Nespresso Needs

I have a Nespresso machine in the US and in France. Before I got the first one, in the US, I wanted it for a long time. I tested different machines, tried the different flavors of coffee. Finally my sister bought me one for my birthday.

The second one, I bought on impulse. They had a "promotion" during the holidays for a Euro 50 rebate, so I figured that it was almost (presque) free. So, it came home with me along with a little tower that holds the pods.

I don't drink a Nespresso every day, It is a treat. I drink regular coffee first thing in the morning and the Nespresso later. It has two purposes: when I really need more coffee in the morning and the after lunch or late afternoon "decaf" break.

In the US, I have to order the "capsules" on line. They are delivered quickly and they don't charge a shipping charge. There are no stores to buy the capsules. American Nespresso capsules (exactly the same as the french ones) cost 52 cents each. French capsules cost 32 Euro centimes each. Even with the awful exchange rate, the capsules are much cheaper in france.

Nespresso is incredibly popular in france. Offices have them, most homes seem to have one. Many people don't even know the name of the machine, just that it makes coffee out of capsules.

I needed capsules for both france and the US. It was a sunny, beautiful day today so I went to rue de Bac, near Le Bon Marche, to stock up. I found the store, walked in. I was greeted by all kinds of confusing displays on every wall. Tables in front of each display had workers who seemed busy.

I asked a guy in the front (maybe a "greeter", although he was not too friendly) for a list of the capsules available. He handed it to me and I staggered deeper into the store.

It was then that I realized that there were about 100 people in a line that snaked all around the store. It was 5 PM, I was getting hungry and I had some other shopping to do. As I considered re-ordering my capsules on the internet, I passed the greeter again. He then informed me that there is a new Nespresso store -- in my neighborhood. Hurray! I'm sure no one else has discovered it yet. I'll go there on Monday and hope for a short line and a helpful staff.

Wish me luck.