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Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2010 20:11:32 GMT
In France, a hypermarket is defined as a store that is more than 2500 square meters. Basically, it corresponds to what Americans know as a superstore (Wal-Mart Super Center or Big K Mart would be examples.).
Even though my mother has gone far beyond that stage already, I will never criticize ready-to-eat or easy-to-assemble food anywhere. They are an absolute godsend to that age group.
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Post by bixaorellana on Aug 5, 2010 2:36:45 GMT
I would have traded any major organ of my body today for some deli food.
I left my house before 11 this morning to go to a funeral Mass. I hadn't eaten anything, which didn't matter since I knew I'd be home in an hour at the most. Not to get into the whole story, but it was almost five by the time I returned, by this time with my stomach sticking to my backbone. If it had been available, I think I would have paid a thousand dollars for a little tub of surimi and elbow macaroni.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 18, 2010 8:27:21 GMT
I am flabbergasted at how much room they can make for all of the Christmas chocolates in the supermarkets here. Clearly they must get rid of some other items, but I usually cannot figure out what.
(I did notice that in the variety section where they sell Christmas decorations, it is most of the stationery which tends to disappear.)
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Post by bjd on Nov 18, 2010 8:30:59 GMT
I went to Carrefour on Tuesday and had to ask for the stationery department to buy a notebook. Aisles and aisles rammed with toys and Christmas chocolates. Stationery had indeed been reduced to one row and moved away.
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Post by tod2 on Jan 26, 2011 15:18:30 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2011 16:05:11 GMT
I just bought some new condiments at my Chinese supermarket about an hour ago. And seeing your photos makes me realize that I am all out of little chilis -- I think I have maybe two frozen ones left and then I have to resort to the dried ones.
My wasabi powder comes in cute little tins.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 26, 2011 17:32:06 GMT
A beauty pageant of vegetables, Tod! The little bitty eggplant are too adorable, ditto the earring-sized zucchini. I wept tears of desire over the perfect okra.
Are the loofah the ones with the ridges? I think the squash next to it are cucuzzi, although the ones I know are longer. It's another vegetable I miss. Definitely wouldn't mind having some of those butternut squash, either.
Are mdumbi a traditional S.African food. I assume it's used the way potatoes or rice are, right?
I was amused to see the apples presented in plastic bags -- as though they were the true exotics in the array.
Are the warty squash bitter gourd? I'd love to get my hands on a couple of those red lantern-shaped peppers.
This was so much fun!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 5, 2011 8:52:23 GMT
Has anybody's supermarkets come up with some useful innovations recently? In France, people are quite resistant to change, so things like self-checkout are still struggling. Self-scanning as you put the things in the cart seems to be catching on more rapidly, but I have not tried it yet. I have noticed that the rack of self-scanning pistols at Carrefour is often almost empty, though, and everybody seems to be walking around shooting stuff. I guess it comes naturally for all of the people who need an electronic device in their hand at all times.
One innovation that has rapidly become a must, though, out of the urban centers is the drive-through pick-up. People order all of their stuff over the internet and then drive at a specific time to pick it up. It seems much more popular than home delivery which traps people at home all afternoon sometimes. And I suppose it allows for immediate correction of obvious errors.
I guess I'm old fashioned. I still like to walk around the store, no electronic pistol, and queue up at the cashier, because I often discover interesting products by seeing what the person in front of me is buying.
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Post by onlymark on Sept 5, 2011 14:59:07 GMT
Over the last few years in Egypt I've become used to the concept of home delivery. It often works as most families that use it also have help that would stay in the house all day to receive it. I never used the full service partially because I want to pick the goods myself to avoid mistakes but mainly to assure quality. One thing I have done though is gone to the supermarket, walked round and got my trolley full of stuff, paid for it and then let them deliver it.
It saves me lugging bags into and out of the car and then through the house to the kitchen. It is all done for you and the place I used would deliver everything you've just chosen within half an hour, always.
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Sept 5, 2011 15:50:35 GMT
The UK is dominated by a few huge companies, namely Tesco, Asda (now owned by Walmart), Sainsbury's (the BIG THREE) and Morrisons..there are some other companies like Safeway, Waitrose and the Co-Op etc...and more recently we've had Lidl and Aldi open large stores too.
One of the benefits of living in a large city is that there is plenty to choose from. My Mother always shopped at Sainsbury's and I carried on shopping there when I left home, married and was raising a family of my own...however my OH preferred Tescos products (by far the largest company and a little cheaper than Sainsbury's....in more ways than one she said sniffily) and we started shopping there in the late 80s...they have a store loyalty card scheme (as does Sainsbury's) where we receive points for every pound we spend...then get vouchers back every few weeks to spend in store...
Recent events (OH lost his job) meant that our family income has been reduced considerably...so we've started visiting Asda and sometimes Aldi now...On the whole it's much cheaper...and the quality seems fine...but I just don't feel 'at home' there...I don't know why. It's only groceries, so surely it doesn't matter where we buy things from..it makes perfect sense to shop in the store with the best prices....
