France - Post 7 - Monoprix

Hey everyone,

So I just want to start off this blog by saying that I got my American phone stolen yesterday, which means that the quality of the pictures that I post up here will drop severely. Sorry in advance.

Next on the agenda I thought I would actually talk about the French version of USA’s Target: Monoprix. This place has it all from toiletry needs to clothes, from electronics to protectors and sleeves, from outdoor furniture to kitchen adornments, and then the grocery store section that has its own entire floor of the building. And yes, I did say floor because the one near my house is two stories. Actually, it is one story with the basement being the grocery store. I guess it is actually more comparable to a Meijer or a Wal-Mart. I found the way in which the basement floor is sectioned off to be another interesting aspect of the store. Instead of having only the typical signs that tell you the zones, there are entire sections of the store dedicated to that product or range of products. And personally, some of these zones have a distinct feel to them that can make you think that you have just walked into another store.

For example, there is wine/liquor segment that even exceeds the size of some stand-alone stores. This is only one part of it.

As you can see from the picture, it is mostly islands of wines which range in price from €2,50 – expensive and a back shelf of the strong stuff. The prices can get expensive quick. I have tried several wines here though and I’ve acquired a liking towards rose wine. One thing I found interesting was that if you were looking for beers, you would have to go all the way over to the other side of the store. I have no idea why this is but if I remember correctly the beer was in a subsection with the juices and non-alcoholic drinks. This entire section was the general grocery/breakfast/lunch section that was separate from the wine section and the one that I’m about to mention.

            The next big section, which in my guess occupied 1/3 of the store, was the cold/frozen section. This included dairy, fruits & veggies, and a wide array of meats. One thing I should mention is that typically when you go to some type of grocery store or supermarket, you have to 1) bring your own bag because all bags are purchase only and do not come with your food purchase and 2) weigh out your fruits & veggies while marking the bag after. I have not done this yet but will need to in the future. Apart from the smell of the section, you could easily tell because the entire room/area got cold as soon as you cross over from the wine frontier. It wasn’t a gradual change either.

            To end the grocery discussion, I also found it interesting to find some things in two different sections. One of my previously mentioned examples was that of the lone beer. Some of the dairy could also be found in the general area as well as the cold area like eggs and milk. Another thing that I find interesting and that also makes shopping at cheaper for me, the consumer, is that they not only have the bigger brands but also their own brand at a competitive price. Although this isn’t a new idea, it is still interesting to see in another country. There were other things but I think you get the point. The final thing is that this is all underground. From the outside, this aspect gives the illusion that the store is smaller than it is whereas the proximity of stores like Wal-Mart and Meijer can easily be measured.

            As for the top floor of the store, upon entering there are all types of beauty products and toiletries like shampoo, suntan lotion, nail clippers, etc. This floor was also designed in such a way where each zone had a specialization and even a design to it. This was accentuated with the help of having cash registers between the sections against separating walls with a couple walkways that connected it all. 

The next area (pictured above), walking from the entrance to the back, was a mini food stand area. I can only compare it to a mini Starbucks that specialized in breakfast and brunch options only. After that was a zone directed at more generalized interests (indoor/outdoor house items and furniture, electronics, clothes & accessories, and other peculiarities. I have yet to venture far into these areas because I go more to buy small amounts of food for a couple days at a time. This is somewhat obligatory since there is a small amount of room for storage and this is also how the French shop I guess. Where walking is as common if not more common than driving, you don’t want to be carrying more than one grocery bag full of things if you have a 15 min walk with a possible train ride involved also. I want to remind you all that everything I have described here is in accordance with MY Monoprix and so I am not quite sure how the others are setup. That’s all for now.

Thanks for reading and until next post!