SUNSHINE1223

1- Definitely go to Gallerie Lafayette and Pritemps.
2- Monoprix has some great French soap if you want to bring back as gifts and not alot of money. There is one when walking down Rue de Opera towards the Opera in the 1st arr.
3- You must go to Catherine's in the 1 st arr for perfume. It is located on Rue de Casteglione. As for Fanny she has the best nose in the business along with her folks who own the shop. I read about this shop in Suzy Gershman's shopping book.

Where are you staying? I love the 1st arr.

jsmith

There are some exquisite shops in the arcade surrounding the Palais Royal.

crefloors

I was just on the www.bonjourparis web site. They are featuring a woman who lives in Paris and has written a book called Best Buys In Paris. Her name is Jeanne Feldman. Her book is available at Barnes and Noble and I'll bet Amazon would have it to. She also does shopping tours if you would care to partake. Go to the web site and check her out. It tells a little bit about her, how she got into doing what she's doing and her tours. I saved it..being that shopping is my life and if the dollar doesn't get better before my next trip, I"m going to need all the help I can get to make those euros go farther. Anyway, check it out and good shopping.

PamSF

Look for the small book.."Shopping in Paris". This will help you. I might recommend also Diptyque in the 5th. It's a candle and fragrance shop not to be missed. While you could do some serious damage, you will not go bust.

PamSF

P.S. She'll be most impressed. You might also check out the pharmacies throughout Paris. I bought Darphin skin care products there for far less than I would normally pay at Neiman Marcus. They're great!

martytravels

I agree on the Blvd St. Germain suggestion. There are lots of well-priced shops with good and unusual items, particularly those close to the Maubert Mutualite metro station.

francophile03

Scarlett's advice is great!

Scarlett

Merci~francophile
My advise comes from long arduous hours doing much shopping research. I am glad to share it with fellow shoppers~

Linda431

Two of my favorite shopping places are the little shops on the streets around Place St. Sulpice and the area near Bon Marche, both on the left bank.

Donaldus

You ca go to the big shoppping center called: La Défense (at the end of the metro line 1?)...There is lot, and a lot, and a lot of shops...!!You also can go in the Montparnasse quarter. It is not a shoppping center but there are a lot of good shops too...And finally, there is the famous Champs Elysées...You have the choice in Paris!!!

SuzieC

DId I see anyone mention Le Semaritan which is about 3 blocks (east) of the Louvre (give or take...)

and Then for you Subash, isn't the big department store up by the Hotel de Ville .. BGV? BVG? Bsomethingorother, has the most INCREDIBLE hardware department ...

Travelnut

BHV (Bazar de l'Hotel de Ville)
52-64 rue de Rivoli, 4th
M:Hotel de Ville
Open 9.30am-7pm Mon, Tue, Thur, Sat; 9.30am-8.30pm Wed, Fri.
DIY fiends spend hours in the basement of this hardware heaven, drooling over hinges, screws, nuts and bolts or dithering over paint colours upstairs. There is even a Bricolage Café, decked out like an old tool shed, offering salads and a computer to surf DIY sites. The store has a good range of men's outdoor wear, surprisingly upmarket bedlinen and a 2,000m2 space devoted to every type of storage utility.

Galeries Lafayette
40 bd Hausmann, 9th
www.galerieslafayette.com
M: Chaussée d'Antin/RER Auber
Open 9.30am-7.30pm Mon-Wed, Fri, Sat; 9.30am-9pm Thur.
This vast department store has revamped its fashion, beauty and accessories sections. Le Labo and Trend on the first floor introduce progressive international creators. . .Ninety established designers are spread over the first and second floors and the store has five fashion and beauty consultants to guide you through the sartorial maze. The new men's fashion space on the third floor of Lafayette Homme is a must, with its natty designer corners and "Club" space with fax and Internet access. On the first floor, Lafayette Gourmet offers plenty of places to snack and the second biggest wine cellar in Paris.

