It's the time of year when it's fun to walk down a street like the rue de Passy in the 16th, or any Paris shopping street, to see what creative ways the window designers have come up with to show off the summer sale.
France is a country where most people do not really approve of market capitalism. This is a country where antique dealers have managed to make tag sales/garage sales illegal except once a year for an entire town, in the name of "unfair competition," and where limiting soldes to twice a year is meant to keep big stores from driving small ones out of business by undercutting them. There are actually inspectors who go around making sure no one has sales at other times.
The American idea that when stores are open longer, people spend more money, is not considered relevant here. Even if it is true that companies make more money on Sundays or at night, the French courts have sided with unions who argue that employees should simply not have to work then. The unions have also "attacked in justice" (as the French expression goes) the small mostly North-African-run grocery stores around Paris that are open on Sunday afternoon, quelle horreur! As an American, I look at the high unemployment rates in France (currently 9.6 % of the active population) and think, surely some of those people would rather have a job at night or on Sunday than not work at all? But that's not how things work here. In fact, because of labor constraints, French employers tend not to hire enough people, and then make them work long hours.
I have mixed feelings about the limited shopping hours. A friend from New York City who was staying with me once asked me at 8:30 p.m. on a Sunday night, "Where can I buy flowers around here?" and was surprised to hear, "You can't." It makes life here less convenient; almost certainly hurts the economy; but is certainly more peaceful. What price quality of life?
Actually standard shop-opening hours in France are way beyond standard shop-opening hours in The Netherlands and Germany.
Be aware that in Germany most shops close Saturdays around midday until Monday midday.
Posted by: Henri Bik | 27 June 2012 at 15:43
At 7:30 pm tonight, I realized that I needed butter :(. You can imagine what happened. (Nothing).
Posted by: phillippa | 01 July 2012 at 22:48
I feel for you. But in our neighborhood Amid is open until 10 p.m. On Sundays!
Posted by: Sedulia | 02 July 2012 at 00:07
I live in a rural area of France in Pas-de-Calais, the shops all used to close for two hours for lunch and all day Sunday but supermarkets are now open the whole day from 8.00 til 20.00 and on Sunday mornings. I hope that all the small shops don't follow suit - I like that everything is not as commercialised as it is elsewhere...
Posted by: Janine@thegoodlifefrance | 03 July 2012 at 08:46
There is definitely something nice about the quiet of a day when nothing is open. It almost forces you to go for a bike ride or visit someone instead of doing errands. I think it's good for the soul.
Posted by: Sedulia | 03 July 2012 at 10:48
disagree with the comment about Germany!
opening hours have changed at least in cities - usually you can shop till 8 or 9 pm and 10pm for groceries... additionally you have shops that fill this "gap" during the night/sundays (spätverkauf)
Posted by: julia | 03 July 2012 at 12:41
and yet you complained about LA being an "early town" where everything closed too early at night, soo...
Posted by: jam | 15 July 2012 at 09:04
@julia, wow, times have changed!
@jam, that's true, but it's not so much the stores that close early, but mainly restaurants and things
Posted by: Sedulia | 15 July 2012 at 20:23
Longer shop hours must mean additional staff as I can't imagine workers tolerating a 9 or 10 hour shift.
Posted by: Dovid | 29 July 2014 at 16:45