Comments on: Story time…..the bargain battle of Chalon http://purelyfrance.com/2007/03/16/story-timethe-bargain-battle-of-chalon/ A New Zealander with one foot firmly in central France, the other frequently in his mouth writes of life, the beloved French, property transactions and how to run a successful B n B and Gite business Mon, 21 May 2012 07:39:35 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1 By: rowena http://purelyfrance.com/2007/03/16/story-timethe-bargain-battle-of-chalon/#comment-14 rowena Fri, 16 Mar 2007 12:57:49 +0000 http://purelyfrance.com/2007/03/16/story-timethe-bargain-battle-of-chalon/#comment-14 Wait, wait, wait a minute....Bruce I think I've gone batty here. Did you say that you needed a dishwasher or a washing machine? You had me eagerly reading to discover the outcome of the story but the photo there? Forgive me if I've misunderstood...better to go and have a double espresso to get my mind in sprinting order! ;-) Wait, wait, wait a minute….Bruce I think I’ve gone batty here. Did you say that you needed a dishwasher or a washing machine? You had me eagerly reading to discover the outcome of the story but the photo there?

Forgive me if I’ve misunderstood…better to go and have a double espresso to get my mind in sprinting order! ;-)

]]> By: Ross http://purelyfrance.com/2007/03/16/story-timethe-bargain-battle-of-chalon/#comment-15 Ross Fri, 16 Mar 2007 21:54:22 +0000 http://purelyfrance.com/2007/03/16/story-timethe-bargain-battle-of-chalon/#comment-15 Sacre Bleur Bruce, you have lost it, such a wimp! From rugby and running to jousting over a dishwasher, this is taking your domestic duties far to seriously. Get back to more manly pursuits, like hitting the tackle bag instead of your fellow bottom fishers. Sacre Bleur Bruce, you have lost it, such a wimp! From rugby and running to jousting over a dishwasher, this is taking your domestic duties far to seriously. Get back to more manly pursuits, like hitting the tackle bag instead of your fellow bottom fishers.

]]> By: bruce http://purelyfrance.com/2007/03/16/story-timethe-bargain-battle-of-chalon/#comment-17 bruce Sun, 18 Mar 2007 12:18:06 +0000 http://purelyfrance.com/2007/03/16/story-timethe-bargain-battle-of-chalon/#comment-17 Well spotted Rowena, a bit of a boo-boo on my part!! I could claim I did it deliberately to see if anyone noticed, put perhaps I should have left the cork in the bottle between writing the text and choosing the images!! As for you Monsieur Ross, did you stop to consider the annual sales may be why the French are so good at Rugby. But on second thoughts, the Harrods sale doesn't seem to do much for the English! Well spotted Rowena, a bit of a boo-boo on my part!! I could claim I did it deliberately to see if anyone noticed, put perhaps I should have left the cork in the bottle between writing the text and choosing the images!!

As for you Monsieur Ross, did you stop to consider the annual sales may be why the French are so good at Rugby. But on second thoughts, the Harrods sale doesn’t seem to do much for the English!

