FOR years, shopping stories have been at the top of my “most illustrative” list. They always proved useful as I attempted to explain life in Bulgaria to people from the West. How many times has a clerk refused to sell me an item because they were unable to make change? How many times have I received that change in pieces of unwanted gum instead of the stotinki due to me? There was a day when grocery trolleys did not exist. A shop employee followed at your elbow making sure that you did not take anything without first paying. I am even guilty of lugging around pockets full of stotinki with which to pay a stony faced cashier at my local corner grocery in an attempt to soften her demeanor. It was unsuccessful. One day I put my toddler in their tiny little trolley. My intention was to limit her inquisitive reach so that I could decipher the labels without fear of a bottle being pulled from the shelves. Coming from the West where an aspect of every shopping trolley is a space to stow the child, this seemed a practical application of resources. Wrong! The clerk let forth a tirade as I unloaded a sizeable quantity of groceries onto the conveyor belt. She informed me in no uncertain terms that the trolley was provided to carry the bread and not the children! Indeed, shopping was always an adventure, however, as Billa, Ramstore, and HIT move into the neighbourhood, I find my cache of shopping stories diminishing. Given time and resources, the evolutionary process promises to bring us a shoppers’ paradise in Sofia.
There is a surprising variety with respect to what each of the three stores offer their clients, both in inventory and in services. Read on for a shopper’s guide to filling your shopping trolley.

Billa

About three years ago, those yellow and red bags began appearing all over the city. People appreciated their strength and used them to carry much more than their groceries. In that first year, many conversations revolved around how to pronounce the name. There were many “firsts” such as paying to use the trolley, nice wide aisles, and no set minimum purchase. Billa had arrived and it set the new standard for grocery shopping in Sofia.
Not to be outdone by its competition, Billa offers a great variety of fresh fruits, cheeses, and sliced meats. It carries a decadent line of imported American, flavoured Paul Newman coffee. They sell vanilla and hazelnut among other flavours and even offer decaffeinated choices.
There are many Billa locations which offer a great ease of shopping that their competitors have been unable to match. Most locations offer film developing. The Billa in Mladost now has a very tiny Office One Superstore.

Ramstore

This is a Turkish chain with a small number of locations in Sofia. Characterised by a picture of a green kangaroo, the largest store can be found near Lyulin in the area called “Zapaden Park”. There is also a small store between Mladost and Druzhba and their newest store is on Cherni Vruk boulevard. The Ramstore in Zapaden Park probably offers the greatest variety of services of all the chains right now. Among those services and unique to Ramstore is the ability to shop online and have the groceries delivered right to your door. I have personally used this service and it does work, however on most occasions, some items were out of stock and left out of the delivery. I was not charged for the items. You pay the courier upon delivery and there is no additional charge. You can indicate the time span in which you want them delivered. Access this service on the internet with www.ramstore.bg
Also unique and quite helpful is the store’s acceptance of credit cards – the client is not limited to using debit cards and cash. They do not accept American Express but they do take VISA.
The cashier will usually ask if you intend to use your “Ramstore member card” which makes you eligible for all of the sale prices. Without the card, they charge regular price on the sale items. To receive a card, simply sign up. There is no fee.
The store offers a wide variety of fresh meat including “butterfly cut” pork chops – a cut which is not always easily found. There is a small area for fresh spices. Their bakery offers a great variety of sweets and Turkish breads. I have also noticed that they are often the first to offer new items. For instance, I found Doritos and Mountain Dew at the Ramstore a couple of months before they hit the rest of the stores here in Sofia. The main store also has a substantial area for clothes, shoes, and gardening accessories. They do not charge for their bags and often an employee will help bag your items. Trolleys are also free.
Within the boundaries of the main store in Zapaden Park can be found: a dry cleaners, a watch shop, a video shop, a pharmacy, a film developer, one of the soft dip ice cream chains, a snack shop, a smallish “Office One Superstore” and a money exchange. Their two smaller stores do not offer all of these extras but they do offer some of them.

HIT

This is the newest kid on the block and by all appearances, they are doing a thriving business. Many shoppers were initially impressed by their free bags but they soon began charging. When asked why, one cashier replied that the grandmas had been “stocking up” on the free bags.
Until recently, Coke products were visibly absent from the HIT repertoire, but of late, Coke and Cola Light can be found. Danone still cannot be found on their shelves. HIT offers a nice selection of healthier options such as wheat flour and brown rice (look for the bag that says “dietichen”). They also sell Gatorade. There is a nice selection of foreign cheeses, for example, last week they had “Colby” cheese from Wisconsin, USA.
Children enjoy the small child-sized trolleys as well as the wagons for smaller kids. There are also large trolleys with attached carriers for babies.
Within the store’s boundaries, shoppers are treated to a sit down cafe, freshly squeezed juices, and a variety of prepared foods. There is a pharmacy, a dry cleaner, and two ATM machines.
There are a plethora of differences between the main grocery stores now attempting to cater to individual needs and tastes. This week’s column has been dedicated to looking at those differences and individual characteristics of each of the main competitors. Ramstore, Billa and HIT have been detailed here simply because they seem to be head-to-head competitors for the Bulgarian leva. Metro falls into a slightly different category as it caters more to the “bulk buyer” who wants to take multiples of individual items. The criteria used to determine mention in this column was a focus on stores that intentionally strive toward a definite ‘western’ feel for the shopping experience. Therefore, Fantastico and others like it were not mentioned in depth since these shops, while more than adequate for shopping, do compete for business on a smaller scale.
The investigative process used to assemble the data was based on elementary necessity – the need to feed a rather large and hungry family and the appreciation for the growing ease with which it can now be accomplished. The information is by no means comprehensive. The best advice is to do your own investigative research to fit your family’s tastes.