The Carrefour

At home, we call our superstore Walmart. It is where you can go to get anything you can think of (well…maybe not the Peterborough Walmart). Electronics, clothes, shoes, gold fish, snacks, craft supplies, books, etc. If you go there often, you are familiar with the traffic that rolls through. Is there a time of day when Walmart is not busy?

In Egypt, we have a store called Carrefour. People say it is a French Walmart and you can find absolutely anything you need there! We went to the Carrefour a few days ago, however we returned yesterday to get things for our new apartment. MY OH MY. Let me put things in perspective for you:

(Walmart on Boxing Day) * (Walmart on Boxing Day) * (hmmm….a billion?)

= the daily congestion of the local Carrefour

If you are having difficulty creating a mental picture, I hope to clarify what I am trying to say by letting you know that we were there for FIVE HOURS. And we only purchased 10 things on our list!

The Carrefour is quite the outing. You just have to laugh. There are so many people in the store, each with their own cart, and each with their own sense of frustration and impatience. Everyone is in a hurry, yet everyone still comes to the place of distinct chaos! While we were there, we heard 4 things break (okay, one of us broke a mug…), we saw a granny run over a child with her cart, and we saw our first argument in Arabic (security had to come intervene!).

When you complete your tour of the aisles and make your way to the checkout, you will be glad to find that no real “lines” exist. It’s like a game of bumper cars with no safety precautions or time restrictions. We waited for half an hour and that included the time deducted using the “I’m Canadian” card, with elbows out. Perhaps practice makes perfect. Next visit, 29 minutes in line?!!

To make note of another odd thing, Before I entered the store, a woman at the entrance pointed to a sign that said no food or drink. I was holding a Starbucks and so I knew she wanted me to get rid of it! Lucky for me (and unlucky for her), a man yelled at her in Arabic and then told me to move on through, “no worry”. I was asked to throw out my latte by other females working there, but the man walked in and told them to leave me alone. Either the man loved Starbucks too or the rumour is true (men in Egypt like blondes!). Lesson learned: next time I will finish my latte prior to the Carrefour experience. Added chaos is unnecessary! Besides, I’m here to make friends, not enemies!