Les Soldes

In my free time I investigated an European institution which is currently under some debate in France. This important event started on the 9th of January and induced a frenzied reaction from the public.  What am I talking about?  "Les Soldes" of course!  Unlike in the US where you can find things on sale 365 days a year, the "soldes" in France are only allowed twice a year.  These two periods are the only times that sellers can drop the prices below cost, and of course the sale-deprived shoppers (and American students who happen to be there) come out in force.  Economists worry whether this keeps the prices artificially high the rest of the year.  On the French television there is much debate as to whether les soldes are better or worse for the French "pouvoir d'achat" (buying power), which is a key issue in the country's economy. 

http://www.plusnews.fr/mt_320/mt-static/FCKeditor/UserFiles Image/070111%20soldes/070111_soldes_france_affiche.jpg

My first hand take on les soldes was that they were pretty crazy.  Imagine Black Friday shopping every day for two weeks! In the stores women would be throwing on clothes without even waiting for the dressing room - the lines were always ridiculously long. And most of the big clothing stores looked like a tornado had hit them - piles of clothes and shoes eveywhere.  Despite their huge promotion, I found les soldes a little disappointing.  As an Americain bargain shopper extraordinaire, I am  used to finding clothes at 75% of clearance, which apparently doesn't exist elsewhere in the world.  On the bright side, I did find some new boots for only $10 so that was pretty good.  (-Tess)