Friday, November 30, 2007

Target?


Part of the fun (fun?) of adjusting to a new country is learning where to shop. Finding your own set of bonnes adresses. So what I want to know is - where oh where can I find the French equivalent of Target?? Tar-jay. My monthly stop for all household supplies. One of the rare reasons I ever drove my car in Washington, DC. In particular, I want to stock up* on beauty supplies. Shampoo! Conditioner! Big bottles of body lotion! Nail Polish!

I've tried the grocery stores here, but the selection is pitiful. Then I went to the pharamcie (or even better, a parapharmacie). Great selection, but Oh the prices! So I finally settled on Monoprix which is slightly more expensive than a normal grocery store, but has a better selection. There are a lot of the same brands I'm familiar with in the US: Dove, Pantene, Neutrogena ... but the bottles are half the size! And the prices are more expensive! If I'm going to pay this much for beauty products, I might as well buy everything at Sephora (aka, The Best Store Ever. But also very damaging to my budget.) Beauty products are a huge obsession for me. Anyone have any tips on where to find them even slightly cheaper here in France?? And what about other household products like plastic wrap, ziploc bags, toilet paper etc. Am I destined to buy the small, expensive quantities at the corner market forever? Help!

*I fear "stocking up" is an American thing that I'm going to have to get over in France. They apparently Just Don't Do It.

4 comments:

Sharon said...

Hmmm, I don't know any places in France, but you could hop a train to Barcelona and hit Corte Ingles. They have EVERYTHING. I sort of like a huge department store, but it has all sorts of toiletries and housewares as well. Its a little intimidating at 8 floors, but it would be a fun weekend for you. Good luck in your search! Target might actually prevent me from ever leaving the country for more than a few weeks at a time...sad, no?

Cassoulet Cafe said...

I was going to mention Monoprix, but then you mentioned it further down in your post. That is the closest thing I can think of.
Sorry! Tar-jay is indeed a lifesaver! As well as Costco, the epiome of "stocking up".

Starman said...

Try Tati, there is one in Italie2 on Place d'Italie and there is one near the métro station in Montmartre (18, Boulevard Rochechouart). There are several more. If you Google TATI, Paris, you can get all the locations. You could also try BHV just across the street from l'HÔtel de Ville on rue de Rivoli.

Amanda said...

I LOVE BHV, but it's a bit expensive for everyday stuff. I'll check out Tati soon too, thanks for the tip.