Shopping Quests & Towns

Because my high school group cycled GMs session to session, we usually had several people comfortable with costing items and with running NPCs; so multiple characters could be run simultaneously through minor pre-game activities, like shopping; and it was our custom that when a PC went into a shop, they could ask the shopkeep if they had anything interesting, and whoever was running the NPC would try to come up with something new.

I got two books from a discount bin - As Seen On TV by Lou Harry & Sam Stall (2002), and 283 Useful Ideas from Japan by Leonard Koren (1988) - and if I don't use them for random town stuff I'll never use them for anything.

Not ideal, but I think it's the seed of something good. 

Location: owner's seven pet bear cubs bathe with you in the hot spring.
Shop: home gym based on resistance bands (removes dyes), seller is a personal trainer, performer, and athlete.
also: sharp knives (unpalatable results).

Location: modular and semi-permeable sidewalk.
Cafe: devoted to a music genre and does not allow talking.
Serves: sandwiches made with spaghetti instead of bread.

Location: construction sites wrapped in cloth or plastic to shield neighbors from debris, noise, and visuals.
Services: taxi whose karaoke (or tv) gives drunk passengers something to do besides hassle the driver.