Purchasing Picnic supplies in Paris

We often did this in Paris- and other places too. But we just visited the market plus a cheese shop and bakery for baguette

This is absolutely not an issue. A typical food shop here will involve several stops.
Only when you visit several supermarkets in a row, then you should have the receipt somewhere in the very rare event there is a check at the door.

hey hey elizabeth
where are you having your picnic? we carried grocery bag to shop, learned one thing real fast, when picking out fruit/veggies mark code of item on bag or tag before getting to register. we always carry a corkscrew with us from USA, napkins and glasses.
funny story, first visit to eiffel tower with friends wanting to celebrate with champagne. stopped at small liquor/souvenir shop to buy 2 bottles, owner laughs and says need glasses? he bends under register and pulls 3 plastic "dixie cups" out for us. great celebration with others watching the blinking lights of tower. always learning something new.
never had a problem or issue with stuff in bag and forgetting something. you'll have receipt. enjoy and have fun. you'll love it
aloha

If you have bags and items, the only place that will possibly get disturbed is the Carrefour or Monoprix, sometimes they even have lockers or a bag check near the door. Walking from shop to shop is no problem, the cheese monger knows he does not sell bread or fruit, and people will always have bags as they collect their groceries.

If you want to get a grand picnic all in one stop, not extremely far from Rue Cler is "Le Grande Epicerie de Paris" a large gourmet department store type place with all kinds of mindboggling goods to eat. Probably not the bargain option, that would be Carrefour.

Thanks all for easing my concern! I'll hold onto receipts and check for lockers at the supermarket.
Our plan is to walk down Rue Cler and get food there and finish up with anything else we might need from the supermarkets on Av. de la Motte-Picquet and picnic on Champ de Mars.

One other thing to add, which I know Rick discusses in his book - be sure to say hello to the first person you see when you enter a store! Here in America, I think it's not as common to say hello/goodbye to the shop employees when entering and exiting, but in France - it's a necessity. One night, I entered a Carrefour and the cashier/store employee by the door didn't hear my "bonsoir" (I had a mask on and didn't speak loudly enough), and she immediately started complaining to her coworker (in French) about how rude "les anglaises" are that they can't even say hello, etc.

This is in no way to say that the French are "rude" or whatever that ridiculous stereotype is, but just a commentary on cultural differences. It was absolutely my fault for not speaking louder when I entered. I made sure to say good evening to her in French when I left and she smiled and wished me the same. My French pronunciation is awful, but as long as I made an attempt, everyone was incredibly kind.

If there will be two of you, the other tactic my wife and I have used is to have one wait outside with the bags, while the other runs in to get an item or two. That really only applies to larger supermarkets and department stores though.

Hello from Wisconsin,

I don't know how fancy a picnic you plan. My wife and I get baguette sandwiches from a bakery and desserts. Many bakeries make sandwiches fresh every day. Then we hit a store for something to drink. We usually take a towel or paper with us to push the pigeon poop of chairs/benches.

wayne iNWI

Is legal or appropriate to drink wine on picnics in public places in Paris?

@daeastburn

Not legal, but appropriate. However, it seems to only be tourists who do this. The laws are usually only enforced to crack down on unruly drunks—not otherwise peaceful tourists.

I am sure that anyone on the Rick Steves travel forum is a responsible person and will deal with trash appropriately. However, a major issue in Paris is those irresponsible tourists who picnic and leave trash and food waste around. They are loved by the Paris rat population and not appreciated by the others.

Paris has an ongoing battle with its rats. It is important not to leave food waste or trash anywhere and make sure it is properly disposed of.