The Poodle apologises for the slight delay in posting – but if you were in Paris you will understand – les SOLDES have begun! And in France that’s headline news – on the metro newspapers at least! The French hold off for their sale fixes until the 6th January so since then the streets have been packed thanks to early morning opening hours...shopping has never been so serious!
Some boutiques have even been offering customers croissants and coffee – so chic, so français – it goes to show just how far the French will go for a January sales bargain – foregoing breakfast would never otherwise happen unless the shops were offering pastries on a plate!
With shopping fever reaching an all time haut (high) this Paris Poodle has been tempted, taunted and teased with shops offering 30%, 40%, 50% off... but as much as I’ve thrusted through the crowds, and lusted at the sale rail, I have stuck to some very important rules (after all in this country sale items are NON exchangeable – impulse buys have no get out clause)!
With promotions partout, and end of line stock slashed in price to a level of bulk buyability, it can get messy... allow me to share with you, the Paris Poodle rules to sale shopping success....
1. Dress accordingly. Simple, easy to enleve (take off) clothing is essential – think shift dress, tights and ballet pumps/boots for a quicker changing room turnaround.
2. Stay focused – sales shopping can be intimidating-ly chaotic – surtout a gay Paris where shopping isn’t just a nice thing to do with friends – it’s actually a way of life! The diehard sale shoppers will get to shops before opening hours to benefit (in theory) from first dibs on the bargain buckets. Don’t bother with buckets and head to the sale rails that have the most variety to choose from.
3. Think twice. Importantly, before buying any item, make sure that you like it – even if you can now afford to get it wrong (now there’s a 50% discount) there’s no point buying that pair of silk hot pants from Kookai just because you can – hold out for a better bargain that’s way more you!
4. Dedicate a day to sales shopping – or maybe 2– it’s a trial that we have to put ourselves through just for the peace of mind that we haven’t missed out – so you’ll need to take a full day to study the sales and get to grips with the discounts at every store.
5. If being selfish is one of your 2010 resolutions or even being more economical, buying pressies for oneself (and for others) during the sales, is the best way to make you feel great about yourself and your bank account – buying bargains now technically means saving loads of money to put towards those Jimmy Choos’ you’ve been fantasising over! It’s a win-win situation.
