Sunday, March 7, 2010

S.O.S. Market

A chain of S.O.S. Markets opened about a year ago in Belgrade, with the intention of helping citizens with low incomes to save money on groceries. There are several of them around town. This one, with its "S.O.S. Market" sign in Cyrillic, stands beside a green market downtown, next to a 'Pekara" (bakery), whose sign is also in Cyrillic.

If you read Serbian, you can find out more about S.O.S. Markets right here.

9 comments:

Lowell said...

What a great idea. It's been known for a long time that in the states, the chain groceries charge more for products in low-income areas!

SOS means "save our souls" here - does it have the same connotation there?

Bob Crowe said...

Good concept. From this side of the Atlantic, it sounds like the miniature version of Walmart. Do they follow through on the promise?

Bill said...

That is a great idea having food markets for low-income people. I wonder, as am American person living in eastern Europe, you must have countless anecdotes of 'strange' events over the years. I hope you're writing a book, I'm sure it would make fascinating reading.

Louis la Vache said...

hee hee -
Not exactly anhypermarché - but no doubt welcome to the people who need it.

Leif Hagen said...

A little smaller that a local 7 - 11 convenience store! Great snap with the colors and foreign text!

Alexa said...

They could save themselves some money by turning down the lights when they bolt the door for the night! :~} Convenient to have this place right next to the greenmarket.

Thérèse said...

These shops are always a good idea if the prices follow through!

Anonymous said...

Bibi, nice picture!

For those who don't read Serbian, run the Blic text through a translator such as Google Language Tools. The translation is awkward but okay enough to read. Apparently you have to have a certain income to shop there, and shoppers get a type of store card, I guess akin a membership card? (Bibi, if you have more info, let us know.)

Alexa-- The market may be closed, but employees might still be in there restocking, getting produce back into the main refrigerator, and finishing up receipts for the day (I used to work in a grocery store). :-)

Gibepregiba said...

They make me feel very sad...

I want that time of my childhood, when there was no need for that markets also be the time of my son's childhood.

SPRING FASHION

 This is a post that would be better in color, but maybe not. These colors were soooo pale.