Monoprix in France vs. Target in America

In my pre-trip assignment, I analyzed Target in America. When looking for a French equivalent, I considered Target's variety of products offered as well as their price point. In considering these things, I discovered Monoprix in France. Monoprix is similar to Target in their variety of products, price point, and presence in different locations. It has some differing goals from Target, but has shown signs of innovation. However, Monoprix and Target have very similar focuses when it comes to the vision and design of their business.

Monoprix is a major French retail chain. Just like Target, it combines food retailing with other products such as clothing, hardware, and household items at about the same price point. It is headquartered in Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine, France in the 17th arrondissement. At the end of 2008, Monoprix had 300 stores and employed over 20,000 people in France. Today, there are 400 Monoprix stores with 5 brands: food, decoration, beauty, hygiene, and textile. Much like Target, Monoprix is present in 85% of French cities that have 50,000 or more residents.

Monoprix is a low-price retailer with very competitive prices. Unlike Target's frequent partnerships with designers to create low-price specialty lines for Target, you will not find designer brands at Monoprix. One of the main goals of Monoprix instead is to make the shopping experience easier for residents of Paris by making their travel distance shorter. Monoprix accomplishes this by having implementing many stores in different areas of Paris, eliminating the need for private transportation. Monprix has shown signs of innovation in areas like offering organic produce and a new Beauty Monoprix section. Unlike Target, one of Monoprix's most popular services is home delivery of products for their customers.

Very similarly to Target, Monoprix does not claim to be "the cheapest." It instead focuses on an "art of living" and a "re-enchantment of everyday life." Target and Monoprix also both place a strong focus on developing a relationship of trust with the customer, with sayings at Monoprix like "Everyday we think of you" like Target's "Expect More. Pay less."

Overall, Monoprix is very similar to Target. In my research, I came across many traveling blogs that remarked how much Monoprix in France reminded people of Target in America. With similarities even like a bright layout similar to Target's layout, I believe that Monoprix is just as available, affordable, and welcoming as Target.

An Overall Satisfying Experience

Unfortunately, my Parisian adventure has come to an end. After almost 16 total hours of travel time, I'm finally home and almost caught up on sleep from jet lag. Reflecting on my experience, I think that the overall feeling I can take away from our trip is an increased sense of confidence in myself.

Before going on this trip, I was really self-conscious about my lack of street smarts. I have no problem in finite class, but when it comes to getting around a city I really struggle. I now know that although these kinds of things may not come naturally to me, I have the ability to figure it out. I was really nervous to fly home completely by myself- it was the first time I had ever flown by myself and an added challenge of it being an international flight. Although I was very anxious, with a little research beforehand I was able to figure out what terminal I needed to go to and was able to follow the signs and make it all the way home completely on my own. Making the international journey home really made me feel like I was growing up and now I feel like flying by myself is not something I should be afraid of at all. If I can fly internationally, I definitely think I can handle flying inside this country.

This trip also involved a few design projects, which I previously felt like I was really lacking experience in. I was able to learn how to use a sewing machine and utilize the creativity I didn't think I had. After we had completed our design projects, we had the opportunity to create a "design story" and style a photoshoot for one of our projects. I chose to model my feather project, which I was nervous about because I'm not used to being the center of attention. My design story was modeled after an ad I found where the model was spinning in nature. I really like the natural and free feeling, so when I modeled my feather headband I wore a flowy dress with a background of different kinds of trees and twirled to create an action shot. I think it was a really good experience for me to learn more about design and become more confident in myself by being the center of attention. I can't wait to see how the pictures turn out!

This increase in confidence is something that my family has already noticed- they have already said that I seem much more confident and independent. I'm really glad I chose take this experience to do something out of my comfort zone and learn about another culture at the same time. I think I've really grown as a person as a result of this trip and I'll be much more willing to seek out more adventurous opportunities like this in the future. I can't wait to see where life takes me next!

