Shopping in France
 

Let's update those shopping lists. Out of respect for the uber-practical responses to loveyblue's "Shopping in the UK" thread, here is the chance to share your ideas on what to bring back from France.

(avalon, this means you....)

I always like to bring back nice kitchen towels and that liquid hand soap for the kitchen that removes the scent of onions or garlic.

Another staple is violet mustard.

Yours?

I buy the reusable bags from the Monoprix. They're about a euro & great for presents!

Shopping bags are indeed a great and practical idea. I have a really big one from the (defunct?) Champion chain; it's very useful for Costco runs.

I am mega-practical when it comes to shopping; none of that Eiffel Tower statues, etc....soooo, I mainly get food (cookies, chocolates, condiments) from the SUPERMARKETS!! I also go to a local hardware store and get (metric) tools for me and colleagues (Engineers!) for those metric projects!. I do collect Christmas ornaments (on sale year around), so I also get one or two. My husband gets me perfume :-D

A scarf (or 5) from Dwallii on Ile St. Louis. They have such a nice selection, they are easy to pack, and everyone loves them.

It varies. This past trip, I brought back caramels from Jacques Genin's store, olive oil, dried rosemary (used in cooking one night), wine and Calvados, which was a bargain compared to what it costs here. I always bring back wine and olive oil, though.

That depends on where in France I might be. In recent years it's been the south, primarily in and around Nice, where I buy assorted lavender products (soap, wands, sachets), olive oil, olive-oil soap and shower gel, Nivea facial moisturizer and cashmere hair rinse, Uriages lip moistener (a new and great find), Euro-size pillowcases, Provençal fabric items (especially placemats)...I could go on and on.

Keep your own plastic bags tucked away in a pocket. Free bags are rapidly disappearing from certain supermarkets and even place like Virgin Megastore which stopped giving them for free in January.

Frankly, most supermarkets will charge only 0.03€ for a basic bag, but it is much better to start adapting to the future immediately.

Last trip I was in a french garden center and they were selling those great reuseable handle shopping bags we are just seeing here in US-2 euros each. I bought two and they are the envy of everyone. I baby them! This summer I am buying a whole pile to bring home.