Today I visited the Grocer in Leysin. I went in to grab a relatively inexpensive lunch, since everything in Switzerland is vastly overpriced. (A franc and a half for a can of soda? Who are you kidding?) Anyway, I went in to the grocery store Co-op, and immediately I felt at home. It reminded me a lot of minipreço, the grocers all over Portugal, except everything was much more expensive here in Leysin.
The entry to the grocer is gated, just to make sure that no one sneaks away with groceries. Off to the right was a small produced and yogurt section. Standard groceries--chips, water, cereals, etc.--lined the aisles just behind the registers. And oh yes, there were only two cash registers. The most prominent sections in the store were the produce section (which I have already mentioned) The wine and liquor aisle, and the cheese section. All the other groceries were arranged logically in limited quantities on the shelves.
Forget about Wal-mart. This place was like a shop on Main Street in Logan converted to a grocery store. Perhaps the best American shop I can compare it to is the old Bear Lake Market in Paris, Idaho. That place is all shut down, but it was similar in its build and in its style. Checkout was similar to the standard American grocer, and I managed to pay for my sandwich, Guarana, chocolate and bread without much of a hassle.
Like I said, it's not much like an American grocer. American grocers are all corporate and huge. This place also may have been part of a chain - it's difficult to believe that it's not. However, the chain outlets much smaller than the retail stores. That could very well be because Leysin is not a very large place, and I believe that it is.
On a side note, French is a really good language. I hope I can learn a lot more before I leave. I'd love to be able to speak it well.
Aight - peace out.
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