Appreciating Unexpected Beauty

This past year of my life has been incredibly hectic for me. Last April, I decided I wanted to broaden my career options and change my major from apparel merchandising to marketing and technology management and minor in apparel merchandising. This required that I apply to the Kelley School of Business. I made an appointment to talk to an admission advisor and after a long discussion with her about the prerequisites I would have to take just to apply I realized that it would be a much more involved process than I had expected. Since I would be applying as a sophomore, I was forced to take almost all of the application prerequisites in one semester (my first semester sophomore year). I also needed to take another honors class required by the Hutton Honors College, so I was forced to take Honors Finite in addition to all of my other business prerequisite classes. It was one of the hardest semesters of my life, and really challenged my ability to focus and desire to be a business student. Thankfully, I was accepted in January. In order to finish my I-Core prerequisites in time to take I-Core next semester, I took another full, tough schedule of business classes last semester.  

Because of my extremely busy academic year combined with extracurriculars, looking back I feel like this year has flown by. Constantly rushing around, I haven't had much time to "stop and smell the roses." I think one of the things I enjoyed most about being in Paris is being able to finally slow down and enjoy the beauty of the city. Finding hidden beauty around the city that wasn't necessarily a popular tourist destination was one of my favorite things to in my free time. For example, one day I decided to blog in the backyard garden of Paris American Academy right when the sun was about to set. I was able to capture one of my favorite pictures of the trip when the sun was shining down perfectly on the garden (below left). I also really enjoyed getting up close to the Eiffel Tower instead of the typical landscape view- I didn't realize the construction was so intricate. The criss-cross pattern of the iron was really interesting to me (below right). The ceiling of the Antwerp train station was also surprisingly beautiful (bottom). I considered this hidden beauty because usually when I think of train stations I do not think of beautiful architecture, but the train station in Antwerp surprised me with how detailed the windows and ceilings were. This was something I would not expect to see in America.

Because of this trip, I've really learned to appreciate popular beauty in tourist locations as well as hidden beauty. I hope that this can translate to my everyday life and I can learn to slow down and "smell the roses" more often!

 

Uncomfortable Traveling in Paris

As my family and friends are well aware, I have zero sense of direction. I've lived in the same town for my entire life, and I'm still unsure how to get to certain places just ten minutes from my house. When I started driving it really helped to secure how to get to familiar places, but when I am forced to find my way in a new place I am usually at a loss. I can usually rely on my iPhone maps and let it sense where I am and follow the directions my phone gives. However, I've had to turn off my roaming data while abroad to avoid unreasonable charges from Verizon, which means I've been forced to use a paper map for the first time in my life.

Getting lost has been my number one fear during my time in Paris. All of the bus lines and winding roads that fork and curve into other streets make Paris a tough city to navigate, especially for a person with no sense of direction. For the first couple of days I focused on retracing my steps and walked the exact same way back to ensure I wouldn't get lost. However, that proved difficult when we were told to meet at certain places that were beyond walking distance. When Olivier Roux talked to us about different areas of shopping in Paris, I made sure to pay attention so I would at least recognize the names of certain areas. I finally learned how to use the bus system, and considered it one of my greatest successes when I was able to take the bus to Saint Germain and back to my apartment without getting lost. I continued to practice using different bus lines and learned my way around the city gradually which I think really increased my self-confidence.  Even if I don't know exactly where I am, I can see landmarks like certain restaurants we had eaten at or shops I had visited and at least be confident that I was going in the right direction. 

The Metro still really scares me, however. My favorite part of the buses is being able to see where I am, which I can't do on the Metro because it's underground. Also, when the doors open you have about five seconds to get in or out. The loud beeping gives about a two second warning before the doors slam shut and the Metro starts zooming away. I still panic when we're taking the Metro as a group and there is a crowd around the door because I worry that we won't all make it on the train- which has happened! Luckily, no one's gotten caught in the door. I don't know why there isn't some kind of safety feature in case this happens!

