Actually, there is a link because I knew Bill Force.
No worries! I’m just nosy!
Yes it was me, but I was talking about force and sons estate agents in Exeter, Dawlish and Bishopsteignton… sorry but no link there apart from the geographical one 
It’s an Exeter-based cancer research charity. This has got absolutely nothing at all whatsoever to do with French food, but someone said that they used to work for FORCE, and I went back down memory lane to the years when I lived in Exeter.
It was never my intention to start a new discussion thread!
I love Lidl. What is FORCE?
I’ve just returned home from my weekly Lidl shop. It simply can’t be beaten for basics - and often for the not so basic. For example, it’s Alsace week at the moment + where else could you find a bottle of Corsican blueberry spirit?
My favourite general supermarket is Géant - far better than Carrefour or Leclerc.
By the way, someone said that they used to work for FORCE in Devon. Well, in another life I was a trustee of FORCE - invited to be so by one of the founders.
Gosh Fiona - Why?
sounds like a good plan Stephen, I’ll be back on my budget again when I go back home (need to start saving to pay for the next project somehow) so I think I’ll have to leave the nippers at home with him indoors & do Lidl on my own. Phil has definitely put me off Ed, strongly scented hanky required no thanks - can’t be a pleasurable shopping experience trying not to heave over your trolley.
Stephen, my cat wouldn’t eat anything but Waitrose cat food with Tuna & prawns for 2 years, when we moved we brought over 200 tins - the removals guys couldn’t believe their eyes (thought we were mad) as did Mr Ocado who delivered it to us originally.
When we ran out we tried Whiskas again and Purina dried biscuits, I’m glad to say he’s mostly on Purina dried now but he is incredibly fussy & gives me a guilt trip whenever the supermarket runs out of his favourite. He’s my first child - the lucky one who gets to stay in France being pampered by our neighbour enjoying 30 degrees whilst we’re slaving away in London - not for too long though I hope 
Hey Fiona,
I’m with you 1000%.
Plus they have the worst ‘après-vente’ service I’ve ever come across. (Never, ever buy an electrical item there - if it breaks you’re on your own as you’ll soon discover they are just ‘the store that sells them’ and it’s all the manufacturers fault)
Their staff stand around gassing when there are queues of a dozen people and often more. I used to point this out to them and they’d look at me as though I’d announced I was carrying a bomb in my handbag.
I don’t go there anymore on principle- haven’t for ages.
The family would starve if they were the only store in our area…seriously they are that rubbish, I would rather go without.
My local Carrefour is brilliant for most stuff. Plus you save 5% on Tuesdays if you sign up for one of their cards - result!
Hi Suzanne,
Ed is very popular in our area [with branches in Trebes & Carcassonne].
Good friends of mine are on a fairly tight budget, and they swear by Ed.
Granted the prices are very good, but my own feeling is that you feel that you should have a long hot shower before you unpack the car upon arriving home…as to me it’s like a downmarket Lidl or Aldi, if that’s possible, so I would rather swear AT Ed, not BY it…
So if you want good prices, take a chance & a strongly scented hankie with you.
Phil.
what a terrible thought, living without a pussy in the house
Fiona,
I’m STILL laughing at the venom of your previous response…I just LOVE it!
The only thing that annoys me [well, not the ONLY, but you know what I mean?] are people who don’t have ANY OPINIONS of their own, the ones who get splinters in their arses!!
…just come across another thing which annoys me…F***IN’ computers [poss. internet] jamming or on a go-slow, like mine RIGHT NOW!!!
Chow,
Phil
xx
My uncle had a similar camera experience when he took a part from his wc into Castorama they were convinced he’d nicked it from another toilet in the store. An hour later they realised he did bring it in with him. He still shops there though as he’s a DIY addict & they saw the funny side of being accused of nicking a piece of a toilet…and everyone was very pleasant about it all. Mind you, there is apparently a black market in those pull up bits on the old style toilets. The one in our cafe has been taken so many times they’ve now replaced it with a flower on a string, does the same job but looks prettier.
I agree though if I got treated like a criminal somewhere I’d never go back.
Ouh là… I think you’ve made yourself pretty clear 
!!!
Never had any bad service (or horrendous experience like yours thank god) but I’ve never had good service either for that matter!
Leclerc always comes out the best in the “caddie de famille/caddie standard/caddie hebdo” survey but I agree about the crappy bargain products!
Intermarché are all franchises too but our local one is so small that we know all the staff and they’re great. it’s also the best place to catch up on local gossip once you’ve picked the kids up from school as everyone seems to go there.
happy shopping!
Yes I’m perplexed too - I don’t use Leclerc but when I do the local (25km) one isn’t too bad. As for the ones I hate… I think the big Géant are excellent, although a bit on the expensive side, Rodez and Aurillac being the nearest big ones to me, our local one here in Decazevillle really is awful - a friend described it as “offering” an Eastern European shopping experience and I have to agree with her, or go further still! we’re lucky to have a lot of pretty good, handy size intermarché where the prices are good even in a convienience size shop.
At the end of the day, it depends where you are and what’s on offer!
French Supermarkets:
I was [am] fascinated by Fiona’s PASSIONATE “hatred” of Leclerc supermarkets [17th May]…spill the beans Fiona, I am intrigued!!
Does anyone else have similar “no-go” supermarkets?
Phil Espley
Hi, I live in the South West side of France and to answer your question I personnally shop at Leclerc, Carrefour or Intermarché. Indeed, even if these shops provide almost everything, they are different when it comes to specific products (e.g: regional products)
When I was in the UK I used to go shopping at Somerfield, Tesco and Morrisons which I appreciated a lot.
Kind Regards
This conversation could be a “runner”…Do you have a brother living in Teignmouth, ex-LLoyds Bank insurance broker? Wife still a “Hearne” as I might know her, small place Teignmouth, as you know. Do /did yoiu know Chris Connell [SW windsurfer champion, RNLI crew / skipper, rugby player & instigator of Teignmouth Rowing Club in the 90’s]. Was Mel Gore [jnr] with Force when you were?
I guess I’ll hear from you soon!!
I feel I know you already “friend” !!
Cheers,
Phil.
PS I must get rid of my “silly” SFN photo, taken last September on a 4-day Cycling Trip to Brittany with my rugby pals!!
very small world… my ex-wife is from teignmouth and still lives there, I used to sail off shaldon beach. worked at Force and sons in Dawlish and Bishopsteignton back in the late 80s. GA in Totnes and Torquay for a spell, self-employed artistic blacksmith in St Marychurch, went to Uni in Exeter (french and italian) and BRNC in Dartmouth for officer training - very mixed career path (and not necessarily in that order) that’s often difficult to follow! now in the Aveyron as a translator and languages teacher, french other half and “frog-sprog” kids as my dad calls them.
Best wishes
Andrew