Summer Sales

Hmmmm .. hate to confess -- Just managed to snag some clothes at -70%.

Who could resist? Certainly pas moi!~~~

I managed to do REAL damage (pour moi) even though the dollar is ever so weak. Will report as to how easy it is to get the detaxe after I return to the US. Be still my heart!!!

We are back from our trip! Had a great time, and did some shopping. Not as much as we thought we would, but still plenty according to my husband and the Mastercard bill We hit Longchamp the first day of the sale. Not really intending to, but we were in the area so went for it. It was a zoo!!! We waited to hit other stores later, and never had a problem with crowds like that first day.

We did have the stores do the detax forms for us. We only took 1 carryon bag each, so we shipped a few things home. Nothing that we were doing the detax forms on, just misc stuff. At the airport, the detax office was very quick and easy. I did have to show the boarding pass though.

The postal system there has a great way to ship items. They have a flat rate box, so we crammed all sorts of stuff into a few of those and mailed them. They made it in exactly 1 week from France out here to Oregon!

It's that time again: Les soldes!

The dates may vary slightly between the different French departments, but in Paris they start bright and early tomorrow (June 27) and run through August 4.

I guess I got lucky. I got mine stamped and ready to go whilst my husband waited in line to be checked in. Same thing when I exited from Heathrow, I got them stamped prior to check-in and everyone else had their hefty luggage with them, clearly no boarding passes issued yet.

Ah, the French art of enforcing rules that used to be ignored.

We saw a great example of that this fall. On one side of the street outside our apartment, parking after 7 pm has always been allowed, but only with a timed, paid, parking fee. Police have ignored the fee receipt for years. Then one night, I came home around 7:05 and saw 4 tow trucks lined up. I stuck around a few minutes as several policemen and women showed up and started writing tickets, whick were on the cars no more than 60 seconds before each car was towed away. Later that night, I took our dog for a walk and there were only 2 cars on the whole long block-both with fee receipts on the windshield, and there were also several clusters of residents in animated conversation about the evening's events. Then two weeks later, a second performance with the same results.

On our last trip, I saw a number of people turned away from the Detaxe booth because they did not have boarding passes.

My understanding is that to get the VAT refund you must take the goods with you as you leave France-no refunds for shipped items.

The VAT process starts with the merchant having in place a VAT refund system-most that do have signs in their stores but do ask. When the purchase is made, a French refund form is filled out by the merchant in triplicate, with info including your passport number. When you are leaving France, you must show the Detaxe officer the goods involved and the forms, which he will stamp. There is a Detaxe booth in each airport terminal but allow an extra 30 minutes as the lines at CDG are often crammed, many times it seems with Japanese visitors, Lous Vouitton bags in tow. After the forms are stamped, you mail one and keep the other. Bring a stamped addressed envelope with you to the airport-mailboxes are usually next to the Detaxe booths.

In my experieence, the VAT refunds aren't as good as they used to be. You used to be able to send the forms directly to the French tax offices and have the refund either sent to you (in Euros) or to the merchant for you to collect on your next trip. Now many merchants use a middle-man company to which you send the forms and which then gives you the refund, usually crediting your credit card. While it's more convenient, the middle-man company gets a fee of about a thrid of your refund. So on a 400 euro purchase with an 80 euro refund, they keep 26 euros, which makes it a very expensive convenience.

By the way, a little know secret is that you can get the forms stamped at the Detaxe booth up to 3 hours before your flight. If you go to the Detaxe booth before you check in, you can then put the goods in your checked luggage to fly home. (While the signs at the Detaxe booth say you must show a boarding pass, they've always accepted my printed airline itinerary).

Thank you so much! My new shopping book arrived today. That should keep me busy for a bit. I forgot about the extra 10% off from the welcome desk.

On our last trip to Paris, we brought our purchases home in our carryon bags, so did the VAT at the airport and it was easy. How does it work though if you want to ship items home early? Anyway to do that and get the VAT refunded?

And which is better...have the store ship items or us do it ourselves (and any suggestions of mailing centers to use)?

Quite. And they take it very seriously. There was a feature on last night's TV news (on TF1) about a fraud inspector who covers the sales, as well as this story on another inspector in Le Monde which has been up for a few days:

http://www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0,1-0@2-...1-853489,0.html

Marc

I would think that seems strange to us because the French are not as "Laissez-faire" as we are in matters like these. There has been much fraud in retail like "Going Out of Business Sales" and special purchases rather than real sales, etc,etc.

I think that the French decided to regulate "Sales" and setting official dates for them to be held is the most obvious of the regulations. New York City has strict regulations on window signs and newspaper ads with regard to sales. For example, if a store advertises "Going Out of Business" it better have filed for that reason and have back-up.

Many stores circumvent the law by have items on "promotion." The items are SUPPOSED to be things that were specifically purchased for the (non) sale. One never knows. But, there's no question that the twice a year government specified sales are the way to go!

It seems so strange that the government would decide sale dates rather than the stores themselves!

