Grocery Shopping With a French Twist

Entering

No matter how much you love patronizing the small shops and fresh fruit/vegetable vendors flanking the sidewalk, you still need to shop at a supermarket. Just don’t go bringing those street purchases in with you!


Our local Carrefour Market has lockers located in the front of the store for just that purpose. Security will often check your backpack and fasten zippers together with plastic ties. They will gladly snip them once you are ready to check out.

Grab a wheeled frame that holds two baskets, a wheeled basket or you can pay to rent a large shopping cart like the ones we use in the US. Perhaps the fee discourages widespread use of the bigger carts, because maneuvering them through some of the narrower aisles is difficult

         

You can also bring, as many Parisians do, a wheeled vinyl or cloth sack with a drawstring and snap at the top to hold your groceries as you shop.

Then after checkout, the sack 

compactly holds your items as
you wheel it home.

  

      

                                     

This cart has stair-climbing wheels. Great for apartments without elevators and managing the stairs of the Metro stations!

Familiar and New Offerings

It’s amazing how pictures, universally shaped containers for certain products, and a rudimentary knowledge of French can aid in grocery shopping! It is fairly easy to recognize or figure out the items you want. All toilet bowl cleaners have angled spouts, and thanks to Tide Pods, I found laundry pods that are similar. I know butter is called beurre, and when I didn’t see ‘sel’ (salt) in the ingredients, I knew the package I was holding was sweet butter. Yaourt brassé à la Grecque with a scene of white-washed buildings in the background speaks for itself. 

But, what is fromage blanc? (translated as white cheese) That one wasn’t so easy. A whole aisle is devoted to its many flavors and consistencies ranging from solid like cream cheese to thick like strained yogurt. Labels proclaim lots of calcium, vitamin D, and protein. I tried Calin made by Yoplait. It is fat free and delicious - very smooth, creamy and a bit tangy like yogurt (though they are made very differently).

Eggs and most milks are sold unrefridgerated (milk is UHT/still pasteurized but has a longer shelf life). The lait (milk) choices can be confusing. In this instance, labels aren't much help in deciphering what is what (all pictures show happy people out in the sunshine or happy cows!). There’s lait écrémé (skim milk), lait demi-écrémé, lait entire (whole milk), bio (organic), reduced lactose, milk from mountain-ranged cows… I took photos and used the translation app to figure out what each was!

Daddy sugar (sucre) is a major

sugar company whose mission is 

to add a little whimsy to French households! 

(The photo doesn't show all the stick figures dancing around on the other side!)

Expensive imports in the US are a bargain here. This large jar of Dijon mustard (over 13 oz.) is only .87 euros!

  

     

Fresh produce is varied and prices are given for kilograms. For loose produce, you are expected to bag and weigh your selections. You simply put your produce on the scale, find its corresponding picture, press it, and out comes a price sticker for the bag. (Knowledge of French not required!) Cashiers do not weigh produce at checkout. 

          

Lettuces are also sold pre-washed in resealable bags. Mâche, known as lamb's lettuce, is a hardy salad green that is quite popular and plentiful. It is mild, crisp, and pairs well with other greens. 

  

Beer, wine and alcohol are sold in the markets. The drinking age is 18 and the French are very strict about not selling it in the stores to those who are underage. Of course, sitting with an adult in a restaurant is a different story.

This market also has a huge assortment of cured salmon – common on almost every restaurant menu – often served as an entrée (appetizer course, main courses are called plat).

Carrefour is the second largest

retailer in the world offering a 

huge selection of private label 

products.

The box contains organic instant oatmeal. (I have yet to find steel cut oats.) The tea is Linden honey.  Very good. The bottle is EVOO.

Below are certified organic symbols used in France.

Pastel colored toilet paper is very popular in Paris. Pink, peach and yellow seem to be favored. Pink is even found in historic buildings and parks! 

Just like any market there are canned goods, health and beauty products, and cleaning supplies. 

They also stock 

other necessities and seasonal items. 

I have not seen coupons being exchanged, (Oops, saw one the other day! But, it appears couponing is not widespread.) Carrefour does have a loyalty program. After spending a certain amount, customers receive a voucher good towards future purchases.

A Change at Checkout

Be prepared for long lines during rush hour (5-8 pm) and be prepared with something to hold your groceries - bags are not offered and are not in full view. Cashiers keep some under the counter... you'll have to ask and pay for them.

   

The most striking difference at checkout is that cashiers sit to scan your items and are often shoulder to shoulder with each other. The scanner is in front of them, perpendicular to the counter. They do not need to stand because you are bagging your own purchases. 

Cashiers’ productivity while sitting vs standing  is explored in a recent study comparing US supercenters to French hypermarkets.* 

The conveyor belt on which to place your groceries is short, causing patrons with many items to pile them. After scanning, the space devoted to bagging is even shorter. Long lines are exacerbated by customers trying to bag items in a very crowded space and pay at the same time.

One more note of caution – bring lots of coins! Cashiers are fine with waiting (and holding up the line) for you to rummage through your purse or pockets for exact payment. They dislike giving back change!

Note - We’ve been to other grocery chains where the cashiers don’t necessarily sit all the time. Some weigh produce at checkout, some have free bags, others charge for bags. All expect you to bag your own, all charge to use the large shopping carts. Carefour does sell large, reusable bags with their logo. I was referring to small plastic bags that most US stores have available for free.

* find cashier study at: http://mitsloan.mit.edu/iwer/pdf/0809-tilly2.pdf