 Poster: A snowHead
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Planning a late April trip to the some, so probs Val Thorens or Tignes - will be arriving on Easter Sunday, and just wondering if anyone knows if I am likely to find a supermarket along the route from Geneva that is open that day. Can see plenty that are open on Sundays, but is Easter Sunday any different for the supermarkets in France?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@jonnyboy93 if they are meant to be closed, they may announce an 'ouverture exceptionelle' which will be on their website. Plenty to choose from in Albertville close to the Autoroute. It will probably only be open in the morning though.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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The Migros in Geneva Airport may be open. Check on the GVA website.
Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Fri 15-02-19 11:06; edited 1 time in total
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I thought the big Albertville supermarkets were closed on Sundays? Certainly Migros in Annemasse is.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@pam w, I thought most of France closed on Sundays?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@jonnyboy93, no chance but you may find a mini mart in services on route to get some supplies to keep you going until supermarkets reopen.
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Supermarkets nearest ski resorts are often open on Sunday mornings, less often all day. And resort shops will be open - and for a few days, the extra cost of shopping in-resort is not really a biggie. You don't have time to waste shopping!
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And unless you're taking unconscionable amounts of luggage, there's plenty of room for iron rations in your baggage allowance.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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The Intermarche chain are normally open on Sunday mornings.
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The super markets in bourg were shut last Easter
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I've often wondered about the comparative cost of doing a shop in the UK and then filling a suitcase to go in the hold vs shopping en route? If you have to pay extra for hold baggage then that's an extra, I suppose. If you're otherwise cabin baggage one of you can go ahead and pick the hire car up while the other waits for the baggage, so not much time lost. If you are paying in local currency then there's the currency conversion cost. Obviously, you might not want to pack liquids like milk and soup (although you could put these into leak-prof containers). There's the faff of carting-'round a 'provisions case' but then a Find The Supermarché Open on Easter Sunday hunt could get very frustrating. Just a thought. Perhaps I should start a company manufacturing baggage just for food carriage ..... could be the latest chic travel accessory?
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| LaForet wrote: |
| ... a Find The Supermarché Open on Easter Sunday hunt could get very frustrating. |
Supermarkets have websites, a check a few days before leaving will show whether they will be open.
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Often the big supermarkets near resorts have special openings for the bank holidays as per @Hells Bells. So I'd check the websites nearer the time. I know that the big Carrefour in Sallanches normally opens the Sundays for special occasions as does the Super U at Cluses/Magland. But do you need to do the big shop that day? Easter is not a big school holiday in France so everything will be open as usual on Monday.
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You know it makes sense.
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@LaForet, I'm not sure about the economics of flying with a suitcase of shopping, but when driving I do take some food with me. Not because it is cheaper but some things, even now, can be hard to find in France. For instance I always take Brussel sprouts and sometimes parsnips. Onions bought in france always seem to rot quickly.
Overall I just love the experience of shopping in French shops. It does saden me that I have to go all the way to towns hundreds of km from the coast to buy seafood harvested in Scotland.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| Quote: |
Overall I just love the experience of shopping in French shops.
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We are the same. We'd never be that excited heading to Tesco or the like but a trip to Carrefour...ohhhhh
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Poster: A snowHead
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Thanks for the responses. Useful to know the exceptional opening thing.
Just planning a trip, and if there is something convenient on the way that saves a few euros for beer up the mountain then happy days, if not, so be it. As it seems like it will be a bit of a lottery if places will be open or not, will go for a coach transfer and save some money there, I'm certainly not going to spend hours hunting for an open place!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@jonnyboy93, My experience is that beer and wine offer the best savings in the valley, but then for a one week trip the total would probably be less than 20 euros.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| SnoodlesMcFlude wrote: |
| I thought most of France closed on Sundays? |
And much of the week too... Trying to find a cafe/restaurant that's open outside 12:00-2:00 can sometimes be a trial (motorway services & ski resorts excluded).
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@JohnE Actually, I was prompted by our last drive down a couple of weeks ago. This time, as you say, we did the Big Shop here in the UK and took it down with us, including favourite tea bags etc. Being winter, as opposed to our usual summer drive to the Alps, everything stayed pretty fresh. We did still stop en route but the pressure was off and we went mainly for beer, wine and cheese, which I found much more relaxing than basically doing a weekly shop in an unfamiliar supermarket. And we could have skipped it and still survived.
It just struck me that what we had in our box would've fitted into a small suitcase and if we'd flown, then the hassle would just have been carting it around through to the point of collecting the hire car. And having an empty suitcase for the return would deal with that perplexing scenario where you're packing to come home and simply can't work out how on Earth you got everything in in the first place ....
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@LaForet, I too have bought tea bags with me. The one thing I do need to stop for on route from Geneva airport is milk. Arriving at the apartment around midnight I do get an urge for a cup of tea.
I have to confess I am a terrible meal planner and couldn't cope with doing a weekly shop on route to the resort. I simply want to get there as fast as possible and get a cup of tea (other addictions are avaialble).
It must be the large number of British peopple living near Bourg St Maurice but the Super U there are stocking much more products to appeal to British shoppers - for example fresh vegtables and tea. I think I've even seen British beer and that horror of horrors Marmite.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| johnE wrote: |
@LaForet,
It must be the large number of British peopple living near Bourg St Maurice but the Super U there are stocking much more products to appeal to British shoppers - for example fresh vegtables |
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@skitow, Compare the range and quality of fresh vegtables in a UK supermarket with those in France.
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@johnE, I have never counted the actual number of different offerings in either but always seems plenty in the french supermarkets I go to, quality is definitely better in france in my opinion.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| skitow wrote: |
| I have never counted the actual number of different offerings in either but always seems plenty in the french supermarkets I go to, quality is definitely better in france in my opinion. |
Not tried their apples then..... The UK is infinitely superior on that product. Their supermarket beef is often very tough too.
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There is always plenty of fresh veg in the French supermarkets I frequent, but produce does tend to be more seasonal than in the UK. I get apples in Autumn from the stalls on the road sides between Serre Che and Gap. Lots of orchards down there.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Love your optimism @rjs, the carrefour website is often thwarted by a notice board and a new paper signs blu-tacked to the door for a fermeture exceptionelle
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| Hells Bells wrote: |
| I get apples in Autumn from the stalls on the road sides between Serre Che and Gap. Lots of orchards down there. |
And then after Gap for the first 20 miles south, it's like apple world  and all the other fruit. Love driving down that way,
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You know it makes sense.
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@skitow, and there's some vineyards too.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@johnE, you are clearly going to the wrong supermarkets.
Although, must be said, seasonality does get in the way of the UK’s bizarre belief that you can have whatever you want, whenever you want.
Wait, wait, who mentioned Brexit? #havingcakeandeatingitIwish
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Poster: A snowHead
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you are clearly going to the wrong supermarkets
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Absolutely. The big supermarkets I used regularly in France had stunning veg and salad selections - though some are better than others. I particularly appreciated whole lettuces in many varieties, not just a choice between a shrink-wrapped iceberg or a bag of expensive leaves. Several varieties of carrots. Artichokes of various kinds. When did you last see an artichoke in Waitrose?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Did you ever visit a Grand Frais @pam w,? A full aisle of all kinds of tomatoes in summer - smells divine!
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