Paris Shopping!!!!!!!
 

Going to Paris next week for 8 days, and yes I promise to visit museums and all the other touristy spots, but come on, I love, I mean I love to shop...and aside from all the big department stores, where do the locals go? Let's face it, I'm from Boston and we don't spend all our time in Lord & Taylors. What's the skinny on their version of Marshalls and TJ's and Home Depot and Pier One Import and Potty Barn? Are there places like Canal St. & Century 21 from NYC in Paris? Someone told me I would like C&A stores? Thanks, and my condolences to those of you that wish I'd asked more about the Louve etc....

No, you will not like C&A if you are from the US. Much better stuff where you live. Apart from the obvious streets(Faubourg St Honore, Avenue Montaigne, Place Victoire, and check out the jewellery on Place Vendome) I cannot really help you any further, but I am going to Paris later this month (only shopping, no museums!), so if you have any good tips, let me know!

I really don't understand why you'd go to Paris to buy cheap discount crap like you can get in the US. It's not made in France, but in the usual third world countries.

C&A stuff is really cheap. There's nothing wrong with it if you want cheap clothes, but it is nothing you can't buy in the US. I bought a few cheap sleevels blouses or think T-shirts there last summer because it was hotter than I'd expected, that's all. It was not some great travel experience to shop in there.

If you want cheap junk, I will advise you to go to Tati's in Paris, that is a cheap store of French origin so locals will be in there. There is a big one up on the way to Sacre Coeur from the metro stop.

There aren't big box stores in central Paris, but in the suburbs, so if you want hardware, it would be best to go to a dept. store like B&V. I think there may be a law against it, actually, I read something about that.

Funny, I never think to look for discount stores in Paris or when in England! I guess part of it is mind set, I am in Paris now, I want to buy some fine Parisian fashion and Marshalls is not the first store to come to mind.
I imagine if you want bargains, you can go to the flea markets or small stores away from the more touristy areas.
I spent hours in the Marais last trip, going in and out of small shops buying handmade sweaters and jackets, great prices.

Type "discount shopping AND paris" in the search box. Also try shopping AND paris. Also try anything in particular you're interested in (ie shoes) AND Paris. With the exchange rate not in our favor, things aren't cheap although some things like Longchamps handbags are less $ than here and styles are different/more plentiful.

What is the french = to KMART & Wal-Mart? I don't want to take a chance on going into discount withdrawal over there. And you never know when you might have to replace your pink flip-flops or baseball cap! Or is it soccer caps in France?

Hi Molly,

Shopping in Paris - oooooh, one of my favorite topics!

Since you mentioned Pottery Barn, you might like Le Cedre Rouge. It's much like a Pottery Barn, but the things are a bit more elegant. The one I go to is at 25 rue Duphot, near the Madeleine, but there are also stores at 116 rue du Bac, and 25 avenue Victoria near Chatelet. Another one near the Chaussee de la Muette Metro, but I don't have the exact address.

Enjoy Paris, and happy shopping!

KirRoyale

Tati is going out of business(if it isn't already closed)

I didn't have time last trip to do justice to all the fascinating little shops I saw in the Marais. In particular there were a few on the rue du Pont Louis Philippe -- between the bridge to Ile St Louis and the Marais. Wonderful one-of-a-kind jewelry and gifty things.

prisunic is similar to tar-jay and K-Mart.
Monoprix is a notch above prisunic and here you can buy Bonjour cosmetics the prototype of the Chanel line.

Not to nit pick, but Bourjois, at Monoprix, is the cosmetic name, I think.
Easy to get all these names mixed up!

you're not sue - you're right, my mistake in spelling.

i think it was "Potty Barn" that molly mentioned, KirRoyale. trying to imagine what that place might look like... and somehow, Home Depot and Paris in the same sentence don't quite work for me.

why not do some out-of-the-box shopping molly.

Even though it is a big department store, I think Galleries Lafayette (and Bon Marche) are great. They carry the real expensive designer stuff but also have their own brands with very stylish clothes that are a lot less expensive. I remember getting some sort of 10% of tourist coupon too. I got a lot of clothes there when I was there last December. You would be surprised at how inexpensive some of the clothing is. It is a beautiful store and set up like small boutiques. When I was there it was freezing out so being inside was a welcome bonus.
Stores around St. Suplice are great. A lot are expensive but some aren't. You need to check out the prices in the window or go inside and look.
For house stuff you could go to madura (but you could also go to the one on Newbury street).

