Hemköp — Supermarket in Vasastan, Stockholm

This is one branch of Hemköp, sitting on Karlbergsvägen in Vasastan, and what sets it apart is the size of the place against the length of its day. It is a compact neighbourhood supermarket: you walk in, see most of the shop in one look, and get out again quickly.

The range runs wider than the smaller shops around it, which is the reason to come rather than pass by. Prices sit a little above what the nearby ICA charges for the same things, so treat this as the shop for what you need now, not the one for a full cheap stock-up.

At the till you get help when you ask for it, and the atmosphere inside is cosy in the way a small shop can be. One thing to expect at the door: there are checks on who comes in, and they land hardest on younger customers, so have your age ready to show if you look young.

What it does best is the hour. Seven in the morning to eleven at night, seven days a week, means the shop is there before an early train and after a late dinner, and that is the whole case for choosing this branch over another.