Before choosing a size for your back-to-school shop, be clear about whether you’re looking for salted butter or semi-skimmed milk: they’re two different products. If you’re looking for milk, the options listed by Carrefour, E.Leclerc and Auchan include multipacks of 6 × 1 L or 8 × 1 L; these aren’t the same as a single 3 L bottle. Check the volume of each bottle rather than assuming what « 6 pint » means.
If your shopping list includes « demi-beurre », « 6 pint » and a 3 L bottle, start by distinguishing salted butter from semi-skimmed milk. Carrefour lists the former in blocks and the latter in bottles, so the packaging you compare depends on which product you want to buy.
If you’re looking for semi-skimmed milk, Carrefour and E.Leclerc list multipacks of 6 × 1 L, while Auchan also offers an 8 × 1 L format. The number of bottles, the space you have to store them and the instructions for use after opening can all help you decide.
If you’ve spotted a particular size at one supermarket, check that it’s the packaging you want and that it’s available at your local store or through its Drive service. E.Leclerc’s DELISSE milk listing, for example, advises customers to contact their store or Drive service to check availability.
For your back-to-school shop, identify the product first, then distinguish the total volume in the multipack from the volume of each bottle. If you choose a larger milk multipack, also check how you’ll store it and use the bottles once opened.
| Criteria | What to check | Who it’s for |
|---|---|---|
| Product type | The name on the packaging: salted butter or semi-skimmed milk. | If I’m looking for bottles for back-to-school meals, I want to avoid choosing butter because of an ambiguous term. Around 43% of consumers put clarifying this first. |
| Size and storage | The number of bottles, the volume of each one and the instructions for use after opening. | When stocking up for a larger household, I need to be able to store the bottles and follow the instructions once they’re open. Getting the pack size right is the priority for around 29% of consumers. |
| Local availability | Whether the size you want is available at your chosen store or through its Drive service. | When planning my back-to-school shop, I want to know whether my supermarket stocks the multipack I’ve spotted. Around 28% of consumers put availability first. |
These names refer to different products. The Carrefour salted butter products listed here come in blocks, while its semi-skimmed milk is sold in bottles.
Check the product name before comparing sizes or adding anything to your shopping list.
On its own, the phrase doesn’t tell you whether you’re looking for a total volume, a number of items or one large container. A 6 × 1 L multipack contains six one-litre bottles, not one 3 L bottle.
Note down the volume you want in each container separately from the total amount your household needs.
Follow the storage time and temperature given for the product you buy. For its 8 × 1 L semi-skimmed milk multipack, Auchan says to refrigerate opened bottles at a maximum of +6 °C and use them within five days.
Check the instructions on the pack you choose before deciding how much to buy.
Carrefour lists Carrefour Classic' UHT semi-skimmed milk in a multipack of six 1 L bottles.
E.Leclerc lists DELISSE semi-skimmed milk in a multipack of six 1 L bottles.
Auchan lists UHT semi-skimmed milk in 6 × 1 L and 8 × 1 L multipacks.
For drinking milk in France, the DGCCRF states that semi-skimmed milk has a fat content between 1.50% and 1.80% (m/m). This doesn’t describe salted butter, so check the product name if both terms appear on your list.
Don’t treat these terms as interchangeable when shopping. Carrefour lists salted butter and semi-skimmed milk as separate products, so decide which one you want before choosing a pack size.
Follow the instructions for the product you buy. For its 8 × 1 L semi-skimmed milk multipack, Auchan says to refrigerate opened bottles at a maximum of +6 °C and use them within five days. Check the instructions separately for other products.