today marked the beginning of one of the best french innovations: the SOLDES! this refers to the twice-yearly time period when french stores have ridiculous markdowns in order to get rid of last season's merchendise and make room for the new stuff. everywhere you look there are store fronts plastered with signs for sales (usually in many languages.. they try to be accessible).
i decided to go to the mall today at lunchtime (dangerous) to see all the madness for myself. even approaching the metro stop for the mall you could tell the crowds were bigger than usual. the mall itself was pretty crowded, which is no small feat. by american standards, it's a pretty big mall. but by european standards.. well it's said to be the biggest downtown shopping mall in europe.
i made my way through several stores all with giant signs in the windows showcasing 30, 50, or even 70 percent off. every store had long lines at the dressing rooms and cash register but it was worth it. i came away with shirts for 5 and 7 euro, a dress for 14, earrings for 2 and a hat and scarf for 10. things brings me to one of my favorite french words: profiter! i don't think there's a proper english equivalent. the closest would be to make the most of or take advantage of. i learned it when i asked a little old woman where the park was and she advised me to profiter the nice weather.
it looks like january's going to be an expensive month (with travel expenses, sales, and weekends) but oh well. only 29 days of soldes left. il faut en profiter!
i decided to go to the mall today at lunchtime (dangerous) to see all the madness for myself. even approaching the metro stop for the mall you could tell the crowds were bigger than usual. the mall itself was pretty crowded, which is no small feat. by american standards, it's a pretty big mall. but by european standards.. well it's said to be the biggest downtown shopping mall in europe.
i made my way through several stores all with giant signs in the windows showcasing 30, 50, or even 70 percent off. every store had long lines at the dressing rooms and cash register but it was worth it. i came away with shirts for 5 and 7 euro, a dress for 14, earrings for 2 and a hat and scarf for 10. things brings me to one of my favorite french words: profiter! i don't think there's a proper english equivalent. the closest would be to make the most of or take advantage of. i learned it when i asked a little old woman where the park was and she advised me to profiter the nice weather.
it looks like january's going to be an expensive month (with travel expenses, sales, and weekends) but oh well. only 29 days of soldes left. il faut en profiter!
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