In France I'd buy online at Carrefour and cdiscount. (I'd do that a lot, because businesses in France tend to close on Sundays.) Online marketplaces do exist an

In France I'd buy online at Carrefour and cdiscount. (I'd do that a lot, because businesses in France tend to close on Sundays.) Online marketplaces do exist and in addition to those two they have smaller, niche marketplaces for specific markets such as electronics, biking or outdoor sport equipment, etc. People in France do not shop (online shopping included) as much as Americans. They have less access to credit and less credit card debt. We don't hear about the French Amazons because, in part, the market, which is a smaller market that spends less, doesn't support Amazon-sized things by itself. (The EU market is a bigger fish, and Carrefour in particular has spread across Europe and to Asia and Africa... it really is "Walmart for the rest of the world".) Anyway, assuming you have never lived in France or any EU country for any length of time, you'll have to take me at my word that the locals don't wish they lived in a deregulated market where they, too, could work 5 part-time jobs for less than minimum wage. (French wine and cheese are, in my personal opinion, not actually better than some wines and cheeses to be found in America. However, I greatly appreciated that their kooky laws on acceptability of other countries' wines and cheeses meant that I could get 100g of any of about 50 cheeses for $4, something impossible most supermarkets in the US -- Walmart if you're reading... cheap Brie please, thank you. As a consumer of cheese, I found French laws more pro-consumer. As a consumer of flat screen TVs, there is no beating America, although those of your states that still do sales tax need to get on with the program.) Somewhat related. I'm a huge bookworm. I think there is a healthier, in the sense of promoting newer authors, leaving less decisions in the hands of gatekeepers, etc book industry on your/our side of the Atlantic. But I kind of miss the fixed price for paperbacks France has (used to have, I don't remember). I used to buy books all the time there, whereas here, I can't really afford that too much and just go to the library.