MY GIFT TO YOU—GET YOUR FREE EBOOK—“THE 5-DAY JOURNEY TO CULTURAL AWARENESS”!
It’s the day after Christmas in the U.S. You would think that the insanity of the Black Friday sales and the Christmas Eve specials would be enough to get the “shopping fever” out of our systems.
Wasn’t the overabundance of gifts under the tree on Christmas morning enough to wake us up from our shopping stupor?
No! The sales continue today with “After-Christmas Clearances” launching everywhere. All of the left-over items that weren’t chosen to stuff stockings and to be
Reduced items scream, “Buy Me!” Stores advertise, “End-of-the-Year Stock Must Go!” Malls must empty in order to make much-needed space for the “New Year Inventory.”
In just a few days, signs will again announce, “New Year’s Eve Sales” and “New Year’s Day Sales.” Every day and every holiday—major or minor—is a good excuse to entice customers through the doors.
My mother and I were enticed into the stores. As we were enjoying browsing the amazing Christmas clearance items, we were suddenly shocked to notice the red and pink Valentine’s Day display adorning the next shelf. It was December 26!
My mother commented to the sales clerk, “Wow! You already have your Valentine’s stuff out!”
The lady replied, “Yeah, we have to move out the Christmas stuff to make room for the next holiday.”
Everywhere, sales billboards, commercials, and newspaper inserts continue inviting us to buy. It just never seems to end. But, what if it did?
What if the government put a stop to buying and consumerism? Imagine if you only had access to “sales” twice a year?
Government-Controlled Sales in France
There are only two official periods of “LES SOLDES” (“Sales” in French) during the year—regulated by the government—lasting six weeks each.
“Les Soldes”
This law allows the French government to regulate commerce and the national economy—limiting spending and excessive consumerism.
Dates for “Les Soldes” vary across the country’s regions. However, the first sales period typically begins at 8 a.m. on the second Wednesday in January, when the winter items are ready to be phased out.
Another sales period hits French soil again in the summer months, usually the last Wednesday of June.
Everyone in France anticipates these two big events. They are announced in newspapers, on billboards, and on television commercials up to one month in advance.
Well Worth the Wait!
Markdowns in France usually start at 50% and then increase each week. By the end of the 6-week period, sales are ranking at 70-90% off the original prices. I have never seen sales better than the ones in France!
Many budget-conscious shoppers will watch and wait for their desired items to slowly decrease in price over the weeks of sales. Obviously, there is a risk that the item will no longer be available at the end of the sales period. However, the risk is worth it. During the last week of sales, one can find amazing finds for 1-5 euros.
My personal habit was to stock up on the next year’s items for each of my four children—a huge savings during all of our years living in France.
One is now beginning to see other “sales” pop up throughout the year in France, for example, “Black Friday Sales.” However, the government only allows these “sales” periodically and doesn’t allow price reductions to reach a point of “profit loss” for the businesses.
The French government also prohibits stores from advertising these “sales” as “Soldes.” Rather, businesses are only allowed to use vocabulary words such as “réductions” and “promotions.” The word, “Soldes,” strictly refers to the two annual, government-regulated periods in which stores are allowed to sell items at extremely low prices—even if they forfeit profit and suffer loss.
Culture Shock!
I was recently reminded of “Les Soldes” during a conversation with an employee of H&M last summer. Our family was doing some back-to-school shopping in the U.S. for our four boys. Our two oldest sons who study in Europe were especially excited to take advantage of the American sales and low prices before returning overseas.
Walking by the store-front window, one of my kids said, “Look, they are having a sale!”
From their cultural perspective, sales were only twice a year. In their minds, it was amazing that the timing of our trip to this mall just happened to coincide perfectly with the “LES SOLDES!”
I went on to explain to my children that there are sales in America every day, not just twice a year.
With our shopping cart full, we slowly approached the cash register to check out. I remarked to the cashier that her store’s sales were amazing and went on to tell her that we were arriving from France—where
“Twice a year?!” she asked. “That’s crazy! How is that even possible?” She called over another store employee to share this cultural tidbit.
“It protects us from ourselves and our cravings to buy more, more, more,” I stated. “It’s actually a good thing.”
As I always remind my children when talking about cultural differences . . . “it’s not better, it’s not worse, it’s just different.”
—The Cultural Story-Weaver
MY GIFT TO YOU—GET YOUR FREE EBOOK—“THE 5-DAY JOURNEY TO CULTURAL AWARENESS”!
Let’s Weave Cultures!
The next time you are at the mall in the busy crowds and shopping frenzy, ask yourself what it would be like if you only had access to these sales and low prices twice a year. How would that change your buying habits as a consumer?
What other cultural differences have you noticed in the area of shopping?
We invite you to tell us your own cultural stories and global adventures . . . as you engage with the world, breaking down barriers, building bridges, and “weaving cultures!” Write about them in the comment box below.
