From WRS. https://www.worldradio.ch/news/bites…ce-falls-away/
That's a crisis. What else can people do to feel smart?
I always go to France for the amazing selection of delicious food and not so much the price ... I also take the tram, so no fuel costs (possible in Basel).
it might be quite a while until Switzerland and Germany see parity for a sack of potatoes or even an apple.
Likewise to Italy. It's only 5km from work, so a short trip on my lunch break, or like this afternoon we are going to visit my wife's cousin, as it's a holiday here, so may do some shopping while there.
Tom
Online shopping. I just bought a couple of Coop beer advent calendars with 50% off.
I see a pattern here.
We've definitely noticed that the price advantage of going over to France or Germany is not as great as it used to be.
I'd still head to the Carrefour in St Louis but now more for the greater options, mostly around wine, fish, frozen etc..
Yes, the price increase has been felt but it won't stop me from shopping there as the difference is still significant.
All those who feel high and mighty can keep shopping in Switzerland though.
How about the people who do not live near the border of Italy or France? Do you consider these also high and mighty?
I thought you lived in Bern.
That’s the only reason we shop in France, for the things we can’t easily get here and a the far better choice of fish and seafood.
It wouldn’t be worth it just for the money saving aspect, if you shop wisely here the price difference doesn’t justify crossing the border to shop.
TBH - I shop in France for the quality and variety of the food, and a huge reason, because the cashiers actually take care with the produce.
It's a generalization, but over all, I find many of the Swiss cashiers to be careless (or even approaching violence) with my food. All well and good, if things are in a box and just jumbled up at the register, but usually they are not.
I take care when I unload my cart on to the conveyer belt - usually putting the bottles and cans first, along with items like toothpaste - and quickly load those into my bags and cart; then produce, with heavy items like potatoes or celery root first to go on the bottom and items that can be squished later so they arrive on top, then the meats and cheeses - again soft cheese last, hunk of pork first; and so on until the breads and potato chips at the end... and I'm actively getting the items into the proper bags quickly.
Inevitably, in France, the average cashier recognizes what I'm doing and at least doesn't hinder the process; whereas as frequently or not, the Swiss cashier slams the hunk of pork down on top of the tomatoes or bananas, crushing them, or some how grabs the chips early on and launches a kilo of carrots on to it, reducing the chips to dust inside the bag.
One cashier, in Geneva, was actually so violent with a fish at one point, I told her to remove it, I no longer wanted it, as she'd beaten it hard enough that it looked like a shark had gotten to it and ripped the packaging.
I love Italy, where I've had a cashier stop, and wait and held some bread, so it would remain warm and undamaged, as I moved removed a bottle of wine from a bag that was going to mush the veggies - she understood. Some people treat food as merely energy, and others as a pleasure. I'll take Grand Frais and Intermarche over Lidl and Migros any day. Carrefour is a push with COOP, although COOP usually has better bread.
Of course it wont stop people, and a million articles saying there is no difference in price will not stop those tighties who cross the border convincing themselves its cheaper. The sheer adamance of those who cross over - that its is cheaper, at least in my circle, is astounding in the face of reality.
While I am sure those taking the tram or driving 5km there is no significant travel cost. Still I expect you to have passed several Swiss Migros, Coop, and Aldi's to get there and increased your round trip time by about an hour, from shopping across the road. My hourly rate is a bit higher than what I would save on a bag of rice in France or Germany
What a funny thing to say. I live close to the French border but I've never bothered with shopping in France. Not because I feel high and mighty, but rather because I see it as an inconvenience and lost time.
Local Coop is 5' from my place, self-scanning, not overcrowded, no border-crossing, really good selection of meat/fish/vegetables/fruits.
Before moving in Switzerland I lived in France for a year and a half. Grand Frais has really good fruits/vegetables/meat, but you need to go to another supermarket to buy the rest of your groceries, which is something I don't like doing.
Comparing Intermarché and Carrefour though to Coop and Migros is laughable in my experience. I've tried the Intermarché in Crozet, Carrefour in Ferney-Voltaire, Carrefour in Saint-Genis-Pouilly, Leclerc in Ferney-Voltaire and I was always dissatisfied for various reasons (lack of cleanliness, lack of fresh fruits/vegetables, inconvenience of not having a self-scanning, overcrowded etc), so I was always shopping in Migros in Val Thoiry.
I have found the exact opposite.
The french cashiers are intent on shoving everything along as quickly as possible and don’t care what they crush or damage in the process.
With the exception of Aldi where they tend to follow the french approach all the Swiss cashiers tend to take much more care and pay attention to what they’re doing.
If you think your local COOP is good for deli/butcher/produce, give the Intermarche in Gex or La Rousse, or the Grand Frais in Ferney, or even better the Savoie Volailles Pernoud in Ornex a try sometime... the butchers at these are fantastic, and the produce makes it worth a trip a couple of times a month. It's not just bargain hunting (not worth the time or effort), but the quality and variety are often much better.
Ever used the gun-like barcode scanner? Scan the product, place it with as much care as you like in the bag, get to checkout machine, pay with card, leave.
For the best produce, visit the local farms. No way to get fresher lettuces or tomatoes.
Already edited my post above to reply to your post
We can only agree on Grand Frais quality.
Well, sad for you. I've taken to using the self checkout in COOP/Migros, and enjoy my butcher at Grand Frais sending the meat over to the register in advance for me. The French cashiers tend to pay attention and comment on items occasionally as well. I enjoy one of the older women at my local COOP, but if she's not there, I self check out.
Then this article doesn't concern you, does it? It talks about people who actually do shop across the border.