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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2010 19:49:22 GMT
A lot of visitors to Paris have heard about the Val d'Europe shopping mall, and even more about the attached La Vallée Village outlet mall. As it turns out, most people enjoy the Val d'Europe mall and are severely disappointed by La Vallée, where they seem to expect that European (and other) luxury brands will be given away for a pittance. I figured that it was time to spare some people a trip out there, or at least show them what to expect. Assuming that people will take the RER A to Val d'Europe, here is where they will arrive. The station is here. Keep in mind that every single building that you will see here is less than 10 years old. These were corn fields. Major efforts have been made to make things look like a real place. I suppose that is normal, since everything here is built on Disney lands. The two parks are just one RER stop away, and the Disney company bought a huge piece of land "way back when" to cover any and all possible expansion. Here is the entrance to the mall when you come from the RER station. For people arriving by car, it just looks like the typical medieval fortress. The "anchor" of a French shopping mall is not a department store like in North America or Asia (and most other places, I suppose). The anchor is the hypermarket, the giant supermarket and department store combined. At Val d'Europe, it's an Auchan store, and it is most definitely worth a visit. Things like the olive oil aisle or the champagne aisle should help to give you an idea of the size of such stores. But anyway, visiting a foreign supermarket is always fascinating.  |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2010 20:00:00 GMT
The rest of the mall is, well, a mall. Sort of an endless mall. Most of us need a stop at the Zen zone by now. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2010 20:08:21 GMT
It just goes on and on... Naturally, there is a food court. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2010 20:19:22 GMT
Before we continue to La Vallée Village, you should know that I was not able to take any photos there, because it is forbidden. Oh, maybe I sneaked in a few pictures anyway, risking prison for freedom of information. La Vallée is open 7 days a week, whereas the rest of the mall, except for the food court, is closed on Sunday. Yes, I got caught by a security guard with my camera. He told me to stop, which I did for at least 90 seconds. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2010 20:29:02 GMT
Well, it was time to leave anyway, so I went back through the normal mall and took a few more pictures. Seeing how people are told to dress in Paris on some of the travel sites, I was amused to compare it with how the store displays encourage us to dress. Just a few more random photos as I was leaving.... In any case, this should be sufficient for people to be able to decide if Val d'Europe-La Vallée Village is a place that they want to visit or not. |
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Post by fumobici on Aug 2, 2010 22:11:36 GMT
Looks eerily like any random mall/shopping center in the US. Did they leave a space for the Wal-Marché?
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Post by bixaorellana on Aug 2, 2010 23:05:53 GMT
"Wal-Marché" ~ ;D
Whew, that is BIG. Not only is it big, but it's so crowded, especially that outside part. I think I asked you this once before on another thread, but is it always that way? The greenery, the wrought iron, and the color schemes are all quite pretty. Is it as echo-y loud as the average US mall?
Except for some obvious differences -- the cheese display! -- parts of the supermarket could never be identified as in France if you don't see the price signs. (y'all pay a lot for roast chicken!) Actually, the similarities are one of the things that make this thread so interesting and unexpected.
I feel as though we owe you big time, as I imagine going to the mall on your time off was a major sacrifice. You bleed for your art, and we thank you!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2010 4:58:42 GMT
It is particularly crowded on Saturday, but a French mall is always much more crowded than any American mall I have seen. I don't know why.
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Post by hwinpp on Aug 3, 2010 6:19:37 GMT
Poulet roti for 4.50EUR? Not more expensive than here, 5USD.
I wouldn't mind having a look around a mall like that a couple of times a year ;D
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Post by bjd on Aug 3, 2010 9:45:20 GMT
I dislike malls, only go to them to go to the supermarket. I hadn't heard of that place but it's not on my list of places to go now that I have seen it.
I think what strikes me is that it looks so fake -- I mean the shops all look the same in the outlet place. There are no real streets. It reminds me of a resort my sister has been to in Florida -- she said, "it looks like an Italian village". Umm, no. It looks like a fake Italian village.
There must be a marketing ploy behind it -- you have people in an unreal sort of place and they think they are not really spending money (everyone uses their bank card to buy stuff in France), just having a "shopping experience".
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Post by frenchmystiquetour on Aug 4, 2010 17:05:43 GMT
I would take a shower if I didn't feel like I had already just been thoroughly sanitized by these photos. Oh, the photos are great, as usual kerouac, it's the subject matter that I find a bit disturbing. Are the people real or are they robots that have been programmed to mill about in chain stores? It's so nightmarish to me, all that artificial "authenticity". When I die and go to hell I'm quite sure this is where they'll put me, assuming that the disney execs are also in control of hades. Sorry mall lovers, please don't hate me.
