Shopping the European Way

The article on supermarkets in France was amusing (“French Say Au Revoir to the Old Ways of Shopping,” April 9). While the French are wringing their hands at the loss of the “village culture” way of shopping, many Americans are opting for what is essentially the same thing.

The new “super” supermarkets are essentially a village shopping concept under one roof. On my first visit to an Advantage store, Lucky’s version of a “super,” my first impression was how much it was like shopping in a small European town.

If customers in a village want a particular item, they go to the shop specializing in that item. It’s the same way in a “super” supermarket. If you want cheese, you go to the area devoted to cheese. And so on. You are waited on by “shopkeepers” who are knowledgeable and offer personal service. And given the cavernous size of some of these places and the extensive lighting, it is almost like a town square at noon.

Of course, the layout of a “super” renders it more convenient than a town square. While not quite the European original, it is far more engaging than typical supermarkets, whose aisles of monotonous merchandise and “I think it’s over there” employees make grocery shopping a pretty impersonal endeavor.

RANDY WHEELER

San Diego