Le Tabac -- A French Institution by shrimp56
You will see the lozenge shaped red sign on small shops and cafés throughout France. I saw this one on Ave. de la Motte Picquet in the 7e..
"Le Tabac" is the only legal seller of cigarettes in France, but, as you can see from the other signs, you can also get your lotto and metro tickets here! They also sell magazines, newspapers, tourist maps, postal cards and "les timbres fiscaux" -- to pay the fees for such things as passports, & driving licenses.
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Click on the second picture for a view of the new "tabac" sign I saw in several locations. There is a bit of a dust-up at the moment as the tabacs are trying to defend their turf from the desires of Parisians to be able to buy things more conveniently.
