Quirky France

Living in France can be a head-shaking experience.

Today, in Leclerc, at Villeneuve sur Lot, I bought three cases of wine.

It was a good red, at a good price.

I put my three cases, each containing six bottles, on the check-out conveyor belt.

When it came to my turn, the young woman behind the cash register said to me, "I have to open these cases."

Initially, I said nothing. I just watched as she broke open the tops of the cartons.

She inspected the bottles in the carton, took out one bottle and scanned it six times.

She did this with all three cartons.

I couldn't contain my curiosity any longer.

"Um, why are you doing this?"

"Management instructions," she said.

"OK, but why?"

"Security," she said.

"OK, but what is the issue?," I said.

"I need to make sure these bottles are the same as on the label," she said.

Ah, so this was a precaution against carton tampering and product substitution.

"It's not very logical, is it," she conceded, apologetically.

I shook my head in a bemused way, and wondered if she ever got a reaction from her French customers.

But how bizarre. Does Leclerc really think someone, in the middle of the store, is going to tear open a carton of wine, pull out one or more bottles, and covertly replace them with more expensive wine? Then somehow manage to reglue the carton?

And all the while the store's closed circuit tv monitoring their actions?

Maybe Leclerc check-out staff will soon be required to start opening cereal packets to ensure people haven't substituted expensive muesli for cornflakes.

Funny old France.