Earlier this week Scotty suggested that we go to Carrefore at the weekend.
Now, a "Saturday big shop" might not sound like such a strange suggestion, but considering we haven't been to Carrefore for about two years it did come out of the blue somewhat! We'd been turned off the idea of big shopping at a weekend in our first year really by two things #1 the queues at the tills and crazy-ness of shopping #2 negotiating a taxi back to Maadi.
We decided to give it a go as with more and more 'white and black' taxis with meters we thought there would be less hassle going home, and if we went on a Friday morning the hopefully things would be a bit quieter. Our plan was also to treat ourselves to a coffee and cake for breakfast and to maybe buy some electricals as there was a big sale on.
We managed to get a taxi there without too much wait by the Grand Mall and it took next to no time as it was so quiet at 10.30am The taxi meter read 12LE but we were happy to pay 15LE and inside we went.
Going in we had our bags scanned and went through a metal detector - maybe a new precaution post-25Jan. Inside it was really quiet even though most places were due to open at 9am - but when does anything open at 9am on a Friday?! First we wandered around the shops to see what there was as it had been so long since we'd been. We were quite taken aback by all the western brands and didn't really know what to do - Next, Body Shop, La Senza, Zara were all there, but we've become so conditioned to only shopping for clothes in the UK that it felt wrong to consider it here.
After our little browse of the shop windows we settled on Starbucks for a coffee and croissant. We found a nice seat by the window at the back so that we could people watch, but also be out of the way. t was nice to be somewhere different and treat ourselves in this little way. Weekend morning coffee is part of our routine now (that we have an AeroPress) and it's something I always look forward to.
When we finished up we headed into Carrefore proper and started with the electricals and computers which is the first section you arrive at. We had in mind that we should look at the printer/scanners as ours was over six years old and you had to actually manually feed the paper in to get it to print. It had also got to the point where it was more expensive to buy ink cartridges than to buy a new machine altogether! We decided on a model and the (clearly stoned) assistant helped us out. In classic Egyptian-shopping style Scotty had to place the order at one counter (where our shop assistant was competing with half a dozen others to place the order on one small machine) and then go to another counter to pay. At this point his receipt was stamped and we had to return to the first counter to find out where we could collect the printer/scanner from. It turns out you can collect it from the shelf (!) but have to have an assistant watch you take it off the shelf and check your receipt. As we're paying for all of our shopping at the very end of the trip another two people check the receipt, stamp it and check the box before we can leave. A way to ensure that all products are paid for and as many people as possible have a job!
At this point I was really feeling the effect of the coffee and the loud music that was being pumped out in the electronics section of the store. We use our AeroPress and make an expresso shot that we turn into two americanos and it always seems strong enough to us, but having coffee out means a full shot of whatever they've got! As there was a big sale on there was music pumping out and everyone was getting involved in the TVs they had cheap. These included 3D TVs and large flatscreens all for much lower prices than you would pay in the UK. We decided to pass this time - maybe we'll feel the need if we move.
We decide that now we're here we should at least scour every inch of the store to find anything we might want to buy. We wander through the camping section, fitness, toys (just in case there are any more #25Jan themed board games!), lighting and wiring. We pause for a while in the kitchen section to try and find a serving spoon, but are options are either a dessert spoon or a ladle. On to the clothes section and we spend a while looking at what they have on offer. In the women's section they have imported F+F (the Tesco brand) but nothing that I fancy. There are some classy suits in the men's section that Scotty is tempted by but we move on.
The good thing about shopping here is that the shelves have prices on (something which they are starting to do in Save Way by means of writing in pen on cardboard and sticking it in front of the first jar on each shelf). So we decide to buy some tins as we know which are the best deals. We also buy some jars of tomato sauce which we probably wouldn't buy in Maadi because of the varying price (it's so difficult to tell which you will end up paying an 'imported' price for, and which are considered 'local').
After taking a look at the meat counter we decide to get some chicken (as we cannot get chicken from Gourmet Egypt, but can get good mince from them) and that this evening we'll make our chicken with veg (broccoli, peppers, mushrooms and onions) in blue cheese sauce. We also pick up from salami slices and Gouda slices with a baguette for lunch (this was our weekend lunch of choice in the UK after a trip to the Tesco for fresh bread). A pack of croissants will do for tomorrow's coffee/breakfast and then we're done and ready to go through the tills.
The taxi home is less traumatic that it used to be. We head in the direction of the row of white-and-blacks and make eye-contact with the two men standing near by. They quote us 25LE for the trip and we ask for the meter and eventually settle on 'no meter' but 20LE for the trip. It's 5LE more than we got here for, but they've had to sit out and wait for custom, so I guess it's fair.
