Do “big box” stores exist in Italy?

Now, it may seem that my life is filled with carnivals and museums and weekend outings at aperitivos and caffes (which actually isn’t that far from the truth), but I also spend a good portion of my life doing regular mom things.

The grocery store, hardware stores, post office and pharmacy runs all hold a special place in my heart. The only difference here is that there aren’t many “big box” stores in Italy, at least nowhere NEAR the amount there are in Canada and the US.

In North America the further away from the city centre you go the more big box stores you’ll find and the same is true here. However, big box stores require SPACE, and space is something that there is very little of in Italy!! As soon as you leave one town centre you enter another, and in a country with very little space every bit of land is important and valuable.

That being said, there are more big box stores in Italy now than ever before. They are considerably smaller than those in North America, however, they are much bigger than your local boutiques and small stores in the city centres. And, like all things “American”, they are very popular.

Why Do Italians Like Shopping at Big Box Stores ?

In a culture based around small mom and pop shops, local products and production, why would Italians spend their money at these big box stores instead of ensuring that the small local shops don’t close?

I have a few ideas…..

1) People think they save money shopping at a big box store

Which in some cases may be true, but often times you buy more than you need or unnecessary items, thus spending more money.

2) People think they can find anything at a big box store

This may be true but the expertise in a small local store far outweighs the options in a big box store, since in a small store someone will help you find what you are looking for and in a big box there is usually no one around to ask for help. Not only that, but if the local shop closes you’ve lost an expert (sad face).

3) They have longer hours and are open on Sundays

Remember Italy is a country that still abides by the “pausa pranzo”, where everything closes at lunchtime. Sundays are still thought of as no-shopping days and usually stores are closed, however, this is rapidly changing much to the dismay of single-owner shops that can’t help. I’ve written about this here “The Importance of Saturday”. The big boxes have enough personnel to stay open longer and later and are always open on Sundays so they attract families and people who are working aka people with money!

4) They save you time because you can get a few different things from one store instead of going to 5 different stores.

Even though I would rather spend 5 hours going to five different stores than spend a day in a big box.

In Modena where I live, the majority of big box stores are French,German or North American, with relatively few being Italian.

Our toilette seat broke and although we managed to live for a month without one (we have two washrooms in our apartment, again something VERY rare in Italy) we HAD TO GET A NEW ONE.

My husband HATES going to big box stores. Somehow the idea of spending a day in one of those places makes him so nervous, so we only go when it is absolutely necessary. To be perfectly honest being in a big box hardware store reminds me of my childhood. (Insert the part where my husband says “now THAT is just SAD”) But it’s true.

My dad was a house painter before he retired and has a family business that my brother took over. My dad was also very handy and every weekend it was a big deal when he invited me along to do a Home Depot run.

He is Italian so when he says “Home Depot” it sounds like “Homa Peepo”. To this day I can’t go anywhere near a paint department, wood yard or ceramic tile aisle without remember my weekends spent in the “Homa Peepo” helping my dad read labels because he forgot his glasses or choosing the right paint trim color to go with a set of tiles.

In fact I am actually pretty handy, and not just for a girl either. I know WAY more about hanging light fixtures, priming and painting a house, refinishing furniture, using small table saws and power tools and laying tiles that 80% of the men that I know. My husband has learned a lot from me and he’s not afraid to admit it.

As much as I worry that the North American Big Box trend will continue to take over small businesses in Italy there is a part of me that finds comfort in walking the aisles upon aisles of power tools and light fixtures, dreaming of a reno project or planning a remodel. For now I’ll just be satisfied with the fact that we fixed the toilette seat (which I also had to show my man how to do!).

What do Italians Wear To Go to Big Box Stores?

I guess one of the biggest difference I’ve noticed living in Italy is that women look good even doing the most mundane of errands. In Italy right now it is very fashionable to be “casual” and by casual I mean well-curated street and urban sportswear.

In other words, even when Italians are “dressed-down” they are still “dressed-up”! I took some inspiration from them and wore this outfit to OBI, the big box hardware store where we went. I’ll do another post about my tiger sweater tomorrow. I layered it with a black dress-shirt underneath, my over the knee boots (wrote about them here) and my Toty bag (wrote about it here), I felt neither too dressed-up nor too dressed down…after 6 years in Italy I finally “get” the delicate weekend-casual dress code.

What’s your take on big box stores vs. small mom and pop stores? And do you think I looked silly being a little “dressed-up” for a weekend hardware errand run?

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