Any shopping bargains still in Paris?
 

My husband and I are going to Paris in a few weeks. I am a shopaholic, but the weak dollar against the euro is frightening. Any bargains/special purchases still left?

Well, you can purchase some of the best bread in the world (see Patricia Wells' "Food Lover's Guide to Paris" for addresses) for little more than a euro a loaf. And the best chocolate in the world for less than the cab fare from the airport to the city. You can shop at brocantes for semi-antiques. You can purchase lovely hand-decorated paper, worthy of framing, at specialty shops for less than 10 euros a sheet. You can buy immaculate designer clothes second-hand. You can drop by the Drout auction house and maybe depart with a bargain. Bst of all, you can carry away priceless memories for free!

Dave in Paris, could you drop the names/ addresses of a couple of places to get the beautiful papers? Thank you.

For Bonster, the shopaholic: you can get more for your money if you shop at Galeries Lafayette with the shoppers' discount ( I forget--is it 5 or 10%?), and then spend ~175 euro in that store on one day and receive a percentage of VAT back.

Still doesn't help make the little (or big!) purchases here and there more affordable, though. Sigh.

The only bargains I know are wine, and some things to eat, but I don't take those home.

They do have some good chocolates, but they are not cheap nor bargains, they are quite expensive. Yes, it is less than the cab fare from the airport, but that's around US$60 now, so I don't call that a bargain for chocolate. I wouldn't say it's the best in the world, either, but I don't believe only one country has the best of things like that.

10 euro for a sheet of paper a bargain? Dave has been in Paris too long. I do know of a trendy papeterie boutique, though, Marie Papier south of Luxembourg Gardens. www.mariepapier.fr

Some people have said some kind of cosmetics or lotions were bargains, but I don't buy a lot of that kind of stuff, so don't know. Any French cosmetic or perfume I've seen there has cost more than in the US.

The only bargains I find in Paris are for French things that are not commmonly exported to the US in mass amounts or through major merchandisers. Books published in France are a bargain in France compared to US or Canada, as well as some European CDs.

I'd say that French designers are probably worth taking a look still.

I always take a look at agnes b -- prices at about 100 euros a shirt now, I think (95 for some designs). Haven't been to the SoHo store in a while, but I think that it's probably still cheaper in Paris -- even with the weak dollar. First if you shop enough you get the VAT back. And in the US you need to pay sales taxes.

Probably a 20% difference right there, excluding exchange-rate fluctuations.

But the point in shopping is sometimes not to find a bargain, but to find something that's unique. You can be assured that you'll be wearing something not easily found in the US if you find the right item.

Happy shopping!

Grandmere,

I was afraid you were going to ask. I THINK the shop is Calligrane, at 4 rue du Pont Louis Philippe, in the 4th arrondissement. I'll try to conform that this wekend. No, Christina, I'm still the same exceptionally thrifty guy who was raised in the '50s in very modest circumstances in Plessis (New York), population 365. Those sheets of paper are worth a whole lot more than 8 euros!

Is Anna Lowe really a good buy?

still left? from what, january sales?paris is not a city for bargain hunting.

however there is the discount fashion chain Tati.one outlet is at italie2 shopping centre, place d'italie

Exceptionally thifty as I am, I would not go shopping at Tati. But in the interest of seeing Paris whole, it might be a good idea to stop by.

There is a fun shop called Buchara that carries linens, towels, fabrics, etc. I learned about it in the Born To Shop book. We always stock up on mustard--store brand Dijon was cheap--and good. Nivea products are good value as well as Mustela products. And the soaps are wonderful--I bring back an assortment. We always bring back six bottles of wine. It was packaged up as a 6pk with a handle & it was my husband's carry on. Happy travels!

If you like comfy shoes, you might try the Arche shops. I bought a wonderful pair of sandals last year in May for 90 euros and saw the same pair here in LA for $250. I am going back in April and will probably buy some more since they are great. The 2 stores I go to are near Les Halles and Madeleine:

13 r Innocents 75001 PARIS

11 bd Madeleine 75001 PARIS

jpie

Dior Homme, the Paris stores have a far superior selection from the mainline collection in addition to accessories. Super chic, and super stylish. Let your husband treat himself.

Dave in Paris, thank you; you have been very helpful with my upcoming trip! Wish we could spend more time in Honfleur; looking forward to our one (alas!) night stay at Giaglis' B and B!

I agree with Christina, things made in France are still cheaper in France than in the US. Sisley makeup and Longchamp bags were still cheaper in GL here in Saks, especially with the tourist discount and the return of the VAT.

