American Supermarket
The American grocery store is a place where families can shop to obtain all their daily household needs. Over time the grocery store has grown from a small "mom 'n pop" shop to a mega-retailer. These new grocery stores can now provide families with all their household needs instead of only selling fresh food. Below are images of a typical American supermarket. The photos were taken at Kroger on Kingston Pike, very close to The University of Tennessee's campus.
Bakery Section
Here is a section of the store where the consumer can purchase fresh baked bread. Generally in America this bread is served with dinner accompanied with a butter spread or olive oil. You can purchase a wide variety of bread here. The various types range from a french baguette to a traditional garlic bread.
Typically, this is not the only bread section in an American grocery store. There is also another long isle of sliced bread for the consumers to pick out. Usually every bread brand offers a selection of wheat, whole-grain, and white bread. Recently more Americans have been switching to wheat or whole-grain bread to live a more healthy life style.
Typically, this is not the only bread section in an American grocery store. There is also another long isle of sliced bread for the consumers to pick out. Usually every bread brand offers a selection of wheat, whole-grain, and white bread. Recently more Americans have been switching to wheat or whole-grain bread to live a more healthy life style.
Fruits and Vegetables
The American super market is filled with fruits and vegetables. The produce section can be found along the outside of the grocery store, generally very close to the entrance. The consumer has the option of purchasing either regularly grown produce or organic produce (as seen in the middle picture). Organic produce is grown without pesticides and is believed to be more healthy to eat. However organic produce is much more expensive than regular produce, which ends up turning away many buyers. On the right you can see there is a section filled with pre-packaged fruit. This fruit has already been cut up and prepared for the consumer. It tends to be a little more expensive than non-prepared fruit and rots quicker.
Deli Meats and Cheeses
Next you can find a deli meat and cheese section in the American super market. The deli meat is freshly sliced in front of you and is usually used as sandwich meat. A consumer can choose from a variety of meats. The most popular ones are turkey, chicken, roast beef, and ham. You can also find things such as prosciutto and pancetta. In the cheese section you can find a wide variety of cheese from around the world.
Meat and Seafood
A consumer can purchase a wide variety of meat and seafood at the grocery store. In the image to your left there are fresh cuts of beef, pork, and chicken. Some of the meat is already marinated and trimmed to facilitate the cooking process for the customer. In the middle is a variety of seafood. I would say the most popular seafood at the grocery store is shrimp. There is always a wide variety of shrimp sold. On your right is pre-packaged chicken. The consumer can purchase chicken breasts, thighs, and tenders in this section.
Cereal and Chip Isles
To the left is a picture of the cereal isle. The cereal isle is one of the largest isles in the American grocery store, the photo to the left does not give this section justice. The whole isle contains hundreds of different brands for the customer's choosing. There are your traditional sugary, kid-friendly cereals and also cereal brands that are healtheir such as Special K and Kashi. Every American can relate to walking up and down the long cereal isle struggling to chose which box you want!
The second largest isle of the grocery store is the chip isle. Americans LOVE their potato chips. The most popular brands are Lays, Doritos, and Tostitos. Along with hundreds of potato chip brands in this isle, salsa and cheese dip are also sold. Many companies collaborate on a joint-marketing deal like this and it can be seen in many grocery stores.
The second largest isle of the grocery store is the chip isle. Americans LOVE their potato chips. The most popular brands are Lays, Doritos, and Tostitos. Along with hundreds of potato chip brands in this isle, salsa and cheese dip are also sold. Many companies collaborate on a joint-marketing deal like this and it can be seen in many grocery stores.
Les supermarchés français
En France, comme aux Etats-Unis, on trouve des supermarchés de toute taille. Cela va de la petite épicerie de quartier au grand centre commercial (souvent en bordure de ville).
Nous décrivons le supermarché Casino de Talence, supermarché de taille moyenne, que nous comparerons avec le supermarché américain présenté ci-dessus.
Nous décrivons le supermarché Casino de Talence, supermarché de taille moyenne, que nous comparerons avec le supermarché américain présenté ci-dessus.
Le rayon boulangerie
Le rayon boulangerie contient de nombreux choix de pains. On y trouve également différentes viennoiseries et pâtisseries.
Globalement les rayons sont semblables. On remarque toutefois que le choix de baguettes en France est plus large. Le choix de pâtisseries est également plus varié.
Globalement les rayons sont semblables. On remarque toutefois que le choix de baguettes en France est plus large. Le choix de pâtisseries est également plus varié.
Les fruits et légumes
Ce rayon est relativement identique au rayon américain. Les seules différences à noter sont qu'il n'y a pas (voire très peu dans d'autres magasins) de fruits déjà épluchés.
A coté de ce rayon, se trouve généralement le rayon des produits "bio" (fruits, légumes, jus de fruits, etc. qui sont issus d'une agriculture qui est plus respectueuse de l'environnement). Ce mode de consommation est de plus en plus à la mode chez les français.
A coté de ce rayon, se trouve généralement le rayon des produits "bio" (fruits, légumes, jus de fruits, etc. qui sont issus d'une agriculture qui est plus respectueuse de l'environnement). Ce mode de consommation est de plus en plus à la mode chez les français.
Le poisson et la viande
Encore une fois, on constate de grandes similitudes entre les rayons américains et français. Notons tout de même que les poissons sont plus appétissants et soigneusement disposés en toute objectivité...
D'autre part, depuis quelques années, on trouve souvent en France un petit rayon proposant de la viande halal. Ceci n'existe pas aux Etats-Unis (on trouve, certes de la nourriture traditionnelle pendant les fêtes religieuses, mais pas de viandes casher ou halal).
D'autre part, depuis quelques années, on trouve souvent en France un petit rayon proposant de la viande halal. Ceci n'existe pas aux Etats-Unis (on trouve, certes de la nourriture traditionnelle pendant les fêtes religieuses, mais pas de viandes casher ou halal).
Le fromage
Contrairement aux idées reçues, le rayon fromage américain est de taille comparable au rayon français. Cependant, en plus du rayon fromager, il y a un rayon produits laitiers, qui fait doubler le nombre de fromages présents.
Les produits laitiers
Il s'agit du rayon qui fait vraiment LA différence avec les Etats-Unis. Comme vous pouvez le voir sur la vidéo qui suit, une allée entière est consacrée uniquement aux yaourts, fromages, crèmes fraîches, etc.
La vidéo se termine malheureusement par une très (trop) brève présentation du célèbre camembert français.