]]> By: Cees http://purelyfrance.com/2007/03/16/story-timethe-bargain-battle-of-chalon/#comment-19 Cees Sun, 18 Mar 2007 15:55:48 +0000 http://purelyfrance.com/2007/03/16/story-timethe-bargain-battle-of-chalon/#comment-19 The battle of the Pub.... From you’re first sentence, Bruce, I would say that you are very lucky indeed! You get Pub! Although this has got noting to do with your dishwasher (my wife claims she has one with 2 legs and a beard, hence we do not need one), it adds a bit of interaction on your blog or weblog; needless to say that the logic between those two words completely escapes me .... When we moved here, in September 2005, we did not get any Publicité. In Holland, our previous Port of Call, one goes to the nearest town hall, where stickers are available in the following two varieties “No, I do not want any unaddressed mail, and no, I do not want any free local papers” and “No, I do not want any unaddressed mail, but yes, I would like to receive all free local papers”. The first one is called a No-No sticker, the 2nd a No-Yes sticker. Stingy and practical as the Dutch are, no sticker at all counts as a Yes-Yes sticker. I always loved getting all this junkmail, hence I never had a sticker. In France however, this appeared to be different. We had no sticker, but we also never received any Pub at all. And we wanted to know what was on offer at the Atac, Intermarché, Carrefour, etc. So I set off on my offensive in order to get Pub delivered. We first asked Mrs. Postman, but she was not delivering Pub anymore. Who did it she did not know. I was on friendly (not TOO friendly, though) terms with the Boulangère, and asked her who delivered the Pub. Someone in a red van, she said. If I did not want it, I should put a sticker up, saying “Pas de Pub, SVP". I explained to her that we wanted Pub. Next try was the Mairie. Yes, if we did not want it, just put notice up saying "Pas de Pub, SVP". We explained again, that we wanted Pub. They looked at us as if we were from outer space, and obviously that was the place where the Pub cam from as well. We suspected that Pub was delivered in Chazelle, our village on Wednesday. There is one postbox there at a maison secondaire of some Parisiens, so I stuck a note on the box begging for Pub. I checked a couple of weeks, and since my sticker no Pub was delivered to anybody in the village anymore. My wife thought this was too Dutch to cope with, so she stayed out of this one. Dutch people are not that easily devastated and/or embarrassed. The next victim was the Tabac woman. She told me, that the person who delivered was ill, dead or something even more serious, and that the Pub stream had dried up. I was about to give up. But after a couple of weeks Mme Tabac told me, that she knew who delivered, and that she had told the person involved that we wanted Pub. It came once, and that was the end of it. Mme Tabac explained o me that the person who delivered was old, and could not be asked to deliver Pub more than 500 m outside the village. Needless to say that we live at 1000 m. After a few weeks (I had put up my sticker again) she offered me a deal. I went there every Saturday and Sunday to get our newspaper (don’t laugh, it is the high class Journal de Saône et Loire), and she promised to hold the Pub for me until I collected it. In the beginning it was disappointing, she gave me every Saturday Paru Vendu and 71; but slowly we appeared to be in the system, and now we get all the crap that is distributed around here. Moral of this story: if you get Pub, count your blessings! The battle of the Pub….
From you’re first sentence, Bruce, I would say that you are very lucky indeed! You get Pub! Although this has got noting to do with your dishwasher (my wife claims she has one with 2 legs and a beard, hence we do not need one), it adds a bit of interaction on your blog or weblog; needless to say that the logic between those two words completely escapes me ….
When we moved here, in September 2005, we did not get any Publicité. In Holland, our previous Port of Call, one goes to the nearest town hall, where stickers are available in the following two varieties “No, I do not want any unaddressed mail, and no, I do not want any free local papers” and “No, I do not want any unaddressed mail, but yes, I would like to receive all free local papers”. The first one is called a No-No sticker, the 2nd a No-Yes sticker. Stingy and practical as the Dutch are, no sticker at all counts as a Yes-Yes sticker.
I always loved getting all this junkmail, hence I never had a sticker. In France however, this appeared to be different. We had no sticker, but we also never received any Pub at all. And we wanted to know what was on offer at the Atac, Intermarché, Carrefour, etc.
So I set off on my offensive in order to get Pub delivered. We first asked Mrs. Postman, but she was not delivering Pub anymore. Who did it she did not know. I was on friendly (not TOO friendly, though) terms with the Boulangère, and asked her who delivered the Pub. Someone in a red van, she said. If I did not want it, I should put a sticker up, saying “Pas de Pub, SVP”. I explained to her that we wanted Pub.
Next try was the Mairie. Yes, if we did not want it, just put notice up saying “Pas de Pub, SVP”. We explained again, that we wanted Pub. They looked at us as if we were from outer space, and obviously that was the place where the Pub cam from as well.
We suspected that Pub was delivered in Chazelle, our village on Wednesday. There is one postbox there at a maison secondaire of some Parisiens, so I stuck a note on the box begging for Pub. I checked a couple of weeks, and since my sticker no Pub was delivered to anybody in the village anymore. My wife thought this was too Dutch to cope with, so she stayed out of this one. Dutch people are not that easily devastated and/or embarrassed.
The next victim was the Tabac woman. She told me, that the person who delivered was ill, dead or something even more serious, and that the Pub stream had dried up. I was about to give up. But after a couple of weeks Mme Tabac told me, that she knew who delivered, and that she had told the person involved that we wanted Pub. It came once, and that was the end of it. Mme Tabac explained o me that the person who delivered was old, and could not be asked to deliver Pub more than 500 m outside the village. Needless to say that we live at 1000 m.
After a few weeks (I had put up my sticker again) she offered me a deal. I went there every Saturday and Sunday to get our newspaper (don’t laugh, it is the high class Journal de Saône et Loire), and she promised to hold the Pub for me until I collected it. In the beginning it was disappointing, she gave me every Saturday Paru Vendu and 71; but slowly we appeared to be in the system, and now we get all the crap that is distributed around here. Moral of this story: if you get Pub, count your blessings!

