Here are a few tips to make your grocery shopping forays a little easier…
Bring your own bag or you will have to buy a new one, but it’s just a few cents, so no big deal if you forget. Also you have to bag your own while the cashier just stares at you (see below).
In France, you usually weigh and sticker your produce yourself but the more modern stores are moving away from this. The little electronic scale is in the middle of the produce section has little pictures of fruit and veggie; you push the button and the price sticker will print out. Do this before going to the check out line or you will piss off everyone. Some stores are moving away from this archaic practice, so if you can’t find the scale, that means the cashier will do it.
Bio is the word for organic, non traitée means no pesticides, and elevage en champs libre or fermier means free range.
Checkout: Foreigners feel stressed when the cashier wants payment but they are still in the process of bagging, and the cashier and customers in line are impatiently staring. Locals just ignore everyone and calmly bag their groceries, making the cashier wait until their done to get paid.
From Old Nice, the closest grocery store is Monoprix at Place Garibaldi. Cross Pace Garibaldi and start walking down rue Cassini: you’ll find an organic grocery store, Bio City on your right, then a little farther down towards the port, you’ll find the cheapest grocery store, Dia, on your left. For cheap Asian and Italian groceries, go behind Monoprix and turn right towards rue Barla. From Garibaldi, if you walk 10 minutes down rue Republique then turn on blvd Delfino, you’ll find the largest supermarket Carrefour in the TNL shopping center.
If you need something from a Drug Store, ask anyone for the closest Schlecker Super Drug, they’re are all over. In Old Nice, half their stuff is hidden on the second floor, so be sure to find the stairs.
A few French drug store quirks:
- Drugs, medicins and vitamins are only sold at pharmacies
- Contact solution is only sold at optical stores.
Related Pages on getting by in France:
- Tips for Shopping like a Local
- Avoiding French Restaurant Pitfalls
- How to Café like a Pro
- Dealing with French Public Restrooms
Photo Credits: Grocery bag available at The Green Christian, Checkout by Ville Saavuori licensed under Creative Commons.
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