I´m at a loss to explain the success of these centres. I do not know the Alcorcon one, but it does sound very similar to the one at Alcobendas, Plaza Norte 2.

That features the same shops, Ikea, Media Mart, PC City, Leroy Merlin, Forum, Decathlon etc etc, and restaurants, and the same chronic lack of parking and sensible road layout to enable the quantity of people that could use the place to get in and out. It does make me wonder, what are planners paid for? Any layman could see the problems when it was being built, why allow an out of town centre without planning for the access of it. The queues it causes on the N1 can be horrendous and dangerous.

I´m with you MM, boycott these places and support the independants and markets otherwise we will loose them and significantly change a feature life in Madrid which is so appealing. (Anyone seen my soapbox ?)

Funny you mention Lunch. The intern from Madrid, was shock about how we have lunch at our office.

For some background I work for a large Wall Street firm in the operational areas of the firm.

Anyway she was shocked that we have lunch at our desks and it is so short. Most people around the office do not take a hour for lunch. I will take a hour only if I go for a walk when the weather is nice.

I wonder how long this two hour lunch will last in a world that is getting smaller, connected to each other and there are people who are will to work longer for less money.

Bill

In my experience, the long lunch does not apply in offices in Madrid and if anything, people here work longer hours than in offices in London.

While it is true, there is usually a canteen with a menu and a 45 min break (often followed by 15 mins outside for a quick ciggie) for lunch, or a sortie outside to a restaurant if there isn´t, the working day can often start from 08.00 hrs and go on until 19.00 hrs and maybe later.

Maybe it depends where one works and lives. I have a good friend who commutes from Getafe and works in Madrid. He tends to eat an hour lunch at the restaurant VIPS around the corner (even gets a special allowance from his work to pay for his lunch). His work day is much longer than mine in the US....but his vacation time is much longer too I have another friend who lives and works in Ciudad Real. He comes home everyday for lunch. He eats a big lunch and sure enough he takes a Siesta...really....about a 30 minute nap before heading back to work. As a student in Madrid, I was quit good at a real siesta too. But that was due to those very late nights and a flexible schedule Now I gobble my lunch in front of the computer while working

bigger cities less timefor lunch nowdays smaller cities still carry the siesta or break it happens in Paris and surrounding cities too.
so who knows when globalization will screw up our way of life thinking for the better???
i agree support your local merchant:eat better fresher ,save jobs and traditions.

Pretty much everyone I know in Madrid with a "real job" either takes a long lunch break or works through lunch and leaves early. I guess it depends on what circles you move in. Kids at school here get two hours for lunch and many go home and then go back in the afternoon.

Every big-city salary office job that I had in the US had me working from at least from 9-7, often longer... with little or no break. From my experience, 9-5 seems more like a myth than the siesta...

Madrid is apart they carry it to the tilt,and good for them. paris office jobs the lunch is more American now one hour maybe a bit more for higher ups. the smaller cities still do carry the siesta rule. working here is about the same as US 9-7 sometimes 8 and even 9pm collegues do it; never a 9-5job here.eventually i am distress it will come to Madrid. What they have here is rest days so if you work say 9-7 for several days eventually you will have a day off in the month some at will some do it for fridays.so it balance out.