Overall, I'm comfortable traveling in the city now (as long as I can see where I am) after a lot of practice and study of different maps in the classroom. I love the quote "Life begins at the end of your comfort zone" by Neale Donald Walsch. I think is really applicable to my fear of traveling in Paris because being forced to get out of my comfort zone and find my way around whether it is by foot, bus, or Metro has really helped me to grow as a person. Of all of the things I've learned while in Paris, I think I am most proud of how much I have learned about traveling in Paris.

Long Lasting Effects on my Beliefs: Leather

As part of our program, we've been doing a lot of activities that involve studying leather. Although I have leather bags and love leather jackets, I had never actually thought about the process of making leather. Earlier in the trip, we visited the Delvaux handbag factory, the oldest leather luxury goods house in the world. While touring the factory, we were able to look at the products and really discover how each bag is made. I was surprised at how much care goes into selecting only the most perfect parts of each piece of leather and the hand-construction of each bag.

As we explored more of the factory, our tour guide began to explain the different leathers they utilize for Delvaux handbags. For each sample, she would explain what part of the animal's body each part had come from. For example, she showed us where the spine was at one point. She even showed us snake skin that still had the snake head attached with his tongue out. When she explained which side of the skin had been the "outward facing" versus the "inside facing" sides, I began to get nauseous.

I am not a vegetarian and I don't have any pets. I'm not particularly fond of animals, and as one of my latest blogs explained I had never really stopped to consider the materials that go into creating products. The trip to Delvaux caused me to have a realization about the different animals that are sacrificed to make handbags and other products like jackets and furniture. The process of skinning animals, being processed at a tannery, then still only using the smallest, most perfect pieces to make handbags seemed excessive and cruel to me. We learned that some handbags might use the skin of up to four animals because they do not use certain parts of the skin. 

I continued to be disgusted by the use of leather when we had a presentation on leather and traveled to furniture stores and Hermes on Wednesday. After another discussion of where leather comes from and the different types of animals that are sacrificed, I could barely stand to touch the samples and the smell made me feel sick. When we visited the furniture stores, I noticed specific uses of leather that seemed excessive and wasteful to me. For example, below on the left the wall surrounding the elevator in the store is covered in leather. To the right is a decorative framed art piece made completely out of leather. There was also a rug made out of leather with hair. I've never really been a fan of these types of rugs, but now that I know the process in detail I've become disgusted with this type of decoration.

 These experiences had a strong effect on my morals. Although I don't really love animals, I still do not believe in sacrificing them for the pure reason of creating decoration or beauty. As a result of this trip, I will focus more on where products I purchase come from. I'll probably try to buy fake leather more frequently because I don't want to support this type of cruelty (and it's much cheaper!).

Positive Reactions to New Foods

I was a little nervous about the food before arriving in Paris. I've been raised to always try new foods - even from an early age my parents encouraged my sister and I to be adventurous with food. When we go out to eat, my family often has ethnic food (our favorites are Thai and sushi). Even though I'm not afraid to try new foods, I wasn't sure what to expect and that made me a little anxious.

A few foods I had heard the French were famous for were cheese and crepes! I had to make sure to try these while in Paris. On Thursday, we went to the open air market with Agnes and purchased a meal together. When we got to the cheese section, I was shocked to see the large assortment of different kinds of cheeses. The French clearly love their cheese! We bought Camembert cheese with Agnes, and I was surprised at how soft, gooey, and pungent it was. It tasted a little like brie (my favorite cheese) but stronger, and I loved it. Another famous French food I've really enjoyed are crepes! My favorite has been the banana and nutella crepe I had at a flea market stand on Sunday. It tasted like a thin, sweet pancake and I loved watching them make it on the stove top - it's almost like an art.

