Big Sale Stupor

I'm going to break into my originally planned reporting about Montmartre for a minute to confess what an idiot of a shopper I am.

I have known for weeks that the Parisian sales begin today and continue through the 20th of January. My calendar was marked, I'd freed up some of my time (not too hard to do), and I read an article about how to approach the sales (preview items in advance, have a list of what you want/need, etc.)

As I sat in our apartment looking across at Cyrillus (a clothing store for the whole family) watching streams of people exiting loaded down with shopping bags, panic set in. I really wanted to go to Galeries Lafayette, but didn't have enough time. Today the kids get picked up a 11:45. Also, there was some mention in Metro that an Al-Quaida attack was on the horizon for Paris, with the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe and yes, Galleries Lafayette as possible targets. Of course I wondered if a crazed shopper just said this to get the store all to his (but more likely, her) self.

So, with all these constraints, I dashed across the street in the pouring rain to Cyrillus. A line of customers about 20 deep waiting to pay for their items greeted me upon entering. It was difficult moving in the store, but I managed a basketful of items before I got into the queue myself. I almost forgot to try on the pair of black boots that I eyed on my way in (which were actually on my list). I asked a clerk if she would please find a size 38 for me (so I didn't have to lose my place in line). She found them and they fit like a dream. I figured they were a good deal (30% off), and purchased them with my other items. I was pleased with the items and their prices.

Pleased at least for a few minutes, until I walked down rue de Courcelles on my way to pick up the kids. Along the way, I saw shoe stores with oodles of boots and shoes which were far more reduced than the ones I bought, and probably more fashionable. I have a habit of dressing older than I am (by about a generation), but I am trying. So, my recent happy shopping experience has turned into a lesson in impulsiveness. I totally choked at the first store I walked into. No will power, no "let's shop around and compare".

But I'm not going to fall into remorse and beat myself up. After all, I went shopping and bought some items for the kids and some black high-heeled boots for myself, what's there to be sad about. This was after all, my first time experiencing the Paris sales. Maybe I'll be better in July (August?) when the next sales hit.

Now back to the usual programming...