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Tables In Two Cities
Where is it cheaper to buy French-made groceries ? Berlin or Paris? The logical answer would be the capital of France. Wrong. Berlin is the winner.
According to research by intrepid consumer goods reporters, things to eat and drink are, on average, 30 per cent less in the capital of Germany.
The reporters compared items such as coffee and cornflakes. And the results were that in a local supermarket, they were remarkably less expensive than in the region of Paris.
But it gets worse. French-owned products such as Danone yoghurt, Vittel mineral water and cheese such as Gruyère de Comté and a bottle of Cote du Rhone were considerably better priced at a German city-centre food store than in an equivalent in France.
Recently the president of France, Nicolas Sarkozy, made a visit to the principal French-owned Yoplait yoghurt factory.
He explained the situation by saying: "There is no reason why we should ... not ... have the highest prices in Europe".
If I were a Frenchman I would take the next fast train to visit the shopkeepers of Germany.
And even with taking the price ticket of the rail journey into account, I would have more Euros in my pocket.
