If you have ever frequented one of the Tesco Supermarkets in your area, you will know that the opening times vary from store to store. There is no uniform policy of opening times for all stores in the United Kingdom. Tesco’s policy varies somewhat from store to store, but the goal remains the same: open each location by the same time daily. The stores are open by the time that the public can normally arrive to shop. The exception to this policy is at certain times on weekdays and school holidays when the store is closed down for the day.
Other Tesco Supermarkets follows a similar policy of opening times. In the United Kingdom, Tesco uses the phrase ‘des ses Bon Temps’ (open at lunchtime). In France, le temps is ‘on parole’; in the rest of Europe, ‘on her un tempo’ or ‘on board un temps’. The phrase is also used in the United States. The term is generally used to mean ‘last minute’.
In other stores, the opening times start early, with announcements that the doors will be open from 6am. Customers are then let into the building by a security guard. This is followed by a presentation of sofas and chairs at selected tables. Customers may be seated on the grass or on the hard benches which are provided.
At some stores, such as those in Paris, the customers are served before they are seated. At other stores, such as those in London, customers are served when they enter the building. Some stores, such as those in Reading, England open their doors promptly at 7.30am. Customers are served with coffee and a tea bag.
The opening times in France are generally earlier than in the UK. Customers are allowed to enter the premises until 8am. Customers who pay at the front door receive a plastic card which verifies them as buyers and can go straight to the tesco shop. They receive a red ribbon which indicates the quelbure (open) status of the shop.
There are several stores in the UK that have the traditional quelques-uns. These stores offer the customers the opportunity to select a bag from a specially selected collection. Customers have to use a special plastic handbag to indicate that they are ready to buy. The customers then pay at the front door using a plastic card. Once the customer has paid for the products, they are led to the queue un position.
Tesco supermarkets in France also offer the customers the choice of buying fish and chips, cheese and yoghurt, fruit and vegetables, dairy and milk and ready-to-eat cereals. Many customers prefer these products over the other available products because they are tastier, healthier and cheaper than the available ready-to-eat products. These products can be bought in the cold-cut aisle of the store. The cold-cut display is positioned in the centre of the store facing the quelques-uns section.
Tesco supermarkets in France have the option of buying fish and chips, cheese and yoghurt, fruits and vegetables, dairy and milk and ready-to-eat cereals. The best time to visit the store is on Saturday evening. The cold-cut display is located in the middle of the store facing the quelques-uns section. The timings that have been used for opening times in Tesco supermarkets in France indicate a weekly closing time of 10am on weekdays and 2pm on weekends.
An interesting fact about Tesco is that it has a branch just outside of Paris known as the Paris Fish and Chips Supermarket. This branch is open round the clock for 365 days and is located at the Porte de Versailles on the edge of Paris’ Les Arts. The first Tesco supermarket in France was established by Richard Hunt in Brighton in 1963. There is a branch in the UK called the “Chicks from Brighton” and another in Newquay in Cornwall.
The various stores in France all sell similar goods: fish and chips, cheese and yoghurt, fruits and vegetables, dairy and milk and ready-to-eat cereals. The main difference between them is the availability of the product. It is more common for Tesco to sell products such as French dressing in their aisles than in other stores. Aisles are the place where customers can find ready-made meals in English.
Tesco supermarkets in France also sell alcohol. The store in Charing is among the first retailers to sell alcohol in bottled form. They also have their own unique quicquets that can be ordered online. An interesting fact about Tesco is that unlike other retailers, they do not serve quicquets in their restaurants; instead they serve beer, a Belgian speciality.