They were well priced on things like Robinsons diluting juice, British Cumberland Sausages, Cheeses, Condiments etc.
Hi we recently holidayed in North Spain and shopped at the french supermarket Carrefour, we were amazed at the amount of UK/International grocery products they had. Have done a little searching and found that I think the nearest to us is in Mulhouse, has anyone tried it out, or regularly shop here? Is it worth the trip, maybe the Spanish one was stocked for the holidaymaker market, but just thought would find out if anyone else has been first.
It is a great store with lots of choices, I really liked to go there even if it wasn't cheap. I didn't look at the british choices to be honest but I'll believe it should be the same, mostly. Because I can find lots of products in Spain too.
No, in a word, it does not cater to the Brits, probably because there are not many in that part of france. We found the same in Cyprus. However it is good to stock up on toiletries.
Carrefour Mulhouse is OK for prices on meat and large French range of food, but does not have the same amount of British food as the Spanish ones. The latter are targetting the vv large UK expat / pensioner population.
I shop there and also in Cora, they are massive and cheap compared to the Saint Louis supermarkets, it certainly makes sense to go from Basel. Sorry haven't been looking for British things especially, so no sure about that.
As I suspected, thought this might be the case, but if good priced on meat, toiletries etc then might still take the trip, will report back on any goodies!
With the risk of being called a food snob like I was in another thread, which, in your opinion is the more upmarket of the two - Cora or Carrefour?
about the same IMO although Cora is in a more residential and slightly run down area so clientele may be different. Cora has a very good cafeteria for lunch and is next to a Decathalon, which as you probably know is excellent for sports stuff. Carrefour is in a larger and much busier shopping mall.
About the same. And don't worry, I'm a snob too.
I use the Mulhouse Carrefour about once every 3 months - it has a better selection of British goods than the St Louis stores (or Swiss stores) but certainly have not found cumberland sausage or Robinsons squash in there. It also has a good shopping mall with a relatively good selection of clothes shops (vertbaudet and okiadi (not sure of spelling)) - I buy a lot there for the children. And if you have children, you can round off an exhausting day with a trip to the soft play in Kingersheim, followed by burgers at Buffalo Grill ..... well - it gets the children interested in coming along at any rate ...
PS:Tom - definitely Carrefour IMO - but have not been to Cora for a few years now ...
I shop at that Carrefour every couple of weeks and it's absolutely gigantic. Everything I've bought has been fresh and well-priced (they have an inexpensive house brand that's of decent quality). I haven't been looking for UK products but have seen British families there at almost every visit.
My favorite is the huge aisle completely dedicated to yogurt alone :-)
Someone told me that customs can stop you and give you problems, even for a weekly/monthly shop if you try to bring in meats, alcohol, etc... is this true? Even for personal consumption??!!
Going over the border to places like this Carrefour is great for a couple of reasons.
Huge. Choice. Quality.
I go south for my thrill to iPer Varese and the choice is brilliant. Mind you, I have no interest to go searching for "food from home".
Price is something you have to evaluate for yourself. The Carrefour you speak of also has shops alongside it and in the area; my iPer has a mini shopping center around it.
Meat, spirits are cheaper. Heck, I even got a kiddie picnic table for €10 last weekend - that's like 2 francs nowadays isn't it?
For bringing stuff back, you will be hammered hard in the following order:
Too much meat - ouch!
Too much booze - duty and potential penalty
Too much value of purchases - not usually raised as an issue
Also, you'll be stopped and asked based on how you cross the border and, if you're in a car, on the plates you have.
HTH
of course, there are limits.
see here: http://www.ezv.admin.ch/zollinfo_pri...x.html?lang=en
Yes, this is true, you have to stay within limits. To be honest, I have been above those limits myself and spent a few scary moments passing customs but have not been stopped yet. Mind you, I have made that many trips either...
Does anyone knows if it is possible to go to the Carrefour Mulhouse by public transportation (Bus, trams...) from the Mulhouse Main Station (Mulhouse-Ville Gare) ? I have checked on the public trasportation website of Mulhouse , but i could not find any good information.
Yes, Tram 2 from the main station and then bus 22 will take you right there.
I'll let you figure out the time table here
It takes 24 mins and there's a time and route calculator here. The start is Gare Central and the finish point is Centre Commercial.
Calling all Basler...is GA valid for the train from Basel to Mulhouse? Would love to go to the Carrefour Mulhouse with public transport but not sure what ticket to buy for the journey in France....
Acutally let me revise that as I have been to both recently. Cora is better.
I see looking at the cora website store map that there are two around Mulhouse - one at Wittenheim and one at Dornach. Both are I suppose a similar driving distance but any opinions as to which is bigger/better?