Sales are a huge deal in France. That’s why, unlike the U.S., where we have sales almost every other weekend, in France, they only take place two times a year, and they are worth it.
The two period of Soldes, as they are called, are in the winter, and then again in the summer. This is the time when most people try to take advantage of the cheaper prices to buy clothes.
I found out just yesterday that the Soldes d’Hiver will begin tomorrow, Wednesday, January 11, at 8 a.m. and end on February 14. (Check out one of the calendars that they make available online for the specific Soldes d’Hiver 2012). I decided to go check out the stores to see how they were preparing for them.
As it turns out, most of the winter stuff — coats, scarfs, boots, everything that the stores need to get rid off in order to make space for the spring merchandise, was already marked down, up to 70% off in some cases!
But even though it’s marked down, don’t think that you can be smart (as I did) and buy it ahead of time. Oh noooo, mesdames et messieurs! In the U.S., I would have tried to say “Well, it’s already marked down, so why can’t I have it at that price?” No, ma’am, that doesn’t work here. There are actually signs all over the store that specifically say that even though the merchandise is marked down, you cannot buy it at that price until tomorrow, Wednesday, Januarry 11. Damn.
I guess I have to wait just a few hours then. Looking forward to scoring some great deals! I’ll let you know how it goes tomorrow…