Comments on: When Will the French Demonstrate Against the Escalating Food & Gas Prices?

By: jooree

jooree — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 17:41:10 +0000

The pecheurs in Marseille have been going CRAZY because of gas prices such as blocking roads, setting off fires, etc. Don’t worry, France never misses an opportunity for a “greve”

By: ptinfrance

ptinfrance — Thu, 29 May 2008 17:46:56 +0000

so sad, matthew. that is why one lives in the city: to do all those things.

but! welcome to my world! of course i’ve chosen to live au milieu de nullpart, france where there are no movie theatres, cafes, restaurants or stores.

By: MATTHEW ROSE

MATTHEW ROSE — Thu, 29 May 2008 09:25:07 +0000

My life in France has changed: I’ve stopped driving, stopped eating, stopped moving-going, stopped cafe-sitting but have begun to telephone people all over the world because my telephone (voice) is free. Expect a call!

Matthew

By: ptinfrance

ptinfrance — Thu, 29 May 2008 09:06:26 +0000

it's sad. prices all over the world have risen. i used to shop at rainbow foods (organic store) on washington blvd in l.a. it's relatively more expensive in general but it's still cheaper there than in france. but other states in the u.s. are much cheaper. i'm thinking about the dekalb farmer's market in atlanta. the prices went up like everywhere else but it's still probably a bargain. the euro might be strong but in france when this "inflation" hit, the salaries didn't match it. they stayed the same. so people don't really make enough to be comfortable. we read in le point about a woman who used to go out to eat every day and live comfortably on a worker's salary - this was before the euro in 2002. now she can't go out ever. she simply doesn't make enough and she's struggling to make ends meet. a note about the fish in france: if it's cheap, it's probably low-grade and contaminated from south-east asia. fish called pangas in france (it's often called vietnamese river cobbler in english speaking countries). other fish from france is expensive, so much so, that sales have dropped drastically and the fishing industry started airing tv commercials trying to encourage people to buy fish.

By: Laure

Laure — Thu, 29 May 2008 07:43:29 +0000

Food prices may have increased in France, but in California/L.A. they have skyrocketed. My “panier de la menagere” at grocery stores such as Trader Joe’s has jumped 50% over the past six months–even though I am paying very careful attention to what I buy and now discard previous indulgences. As for gas prices, governments depend on global economic conditions and depletion of resources. At least you live in mighty Euro-land, which buys you extra mileage compared to the depressed USD.

By: ptinfrance

ptinfrance — Wed, 28 May 2008 12:56:32 +0000

prices have gone up. there was an outdoor market near us but they’ve stopped because people stopped going to it. Their prices were too high!

i don’t believe produce is cheaper in france than ANY STATE in the u.s. or fish (though i’m not sure about the fish)

i just bought some organic milk. it was 1.90 euros for a liter. that equals about $12 a gallon.

the government is indirectly related to prices. yes, the merchants pass the cost to the customers and are setting unusually high prices but the government benefits from the taxes on goods. so that is probably why they haven’t done anything.

By: Calimero

Calimero — Wed, 28 May 2008 12:49:18 +0000

Prices are freaking high because france is in huge debt, by getting 20% sales tax on higher prices that’s a way for the governement to fill their bank account to meet their engagements with europe for 2012. That is, no more “in the red” for france.

By: ptinfrance

ptinfrance — Wed, 28 May 2008 12:21:08 +0000

but bob, disrupting the entire city forces something to be done right away. i’m all for petitions and signatures but a crazy HALT to life gets the attention of government leaders despite a huge inconvenience. this is the french way!

By: Will

Will — Wed, 28 May 2008 12:04:21 +0000

I don’t understand. Why complain to the government if prices are high? Does the government set the prices? Why don’t the merchants just pass the higher costs on to their customers?

By: Bob

Bob — Wed, 28 May 2008 10:55:01 +0000

You know, there are other ways to object to things besides disrupting an entire city. Writing letters, getting signatures on petitions and calling the appropriate officials leap to mind. I’ve only been here for a month, and I am already sick of these damned manifs and the disruption of service hey cause. If I lived here, I would definitely have my own petition going against them.

By: gillian

gillian — Wed, 28 May 2008 07:52:31 +0000

what about the ordinary street markets ? have their prices gone up too?. last time I was in Paris-sept 2007- and shopped at pne, I was amazed at how cheap the produce was.

By: Braden

Braden — Wed, 28 May 2008 07:40:29 +0000

On the whole, produce and seafood is WAY cheaper in France than in any city of the U.S. Peaches would naturally be VERY expensive because they are completely out of season. If you just shop in season and avoid places like Galleries Lafayette Gourmet, you will average 1/4 to 1/8 the prices of produce and seafood in the states.