'Jardin en Plus"is more like Pier one.
Go to Copley place at that international magazine shop or the Harvard Square kiosk and thump through the back pages for listings of stores, magazines like Cote Sud, Marie Claire Maison, Atmospheres, Ambiance.
Tho we have Hermes, Chanel, Longchamp, Madura, Lóccitaine, Olivier &sons,and so many more, it's still fun to go into the Paris one for a larger and usually different selection.

DEGAS
In case I lose my fanny pack do you think the=of wally world carries those also?

John, the American Embassy in Paris has a hotline you can call to get an emergency replacement for your fanny pack. I used it when a tragic accident resulted in mine being thrown through a stained glass window and then lost to brazen street looters.

Anyway, passports take two days, but, due to popular demand, fanny packs get same day service. Don't ever settle for a cheap, non-american brand when it comes to critical travel items.

Cigalechante - is that newsstand still open? I haven't seen them out there for a while.

Thanks much DEGAS. Really takes a load of my mind. Without the fanny pack I wouldn't know where to put my extra Red Sox t shirt

Strolling through different arrondissements, you will come across some lovely smaller boutiques, privately owned, not chains; they offer fair prices for quality and you would be bringing home more unique items. Some main streets will have the discount stores and you'll be able to see if you like those.

Department stores have pretty much everything a large north american department store has; I picked up some Occitane candles at la Samaritaine; they were on sale at 3 for 25 euros; cheaper than here but not much.... I usually won't bother buying stuff we can readily have at home.
The saving is small and I'd rather buy interesting costume jewellery, for example, at a small quaint shop; that for me is interesting Paris shopping.

yes but not the outdoor one on the corner. Inside at Copley mall, almost across from William Sonoma. This has a larger selection. The outdoor one. I had him start carrying the French magazines years ago to drum up business.
Soldes is the word for sale in progress
Fin de séries means end of collection
dégriffés=labels cut out
Depot Vente is a resale shop
Fripes is used clothing=thrift shops
consignment shops are in the 16th
discount in the rue dálésia in the 14th.

Okay, time for a serious follow-on question.

Exactly what is, and I know this is subjective to an extent, a bargain or a good deal in Paris. Let's set aside the unique clothes and shoes.

Is it soap, posters, perfume, walking sticks, kitchenware, writing paper, toys, doorknobs (I saw that here once), candy, or food stuffs? I wonder if some magazine has done a "top ten things Americans buy in France besides wine and cheese" article.

I do way more looking (which is great fun in itself) than buying.

BHV - a wonderful shoppping experience. It's right next to the Hotel de Ville. The first floor is rather expensive cosmetics, accessories, etc., but the rest of the place (about 7 floors) has some great buys. No clothes though, but just about everything else. Housewares, office supplies, decorative items, hardware, etc. Great hardware - I've bought some cabinet hardware and then came home and designed a cabinet to go with it. Plan to do it again on my next trip. My daughter got a canapy for her bed, and down in the basement hardware department there are the little enamel metal signs you see all over Paris - make great gifts for any France lovers you might know.

Ok, I gotta mention the brightly colored Herve Chapelier handbags, etc., of every size, shape, color combination you could think of! Check them out at www.herve-chapelier.com 4 or 5 locations in Paris; I've only been to one at 1 bis rue de Vieux Colombier. Hear that one on rue St. Honore is even better. Allow lots of time in the store if you like these types of things; sensory overload! In 2002 I bought some and saved lots of $$ over what they go for here in US, but, of course, that was then; still less expensive than in NYC, I'm sure;don't forget detaxe. The tiny sizes make great gifts as make-up bags, etc.

to me a bargain is what I CAN'T buy here and what I can afford.

I give my pitty to your husband if you have one. If you don't, I know why.

if you are talking to me, wemr, I say get some manners.

This creep is all over the place putting down everyone. Don't let him bother you ladies. Or this jealous bitch?

We all have bad days. Some of us just have more than others.
Molly, if you love shoes, rue Dragon is the place to shop.
Are you interested in dishes and house things? There are so many small shops full of Provencal pottery and lovely household doo dads on the Left Bank.

The thing about shopping when you are on holiday is not to buy the same thing you have at home cheaper (and when it comes to clothes, the US is far better value) but to get things you would not find at home. Just what Cigalechanta says! And you are in a different frame of mind; buying shoes in Paris when you have nothing to do but stroll around the streets, or shopping at home when you have a million other things to do, is not quite the same thing. And my husband does come shopping with me in Paris.

Thanks so much to all the nice people that responded seriously to my questions. Some of you had such great advice that I will take with me, and some of you were just plain rude!