Le Bon Marché was not only the very first department store in Paris (in fact, one of the world’s first) but it also changed up the rules of retail, set waves of shopping frenzies in motion, and acted as muse to artists and writers of the avant-garde set.

So Cheapos, a tribute we will pay!

A view from the Métro

Getting there

Le Bon Marché
38, rue de Sèvres
Métro: Sèvres-Babylone (lines 12 or 10)

Tip: I recommend staying on track by taking the number 12 Métro, because this line snakes through other popular shopping meccas like Abbesses, Saint-Germain (Métro Rue du Bac), Boulevard Haussmann (Métro Saint-Lazare) and Rue de Rennes.

But watch your step when exiting at Sèvres-Babylone because the mere sight of the “Le Bon Marché” sign atop the old building has never failed to make this Cheapo’s knees begin to buckle.

Back in the day

“The cathedral of modern commerce!” is how Émile Zola neatly described Le Bon Marché (“the good deal”) in his novel Le Bonheur des Dames. The store was the first to launch fixed pricing, welcome stations staffed with English-speaking personal shoppers, and self-service. Soon faire du lèche-vitrine (“window licking”) became all the rage.

Andrée Putman's chic escalators

Though now taken for granted, at the time, its newfangled open-door retail concept meant that even prostitutes could shop here with ease. Both seductive and alluring, Bon Marché’s open aisles of enticing wares were often blamed for bankrupting families and inciting spontaneous shoplifting.

Fine features

Initially designed by Gustave Eiffel and Paul Sédille (who beautified Printemps, too), Bon Marché has maintained her radiant glow by getting a little work done now and then. It’s no secret that Andrée Putman (also credited with the extreme makeover of Guerlain’s flagship on the Champs-Élysées and the swanky interiors of Air France’s late, great Concord jet) recently updated the store’s look with sets of crisscrossing escalators. Surrounded by slender columns, the moving stairs’ geometric patterns smartly echo the skylight’s square glass panes.

Oh, the brands you’ll see

Though no longer considered quite the palace of “good deals” it was back in the time of Picasso and Hemingway (who bought his knock-off suits here), Le Bon Marché is still the place to window-gawk and trend-spot. You’ll find classics like Balenciaga, Lanvin, and Sonia Rykiel, along with funky designs by Comme des Garcons, Paul & Joe and Sandro.

On the ground level, be wooed by “Le Théatre de la Beauté,” which specializes in just-launched, innovative, and difficult-to-find beauty products. So prior to your visit, do a little research and pack a wish list! Make your friends at home green with envy.

Then, fortify yourself

After your high browsing, you do have a few Cheapo options!

1. Eat

In a separate part of Bon Marché, La Grande Epicerie de Paris (the world’s largest international food labyrinth) seems to have everything to satisfy every taste bud, both domestic and foreign. Wine and fromage tastings are often held on Fridays and Saturdays, while the Babylon Garden is just in front of the store, so stock up and prepare to nosh like there’s no tomorrow!

At La Grande Epicerie de Paris

2. Shop

After your picnic, get your bargain garb on at Zara, situated kitty-corner from Bon Marché. Find the trends you’ve just spotted at a fraction of the cost. Your pocketbook and conscience will both thank you.

3. Pray

But if your conscience is still troubled, just behind Bon Marché you’ll find the Chapel of the Miraculous Medal. Here’s a chance to balance out your mortal sins (like lust, gluttony, envy, to name a few) with a visit to Saint Catherine Labouré’s shrine.

The lady Herself is on full view in a glass case at the front of the sanctuary. Among other things, she’s credited with designing one of the most popular of saints’ medals, which are available on-site. The shop also carries a collection of cards.

Snipping from “Bon Marché Weather,” a poem by Gertrude “Lady Dada” Stein:

“There are a very great many things everybody is buying. There are a very great many things you are buying. There are a very great many things they are buying. There are a very great many things I am buying.”

She lived just a few blocks away, so I’m sure she was speaking from experience.

Smooth sailing, Cheapos!

The post Paris: Summer shopping at Le Bon Marché appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Here are some tips for scoring big during this glorious five-week event.

1. Get smart.

I spy. Visit your favorite shops just before the sale. Memorize the layout. Take note of “rack formations.” Also, try on clothing… you’ll avoid the lines later.

2. Befriend the staff.

Throughout the year, my savvy and smartly dressed friend Dominique drops off chocolates for the sales team at her favorite shops. Guess who hears about the bargains first? The French value fidelity. Don’t live in Paris full-time? Send thank-you notes after each visit.

3. Mind the gaps.

What’s missing from your closet? A belted trench coat with a narrow cinched waist in khaki? Striped shirt? Ballet shoes in black patent leather or navy suède? All three are timeless French classics, and quite souvenir-worthy.

“Soldes” on rue des Abbesses.

4.  Get your beauty rest…

But set your alarm, because stores open at 8:00 AM.

5. Cents and Sensibility.

Pack a survival kit: water bottle, pre-cut moleskin, candy, gum, eyedrops, Metro tickets, footies (for trying on shoes), maps with target shops circled, and coins for WCs. Also a sturdy bag, because shops give out flimsy plastic sacs.

6. Leader of the Pack.

Véronique on Boulevard Voltaire with bike and sacs of purchases.

My friend Véronique beats the crowds by scooting around by bike. “I’m able to visit at least twenty shops by 10 AM,” she boasted, while installing her new jumbo-sized basket just in time for the sale. Need a bike? Rent a Vélib’!

7. Avoid the masses.

Hate crowds? Shop weekday mornings or early afternoons.

8. Size matters.

When should you pounce? In France, “smalls” fly out the door first, but “large” and “X-large” stick around a little longer. On the other hand prices drop as the sales progress, so it’s a gamble! Know your European size numbers.

Vintage clothing in the Marais

10. Retro active.

Vintage shops often reduce prices, too. You’ll find pockets of boutiques scattered through Montmartre (start at La Caverne à Fripes at 25, rue Houdon) and the Marais, where at the Vintage Désir at 32, rue des Rosiers you’ll find a vast collection of striped shirts. For inspiration, see exposition“Les Marins Font La Mode—Sailor Chic in Paris” at the Musée National de la Marine at place du Trocadéro.

11. Don’t forget the obvious.

Discount shops like Sympa (Metro Anvers), and TATI on Boulevard Rochechouart (Metro Barbès-Rochechouart) take their already bargain basement prices to new lows. Make a pilgrimage to TATI, where Jules Ouaki introduced “discount shopping” (self-service and towering baskets of merchandise) to Paris in 1948.

12. Keep your cool.

A “Loft Design By” window.

Pick a handful of boutiques and one or two shopping districts, or you’ll end up overwhelmed before the get-go. For instance, I focus on the Spanish marque Zara, which slashes prices like almost no other store (I once scored almost 400 euros-worth for under 50 euros!).

You’ll find clusters in busy shopping districts throughout the city. Boulevard Haussmann, for instance, has five Zara’s in a six-block radius. Two are inside Printemps and Galeries Lafayette, and one even has a view of the Opéra! Divine, yes, but their proximity also saves you time. (By the way, rumor has it that a Cheapo editor once assembled a very stylish–and skinny–suit by Zara-hopping along rue de Rivoli. Très, très bien!)

Borrowing from Elsa Schiaparelli, “Buy only the best or the cheapest!”

Tell us: Have you scored at the soldes? Tell us about it!

The post Paris Summer Sales: Tips for “soldes d’été” success appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.