Finding me in France by Bobbi French

Author:Bobbi French
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: BIO026000, BIO022000, BIO000000
Publisher: Creative Book Publishing
Published: 2012-04-20T04:00:00+00:00

BUYER BEWARE

Now here’s a fun Frenchy factoid. The French government is pretty sticky when it comes to sales. Say you owned a tacky tourist shop and wanted to slash prices on a boatload of Eiffel Tower key chains. Outside of specific time periods you’d have to ask for special permission and be prepared to participate in the national pastime here, administrative paperwork. There are even inspectors who randomly check les magasins to ensure they are red tag free. So, to avoid all that hassle, the shops put everything on sale during two periods of the year. From mid-January until mid-February, every store in France has their windows obstructed by huge banners saying SOLDES!! And the bargains are excellent, sometimes as much as 70 per cent off. Then they do it all again in June. It ends up creating a situation much like a big game hunt. People quietly stake out the stores, their eyes slowly surveying the lay of the land while honing in on their targets. They take mental notes and on sale day, move in for the kill. Here in Semur it’s a civilized affair, although I saw the situation in Paris on the news and I must say those Parisians really know the game.

I try to imagine this in North America, Boxing Day and Black Friday every day for a month, twice a year. Lives would be lost, states of emergency declared, the National Guard and UN Peacekeepers marching in the streets. The hospitals would be filled with women recovering from scratching each others eyes out over a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes reduced by 60 per cent. Even my own sister would slay me if I got in her way on this one. But it doesn’t matter a row of beans to me now because unless it’s 100 per cent off, I’m not buying. I will admit it’s more than a little heartbreaking to know that everything in Paris, only a short train ride away, is being offered at rock bottom prices. In my former life I would have indulged in a little something, a pair of shoes, a scarf, maybe a new purse. All things I don’t need. But still, there’s always that at-that-price-it-would-be-irresponsible-not-to thinking, a trap I’ve fallen into many times before. And Neil, who has never paid full price for anything in his life, is often the one who drags me in. He once spent an hour convincing me that I was actually saving money by buying an outrageously expensive bag because it was on sale. I guess I was dazzled by his masculine logic because it’s currently in my closet. Now, unless it’s food or deodorant on sale, spending never equals saving. Oh, listen to me—so sensible, so wise, so above the material wars. Now that’s a laugh. If I had a paying job I’d be in full combat mode in the streets of Paris, head to toe camouflage, rifle in one hand, Visa in the other.

I love the smell of Louis Vuitton in the morning.

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