While a liter of gasoline has long been cheaper in Spain than in France, now it’s the opposite. Even if in the Pyrenees, near the border, there is no rush in the resorts, some Spaniards are taking advantage of the windfall to refuel, and to do their food shopping in French supermarkets. Report in Cierp-Gaud (Haute-Garonne).
Cars with Spanish license plates litter the parking lot of the supermarket in Cierp-Gaud, in the south of Haute-Garonne. Only 14 kilometers from Spain, this store has recently seen some customers come from across the border.
Talia and Carlos, Valencians on vacation in the Spanish Pyrenees decided to spend the day on the French side, “mainly to visit”, they admit. But when they turn their heads towards the petrol station of the supermarket, they notice that the 95 liter of unleaded is displayed at 25 cents less than in Spain… With a bit of surprise. “Is that normal unleaded?” asks Carlos. He adds: “we saw it at €1.72 on the Spanish side, and there it is only at €1.475. Finally we will perhaps fill up here before returning to Vielha! »
On the other side of the border, petrol prices can go much higher: some stations in the Val d’Aran offer unleaded 98 at €1.90, and diesel at €2.04 per liter. .
Still in front of the Cierp-Gaud supermarket, Dolly also came to do her shopping in France. Although she has lived in the region for eight years, she notices that “everything has increased a lot” in recent months… Starting with gasoline. “Usually everyone in the area fills up in Spain. But I do it here because I have a small car, I don’t need a lot of diesel. Today, the situation has changed, and the flow of motorists filling up on the other side of the border seems to have been partly reversed.
In addition to fuel, inflation on basic foodstuffs also encourages people to change countries for shopping.
Food also affected to a lesser extent
Dolly, who shops “in both countries” regularly notices shortages of certain basic necessities, which requires a little adaptation. “I don’t always find everything I need, but now I often buy directly from producers,” says Dolly. In particular to buy meat, the latter tends to use small breeders, rather than French or Spanish supermarkets.
On the other hand, Dolly admits: “I’m not very aware” of inflation. But she clearly notices the price increases on her receipt, on both sides of the border, and she even comes to rethink her consumption habits. “Today, I store a lot more in the freezer than before. »
Faced with this period when life is more and more expensive, Dolly consumes a little more in France than in Spain now, but this is not her only solution. “I remain Spanish, I cook a lot at home, and I do everything myself,” she proudly concludes.