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Post by Kimby on Aug 5, 2010 4:15:14 GMT
Poulet roti for 4.50EUR? Not more expensive than here, 5USD. Rotisserie chicken here is around $6, similar to the euro price, but for $8 you can get The Meal Deal: a chicken, 4 dinner rolls, and a side of deli potato salad, cole slaw or pasta salad... I dislike malls, only go to them to go to the supermarket. That's the major difference between malls in the US and in other places. Here in the US, we just don't have supermarkets attached to a mall, or even close enough to share a parking lot with a mall. Perhaps that's why their malls get more traffic than US malls? |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 5, 2010 11:33:28 GMT
This is just for a contrast of seasons. Compare it to the fifth photo on this thread.  |
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Post by lagatta on Dec 5, 2010 14:07:39 GMT
No dogs and no bicycles!
You have more snow than we do - we just got a dusting yesterday.
Strangely unreal - of course there are a lot of areas in Europe where the old buildings look too "new", but in most cases that is the result of restoring war damage, so they are already decades old, except very recent restorations such as Dresden Cathedral. I remember how strange it was walking around Cologne, where they had kept most of the old street plan - fortunately - but most of the buildings were about my age. Still, they have a normal street life - and definitely have dogs and bicycles.
I don't think I've been to an Auchan. Are there any closer to Paris? I do like visiting supermarkets in different countries, for one thing unless one looks "suspicious", they don't bother you as you look at all the tinned stuff that differs a bit among countries. I love looking at the junk food available in different places - different artificial flavours dominate. More seriously, there are always some nice little tins and such to take home.
The roast chicken would cost at least that much here. I imagine that in neighbourhoods such as kerouac's, one might well get a better deal at butcher's shops that have chickens roasting in front of their establishments.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 5, 2010 14:42:12 GMT
There is an Auchan at métro Galliéni in Bagnnolet. It is part of the Bel-Est shopping mall on top of the Eurolines bus terminal. And there is an Auchan at the Quatre Temps mall at La Défense. Both of them are a lot smaller than the store in Val d'Europe.
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Post by lagatta on Dec 5, 2010 15:52:10 GMT
A lot easier to get to, though. I've been to the Eurolines terminal, but wasn't looking for an Auchan. Bagnolet is very close to where some friends live in the 20th, and also just north of Montreuil.
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Post by Ian on May 9, 2014 18:36:36 GMT
Looks like a crap way to spend a holiday! Same shops as any other out of town shopping center!
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Post by Deleted on May 9, 2014 18:45:45 GMT
I would say that I'm rather amazed that some people put it on their "must do" list on holiday. But actually I am not amazed at all, because sometimes it takes a foreign location and a foreign currency that you don't understand very well to decide to buy things that you have been craving but have never been able to justify buying close to home. I know that I've been guilty of it from time to time.
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Post by Ian on May 9, 2014 18:52:09 GMT
Only time I have felt that urge was in a real Turkish bizzar in a non touristy area, ended up there by complete accident, it was huge, they saw pound signs when these 2 pastey Brits walked in! It was amazing! This place is sanitised daylight robbery, like lambs to the slaughter!
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Post by Deleted on May 9, 2014 19:30:35 GMT
The last time I was in Turkey was before the remonetisation with the new Turkish lira in 2005. I just changed a small amount of money at the airport to be able to take a taxi to my hotel, and I was already a multi millionaire. Hey, even in the hotel, when I got in the lift, I found something like 800,000 lira in cash lying on the floor. It was such an insignificant amount that I kept it.
Anyway, it all had the opposite effect on me. At the grand bazaar, I was unable to buy anything because with prices starting at around 15 million lira, it just freaked me out. Now that they have removed six zeros from the lira, I'm sure that things are better.
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Post by tod2 on May 10, 2014 12:23:55 GMT
I missed that entire series of photos - Damn!! I wouldn't mind spending several hours trolling a mall that size. For starters, they have loads of stuff we do not have. Talking Ben & Jerry's etc.,!
I'm in total agreement with you Kerouac about the pricing system in millions! For freak sake - I'm already multiplying our pitiful Rand times 12 to get the idea what a baguette with ham and cheese would cost me later this year!
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