I've decided that I'm a snob.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 5, 2011 16:49:04 GMT
No, I don't think you're a snob. There is a human factor to stores, and some of them don't have it. Places like Aldi and Lidl are so cheap that the people who shop there are often a bit ashamed to be there and kind of slink around trying to be invisible. The employees usually don't stay very long either, because obviously the salaries are not top notch.
I sometimes go to my local Dia (owned by Carrefour), and I don't feel comfortable there either. I strangely feel that I should be paying more and that I am taking the food out of poor people's mouths. And that is clearly ridiculous, because the more you buy, the more they stock.
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Sept 5, 2011 17:21:00 GMT
Thanks Kerouac... ;D I know exactly what you mean...when we go to Aldi I do feel out of place.
We went to Asda on Sunday morning and it was heaving, so a lot of people must like it there...tbh it doesn't seem to be laid out as well as Sainsbury's or Tescos...the aisles are sometimes too narrow and there are baskets containing products sticking into the lanes making it awkward to negotiate with the trolley. I know that there are experts employed to come up with the best way of presenting products but it doesn't seem logical...The queues at the checkout were very long too. We'll probably get used to it in time...won't go on a Sunday again as it's far too busy. It is about 10% cheaper overall than other stores tho...
I still buy coffee that's quite expensive...I can't give up good coffee....
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Post by onlymark on Sept 5, 2011 17:43:50 GMT
I never really took much notice of supermarkets until I had a family - as you would expect. I remember the first time I went to a chain called Real in Germany. The size of the place was mind boggling. I tended to frequent it every week with odd trips to Ald/Lidl to stock up on stuff, and to get a few treats went to Kaufhof.
Asda was the favourite in the UK, especially because it is open 24 hours and on a Sunday. The rest weren't. It stocked all I needed and at a reasonable price. In Manila a place called Shopwise was the regular stop, in Cairo usually Carrefour but only to stock up. Mostly I used the small shops in the place I lived. Here in Amman there is again a Carrefour, but several others as well and I'm gradually working my way round them to see what they're like.
The one that's my favourite at the moment is called Smiley's and is set up with wooden shelves and less glaring lighting, is expensive but makes the shopping experience more enjoyable.
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Post by hwinpp on Sept 6, 2011 9:18:16 GMT
Mdumbi look to be taro or yam to me.
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Post by bjd on Sept 6, 2011 10:01:37 GMT
Every time I go to Carrefour (less than before but still where I go for most stuff), I notice more self-service checkouts and those barcode-reading pistols. The customers using them are not paying any less for their food, so why should they do their own checking-out? I always go to the human cashiers -- I figure they have jobs if I do so.
I noticed too that at the cheese counter, there are more pre-cut and cellophane-wrapped cheeses than before, and fewer to be cut on request. Only one clerk, whereas there used to be at least 2.
I only go to Lidl to buy non-food items. They often have good deals on some special stuff. What I dislike is that there is no space at the cash register for the things you bought to pile up, like in normal supermarkets. Since in France you pack your own stuff everywhere, it's not very practical. But I understand that in discount places, the cashiers are told to just whip everything through so there is no break in the rhythm.
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Sept 8, 2011 10:39:16 GMT
Those 'self service' tills are springing up in every supermarket here...they don't seem to move along any quicker and seem to need a member of staff hovering at all times to help baffled customers. I go straight to a person, keep those people in jobs I say....
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Post by mich64 on Sept 8, 2011 15:24:20 GMT
I love it when new supermarkets open up in town. The newest I am enjoying because it has such a diversity of products that I have never seen before. (even Marmite Mick!)
We do not have self check stalls yet, we do however have to pack our purchases now at some of the stores and pay for bags if you do not bring your own.
We do have self check stalls at home supply stores with the attendant standing there anyway? At first I thought this was just a period for us to learn how to do it properly, but it has been about 2 years now so this does not make any sense to me at all. I am just happy that someone did not lose their job because of them.
Cheers, Mich
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Post by mickthecactus on Sept 8, 2011 15:41:41 GMT
Make sure you buy some Mich!
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Post by mich64 on Sept 8, 2011 17:42:18 GMT
Mick, I have picked it up off the shelf, looked at it and put it back down.... I am not to sure about it... maybe next time. Cheers, Mich
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 8, 2011 17:42:19 GMT
Every time I go to Carrefour (less than before but still where I go for most stuff), I notice more self-service checkouts and those barcode-reading pistols. The customers using them are not paying any less for their food, so why should they do their own checking-out? I always go to the human cashiers -- I figure they have jobs if I do so. Amen! When I have to trudge across the store to check an item that has not been priced, I really resent it. Someone was paid to do that, & it wasn't me. I saw self check for the first time in Las Vegas, and idly tapped an item when my son was checking out. That meant that an attendant had to be called because my touching it had changed the weight of the item, which is apparently a cue that people are cheating. Whew! There is no such thing as a fun, interesting, pleasant supermarket where I live. By that I mean one that's not a hassle and that makes me want to cruise the aisles. There are only three chains of big supermarkets in Oaxaca & they all suck, plus only one of them is (barely) convenient to where I live. It's a Mexican arm of Walmart, & has very poor selection.