I loved Bouchera..mentioned in a previous post. I have a table cloth that I use all the time that I got there. It was like 13 euros and at that time the euro was .97. It washes just beautifully and I just love it. I got some other linens there also and they were very inexpensive and I love using them.

Phyto hair products are a good buy in Paris, and you can get them at most pharmacies. It would cost me $19 to buy a tube of their <i>baume defrisant vegetal</i> (hair relaxing balm) from my hair stylist, but it's only 8 or 9&euro; in Paris.

Skincare products from pharmacies are still a good bargain. Even if the prices aren't that much lower than in the U.S., the pharmacy will be happy to load you up with free samples--and many of those samples are quite a good size (one free sample tube of Darphin's moisturizer still had plenty left after being used twice a day on a 11 day trip to Vienna). You can get many of those products at Sephora, but they're not as generous with samples. Christina, I do know that Darphin products have cost me less in France than in the U.S.--I price checked last time I was back in the U.S. Outside of pharmacies, The Biguine line of hair salons sells a skin care line that is very similar to Sisley's (they are made by the same company) at about half the Sisley price.
Longchamp is *sort* of a good buy. I bought a friend a Longchamp leather purse for 195 euros in France. The same purse in Nordstrom's cost over $300 including tax. So it's not a real bargain, but I found it in a color not available in the U.S. But you can find many high quality leather purses from lesser known brands at prices--they won't be cheap, but you would see them rarely, it at all, in the U.S.
You'd have to have extra room in the suitcase to carry them, but the attractive enameled cookware sets found at French department stores like BHV are still attractively priced--house brands, not Le Creuset; a single pan from them would put your over your luggage weight limit. ;-)
There are some second-hand stores along the Avenue Mozart in the 16th that sell very high quality, barely worn clothes and purses. Go to the Jasmin metro stop and walk &quot;down&quot; the Avenue. The most famous second hand store, Reciproque on rue de la Pompe, seems to be suffering from its popularity--last time I looked there, prices had gone up sharply and it was filled with foreign tourists.
The last bargain I can think of is magazines. You can find some great French decorating magazines cheaper than you could in the U.S. And some are just fun for thumbing through later. Every time I'm in France, I pick up a copy of Belles Demeures to indulge in some fantasy home shopping.

Grandmere,

That paper shop I referred to earlier in this string is indeed Calligrane, at 4 rue du Pont Louis Philippe, in the 4th arrondissement. Unfortunately, the lovely works I saw in the window were a special exhibit -- of the work of an 87-year-old! They do expect to be doing another show of her art in May or June. The whole short street is a shoppers' or window shoppers' delight. One other specialty paper shop, antique musical instruments, dress designers, antique picture frames, even an antique shop that specializes in airplane memorabilia.

Thank you, Dave. I'm much more familiar with the left bank than I am the Marais; maybe this will be the impetus I need to start exploring over there.

When we were in Sephora on the Champs last year, I almost bought a bottle of Cinema perfume. It turned out to be much cheaper than the duty free shop at the airport. I think there's also a discount for tourists.

La Maroquinerie Parisienne is a fantastic discount shop for designer handbags and luggage. It's near Boulevard Haussmann at 30 Rue Tronchet. My sister - who lives in Paris - brings all of her visitors to this shop and no-one has come away empty-handed. I bought a beautiful Paquetage bag - well a cross between a handbag and a briefcase really - in soft black leather for &euro;90 last October (marked down from &euro;150) and have used it every day since then without a sign of wear and tear on it. My sister bought a Sequoia bag which was &euro;40 cheaper than its price in BHV. The shop - which is upstairs on the first floor - has a large range of designer labels and each bag is priced individually and also has a colour-coded tag to indicate what by percentage will be reduced at the register. It's mostly French people there - very few tourists. Enjoy - but don't tell too many people about it - I want them to have some stock left when I go there again!

You want great bargains, wait and go in early August when the shops are about to completely clear out and close for annual vacation.

Hi Bonster,

On every trip to Paris I try to buy one pair of Mephisto shoes. Sometimes I am fortunate enough to be there for the sales.
When not on sale they are about 30% less than the US price.
Have a great trip,

==Mike

Remember that in the United States, most French goods are dunned with extremely high tariffs. This occurred several years ago, although not mentioned in the media very often..due to France's refusal to accept our genetically altered foods...imagine that, a country where food is more important than sex, with a long colorful history at the table, a place where the word restaurant was invented... clinging to the bastion of their country/family...so when you want french goods here in the United States, be aware of this punitive tariff thanks to our always fair and just bureaucratic system. Hmmm....

There is nothing left, I bought all the bargains last time I was in Paris.

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I just got back from Paris and thought that the shopping was a good value.
The styles are unique and I thought that the quality of many items was superior to what you find here for comparable prices.