]]> By: Kat http://purelyfrance.com/2007/03/16/story-timethe-bargain-battle-of-chalon/#comment-20 Kat Sun, 18 Mar 2007 18:01:40 +0000 http://purelyfrance.com/2007/03/16/story-timethe-bargain-battle-of-chalon/#comment-20 I love this! it reminds me of the crazed Japanese housewives in Japan whenever there is a BIG sale! Congratulations on your new washer. I love this! it reminds me of the crazed Japanese housewives in Japan whenever there is a BIG sale! Congratulations on your new washer.

]]> By: bruce http://purelyfrance.com/2007/03/16/story-timethe-bargain-battle-of-chalon/#comment-21 bruce Mon, 19 Mar 2007 08:57:56 +0000 http://purelyfrance.com/2007/03/16/story-timethe-bargain-battle-of-chalon/#comment-21 Cees, loved your story, and delightfuly written! We always tell people you only need three things to live in France, desire, patience and persistence. Your story was full of all three! Cees, loved your story, and delightfuly written! We always tell people you only need three things to live in France, desire, patience and persistence. Your story was full of all three!

]]> By: bruce http://purelyfrance.com/2007/03/16/story-timethe-bargain-battle-of-chalon/#comment-22 bruce Mon, 19 Mar 2007 09:12:05 +0000 http://purelyfrance.com/2007/03/16/story-timethe-bargain-battle-of-chalon/#comment-22 Hi Kat, The first time I visited Japan it took me along time to get into an elevator, I was waiting for the Japanese ladies to enter first (manners my Mum drummed into me) and of course they were waiting for me to enter. From what you say they obviously display different behaviour for shop 'sales'!! And the Metro presumably?!! Hi Kat,
The first time I visited Japan it took me along time to get into an elevator, I was waiting for the Japanese ladies to enter first (manners my Mum drummed into me) and of course they were waiting for me to enter. From what you say they obviously display different behaviour for shop ’sales’!! And the Metro presumably?!!

]]> By: barbara http://purelyfrance.com/2007/03/16/story-timethe-bargain-battle-of-chalon/#comment-23 barbara Tue, 20 Mar 2007 10:14:03 +0000 http://purelyfrance.com/2007/03/16/story-timethe-bargain-battle-of-chalon/#comment-23 Hi Bruce, This is my first time over; I come from Rowena's blog. I'am a US expat, who like Rowena came from Hawaii. Small world... I'am up much further north in France, outside Paris in the burbs. You are welcome to stop by our blog :) Good for you; you got your dishwasher, but boy, it was rough going! I have not yet did "les soldes" in such an athletic style!! I have a nice day, Hi Bruce,
This is my first time over; I come from Rowena’s blog.
I’am a US expat, who like Rowena came from Hawaii.
Small world…
I’am up much further north in France, outside Paris in the burbs.
You are welcome to stop by our blog :)

Good for you; you got your dishwasher, but boy, it was rough going!
I have not yet did “les soldes” in such an athletic style!!

I have a nice day,

]]> By: bruce http://purelyfrance.com/2007/03/16/story-timethe-bargain-battle-of-chalon/#comment-24 bruce Wed, 21 Mar 2007 09:28:26 +0000 http://purelyfrance.com/2007/03/16/story-timethe-bargain-battle-of-chalon/#comment-24 Hi Barbara, Thanks for dropping in. You Hawaiians love to travel don't you! Enjoyed checking out your Blog, you're having lots of fun with it and it is both interesting and informative. Your 'cluster map' is tres cool! Hi Barbara,
Thanks for dropping in. You Hawaiians love to travel don’t you! Enjoyed checking out your Blog, you’re having lots of fun with it and it is both interesting and informative. Your ‘cluster map’ is tres cool!

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