Bonjour,

As you were told, the dates are decided by the governement, but you don't know them until June, so you will have to wait until June 2007 to know the accurate dates... On the site below, you'll find the dates of the winter sales and the past summer sales...

http://www.encyclopedie-gratuite.fr/Defini...-solde-2006.php

In 2006, the dates were : "75" (number corresponding to Paris "département") - Paris du 28/06 au 05/08" (from June 28th to Aug. 5th 2006)

- "Date des soldes d'été 2007
Les dates officielles ne seront disponibles que courant juin 2007, dès leur publication par le gouvernement, elle seront aussitot mises en ligne sur cette page . Mettez cette page dans vos favoris ou la page générale sur les dates des soldes d'hiver et d'été !"

http://www.encyclopedie-gratuite.fr/Defini...-solde-2007.php

Cordialement.

If you shop at Printemps and Galeries Lafayette during the summer sales, prices are usually 30-50 % off of retail. If you live outside the EU, just present your passports at the welcome desk and they give you an extra 10% discount card that is good for the rest of your stay. On top of these, your 12% VAT can also be refunded provided you don't forget to get your paperwork signed. When I was there last summer, I scored quite a few handbags for a total of 72% off each bag, it was insane!

For cheaper no-name brand handbags of equal craftmanship and style, you can head over to Maroquinerie Saint Honoré, also known as Biberon et Fils at 334 Rue Saint Honoré. They had quite a few selections during the sales and it wasn't as crowded as the big department stores.

I'm not sure when the exact dates are for this summer but I arrived on June 30 and I think the sales had only been in progress for two days so when I got to the stores it was chaos. Make sure to bring lots of patience, and if last year's summer is anything like this year's wear very cool but comfortable clothes. Keep checking here for great advice, I always find Karen's tips very helpful.

Thank you:) I don't have Suzy's book, but I have my older version of The Paris Shopping Companion and have the newest edition on order. I am sure we will have a ball in all the stores, lol!

Any suggestions as far as shipping purchases home? When we were in London we used Mailboxes Etc and our items made it home before we did.

France has two sales per year and the dates are regulated by the government. I believe the dates are different in each city. In Paris, they are in January (right now) and July. I don't have the exact dates so I am not sure if you will be able to take advantage of the July sale before you depart. As for your daughter's dress, one time when I was in Paris, I observed an American grandmother purchasing a prom dress for her granddaughter. They were in Paris together and had so much fun finding this dress. They found it in the Marais area in a botique and they said they paid 200 euros.

Your daughter is going to enjoy Monoprix, Galeries Lafayette, Au Printemps, Bon Marche', BHV, H & M, and so many more!

If you girls have fun shopping, then just set out on foot and have a blast! There are so many places to shop for shoes, bags, and jewelry and you don't have to spend a fortune. Of course, there are the very expensive areas, but if you look at the department stores and boutiques you can find some great deals. I always find really fun things that we don't have in the U.S. and love wearing it all because it reminds me of my favorite city I also love being able to have these things because they are unique here.

Do you have Suzy Gershman's book, "Born To Shop Paris?" If not, you might want to get it because it is helpful in planning your shopping excursions. It will also answer all of your questions about the VAT. My copy of the book has writing all over it from all of my notes from when I am in Paris. It give the hours of the stores, locatation, where you can find what, etc. Suzy is a friend of Bonjour Paris and mentions this site in her book.

Be sure your daughter has comfortable walking shoes! If you want her to keep up with you and have fun, that's a necessity. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

Thank you:) I will definitely make notes of these places!

DD and I have been to Paris once, about 5 years ago when our entire family went. So while I remember the basics, I feel like a newbie as well. And of course the guys had no interest in shopping on that trip.

We have always had luck getting our VAT refunded on various trips, so I didn't even think that it would be different with the sales. Is that only for sale merchandise?

Does each store set their own dates for their sales?

Welcome to Bonjour Paris:

The sales take place twice a year and the prices become more interesting. All stores have their sales and since you won't qualify for a rebate on the VAT, you won't need to confine your shopping to one store.

There are lots of small boutiques your daughters will like. Bv. St Michele, streets near the Buci Market and Rue de Passy. Rue St. Dominique is another shopping goodie bonanza.
All you need to do is walk up and down the streets (Rue St. Placide is one of my favs) and you'll find clothes of all types and price ranges.

We hope you'll ask lots of questions.

As a petite, your daughter will find it easy to buy clothes in France--French women are generally smaller than Americans (and of course Scandinavians!) and there should be much to choose from.

Hi:) First of all, I just registered for these boards, so here is my first post, lol! I am headed to Paris this summer with my daughter (16) and my mom. So this girls trip will involve a lot of shopping!

I am wondering if anyone can give me details about the summer sales. I have only heard of them, but don't know anything else. Dates? Which stores? Any information, really. We arrive on June 25th and depart on July 5th.

Also, my daughter wants to look for a formal dress (for the fall homecoming dance) while we are there. Obviously, for a teen, we do not need to spend a ton of money, but I also do not want to go real cheap. When we buy these types of dresses for her here in the states, we spend around $100 to maybe $200 for a dress, if that helps. She is very petite, if that matters.

Shoes and handbags are on all of our lists as well.

Don't worry, we plan on doing a lot more than just shopping I am sure I will have other questions for other boards here.