simply market

A couple weeks ago I was grocery shopping at Simply. It's my favorite grocery store because it has almost the exact decorating scheme as Toys R Us - there are banners on the ceiling that say "Be Happy! Be SIMPLY!" and there are rainbows on the ground.



I was looking at the aforementioned rainbows when I saw an abandoned five-euro bill. I went over to the help desk to turn in the bill, excited for two reasons.

Reason one: I like saying new sentences in French, and I had never said "I found this money on the ground" before. In fact it was my first time saying "ground."

Reason two: I knew turning it in would up my grocery store karma. And I can always use some grocery store karma.

The karma exchange rate in Marseille is fantastic. Not once, or twice, but THREE times, people in line in front of me have said I can go before them because I'm buying less than they are. A cashier helped me count out my change when I tried to give her 3 euro and she saw I had 2.94 euro worth of change in my hand. (In French 94 is pronounced "four-twenty-fourteen" and I just like to avoid it completely.) A man gave me a free apple when I asked how much it was. Bagged rice, my favorite food, was on sale 2 for the price of 1. Strangers always ask me how I'm doing, or what yogurt I would recommend. Yesterday I left a dime on the counter and another customer sprinted after me to return it.

People might tell you that French people are really snotty and that they don't like Americans or some other sort of complete garbage, but I am going to set the record straight. I don't think grocery store karma is real. I think people in Marseille are just the nicest people I've ever met.