Supermarché

n. – supermarket
Marcher
v. – walk
Faire les courses
v. – go (or literally make) grocery shopping
Cours
n. – class or course
Court
adj. – short
Faire les magasins
v. – go (or literally make) shopping (for anything other than groceries)

Magasin
n. – store (that sells anything other than groceries)
Magazine
n. – magazine
Carte
n. menu or card
Caddie
n. – caddy or cart
Online food delivery exists here although I have yet to use it. I did, however, break down and buy what I call the “granny trolley” to do my grocery shopping and how I do love that! I simply wheel the trolley along the tiny sidewalk to the supermarket, throw everything in it as I wheel it up and down the aisles and then throw everything back in it once the delightful check out clerk has rung everything up, ready to pay as soon as she’s finished and be on my way. It sure beats the pressure of begging for and then un-sticking the plastic bags while the line mounts up behind you. I used to refuse to pay until everything was packed because once you do, the clerks just start moving the next person’s things along piling up on top of yours. I know I’ve written about this before, but I’m still waiting for someone to explain why oh why can’t they simply help!

The culture of real grocery shopping in Paris or most European cities for that matter is different from many American cities in that you run your errands at several shops all located nearby. The butcher, baker, cheese shop, fishmonger, greengrocer, etc. are all separate entities. Pharmacies are also separate stores and here are more like old-fashioned chemists than drugstores like we’re used to. I don’t usually take my granny trolley when I shop like this, but rather only when I’m cheating and going to the market where I can get almost everything in one place.

It’s not the same of course because there you don’t strike up a conversation with the butcher who is so fond of our puppy that he’ll let him lick his hands across the counter. Of course in the States, you would never see a dog in a butcher shop much less the supermarket. Here they are tolerated and left tied up near the check out awaiting their masters if not actually condoned running wild through the store.

The thing I like about the supermarket is that it’s open all day. Most of the other little specialty stores shut down for lunch and by lunch I mean from 1-4. There is a great store for dogs, but they don’t even open until 2 and there’s another little repair store that never seems to be open. It's called “Je repare tout” or “I repair everything,” but I've added to that, “Mais je ne suis jamais la,” “But I’m never here.” In fairness I did go in once with a broken alarm clock, but he couldn’t fix it. Maybe a simple amendment to “Je repair presque tout quand je suis la” would be better, “I repair almost everything when I’m here.”

So like everything in France, errand running is an art. Timing, patience and the art of conversation are all part of the equation to ensure success. And if I did choose to do all my shopping online, I would have nothing to blog about!