La Samaritaine
19 rue de la Monnaie, 1st www.lasamaritaine.com).
M: Pont Neuf
Open 9.30am-7pm Mon-Wed, Fri, Sat; 9.30am-10pm Thur.
This venerable store takes its name from the relief of the Good Samaritan on the Pont Neuf. The main building with its elaborate turquoise and gold wrought-ironwork and peacock mosaics around the verrre is one of the jewels of the belle époque. New owner LVMH has restored the decor and reorganised the merchandise, giving priority to beauty, decoration, leisure, and especially fashion. You can also get an eyeful of one of the best views over Paris from the restaurant and top-floor café.

Le Bon Marché
24 rue de vres, 7th
(www.bonmarche.fr)
M: Sevres-Babylone
Open 9.30am-7pm Mon-Sat.
Paris' oldest department store is also the most swish and user-friendly, thanks to an extensive redesign by LVMH. The prestigious Balthazar men's section offers a cluster of designer "boutiques", while the Theatre of Beauty provides a comfort zone for women. Seven luxury boutiques from Dior to Chanel take pride of place on the ground floor. Escalators designed by Andrée Putman take you up to the fashion floor, which includes the store?s well-cut, own label cotton shirts. Cool fashion finds include Catherine Malandrino's rock T-shirts and trousers as seen on the likes of Madonna, now available in Paris for the first time.
The Grande Epicerie food hall
www.lagrandeepicerie.fr
open 8.30am-9pm Mon-Sat) is in the adjoining building along with an antiques gallery, bar and restaurant.

Monoprix
Branches all over Paris. (www.monoprix.fr).
Open generally 8am-8pm Mon-Sat; some branches open till 10pm, (Champs-Elysées until midnight) including Roquette, Commerce and Opéra
Every arrondissement has a couple of these practical stores stocking everything from paper clips to té. The most representative, with its wet fish counter, cheese and charcuterie displays, bread shop and fashion department, is on the Champs-Elysées (No. 52). Some surprisingly good purchases can be made as Monoprix stocks decent middle-of-the-range underwear, an extensive range of sexy, coloured stockings and tights and the funky Bala Boost jewellery range. Bargain bins with end-of-line ranges are often put out where you can snap up cheap and cheerful baubles for as little as one euro.

Printemps
64 bd Haussmann, 9th
(www.printemps.com)
M: Havre-Caumartin/RER Auber
Open 9.35am-7pm Mon Wed, Fri, Sat; 9.30am-10pm Thur.
There are six floors of fabulous fashion, in both the men's and women's stores, covering all possibilities from underwear to urban. The sleek, white 3,000m2 luxury area in the Printemps de la Mode store features an impressive array of 41 women's shoe brands surrounding a selection of exclusive watches in the centre. On the second floor, discover cutting-edge favourites, where French designers such as A.P.C. and Zadig et Voltaire sit side by side with the likes of Dolce e Gabbana and Moschino.The fifth floor Miss Code targets the teen miss and offers a huge selection of jeans and sportswear. Check out, too, the Printemps de la Maison store, with its well-stocked home decoration and furnishings departments and the more conceptual "function floor", where knives, saucepans and coffee machines are set out on steel shelving. Zoom to the 9th-floor terrace restaurant and take in the art nouveau cupola.

Tati
4 bd de Rochechouart, 18th
(www.tati.fr)
M: Bars-Rochechouart
Open 10am-7pm Mon-Fri, 9.15am-7.15pm Sat.
Tati is a Parisian institution, with its pink and white checked frontage spread out over several shops along not-so-salubrious boulevard Rochechouart and matching trashy-cool carrier bags. Almost unbeatable in its cheapness, you can find anything from T-shirts and tights to wedding dresses, as well as jewellery and household goods. Don't expect high quality, but bargains can be found if you can get past the hordes who flock like vultures to the bins which proclaim the promise of 'only €2.99'.
Branches:
172 rue du Temple, 3rd
68 av du Maine, 14th

Travelnut

I meant to credit the above store information but it didn't 'take':
http://france-hotel.org.uk/Paris/stores.php