Grocery Shopping in France

I think it's obvious by now that living in Switzerland is way too expensive. To give you an idea. 10 eggs (not even a dozen) cost about $6. A bag of big chips is about $5. 100g of beef costs about $4. And this is at the normal supermarkets...wait till you go to the Whole Foods equivalent. Actually, only been there once and got scared and ran away so I have no idea. Of course there are some slightly cheaper options but the selection is quite limited. So if I really want to do some real (American style) shopping I go to France, which is about a 20-30 min tram ride and then a 10min walk away. It's not your typical neighborhood grocery shopping but I love shopping in France.

Maybe R has brainwashed me in the superiority of French cuisine, but I've really come to appreciate French supermarkets.

But with that said, don't get me wrong Swiss supermarket are probably the most cleanest, organized, and gourmet supermarkets in all of Europe. An average supermarket is close to fresh, fair-trade, organic Whole Foods quality food. If I had the money I would love to buy most of my products in Switzerland because I can trust their quality and their standards. Of course, that is for another day when I get a Swiss salary...

I carry back two huge shopping bags every time I go to France. As there's the Schengen deal there are virtually no controls between the borders so technically you can buy however much you want without getting worried about duty taxes. Although, to be precise there are restrictions on how much meat and alcohol you can carry back into Switzerland. I don't buy meat except maybe some ham sometimes and I only usually buy a bottle of wine each time so I'm all set.

By bus and tram, it takes me about 20 minutes from my dorm to get to the very edge of Switzerland. I then cross over the border by foot and then I walk for about 10 minutes to get to my supermarket and an Asian supermarket just across the street.  Here's a bit of a glimpse..

 

Obviously you can tell I went to the Asian groceries with my bags full of Mammy noodles and tofu! Here is what I bought from the French supermarket. All of this cost me about 25 euros. In Switzerland, I assure you this will cost anywhere from 60-70 CHF. The difference is just astonishing

The cheapest are the dairy. I buy 16 eggs in France for about $1.80. In Switzerland, it will cost me a whooping $8. Yes, you heard me right. Making omelets in Switzerland is luxury.

This is also the same in Switzerland and France, but in many supermarkets unless they are individually marked and have a sticker price on it already, you have to weigh the vegetable and fruits yourself and print out the sticker and place it on your item or plastic bag.

Lately I've been more careful about creating waste (I am a sustainable development student afterall!), I started carrying around mesh bags to put my vegggies and fruits in, instead of using those thin plastic bags.