I thought it might be interesting for you to see where I do my grocery shopping (that's what the Flemish title means). Since I live in the centre of town and have no car, I don't have access to the large malls with large grocery stores in the suburbs. They do exist here ... but I've never been there.
However, I love my little Delhaize store on a narrow street near me. Delhaize is a chain of grocery stores. It's never open on Monday mornings or Sundays and they stock the shelves on Wednesday mornings. You bring your own grocery bags, or pay for the ones you need to buy.
Outside the store, there is a "permanent" beggar. He has his little tin on the sidewalk just by the door, so when you go in, you have to be careful not to knock it over. On the cold and rainy days, he often comes into the store and sits on one of the chairs by the entrance. The manager lets him do this to keep warm and I suspect he gives him food every once in a while. He's a rather permanent fixture around the place. (You'll just have to imagine a middle-aged 'grey' man, ravaged by time and drink, wearing tattered clothes, and smoking when he can find a cigarette. I'm uncomfortable photographing him...)
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| This is the first aisle - fresh produce and fresh meats (This is the length of the store.) |
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| This is the beginning of the 2nd aisle - breads and cakes ... |
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| ... followed by dairy products with a frozen section at the end |
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| On the other side are ... the eggs ... on a shelf!! You can buy packages of 4 eggs. |
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| canned and packaged goods in the 3rd aisle ... |
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| ... including cereals: this middle section is the only choice there is! (Jams and honeys on the far left) |
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| the last aisle - and the biggest selection!! |
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| and 4 cashdesks squished in near the door |
This is where I do my 'boodschappen' about twice a week because I only buy what I can carry home in my two arms.
An interesting thing I discovered: many companies give their employees meal vouchers of a fixed value that are good all over the city. This is to pay for their noon meal. However, lots of them bring their lunch to work, save their vouchers and turn them into the grocery stores or bakeries to help pay for their groceries. I had wondered about these pieces of paper that clients in front of me in line were handing over along with cash. Now I know!!
