> I'm pretty sure that in any city in the US there is a store where you can walk in today, ask for a "pila", and walk out with a battery.
Being 2nd most common language does not mean this, by a long shot. It definitely won’t work in most of the Seattle, Portland, Denver, Salt lake, Minneapolis, stores for example.
I think you misread the pull quote. There is definitely a store in Salt Lake (er, “greater Salt Lake area”) that primarily serves the Spanish-speaking population. There’s actually a chain called Rancho Markets.
(If you go to the deli section and say “costillas marinadas” to the right person, you will be given a bag of deliciously marinated short ribs.)
Being 2nd most common language does not mean this, by a long shot. It definitely won’t work in most of the Seattle, Portland, Denver, Salt lake, Minneapolis, stores for example.