Sales at Marc Jacobs
Everything must disappear, except us.
A touch of humor from Marc Jacobs greets high-end shoppers at his Palais Royal location in Paris. The periods of "fixed" sales in France are regulated by law; they must begin and end on determined dates. The summer sales officially began on June 27 at 8 a.m. and will end in most departments on Tuesday July 31. For a detailed listing of closing dates by department, click here.
The system is a bit complicated, but has recently been loosened up. Here is how it currently works: Winter and summer sales, each lasting no more than five weeks have predetermined dates; for winter they are to begin the second Wednesday of the year, for summer they are to begin the third Wednesday of June. These are called the soldes saisonniers, or seasonal sales. This rule applies except in certain touristed sectors where derogations apply.
A second set of sales, called soldes libres or soldes flottants, are determined by individual businesses, but are limited to one or two sales periods, but can last no more than two weeks cummulatively. These sales may not take place in the month that precedes the seasonal sales.
Outside of the these sale periods, merchants may also set up "promotion" and "destocking" events. Much to do about nothing?
Vocabulary
les soldes: sales
en solde: at sale price
disparaître: to disappear
©2012 P.B. Lecron
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