The Avocado Lady: An expanding selection of groceries and still 10RMB per avocado

It’s been a while since we wrote about the Avocado Lady but for the benefit of new arrivals to Shanghai, we took a trip to the beloved grocer and are re-sharing. Somewhat of an urban legend, the “Avocado Lady” (also sometimes known as the “Arugula Lady”) is Shanghai local business owner Jiang Qin. Her claim to fame is the selection of imported foods she stocks at her small grocery store on Wulumuqi Lu which undercut prices at Cityshop and the like. Now, it’s easy to overlook the place (actually, the number of foreigners shopping in the place is a big hint to finding it and the store’s been so successful it’s doubled in size) but step inside and you’ll find a good range of imported cheese and rare finds (Do you like Sichuan pepper in your cheese? She’s got it.), meats and fish, herbs, spices, olives, mustards, jams, the list goes on and of course those famous avocados for 10RMB per piece. Today, we walked away with a 12 pack of large flour tortillas for 10RMB, a 250g container of ricotta cheese for 35RMB, and a nice bottle of Australian chardonnay for 45RMB. What’s not to love?
The Avocado Lady // 274 Wulumuqi Zhong Lu near Wuyuan Lu (乌鲁木齐中路274号, 近五原路)