Living (and shopping) in Paris
Shopping is the heart of this particular dialogue. Not that we can necessarily buy anything—we’re visiting brands like Burberry, Chanel, and Hermès. But still, so much of our daily life is spent in shops. We’re greeted at each one with a polite “bonjour” and a held-open door, often needing to pass through a security check. There is a far different vibe in French luxury stores than American ones; I feel a lot less judged in the former. It doesn’t seem like the salespeople are eyeing everyone up as possible commissions. Rather, customer experience is placed first and foremost, even if it doesn’t seem like said customers are planning on making a purchase. I have been offered tea in two different stores. Salespeople gladly answer any questions asked by my classmates and I, and if we have none, we are left alone without aggressive sales pitches or judgmental stares.
When we visited Chanel, we were told to check out the makeup as affordable but fancy gifts (or just as treats for ourselves). I decided to buy my makeup-loving younger sister some eyeshadow—complete with a few free samples and a decked-out “Chanel: Paris” shopping bag. The entire experience was very extravagant: filling out forms, getting sprayed with perfume, and watching the saleswoman stick paper flowers on the tiny box containing my eyeshadow. When I walked out of the shop twenty minutes later, I was slightly dazed.
This same attitude towards service carries over to the “normal” shops: grocery stores, bakeries, clothing stores, and bookshops. While there isn’t any tea offered (unfortunately), politeness and leaving customers alone seem to be the two pillars of French retail. This isn’t to be confused with niceness—American waiters and salespeople are far more infectiously friendly and chatty. The French model seems to carry over the attitude that most Parisians have when dealing with strangers; cordial nods encouraged, small-talk and smiles discouraged. Working in food service in America, I often had extensive conversations with tourists about local culture, their lives, my life, the weather, and everything in between. This is all but unheard of in Paris. Locals keep close to themselves.
Keeping to the budget is difficult, even without the sales pitches driving ridiculous purchases. It isn’t so much because of the clothes, makeup, and shoes—it’s because of the food! I feel like I need to make the most of my time in Paris so I find myself eating in restaurants far more often than I should. Also, I often forget that Euros are worth more that dollars, and what looks like a great deal is just as expensive as it is in the states. Often it’s my roommates that pull me back to Earth, reminding me that we have plenty of food in our apartment. Thanks for not letting me blow all my money on croissants and Croque-Madames!
