Everyday Shopping in France: Names of Common French Shops
When travelling in France, you’ll come across a wide range of everyday shops — from la pharmacie to la librairie, from la papeterie to la quincaillerie. Whether you need books, clothes, stationery, or even a hairdresser, knowing the French names of these everyday stores will make it easier to ask for directions, read signs, and explore French towns with confidence.
This lesson introduces the most common everyday shops you are likely to use during your stay in France.
Vocabulary: Everyday Shops in French
Scene-Setter: Everyday Shopping in France
While supermarkets cover most food shopping, many everyday items are still bought in speciality shops in France. Pharmacies handle medicines, hardware stores provide tools and home items, and bookshops and papeteries remain popular for stationery, books, and gifts.
In French towns, you’ll often find a main shopping street (la rue commerçante) lined with clothes shops, shoe shops, jewellers, and hairdressers. Shopping centres (les centres commerciaux) bring many of these stores together in a single location.
Recognising the names of these shops helps you navigate towns and cities more easily.
Useful Phrases for Everyday Shopping
| English | French |
|---|---|
| Where is the bookshop, please? | Où se trouve la librairie, s’il vous plaît ? |
| I am looking for the stationery shop. | Je cherche la papeterie. |
| Is there a pharmacy nearby? | Il y a une pharmacie près d’ici ? |
| Do you sell…? | Vous vendez… ? |
| I’m looking for a clothes shop. | Je cherche un magasin de vêtements. |
Cultural Notes
Pharmacies are specialist shops
In France, pharmacies (les pharmacies) are the only shops legally allowed to sell medicines, including basic items like paracetamol. They are identified by a green illuminated cross.
Chain stores and independent shops
You’ll see both well-known chains (e.g., FNAC for books and electronics, Sephora for beauty products) and independent shops, especially in historic town centres.
Department stores (les grands magasins)
These large, often elegant stores sell clothing, beauty products, homeware, and more. Famous examples include Galeries Lafayette, Printemps, and Le BHV Marais in Paris.
Hairdressers are very common
French people frequently visit the salon de coiffure for regular haircuts or blow-dries (le brushing). Walk-ins are often accepted.