One famous French food I was nervous to try was escargot (snails!). I'm a pretty adventurous eater, but this was still a stretch for me. I had the mindset that I couldn't come to Paris and not try escargot, though, so I had to order it. The waiter was very nice and noticed we were American. He asked if we were trying escargot for the first time, then explained to us how to use the tools to eat it. It had a garlic pesto sauce and was surprisingly delicious! It reminded me a lot of mussels, which I love, so I really enjoyed it. 

I had heard that macaroons were also a famous French dessert, but I hadn't really looked into what they actually were. I had originally thought they were similar to meringues. When we went to Le Bon Marche on Thursday, we went to the grocery store and there was a very wide selection of flavors. I had to get a box! I ended up choosing (bottom to top) chocolate, coffee, vanilla, pistachio, caramel, and strawberry. I was surprised when they had the consistency of two pieces of airy cake with creme in the middle. They were really rich and the flavors were really interesting!

I also really loved Belgian waffles! I chose a waffle with fruit and a scoop of ice cream on top and it was absolutely delicious. The waffle was much more airy than waffles at home which surprised me a little (it was almost crunchy and very crumbly) but it was amazing - waffles are one of my favorite foods at home so it was a really good experience to be able to try the famous Belgian waffles.

 Overall, I've had a really positive reaction to all of the new foods in Paris and the waffles in Belgium! I've also had croque-monsieur, chocolate croissants, and pastries. I love trying new foods and everything I've had so far has been great. Calories aren't real when we're in Paris, right?

How My View of the Fashion Industry has Changed

Before traveling to Paris, I had a very one dimensional view of the fashion industry. Since I'm an apparel merchandising minor and not involved in the fashion design department, I haven't taken any fashion design classes. Because of this, I hadn't really considered what factors actually contribute to fashion design. I focused mostly on the retail cycle, but this trip so far has already opened my eyes about the fashion design part of the fashion industry. 

I always viewed the fashion design industry as mostly focused on design and construction. By going to the Mode Museum of Fashion in Belgium and discovering Abraham fabrics, I realized that the fabric the piece is made out of is just as important as the design and construction. The color of the fabric and the print go through a long and intricate creation process and can completely alter the final product.

 

When I saw the dresses below, they really resonated with me. Their construction is fairly simple, but what makes them interesting is the beautiful silk they're made out of. Before this trip, I probably wouldn't have thought to notice the material as much as the design. Experiencing the Abraham museum was a really eye-opening experience for me because I hadn't considered the relevance of materials in fashion design, which served to change my view of the fashion industry.

Another thing that changed my view of the fashion industry has been our design projects. I got the chance to design my own feather accessory this week, and I'll be designing my own hat next week. Although I've wanted to try designing for awhile, I've never gotten the chance to take a fashion design class so this was a great experience. I never quite realized the range of creativity allowed in design- even with the feather project everyone's project ended up looking completely different. So far it's been really interesting learning about the design part of the fashion industry, and it has inspired me to try to learn how to sew this summer!

The Language Barrier: An Eye Opening Experience

One of the most difficult things about my trip so far has been the fact that I don't speak French. I took Spanish in high school, so before coming to Paris I only knew a few key phrases like "Je ne parle pas français" which means "I don't speak French" and "Où sont les toilettes?" for "Where is the bathroom?" Although we had one French survival class where we were taught key phrases and were able to ask how to say specific things we had run into, an hour of French class is obviously not enough. I'm consistently lost when trying to do simple things such as a make a purchase. Just recently when trying to buy bananas, the employee ringing me up held up the bananas and spoke quickly in French. Because of the language barrier, I had no idea what was wrong. After awhile with a lot of hand motions, I figured out she was trying to say that I was supposed to weigh the bananas. When at a cafe, I tried to use my credit card to pay for a croissant. After a few minutes of attempted communication with the employee, I realized that my total purchase must equal a certain amount to use a card and I had to use cash.

