Grocery & Shopping Tips

Grocery Shopping

Hours

  • Local shops close for “riposo” from 12:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
  • Many local shops close on Sunday with limited hours on Monday
  • Chain stores are open all day (“orario continuato”)

Carts

  • Insert 1€ coin to unlock; return it and take your coin

Produce

  • Always use a glove to handle produce
  • Weigh your produce before checking out

Bagging

  • Customers bag their own groceries
  • BYOB – Bring Your Own Bags or pay 0.10 – 0.50€ per bag

Deli/Fish/Cheese/Pastry Counter

  • Take a number and wait for it to be called
  • ½ kilogram (“mezzo chilo”) = 500 grams = 1.1 lbs.
  • 100 grams (“un etto”), 200 grams (“due etti”)

Milk

  • Find raw milk (“latte crudo”) machines at farms
  • Use www.milkmaps.com to find milk dispensaries

Shopping Tips

  • Shops generally open between 8:00 AM – 8:30 AM to around Noon. Then they open again between 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM. and close between 7:00 PM – 7:30 PM Most are open from Tuesday to Saturday. Malls can be open 7 days per week from 9:00 AM – 8:00 PM Smaller grocery departments may be closed Sunday all day; Monday and Wednesday all afternoon. Larger grocery departments may be open all day and even on Sundays. Check the hours at the stores closest to your new home so you aren’t caught by surprise.
  • Produce: do not touch fruits and merchandise in markets and small stores. The clerks will select fruits and vegetables for you. It is acceptable to point to the ones you want.
  • In the produce department (inside the grocery store) there are plastic gloves for you to use. Touching the food without them is not permitted. After preparing the bag, take it to the provided weighing station. Place the bag on the scale and touch the corresponding number on the scale. Usually the number is always provided and printed on the food tag right by the price.
  • There are no people to help you bag groceries. We prefer to use reusable bags and if you ask for a plastic one there is going to be a charge for it. Shopping carts: to release the shopping cart from the others you need to use a 1 or 2 euro coin.
  • For clothing (small clothing shops, “boutique”) let the clerk show you what they have. Helping yourself and pulling things off the shelves, opening boxes, or taking things off the racks may be considered unacceptable behaviors.

After Arrival Topics