (mostly in the big cities, not many tourists come through Sosnowiec).
This is by no means an exhaustive list. There are variations in stock from kiosk to kiosk; what they all have in common is this astonishing array of goods available virtually anywhere. At whatever point in your day that you remember you need whatever, there will be a kiosk close by, and chances are just astoundingly good that this tiny little hut will have it. Whether you can ask for it or not is an entirely different question, but it's an enormously comforting thought. Such a contrast from home, where you have miles and miles of residential neighborhoods, and if you just need a rubber band or paperclip or whatever you have to get in the car and drive to a superstore where you have to buy 20,000 of them. You want to know why I like it here? That's a big reason. In five minutes, without a car, I can get almost anything I need. How many people do you know who can say that?