Another time, I experienced difficulties while grocery shopping. Since many of the brands are different from the brands I'm used to at home, I've had to read the labels to figure out what the product is. However, I can't understand the labels either! Grocery shopping took me about 3 times as long as it should have because of this problem. I've also had problems at restaurants- I waited for about ten minutes at the table before the waiter had to use hand motions to convey that I was supposed to pay at the register.

I anticipated my lack of French knowledge would be a problem, but I didn't anticipate having this much difficulty when trying to complete everyday tasks like grocery shopping. This experience has opened my eyes to people in America who do not speak English or are not completely fluent- being in an area where you don't speak the language is hard! Oftentimes at home I would get frustrated if I tried to interact with someone who didn't speak English. Because of this experience, I am now prepared to have more patience with non-native English speakers. 

Reflecting on my Initial Expectations

Bonjour!

I have now been Paris for about four days and I am loving it so far! I have started to get adjusted to hearing French speakers all around me and even managed to communicate by using a few phrases from our survival French class. I've really enjoyed attending Paris American Academy and getting to know everyone in the group. A lot of things I've experienced are similar to my previous expectations, but there have been many surprises as well.

My prediction that I would see beautiful landscapes and elegant architecture was absolutely correct! On Sunday, our group took a bus tour around Paris. I was overwhelmed by the beauty of different parts of the city, both at tourist locations and less famous areas. I'm from a Chicago suburb, so most of the architecture I'm used to seeing is very robust and predictable. In Paris, the buildings date further back than buildings in Chicago, so they have a more established historic, vintage look. The stereotypical French curly, winding pattern I was expecting is evident in many of the railings on balconies. Many places reminded me of the royal aura I experienced when I traveled to London two summers ago. I couldn't stop taking pictures!

 However, the street wear was one of the things that surprised me. Before coming to Paris, we discussed what we should wear to fit in with the French people: no jeans, no bright colors, mostly black clothing, scarves, etc. Our group talked about how the French usually dress up more than we would, and how we would easily be marked as tourists if we did not pack similar clothing. In my experiences so far, though, the French dress very similarly to how we do at home! Although there have been many fashionably dressed people, there are just as many people in jeans, t-shirts, and colors of all kinds. When we traveled to typical tourist locations like the Eiffel Tower there were obviously many tourists dressed casually, but I was shocked when this casual look extended into the Paris American Academy area at the grocery store Dia and surrounding areas where there are less tourists. I have seen just as much variety between the extremely fashionable and the more casual looks that I am used to seeing at home. Maybe this observation will change as I explore more of Paris, but as of right now I'm thinking I could have packed more casual clothes and fit in just fine!

Almost there!

After all the anticipation of our upcoming trip to Paris, I can't believe it is finally almost here! While studying for finals, I can't help but get a burst of excitement every time I realize that I will be in Paris this Saturday. It's the only thing getting me through finals!

When I think of Paris, I think of elegance. I think of charm, beauty, simplicity, sophistication, and art all at the same time. I think of delicate and neutral fashion but innovative at the same time. For as long as I can remember, I have been mesmerized by French culture and anxious to experience it myself. To be able to combine this dream with my love of fashion and retailing on this trip is amazing. I expect that I will see a lot of boutiques, cafes, beautiful landscapes, and innovative architecture in Paris, not to mention many fashionably dressed people. I can't wait to people watch and take in the culture!

I'm looking forward to immersing myself in French culture, but I hope that I am not perceived as a tourist by the French people. While packing, I'm realizing that my wardrobe is probably much more casual than what I've heard is typically worn in Paris. I hope that I'll be able to put together outfits that will be acceptable so I won't stand out. I'm also nervous about my complete lack of ability to speak French since I took Spanish in high school - hopefully the survival French courses will be enough to communicate! Maybe I'll bring a book with French key phrases on the long plane ride. 

The next time I post I'll be in PARIS! As Thomas Jefferson once said, "“A walk about Paris will provide lessons in history, beauty, and in the point of life." I can't wait for my adventure to begin!