Why is everything so expensive in France?

[MrsSchadenfreude]

Leg of lamb in Monoprix - around 30 euros, Dove deodorant, over 4 euros, grotty looking lump of stewing steak in supermarket, 15 euros. Satsumas worked out at over a euro each. Cannot find children's pyjamas for less than 16 euros. And don't get me started on the overpriced and scrawny chickens. I know that part of this has to do with the exchange rate and the French propping up and subsidising the farmers, but I go to the supermarket for a few bits and end up spending 50 euros on not very much at all. Rant over.

Sorry to have doubted you, I assumed it was a typo because I have never seen satsumas at this price.
Then again the town where I work/shop is not very smart.
For clothes, especially pjs and underwear when it doesn't matter so much what they look like, I find it best to shop online/by catalogue eg la Redoute.

I read about a company - called sterling I think - who do deliveries from Tesco to France. Might be worth a google!

Shopping for food on avenue Victor Hugo is like shopping for food in Knightsbridge - not for mere mortals, only for trustafarians!

So where does one find reasonably-priced food then? I visited the Indian quarter behind Gare du Nord just before Christmas and the grocery stores there had piles of butternut squashes for about the same price as in the UK: I had really missed as they only seemed to be stocked in the market for about a week. Obviously those stores are much cheaper for rice and pulses too, and they had a decent stock of English tea and jam, IIRC.

I have no problem with the price of rice (for example) on www.houra.fr - there is masses of choice at lots of price points.

I did do a spreadsheet a few years ago when I compared internet prices for my own regular shopping basket across the different French internet supermarkets and that's how I chose houra.

I agree that French supermarkets are very expensive. I think as well as the euro it is also due to the French system of protectionism. Which is why sales are regulated by the government and can only happen at set times of the year. As my last job was in the UK I was paid in pounds so I'm not happy exchanging them into euros at the moment. I have been using a company (similar to sterling mentioned above) who will deliver my UK shopping here. I do an Asda shop and then I pay the company 15% of the total price for them to deliver it. It still works out shed loads cheaper than shopping in French supermarkets and I get to eat the food I want to. For example, who has ever found minced lamb and pork anywhere? They wouldn't even do it for me at the butcher as they said it would contaminate the hachoir they use for beef!

You need to change butcher bunjies!

If they sell 'chair à saucisse' then they can mince pork.

Bunjies - what is the name of the company you use for delivery?

Maybe you're right Othersideofthechannel.

shophappy - the company I use only deliver to the Haute Vienne & Creuse departments. If this helps you then CAT me and I will give you their details.

Apologies for the thread hijack but can any of you lovely people tell me how easy it is to buy Gluten free food in the French Supermarkets? Oh, and goats milk! My DS is on a gluten free diet and we are thinking of heading to France for holidays. Need to check he is not going to starve though!

Hi WFG (waves across from SN board). Gluten free is available in France though not quite as easily as UK. Larger stores such as carrefour / auchan / monoprix will stock it in their "Diétetique" shelves. You can also get it from organic stores such as Naturalia or BioCoop.
Goats milk should also be available and certainly would be from organic stores. When I was pg with DS I couldn't take cows milk and could always get UHT goat's milk but couldn't often find fresh.
HTH
Brio.

Hi Brio! Thanks for the speedy response! What types of products do they sell? Can I buy Gluten free bread here or would it be better to go to a boulangerie? Also will these supermarkets sell UHT goats milk?
Apologies for all the questions!!

Goats milk (and cheese) is quite freely available but agree it's more likely to be uht.

I doubt you'd get properly GF bread from a boulanger but a large supermarket would have it. Not by the bread but with strange healthy things like rice cake and soya products.

Whereabouts are you headed? If you're coming in the ar could you bring some supplies with you?

Hi frakkinaround
We are looking at Carcassonne/Toulouse by air so yes, we could bring GF bread etc with us. Would be easier to buy it over there but will see nearer the time. Thanks for your help!

Hmm, there you have me. I have never actually seen gluten free bread, but then I haven't looked for it either (we don't do any particular diet for DD). I have seen gluten free pasta and crackers. You can usually get UHT goat's milk, but again this isn't something I buy every week.
Sorry, I do know someone whose coeliac but she orders her stuff online.
Could you not just load up your car when you come over?

Hello Brioche-we are flying but yes we can always bring bread in our suitcase!

I've been in France for 5 years now and my friends are horrified back home (and so am I...) when they hear I spend over 800 euros / month on food for my family of 4. And I DO buy supermarket brands and try and economise where possible. Having done a few shopping trips to the UK over Xmas, I refuse to buy anything apart from food now but the locals here still seem content to spend 9 euros for a pack of felt tips (my latest gripe...). Price fixing is rife between the supermarkets so there's no competition unf'y unlike in the UK where there's BOGOF offers everywhere! Still, it makes the UK seem more 'attractive' than it did a few years ago where I wasn't bothered about going over.

I've been in France for 5 years now and my friends are horrified back home (and so am I...) when they hear I spend over 800 euros / month on food for my family of 4. And I DO buy supermarket brands and try and economise where possible. Having done a few shopping trips to the UK over Xmas, I refuse to buy anything apart from food now but the locals here still seem content to spend 9 euros for a pack of felt tips (my latest gripe...). Price fixing is rife between the supermarkets so there's no competition unf'y unlike in the UK where there's BOGOF offers everywhere! Still, it makes the UK seem more 'attractive' than it did a few years ago where I wasn't bothered about going over.

I've been in France for 5 years now and my friends are horrified back home (and so am I...) when they hear I spend over 800 euros / month on food for my family of 4. And I DO buy supermarket brands and try and economise where possible. Having done a few shopping trips to the UK over Xmas, I refuse to buy anything apart from food now but the locals here still seem content to spend 9 euros for a pack of felt tips (my latest gripe...). Price fixing is rife between the supermarkets so there's no competition unf'y unlike in the UK where there's BOGOF offers everywhere! Still, it makes the UK seem more 'attractive' than it did a few years ago where I wasn't bothered about going over.

I recently discovered a new discount supermarket, called Dia. They are a part of the Carrefour group and all over France. I did a huge shop there for a fraction of the price of Carrefour. The selection was more limited but for basics like pasta and bread, it was fine.

Strangely, they did not sell fresh milk.

Mme lindt. Can you let me know a little more about Dia? Do they have a website with the store locators on. It seems a bit pointless for me to try to save money but drive over to Geneve and then to track down Dia.

Dia near GE

I don't think it would be worth your while unless you were coming over this direction anyway - how far away are you from us?

There are a few up towards Basel, just over the border.

They are similar to Lidl or Aldi. Although they did have a fresh meat counter.

Oh no! this thread is scaring me!

If you have no car in Paris is it impossible to shop at a grande surface?
Can you get household stuff via internet? how do you get a clothes horse for example?

I'd say it probably isn't v. easy - you'll probably be in an appartement, so even if you had a car you'd still be lugging shopping bags into the building. We have a car but still rarely use it for supermarket shopping, we walk (with fully loaded buggy) from the nearest Monoprix.

But I have just, after 5 years, discovered the delights of internet shopping (they bring it actually into your kitchen!). I have used www.monoprix.fr and www.houra.fr so far, both good service, houra probably a bit cheaper and houra definitely has a much wider selection of non-food stuff.

For more white goods type stuff, your best bet is www.darty.fr or www.bhv.fr

HTH

You need to (a) internet shop for the heavy and non-perishable stuff (b) buy a shopping trolley to pull around the shops. Unless you have a garage under your building, doing a big shop with a car is a real pain.

It is harder work than a car + house + Waitrose or Tesco.