Savings - grocery shopping over the border. - Page 8

dodgyken · #**141** 20.01.2017, 14:48

There is a huge difference between a Swiss company employing Swiss trained tradesmen - and a Swiss company employing non-Swiss trained tradesmen.

Superb tile laying by proper Swiss tradesmen
Terrible plastering by non-Swiss tradesmen - backed up by a painter complaining they have to do so much prep work now.

donpiedro · #**142** 20.01.2017, 15:04

	Quote:	flargggg
	If they're truly fantastic, why did I have a mealy disgusting apple last weekend in Lausanne? Anecdotal BS argument contradicted with another anecdotal BS argument! Grocery stores in the USA typically have dozens of varieties of apples, all with varying tastes/character (remember variety at stores?? oh man!). Try a honeycrisp from any grocer in the US and it'll be great. Quality in Switzerland is a strawman argument used everywhere around here, whether its related to teeny farms, or anything else. Part of me thinks it's just by virtue of there being so little variety/outside influence that people have no real points of reference, see that it's expensive compared to the rest of the world, and assume quality. And it's constantly contradicted by things like 1) the poor workmanship demonstrated by most tradespeople, 2) the lack of actually good and innovative restaurant offerings 3) the crappy and inefficient way the various bureaucracies works, etc etc etc. The Swiss guys on my manufacturing floor constantly joke about how they're the beneficiaries of the greatest PR campaign of all time: Swiss made means quality.

I know you like France because it is cheap, and I'm a regular customer of Carrefour in Divonne as well. But try and make an honest comparison of e.g. the quality of the chicken you buy in Carrefour versus the chicken you buy in Switzerland. The chicken in Carrefour consists for a large part of injected water, which makes the breasts taste like nothing really.

Belgianmum · #**143** 20.01.2017, 15:58

	Quote:	donpiedro
	I know you like France because it is cheap, and I'm a regular customer of Carrefour in Divonne as well. But try and make an honest comparison of e.g. the quality of the chicken you buy in Carrefour versus the chicken you buy in Switzerland. The chicken in Carrefour consists for a large part of injected water, which makes the breasts taste like nothing really.

We shop over the border in France too but meat is not one of the things we routinely buy there as we're not awfully impressed by French meat in general. I'd rather pay a bit more for decent, nice tasting meat and eat less of it personally.

Medea Fleecestealer · #**144** 20.01.2017, 16:09

	Quote:	flargggg
	I do all my shopping at the Carrefour in Divonne. There are 3 factors that lead me to the Carrefour: Open hours, price, and selection. Open hours: It's about a 30 minute drive from me, and I can do it after I get off of work (usually past 7pm). Price: I'm on a high-protein paleo/keto diet, so buying things like chicken and beef (about 6kg a week for my wife and I) are much much more reasonable. Additionally, the price of ham/sausage/other cured meats is much more cheap. And no I haven't taken into account the VAT. I just cross at whichever crossing (Divonne or Crassier) isn't manned.

So basically you buy over your allowed meat limit and dodge paying the import duty.

Tom1234 · #**145** 20.01.2017, 16:29

	Quote:	flargggg
	I do all my shopping at the Carrefour in Divonne. There are 3 factors that lead me to the Carrefour: Open hours, price, and selection. Open hours: It's about a 30 minute drive from me, and I can do it after I get off of work (usually past 7pm). Price: I'm on a high-protein paleo/keto diet, so buying things like chicken and beef (about 6kg a week for my wife and I) are much much more reasonable. Additionally, the price of ham/sausage/other cured meats is much more cheap. Toothpastes/toiletries are also much much cheaper. Good beers are also cheaper. Selection: They have large tubs of nonfat Fage yogurt, which I have yet to find (Coop leman has the little ones). They [obviously] have a better selection of French wines, and I vastly prefer french wines. I also prefer their cheese selection (again it's more heavily French). They also have an a couple of hot sauces there which I can't find anywhere else. I also prefer their house-made merguez and house-made quiche to anything I've found in any CH grocery. And no I haven't taken into account the VAT. I just cross at whichever crossing (Divonne or Crassier) isn't manned. Shopping in CH is reserved to buying Chocolate bars and the occasional train beer at Aperto.

	Quote:	Medea Fleecestealer
	So basically you buy over your allowed meat limit and dodge paying the import duty.

I was thinking of how unhealthy it was to eat 3Kg of meat a week.

dodgyken · #**146** 20.01.2017, 16:38

	Quote:	Tom1234
	I was thinking of how unhealthy it was to eat 3Kg of meat a week.

Flargggg is either a fat knacker - or throws a lot of food out.

Wasteful or lardarse - which is it?

chrissie7 · #**147** 20.01.2017, 21:05

	Quote:	st2lemans
	There's one in Ponte Tresa near the big parking lot.

Do you mean where the Saturday morning market is held?

st2lemans · #**148** 20.01.2017, 21:11

	Quote:	chrissie7
	Do you mean where the Saturday morning market is held?

No, the big parking lot that is still a parking lot on Saturday, next to the church.

It's opposite a grocery store (a Crai as I recall).

