“I saved more than 320 euros”: these French are ready to drive 10 hours to fill their cart in Spain

To take advantage of lower prices, some French people decide to shop in Spain.

For example, people from Marseille do not hesitate to travel several hours by bus to go to border supermarkets.

And according to them, the trip is largely paid for by the savings on site.

At dawn this Saturday morning, several Marseillais waited impatiently to board a bus bound for La Jonquera, a small Catalan village located 1km from the French-Spanish border. However, their goal is not to go on holiday, but to shop. Because in Spanish stores, the savings are significant thanks to the low prices offered, according to today’s buyers.

Once a month, these passengers do not hesitate to travel 10 hours by bus during the day to stock up on supplies at the border. “It saves me about 700 euros a month”trust a regular.

Cheaper lots of groceries

Every Saturday and Sunday the bus is full and you sometimes have to wait up to three weeks to book your return trip for 39 euros. The first stop takes place late in the morning, in a shopping center in La Jonquera. Marceline, one of the bus passengers, knows the supermarket aisles by heart.

This hospital worker comes to buy his cleaning and hygiene products there, the prices of which are much lower than in France. At the checkout she saved more than twenty euros. The customer, who earns 1,600 euros a month, comes every four weeks to do a lot of shopping in Spain. “Without going to Spain, on the 15th of the month, I don’t even have a penny”says Marceline, who, after doing her accounts at the end of the day, claims to have saved more than 320 euros.

New connections on the way

A few kilometers away, in another supermarket in Perthus (Pyrénées-Orientales), Adeline, an unemployed mother met by TF1, also has her habits. Laundry, cakes, shampoo… She fills her cart for several weeks. That day she spent more than 300 euros and, according to her, saved 200 euros.

• also read

  Shopping, holidays… These little-known discounts offered by your loyalty cards

Faced with high demand, transport company Protour plans to open new connections between France and Spain. On the company’s website, Marseille-La Jonquera/Perthus journeys scheduled for June 16, 22 and 30 are already open for booking.