Shopping in France

Shopping in France is both a delight and puzzlement. There is a wide variety of shopping from Bricorama(Home Depot), to Carrefour (similar to a huge Safeway), to open air markets, to vide greniers(community garage sales), to Emaus ( a catholic charity)to all the other things you might need or want. The puzzlement though is often when and where do you go for what?

The usual decision you make about milk or socks or a nail or Ibiprofen or a tool in the USA is not the usual decision you make in France. Not all stores are created equal and not all stores carry the same thing from one day to the next.

The French are very adaptable to this style of shopping and shopping for the French is really a social process and community experience. They have used the markets as a social gathering places for centuries. Americans are much more goal oriented and often we have such a specific goal in mind that we (read "I") become easily frustrated. The idea in France is to see what is there then make a decision - do not go with a list!

As an example, when you go to the supermarket in France you need to know to bring a 1 Euro piece and shopping bags. I have been in Europe for 4 years and I can still only remember this maybe 2 out of 3 times. The 1 Euro piece is to get a shopping cart - the store wants to be sure you are going to bring it back and the bags are so that you can pack your own groceries and recyle the shopping bag , all really brilliant ideas. I have to tell you about my first week in France when we went to the market. We put in our 1 Euro piece and got a cart. The French shopping cart navigates sideways and this is without your help. It has taken several years for me to learn how to drive one of the French shopping carts. Anyway we entered the store and the first thing I did was go sideways into a shelf of red wine at the end of one of the aisles. So much for fitting in - several gallons of red wine were all over the floor. Eric now often goes a different way than I do in the store.

At any rate once you enter a market - Carrefour, Geant, Auchun, Lidyl,Simply- you are in for a life changing experience. Slow down your heart rate and your pace because you are going to come unglued otherwise. The French "meander" to do their shopping. It is a process, they meet friends, they want to look at the labels, the shopping cart is just an old friend hanging out with them often in the middle of the aisle, not unusual to find 6 friends chatting in the middle of somewhere and totally unaware that no one can go around them, the French have no radar so they are often unaware of your presence behind them, the space you are occupying is free space - they have a very different sense of personal space , if you are looking at the kiwis you will suddenly realize that you have a crowd of French looking with you. Children do not run amok in the stores nor do they yell and scream, Saturday afternoon ( after 3:00pm) is really the wrong time to try to shop as it is family shopping time and very crowded . Stores are mostly closed on Sunday.

Meat cuts are very different than the USA and the meat is very lean. The French love meat, variety meats, horse meat, body part meats(brains, stomach,head). They also love grenouille (frog's legs), eel, rabbit and ofcourse escargot. Butter (which the French do not eat with their bread) and baquettes are plentiful and delicious (hence the extra 10 lbs). There is a Boulanger/Patisserie on almost every corner and you can be overwhelemed by the variety of baguettes. I sometimes just ask the owner to tell me what baquette to buy. Almost all the markets have wonderful fish and the cheese department is to die for - there must be at least 100 different varieties of cheese just to start with (hence the other 10 pounds).

The fruits and vegetables that are available in the markets and open air markets are fabulous!!!!!!! Buying wine is extraordinary - a good bottle of wine can be bought for 4 Euro ($5.25) a great bottle of wine for 8 Euro ($10.50)and a truly fabulous bottle for 15 Euro($20.00).

So there you are in the supermarche - you have finally found that American peanut butter you have been craving , the baguette, toilet paper and all the other things you just cannot live without - now it is time to go to the check out stand. Patience! Sense of humor! Deep breathing! You can see a short line - don't get fooled as this is often the place where trouble lies. Sometimes there is someone at the front of the line who is buying for 3 different people so there are really 3 transactions that are going to take place. You will also find out that the French do not make a final decision about anything until it is packed and paid for or they will have just remembered something and believe me when I tell you everyone waits patiently while they go in search of the missing item.

At the check out stand the clerk greets the person " Bonjour Madame" and starts to scan the items. But you will have noticed prior to this that the customer has spent a great deal of time arranging the items on the conveyer belt often changing them around several times so that they are color matched or .......The customer then walks around to the other end of the conveyer belt to collect their items. There is protocol to all this. The next customer does not cross the line that takes them past a vertical scanner. You need to stay a descrete distance back from the person doing the current transaction -I know it flies in the face of their usual crowding of personal space. They have brought their own bags ( they didn't forget) and start to pack the items away - very carefully - one thing at a time - answering the cell phone - talking to the clerk - just having a nice time. Then when all is packed away often long minutes after everything has been scanned they then start looking for their payment method of choice; cash, debit card, check. In America you would not be caught dead without your choice of payment ready to go as the people behind you would be sighing and tapping their feet. In France you take your time, look through the whole purse, rearrange the furniture in the purse then you find it and start carefully writing the check. Finally the transaction is done - but now they must say goodbye and wish the clerk a nice day and she them and then finally pick up their bags. Only now the clerk is able to turn her attention to the next customer and will do so only when the other customer has completely left the check out stand with all bags in hand. So the process begins again - " Bonjour".

One day while I was standing in line a small older ( this is completely relative and a little like the pot calling the kettle black) woman was behind me with 2 items. I asked her if she would like to go ahead in my best French "Allez y , Madame"- I am a guest in this country and feel I should behave myself - at any rate on she went ahead of me. Then a nun (this is not a joke) came up with 2 bananas in her hand - well what would you do? so the nun went ahead. Then a young man came up with 2 beers and of all the people so far he was the only one that actually asked if he could go ahead - I couldn't say no, I am a guest in this country - so he went ahead. I then turned around wondering what or who was next and realized that the line behind me was becoming really really long by this time. I had totally failed to engratiate myself with this long line of French people.

Yes you can buy Foie Gras , crunchy baguettes, creme fraiche, petite haricot verte, fresh baby artichokes, luscious lettuce, fabulous chocolate and other assorted delights in the supermarkets. As you can see from the pictures above the outdoor markets are a visual delight and something the French do so very well. They are filled , year around, with wonderful produce and our personal favorite roast chicken. In our town there are 2 outdoor markets a week on Tuesday and Friday morning. In the surrounding area - no more that 15 minutes drive/bike ride - there are more outdoor markets than you can count. As we go along during the summer we are always checking to see when the outdoor markets are in each of the towns/villages were we moor.

As a practical matter if you come to France you will find - Ibiprofen at the Pharmacist, Lense cleaner at the Eye Glass store, vitamins at the Pharmacist, dog food at the nursery/garden store. There are no Targets and Walmarts. Just enjoy the way of life; no hurry, polite, traditional, warm, helpful !