As is always the case in Cairo - you can't buy everything you need in one shop. So we end up heading to Save Way in the afternoon to pick up the last few things. It's there that I have cause to get my camera out again when we notice this in the cereal section.
So a successful shopping day done and a yummy dinner ready to eat!
Now, a "Saturday big shop" might not sound like such a strange suggestion, but considering we haven't been to Carrefore for about two years it did come out of the blue somewhat! We'd been turned off the idea of big shopping at a weekend in our first year really by two things #1 the queues at the tills and crazy-ness of shopping #2 negotiating a taxi back to Maadi.
We decided to give it a go as with more and more 'white and black' taxis with meters we thought there would be less hassle going home, and if we went on a Friday morning the hopefully things would be a bit quieter. Our plan was also to treat ourselves to a coffee and cake for breakfast and to maybe buy some electricals as there was a big sale on.
We managed to get a taxi there without too much wait by the Grand Mall and it took next to no time as it was so quiet at 10.30am The taxi meter read 12LE but we were happy to pay 15LE and inside we went.
Going in we had our bags scanned and went through a metal detector - maybe a new precaution post-25Jan. Inside it was really quiet even though most places were due to open at 9am - but when does anything open at 9am on a Friday?! First we wandered around the shops to see what there was as it had been so long since we'd been. We were quite taken aback by all the western brands and didn't really know what to do - Next, Body Shop, La Senza, Zara were all there, but we've become so conditioned to only shopping for clothes in the UK that it felt wrong to consider it here.
After our little browse of the shop windows we settled on Starbucks for a coffee and croissant. We found a nice seat by the window at the back so that we could people watch, but also be out of the way. t was nice to be somewhere different and treat ourselves in this little way. Weekend morning coffee is part of our routine now (that we have an AeroPress) and it's something I always look forward to.
When we finished up we headed into Carrefore proper and started with the electricals and computers which is the first section you arrive at. We had in mind that we should look at the printer/scanners as ours was over six years old and you had to actually manually feed the paper in to get it to print. It had also got to the point where it was more expensive to buy ink cartridges than to buy a new machine altogether! We decided on a model and the (clearly stoned) assistant helped us out. In classic Egyptian-shopping style Scotty had to place the order at one counter (where our shop assistant was competing with half a dozen others to place the order on one small machine) and then go to another counter to pay. At this point his receipt was stamped and we had to return to the first counter to find out where we could collect the printer/scanner from. It turns out you can collect it from the shelf (!) but have to have an assistant watch you take it off the shelf and check your receipt. As we're paying for all of our shopping at the very end of the trip another two people check the receipt, stamp it and check the box before we can leave. A way to ensure that all products are paid for and as many people as possible have a job!
At this point I was really feeling the effect of the coffee and the loud music that was being pumped out in the electronics section of the store. We use our AeroPress and make an expresso shot that we turn into two americanos and it always seems strong enough to us, but having coffee out means a full shot of whatever they've got! As there was a big sale on there was music pumping out and everyone was getting involved in the TVs they had cheap. These included 3D TVs and large flatscreens all for much lower prices than you would pay in the UK. We decided to pass this time - maybe we'll feel the need if we move.
We decide that now we're here we should at least scour every inch of the store to find anything we might want to buy. We wander through the camping section, fitness, toys (just in case there are any more #25Jan themed board games!), lighting and wiring. We pause for a while in the kitchen section to try and find a serving spoon, but are options are either a dessert spoon or a ladle. On to the clothes section and we spend a while looking at what they have on offer. In the women's section they have imported F+F (the Tesco brand) but nothing that I fancy. There are some classy suits in the men's section that Scotty is tempted by but we move on.
The good thing about shopping here is that the shelves have prices on (something which they are starting to do in Save Way by means of writing in pen on cardboard and sticking it in front of the first jar on each shelf). So we decide to buy some tins as we know which are the best deals. We also buy some jars of tomato sauce which we probably wouldn't buy in Maadi because of the varying price (it's so difficult to tell which you will end up paying an 'imported' price for, and which are considered 'local').
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The taxi home is less traumatic that it used to be. We head in the direction of the row of white-and-blacks and make eye-contact with the two men standing near by. They quote us 25LE for the trip and we ask for the meter and eventually settle on 'no meter' but 20LE for the trip. It's 5LE more than we got here for, but they've had to sit out and wait for custom, so I guess it's fair.
As is always the case in Cairo - you can't buy everything you need in one shop. So we end up heading to Save Way in the afternoon to pick up the last few things. It's there that I have cause to get my camera out again when we notice this in the cereal section.
So a successful shopping day done and a yummy dinner ready to eat!
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