LangMedia

Large, suburban supermarkets are a relatively new phenomenon in Italy, but they now abound in many chains. Providing everything from fresh bread and the best in deli meats to pasta and fish, these supermarkets also stock detergent, paper products, wine and just about anything a household could need. There is ample, free parking. The shopping carts are frequently chained together with a lock system that requires a certain coin to release them. Once the customer has inserted the coin, the cart will come loose from the others. When the customer has finished shopping and has loaded groceries into the car, the locking device is reinserted into the cart and the coin appears. These supermarkets also usually have a morning or afternoon each week when they are closed and are generally closed on Saturday afternoons in the summer.