Tom

chrissie7 · #**149** 20.01.2017, 21:31

	Quote:	st2lemans
	No, the big parking lot that is still a parking lot on Saturday, next to the church. It's opposite a grocery store (a Crai as I recall). Tom

Yes, I know where you mean - and it is next door to the market

Thanks for the tip.

alexavia · #**150** 20.01.2017, 22:04

Ever heard of Hieber Grenzach ? it may take some travel but may pay off in due course

http://www.hieber.de/html/filialen/g...=42&filiale=14

Meerkat33 · #**151** 21.01.2017, 00:25

	Quote:	scipio
	If the prices in the supermarkets would be higher, the farmers would get payed better as well and would not depend so much on tax money. Yet people still complain that meat is too expensive.

It would just destroy local agriculture and everything would be imported.
The current price is high, esp. for beef, but an equilibrium has to be found.

	Quote:
	The more affordable beef found in italian supermarkets are either from Germany or France. The true Italian beef are more expensive and better.

When I said that I was thinking about meat I know for certain was italian.

	Quote:
	Why should there be mom 'n pop farmers?

I agree that the average size of a swiss farm is way too small compared to the rest of europe. I think that for farms on plain land/lower altitude subsidies should be lowered. But for mountains keep them going.

Duje · #**152** 09.10.2019, 02:16

Sorry to bring this one up again.
Regarding shopping over border this one had most posts so I thought I would post here.
Any thoughts and tips for shopping in Grenzach-Wyhlen?
I have just got to Pratteln near Basel so its the closest place to shopp for me.
What are the differences betwen ALDI, LIDL and Hieber's Frische? Price, quality, assortment?
Or is it worth for me to go to places north of Basel where I have read most of recommendations where people go to?
Thank you so much for any advices and tips.
Sincerely,
Duje

marton · #**153** 04.01.2020, 17:08

Germany introduced this week a minimum 50 euro spend before you get the form to claim back the tax.

The media is claiming this will be a big impact on people shopping over the border and on the shops near the border. I doubt that many people bother with the procedure to claim back only one or two euros (on food shopping), 50 euros spent on food only brings you about three and a half euros back.

Originally they were talking about matching France with a 175 euro limit.

They also say that when a new digital system (i.e. non-manual) is introduced they will drop the 50 euro limit, possibly even this year.

curley · #**154** 04.01.2020, 19:03

	Quote:	marton
	Germany introduced this week a minimum 50 euro spend before you get the form to claim back the tax. The media is claiming this will be a big impact on people shopping over the border and on the shops near the border. I doubt that many people bother with the procedure to claim back only one or two euros (on food shopping), 50 euros spent on food only brings you about three and a half euros back. Originally they were talking about matching France with a 175 euro limit. They also say that when a new digital system (i.e. non-manual) is introduced they will drop the 50 euro limit, possibly even this year.

I never bother anyway.

But do tell me (or provide links?) about this << new digital system (i.e. non-manual)>> please.

marton · #**155** 04.01.2020, 22:18

	Quote:	curley
	I never bother anyway. But do tell me (or provide links?) about this << new digital system (i.e. non-manual)>> please.

They have been talking about this digital system for years, the idea is you feed your document and Ausweis into a scanner at the border and it comes out with a Zoll stamp on it.

Hard facts about this new system are elusive

#**156** 04.01.2020, 22:31

	Quote:	marton
	They have been talking about this digital system for years, the idea is you feed your document and Ausweis into a scanner at the border and it comes out with a Zoll stamp on it. Hard facts about this new system are elusive

Actually exactly how it happened to me yesterday, but it was still a German Toll-guy feeding the stuff in the machine.

Where I sometime ago still got separate papers to fill in, I now just write my name and address on the kass-ticket itself.

marton · #**157** 20.01.2020, 22:25

New Swiss Customs rules from 1st Jan.

One is

	Quote:
	The importation of animal products from countries other than the EU and Norway is prohibited

So if I pop over the border to Germany and buy some Argentinian steak then I will presumably be breaking the law on the "country of origin" rules? Anybody know if I am correct?

Strange that Iceland is not specifically mentioned?

Tom1234 · #**158** 20.01.2020, 22:43

	Quote:	marton
	New Swiss Customs rules from 1st Jan. One is So if I pop over the border to Germany and buy some Argentinian steak then I will presumably be breaking the law on the "country of origin" rules? Anybody know if I am correct?

You are importing animal products from the EU (from Germany) so you are fine.
What you cannot do is import Argentinian steaks directly from Argentina.

Medea Fleecestealer · #**159** 20.01.2020, 22:45

	Quote:	marton
	New Swiss Customs rules from 1st Jan. One is So if I pop over the border to Germany and buy some Argentinian steak then I will presumably be breaking the law on the "country of origin" rules? Anybody know if I am correct? Strange that Iceland is not specifically mentioned?

What? So this means we can't bring any meat back from the UK after end of 2020?

https://www.blv.admin.ch/blv/en/home...severkehr.html

st2lemans · #**160** 20.01.2020, 22:45

That's not new, it's been the case for decades.

And it means bringing it from outside the EU/N, not that the origin is from outside EU/N.

Tom