Wherever I travel, visiting the local supermarket is among the first order of business. Supermarkets are a measure of a population’s culinary sophistication revealing the level of cuisine diners may expect when eating out. When it comes to food, Italy is at the pinnacle worldwide and so are its markets. Foreign shoppers marvel at the variety, freshness and very low prices found in Italy’s supermarkets. In future segments, I delve into the nuances of outdoor markets, bakers, butchers and specialty food shops. Can you tell this is one of my favorite topics?
Supermercato — The major supermarket chains are: Coop, pronounced more like cop, Conad, CRAI, Esselunga, Pam, Standa, Carrefour and Auchan. A supermarket may be part of a shopping center known as a Centro Commerciale.
Hours — Italian supermarkets open most days from morning until evening or 8 pm. Many are open on Sundays even if only until noon. If you happen to find a market closed on Sunday, it’s very likely that the market in the next town over is open.
Variety — The word iper in front of the name denotes huge, such as IperCoop, and in these colossi, you may find anything ranging from electric fans to lawn mowers. Passable wine and spirits are commonly sold in markets but do not expect to find prized vintages here. Serious wine lovers need to find an enoteca (wine shop) for the best variety or trek to their winery of choice.
The Cart (carrello) — An adventure to the Italian supermercato begins in the parking lot. Shopping carts are chained together so they don’t mysteriously wander off to Germany or ding parked cars. To unlock one, place a 1 Euro coin in the slot of the mechanism located on the handlebar of the cart. Push the coin in until it releases the chain latch attached to the other carts. When you return the cart, push the prong at the end of the short chain into the next cart in line, and your coin will automatically pop out. If you are fortunate someone may approach you with a coin in hand as you are loading up your car. This is not because they sense you are a tourist and are taking pity on you. They simply wish to exchange your cart for a coin. This unspoken reciprocity saves both parties a trip to the shopping cart chain gang.
Checkout — Bring your own bags or you must purchase them at the register. Plain plastic bags may cost up to 50¢ each and you must estimate how many you will need as your cashier begins. There are no baggers. Shoppers bag their own groceries, and it’s best to start immediately and move very quickly to avoid infuriating those in line behind you. Paying by credit card is the norm, yet cash is always welcome. If the checkout person offers you some bonus stamps for the store’s frequent shopping promo, just pass them to the person behind you in an effort to partially quell their annoyance at your dreadfully slow bagging technique.
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