Life is too short to keep on worrying about the routinely ignored one-way system in the Intermarché car park.
The other day, I even saw a Police Municipale patrol car, on no obvious mission of urgency, cut into the wrong lane.
I'm never sure what benefit is gained unless it's to sneak into the last parking space; there is certainly no saving in distance or, unless there's an obstruction, time. Just that old French resistance to authority, I suppose, even when authority is expressed by no more than a supermarket's perfectly clear road markings.
But that is my last word on the matter. There is even a bigger source of grievance at Intermarché: their loyalty cards.
Back home Tesco, for all its faults, operates what seems to be a fairly worthwhile scheme. The Clubcard points add up with every visit, however much or little is bought, and it seems you have only to do a couple of big shops, and use the smaller Tesco Metro stores for convenience needs, to receive regular envelopes in the post containing offers of varying interest but, much better, straightforward discount vouchers in multiples of £3 or £5.
Ours typically add up to £12-15. I'm not daft. I know we probably pay for it in other ways when we visit Tesco but prices seem no worse than elsewhere, often better, and even if it amounted to little more than a form of saving, the letters are at least worth opening.
Since returning to France towards the end of February, I have used Intermarché several times a week. Not only does everything seem more expensive; the €0.30 balance on my carte de fidelité has responded to all these purchases, and all that fidelity, by refusing to budge. It is still, as April approaches May, €0.30.
When I asked at the acceuil if my card was damaged, since it always used to acquire some value, if slowly, I was told it was fine. Even so, I changed to using the dinky smaller version of the card; it made no difference. However much I spend, it is stuck at 0.30.
There are occasional vouchers giving reductions on future purchases of the same item, but that's all. Cashiers say the value accumulated by the carte de fidelité depends on which products you buy, and which day of the week you shop, but my visits to Intermarché remain an act of one-way loyalty.
I hear voices raised, if only in people's heads.
And yes you're right. If it has reached the stage where I can find fault with the promotions and savings I am offered when I go to the supermarket, I really need to get out less.
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