I'm soldes!

The French sales have been going on for almost a month, which means they're coming to a close. The organization of the sales is similar to the social structure of ancient Sparta: everyone does their assigned task for a determined amount of time and all of civilization prospers. The start date is determined every six months and is the same for all of France. It is usually in mid-January (and once again in mid-July), and this year it was the 10th. On the Tuesday before each and every salesperson is frantically putting up sales bins, sales stickers, sales racks, and a million sales signs screaming loudly such eye-grabbing exclamations as "SOLDES!" "SALE!" "SOLDI!" On the Wednesday of the 10th the sun rose over France just as it always does, but by 12 pm the city streets were literally drowned in bustling, busy, goal-oriented shoppers (women) ready to buy up the stuff that had just gone on sale. If you think the day after Thanksgiving is a big deal, you haven't seen a sale in France. Because the sales happen only every six months on the dot, because they are specifically targeted on unloading the fall/winter collections before the spring/summer collection comes out, they are extreme and very, very fun. The sales must be 'real,' as determined by the Prefecture of each city or region. They must include at least a 30% discount of the original price, and they must, MUST, take place if you sell shoes or clothing. That's right, you don't wanna have a sale? You HAVE to. Ha. Anyway, as the sales month continues, more and more discounts occur. What was once 30% off is now 50% and later may be 70%, and finally, if it's not bought, it may be unloaded at a sticker price of 2, 3, or 5 euros. Those last sales are called a 'sweep of the broom,' as to signify the function of the low prices - getting the merchandise out of the store in order to make room for the spring collection. As the sales go on, various stores put up more and more new collection stuff, so going into a store becomes more than just looking for bargains, it can also be a contrast and compare the new spring/summer merchandise of different stores. Fun times. I got much luckier than B. when it came to actually buying things, because men's stores aren't too keen on XS-sized clothing and it is more difficult to buy on sale. My triumphant purchases include suede booties, grey sneakers, jeans, t-shirts, sweatshirt, sweater, light grey capelet, scarf, coat, and a nice 'party' shirt. Wish I could post pictures, but I'll just gloat instead.