Au revoir, les soldes

Alas for the bargain hunters among us, the bi-annual "soldes" are coming to a close in less than a week's time. The "soldes" (sales) are a month-long event in which the entire country unites in discounting this season's merchandise to clear out what's left. For students like me, this is the time of year when shopping in Paris becomes something contemplatable (if still potentially pricey). My favorite phenomenon associated with this season is the "deuxième démarque," or second markdown. This means that the strategic bargain hunter won't hit the stores on day 1 of the soldes, or at least not with a loaded wallet. A good scouting mission is in order for the first weekend, after which bets must be hedged and fingers crossed that one's size will not sell out in the upcoming week. No matter how tempting the initial discounts, the prices always drop (sometimes more than once) before the month of sales is done. This kind of shopping opportunity brings women out to the streets of Paris to brave all sorts of weather, including the unseasonably cold temperatures we've been having of late. For me, this season's victories included a pair of sweater dresses marked down to 10€ each, but I was bested by shoe shoppers: all my favorite styles were consistently sold out in my size. Lacking any classier cold weather shoes, it looks like I'll be sticking with the Uggs until the unusually cold weather warms up. There will be the occasional sale in the off-season, but nothing compares to the soldes. For now it's time to retreat, reassess remaining wardrobe vacancies, and start a clean page in my mental notebook of potentially interesting shops in preparation for the next time the doors of Parisian stores are opened to the shopper with a smaller wallet.