Am I a Paris Mule?
 

As I have a hard time containing my excitement about going to Paris in about 2 and a half weeks, I have told several acquaintances. Can you believe that two have given me specific instructions to bring them back this or that, especially perfume that they simply cannot find anywhere except Paris and they are not likely to go back for several years.

I tell them quite frankly that my time will be very limited, but if they will write down the brand, size and price they want to spend and if I come across the product during my time there, I will be happy to oblige. (I say that to them with a lot more enthusiasm that I am feeling, but then I'm a terrible person.)

I would never ask a casual acquaintance to do this for me. Would you?

No I sure wouldn't, Loisde, but I have had that happen. Just take the information and ignore it unless it works out for you and you feel in the mood and have the time.

The value of your time, expressed in dollars, is very high when traveling. So if they are asking for a half-hour of your time, that's a significant amount they are asking for. Unless it was a very dear friend or a boss, I'd probably say that I have no plans to shop, so it's unlikely I'll get to it.

"Sorry, I didn't have time!" -- that's what you tell such people when you get back from Paris.

No, I would not ask, but it's for a more selfish reason. So just tell them you're doing them a big favor by giving them an excuse to go back sooner.

1) There's a difference between someone asking you to pick up a cheap touristy "shot glass" for their collection IF you happen to pass one (my sister's boss) and the person asking you to pick up several pairs of Louis Vuitton jeans (my boss) and not offering any advance money to boot!

I'm with Kerouac. I'm more the passive-agressive type = "I'm not sure I'll be able to, but I'll see what I can do".

We passed LV on the Champs, but since she didn't front me money or give me sizes, we just walked on by...good thing, when I got back she wasn't with the company any longer! My sister's boss got his shot glass sans probleme :)

2) These days with the internet if there's a product you like, you CAN get your hands on it one way or another so I wouldn't have a problem saying no to anyone wanting a specific brand of perfume, liptstick, etc.

I am amazed at the number of people who want you to bring home a bottle of French wine or spirits for them. I have no problem telling them "Sorry, no liquids. You wouldn't believe the mess one time when..." They really aren't interested in listening to my long boring story of the time the crème de Cassis leaked in our luggage anymore than I am interested in bringing home their wine.

We do delight in bringing home surprise presents for family members. We have as much fun picking them out as as they do in getting them...just a little something to let them know you wished they could have had the experience with you, in person...but that's a totally different ball of wax!

Well, I suppose that if I had a long wait at the airport and the perfume was in duty free, I might oblige, but I certainly wouldn't traipse around shops for anyone.

I've already been asked to bring back perfume which is available here but a tad cheaper from Paris - I'm going to bring back MY fav perfume but it's the WEIGHT of each little item requested! Liquid is HEAVY and I am the one lugging it back and forth! I'm taking Kerouac's advice but changing the tune slightly to " they didn't have any in stock"..........

Loisde, we leave for Paris one week from today. No one has asked me to bring anything back, nor has anyone taken me up on my offer to bring something back. More room for my loot, I guess. Enjoy a great trip!

Beware of people who actually try to pay you ahead of time -- they think that this creates a moral contract.

Loisde. Two years ago I traveled to France with a very good friend. This friend had instructions from her daughter to bring back several types of lotion.
We spent HOURS AND HOURS looking for the stuff. It was not the same as my being asked but every store we passed we had to stop to see if they had the stuff.
Since we were traveling together I mistakenly felt obligated to accompany her.
After about the third day I said I am not doing this any more.
Don't even think about it.
You can get almost anything on the internet. In fact, when my friend and I returned to our house that day I looked the item up on Amazon. And there it was.
Have a great trip.

With all the weight restrictions on luggage and only having one bag free, I wouldn't waste an ounce of my 50lbs maximum weights on "an acquaintance"

My stratedgy is to just say "yes"...and not do it...."oh, so sorry"

No, I'd decline and recommend that they make their own trip to Paris.

I tell people we do 'carry on only' and there's no room to bring back anything extra.

I had a wierd request years ago. It was our DD's scout leader. I had only met her a couple months before our trip, and she was strictly an aquaintance. She asked me to bring several sweaters back from Scotland! Thankfully, I was quick to comment, like Travelnut, that we do carryon only. Guess besides not losing luggage, etc that trick works wonders in other ways too:)

Oh yes, have been asked several times - steel drum from Bahamas, glass candies from Venice (at least that one was not difficult) a glass lamp from Istanbul. Fortunately I can honestly say, I am not a shopper.

Our neighbor always asks us to bring something back. My husband is happy to oblige, but not me. One time she asked for a specific kind of olive oil and we ended up buying it in the connecting US city and passing it off as being from France. I would be mortified to ask someone to bring me back something. They always bring us something from their travels so I know my husband feels obliged.

I think you handled it perfectly fine. I wouldn't do this for a casual acquaintance, either, but I certainly would for a very good friend (if it were really true that you couldn't buy it anywhere else) or family. I've never had a casual acquaintance ask me such a thing (okay, I did once about 30 years ago on a trip to Greece, but I just didn't buy it and didn't apologize, I think she didn't consider it any obligation, it was just a casual -- oh, if you see this I really loved it ....).

I wouldn't ever ask such a thing of anyone, but partly because there really isn't anything like that which I can think of that I'd have to have, I don't even buy much for myself, I am not that acquisitive.

What is this perfume that you really can only buy in Paris?

We once had someone ask us to bring a TV from the US to Greece-needless to say that didn't happen!

I've never had anyone ask me to bring anything home from Europe. I agree with "LoveItaly", I would just take the info (no money) and ignore it unless I happened to come across the item and had room to bring it home, but probably not.