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Post by bjd on Sept 8, 2011 18:39:11 GMT
In my local Carrefour (and I think in any other large supermarket), there are clerks on rollerskates that go check prices when a cashier requests missing information.
I have usually just put my stuff on the conveyor belt a) when there is a problem with the price of something and the cashier has to phone for information, rollerskating person, etc. b) the person in front of me has a problem with their bank card, requires a receipt or something equally exciting.
Meanwhile, the cash register right beside which was closed before has opened.
Speaking of supermarket jobs -- when I went to Carrefour in Bogota with my consuegros, at each cash register there is a cashier, a guy at the end putting your groceries away, and guys in the parking garage who load everything into the car for you.
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Post by onlymark on Sept 8, 2011 19:55:56 GMT
In Cairo and here at Carrefour we have the person on the till, the person who packs the bags, the security guy who checks the receipt as well as the car park car loader guy.
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Post by lagatta on Sept 8, 2011 23:44:33 GMT
I guess there isn't Carrefour in Mexico (not here either, despite the French language and culture and lots of stuff we'd like to eat) but I think it has branches in several countries in South America.
Bixa, that really sucks. Not that I want people to stop going to the market or anything, but supermarkets can be really useful for some staples and household goods - and some actually have interesting food now. One thing is what kerouac mentioned a bit up - quality pre-prepared food (even frozen food) that is tasty without a ridiculous load of salt or bad fats.
I don't use most of that, but in the winter I do buy frozen vegetable mixes, and those lovely frozen spinach turds. Oddly, they are mostly packaged in Belgium.
I have been to a WalMart not terribly far from where I live, more out of curiosity than anything else (there are three major chain supermarkets within easy walking distance of my house, as well as a treasure of smaller "ethnic" supermarkets and grocery shops, and the Jean-Talon Market as the crowning jewel and main reason I moved to this neighbourhood). Not at all impressed. Lots of packaged junque and I mean junque. The Loblaws, Metro and IGA/Sobeys banners all have far better frozen food for one thing, and there was a lot of the worst kind of "unfood" in the WalMart aisles.
onlyMark, why the security guy checking the receipt? Everywhere I've seen security guys, they check costly (tagged) items that haven't been demagnetised, or are following suspected shoplifters picked up by the security cameras or "secret shoppers". The guy at the little Metro near me has been on duty for 20 years and everyone says hello to him now. At least 15 years ago, once he wanted to look at my bags on suspicion of filching something - simply because not as many people used reusable bags back then. He apologised of course.
I think that if he is still there, his presence does discourage theft.
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Post by onlymark on Sept 9, 2011 8:11:33 GMT
One of the jobs of the security guys is, say you buy an electrical item like a hand mixer, anything really that you would normally bring back as it was faulty. He seems to check on the receipt that the item is the same, he then has his own stamp and stamps the receipt. It seems that if he's cruising along the checkouts and sees an item that isn't a foodstuff or from the food/cleaning section, he'll pounce and want to see the receipt as you pull your trolley away from the till.
He will also do random checks on the receipt, comparing what you've bought with what's written down, he also, I suspect, keeps an eye on the till operators to see they don't pocket any money, plus he objects if you tip the bag packer with a bit of loose change. For some reason (I must look like a criminal, which is highly possible), every time I get to the checkout a security guy appears, waits for the process to be complete and then checks a few things in the bags. Maybe they just love me and enjoy being in my proximity, if only for a fleeting moment in time.
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Post by tod2 on Sept 9, 2011 8:26:14 GMT
Mark - You have our system in Cairo?!! We have exactly as you describe in #111 with one exception. In our food supermarkets they don't check the Till strip with the items in the bag. Only at hardware stores really.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 9, 2011 8:57:05 GMT
At the Metro wholesale markets in France, there is a receipt checker who checks every single item that has been purchased before you are allowed out the door. Very annoying! I'm glad we sold the café.
In normal hypermarkets, there is the usual service desk for returns and other problems, so you don't have to walk inside the store with defective merchandise -- they would hold it at the counter while you go in to find a replacement item.
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Post by onlymark on Sept 9, 2011 9:47:07 GMT
tod, I'm no longer in Cairo, though the system was the same there too. I now live in Amman, as attested by a couple of posts I recently made as photo essay things. The problem is they were hidden away, secreted, moved and forgotten about by K2 in the Asia branch. Asia! I ask you. The Middle East was the driving power for centuries, nay, millennia, in the fields of learning and education and ...and...and, but now it is relegated and lumped together with the Han Dynasty.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 9, 2011 9:57:10 GMT
All roads lead to Asia.
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Post by onlymark on Sept 9, 2011 14:50:49 GMT
Can't do.
I live in a cul de sac.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 15, 2012 8:29:38 GMT
All new supermarkets in France must now be built with closed refrigerator cabinets for all of the cold products instead of the open access of the past. The other supermarkets have to be converted by 2014 or 2015.
This reputedly reduces energy use in a supermarket by 70%.
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