Lesson learned: when NOT to go to the supermarché! (The Trail's Our Thing)

I normally love shopping at the E. Leclerc supermarché in Apt. It's a big store and just a couple of years old... perhaps not quite a hypermarché (superstore), though there are some clothes, housewares, office supplies, and hardware. I like looking at all the food and the way it's displayed... the differences in what is sold here vs. what we'd find at our Kroger's at home. I even have a customer card at Leclerc, that earns me a bit of cash back every time I shop.

After our little trip to the Sentier des Ocres in Roussillon, Charley remembered that he had to go to Bricomarché, a do-it-yourself home improvement store. (He's building a new pantry for our friends to thank them for letting us stay at their house this summer.) And then I decided that since we were in Apt, we could go ahead and make a quick trip to Leclerc, avoiding another trip tomorrow. It was going on 12 noon, and we've often found lunchtime a good time to go... while everyone else is eating.

BUT NOT TODAY! Leclerc was a madhouse!! The aisles were jammed, people were lined up at the fish and cheese counters, and there was a mob of people at the cash registers. The cash register lines extended back into the aisles. Many people had children, and we heard lots of people speaking languages other than French. People were filling their carts with cases of bottled water, soft drinks, beer, toilet paper, and even some food.

The mass of shoppers at Leclerc

It was a Monday at the very end of July. The supermarkets are closed on Sunday. And perhaps vacationers had arrived on Saturday night. Everyone needed food. We will remember this for next time.

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More shoppers wait at the cash registers. (Check out what's in their baskets...)

I gave Charley and Kelly assignments, and we split up to shop. It was too difficult to stay in a group of three, and I never do well with Charley watching me make decisions at the grocery store. Finally I sent him away to do look at the wine selection or the hardware... something, anything, just to give me the space I needed. Kelly is always happy to look at clothes or office supplies, though she normally finds something she has to have.

This wasn't a day for me to enjoy browsing the aisles. Charley and Kelly joined a line while I scooped up the last couple of items. We know this store pretty well now, and we're efficient as a team. We bring our own bags, and they pack while I finish loading the conveyor and pay. A month ago this trip would have taken us thirty minutes, but today we were at Leclerc for an hour.

Oh, yes... by the way. While we were at Leclerc, Charley saw Kevin!