Supermarket
Contrary to most people, I really do not enjoy shopping. If I need to buy something, I go in, get it, and leave. If I have to accompany someone to a clothing store, it will only be a few minutes until my “limit” is reached. However, as I mentioned before on the blog, for some reason I find it very exciting to go to the supermarket. Yes, I am unusual… what else is new 
Yesterday M and I went to the brand new Pavi supermarket in Ħal Qormi. It opened very recently and we thought we would try it. Well, it was great! It has wide aisles and a tall ceiling, and everything is new and brightly lit. Believe it or not, we actually spent TWO HOURS going through every single aisle to see what sorts of things they had. I do not mean to become an advertising blog, but the prices were a little lower than in other places, which really added up (or should I say, down) when the final bill was totaled.
The prices there are already displayed in both liri and euros, and I did what I am now doing every time I come across that: I took out my mobile and calculated to see if the exchange rate was correct. For once, it was! I think this is the very first store I have found that actually uses the correct rate, so you can actually start getting a feel for what the prices of individual items will be once the new currency comes in.
I do not think I have mentioned that in many Maltese supermarkets, you have to use a coin in order to use a trolley (shopping cart). It remains stuck inside a little box on the trolley’s handle, and it can only be released when you bring it back to its place. Well, this in this new supermarket they are already planning ahead so their trolleys require a 1 euro coin! Their customer service desk exchanges it for you, requesting the correct Lm0.43 for €1. So this represented my first official “use” of the euro in Malta! I have saved the coin, and can now use it the next time we go to buy food… or perhaps if I travel to one of the eurozone countries. Very exciting indeed!
