The Bookworm Cafe
For those of you living in Grenoble I recommend this small cafe in rue St Laurent. It sells English books for both adults and children, as well as organising a number of other events and activities.
Check out the link above.
I am particularly recommending it as it was started by a very warm hearted and generous young lady, who heped me when I first arrived in Grenoble as a novice teacher. Unfortunately this person passed away just before Christmas 2011, much too young. Her husband runs the Cafe and as a tribute to her I want it to prosper, so get on down there and tell your friends.
Thanks
Monday 23 January 2012
Thursday 19 January 2012
The French music scene is quite dynamic and seems to hold its own against the tide of US music. You've no doubt heard of rock legends such as Johnny Haliday but there are many more to discover. Here are a few of my favourites.
First there's Renaud with his socially engaged music.
Then newer singers such as Chrisophe Mae, who offers a rock/ reggae mix.
And finaly one of my favourites, Grand Corps malade, who writes slams with a social message.
First there's Renaud with his socially engaged music.
Then newer singers such as Chrisophe Mae, who offers a rock/ reggae mix.
And finaly one of my favourites, Grand Corps malade, who writes slams with a social message.
Friday 13 January 2012
After the excesses of Christmas and the beginning of the sales, I have started a list. It is a list of shops I will never set foot in again. I won't name names but the list grows longer every day. It ranges from DIY stores, through eletrical goods stores to car parts suppliers. They are all stores where the attitude of the staff and lack of service has driven me to distraction.
Just the other day, I was in a shop trying to buy a bulb for a stop light on my car. It was lunchtime and to my surprise the shop was open. The three salesmen wandering around were not exactly run off their feet. I approached an aisle with a multitude of bulbs and tried to find the one I needed. Did anyone approach this obviously confused customer? Of course not, in the end I asked for help.
'We don't sell that one', I was told. Then his phone range, of course he answered and he wandered off chatting to this clearly more important customer. I found one of his unoccupied colleagues, who hadn't bothered to answer the phone.
'Your colleague said you don't sell these bulbs', I said.
'Yes', he replied with an air of 'so what'.
'Well do you know where I can get one?', I enquired.
'At a tuning shop', he shrugged.
And that was that, the customer service had finished.
I read somewhere that this lack of service is historic. The revolution removed the aristocracy and any idea of servants. This is why civil servants are called 'functionnaires' in France. They make the system work, they are not there to serve the public. Once you understand this the whole French administration makes self, as does the lack of customer service throughout society.
However, this doesn't make business sense to me in the retail environment. We constantly hear that Internet shopping is replacing physical shops. Today this is becoming a reality for me as my frustration with the attitude of shop staff grows. The only adavantage shops can have over the internet is a personalised service. Unfortunately, here in France the lack of service is forcing me more and more to the internet. And so I my blacklist of shops grows.
Just the other day, I was in a shop trying to buy a bulb for a stop light on my car. It was lunchtime and to my surprise the shop was open. The three salesmen wandering around were not exactly run off their feet. I approached an aisle with a multitude of bulbs and tried to find the one I needed. Did anyone approach this obviously confused customer? Of course not, in the end I asked for help.
'We don't sell that one', I was told. Then his phone range, of course he answered and he wandered off chatting to this clearly more important customer. I found one of his unoccupied colleagues, who hadn't bothered to answer the phone.
'Your colleague said you don't sell these bulbs', I said.
'Yes', he replied with an air of 'so what'.
'Well do you know where I can get one?', I enquired.
'At a tuning shop', he shrugged.
And that was that, the customer service had finished.
I read somewhere that this lack of service is historic. The revolution removed the aristocracy and any idea of servants. This is why civil servants are called 'functionnaires' in France. They make the system work, they are not there to serve the public. Once you understand this the whole French administration makes self, as does the lack of customer service throughout society.
However, this doesn't make business sense to me in the retail environment. We constantly hear that Internet shopping is replacing physical shops. Today this is becoming a reality for me as my frustration with the attitude of shop staff grows. The only adavantage shops can have over the internet is a personalised service. Unfortunately, here in France the lack of service is forcing me more and more to the internet. And so I my blacklist of shops grows.
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