I have heard that Paris is a great place to shop for clothes, shoes etc. I was wondering if this is true and where can i shop for less, i am in a budget but will like to buy some things in Paris that i will not find in the U.S. Thanks for any suggestions!!
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If you will be in Paris from Friday, JUNE 24th through the last week in July, the semi-annual SOLDES (Clearance Sales)--often with VERY deep discounts--will be going on and you can very often find some GREAT buys--from top-designer clothing down to kitchen tea towels. But, when ya%26#39; see it and ya%26#39; want it ya%26#39;%26#39;d better buy it..... %26#39;cause if ya%26#39; wait, when ya%26#39; return, it%26#39;ll probably be GONE.
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Could these great bargains also be available in the month of October? I would also like to find out about the Paris flea market.
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The soldes are only in June/July and in January.
I%26#39;ve pasted in one of my previous postings about the Flea Market in St-Ouen. You can also use the search box to look for additional information that%26#39;s been posted already.
%26lt;%26lt;OK, here%26#39;s a dealer%26#39;s primer to the Marche aux Puces de St-Ouen. You%26#39;d probably have to buy a book to get this much information elsewhere!
DAYS:
The market is technically open Saturday through Monday. ALL the dealers are there on Saturdays and Sundays. I%26#39;d estimate that only about 1/3 of the dealers are there on Mondays, so we don%26#39;t bother to go on Mondays. A number of dealers are there on Fridays, which is supposedly professionals%26#39; day (but you%26#39;re not going to be turned away as long as you have cash to spend).
HOURS:
The opening hour is supposedly around 7am, but in practice nobody opens their stall until at least 9am, and often a bit later. Generally, the market wraps up around 4, sometimes a little later in the summer. Many dealers close their shops during lunch and NOTHING, not even a giant wad of cash, will persuade them to step away from their lunch to sell you something!
MARKETS:
After turning onto rue des Rosiers, the street is lined with stalls. The first market on the left is Marche Malassis. There are maybe 100 dealers, with a wide variety of goods ranging from vintage toys to high-style Art Deco furniture. The next market on the left is Marche Dauphine. This tends to be more furniture, but there are a few dealers in smalls. About a block down the street on the left is Marche Serpette, with good high end furniture, jewelry, silver, etc. Beside and behind it is Marche Paul Bert which has a wide variety of decorative goods and some smalls. This is the place of garden stuff, mirrors, etc. Across the street, on the north side, is Marche Cambo--very small but very nice quality. If you go there, be sure to look for the most wonderful pug dog in Paris in the booth at the very back. Next is the Marche Biron--very high quality with superb offerings of silver, jewelry, furniture, paintings, etc. Next is Marche Antika--small but some nice country French pieces. And finally Marche Vernaison. This market has a very wide variety from excellent jewelry to old kitchenware. This is the place most likely to have some old postcards, Cedre. On another street behind the first few that I listed, there are several more markets. These are usually not visited by casual shoppers, partly because they%26#39;re off the beaten path and partly because their offerings don%26#39;t add up to the rest of the others.
FOOD:
There is a restaurant in the Paul Bert market called Restaurant Paul Bert. Very good salads, good onion soup, good pot au feu, superb enormous croque monsieur. There is also a snack bar in the Marche Dauphine that has good sandwiches.
BARGAINING:
Some of the stalls (and stall owners) can be a little pretentious, but EVERYTHING has a bargain price. A polite %26quot;Quel est votre meilleur prix?%26quot; willl usually result in at least a 10% discount.
HOW TO PAY:
Cash is always most appreciated. Some dealers will accept US dollars. Many dealers will take VISA/MasterCard, but your discount won%26#39;t be as generous. There is an exchange bureau on rue des Rosiers that has the best rates we%26#39;ve ever found ANYWHERE in Paris. Use this if absolutely necessary.
SHIPPING:
We buy mostly small things like antique jewelry, silver, glassware, etc., so I%26#39;m not going to be all that helpful with shipping advice. I do know that most of the dealers in the market can arrange to have your purchases shipped to the US at a reasonable cost.
SECURITY:
The area with the junk clothes and touristy knick-knacks can be thick with pickpockets. This is the one area of Paris where I would encourage visitors to be terribly vigilant about their wallets, purses, etc. From the time your metro train stops until the time that you first arrive at a stall that has things you can%26#39;t possibly afford, watch your belongings!
I%26#39;d be happy to post additional information if people have specific questions.%26gt;%26gt;
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Ill be in Paris August 2 to the 6th, do u think i can find any sales by then and if so where? Thanks again!!
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Summer sales in Paris start June 24 and will end July 25, 2005.
Dates are set by the government for each departement.
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I%26#39;ve never been here myself, but have heard that Tati (addresses can be found at: www.tati.fr/adresses/ad_france.htm) is a bargain place. I am not sure on the quality, as I said I%26#39;ve never been there....but you might want to check it out...and if you are on a tight budget, you can at least buy something in Paris for cheap.
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Cedre, there have been many comments about Tati on this board. Yes, it is cheap. Yes, it is tacky. Yes, it is fun if you%26#39;re the sort of person that appreciates cheap tacky stuff just for the h*ll of it! I nearly always stop by and I nearly always find something. The clothes are made for the French market, so they have the slim cut and colors that we Americans think of as being %26quot;Parisian%26quot; and they are so cheap that I think of them as being %26quot;disposable%26quot;. When I wear a $3 Tati shirt here in the States, I ALWAYS get compliments. I just smile and say %26quot;Oh thanks, I got it in Paris.%26quot;
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OK KDKSAIL! I arrive on June 24!
Are you serious that the government sets the dates for sales? Wow. That is a much bigger bit of culture shock than the ice issue.
OK, that said. Is it only the department stores and clothing or does it apply to other shops. I%26#39;m not into clothing much. My body shape does not conform to French fashion and clothes shopping is probably the most frustrating experiece I could inflict on myself. Where to go? Would something like Chantal cookware be on sale. I could see my luggage filled with books, wine and cast iron cookware!
What are the kinds of items that the Soldes are well know for?
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Nearly everything sold in a store will be on sale during the sales period.
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The sun must be shining on me.
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