I now have another loyalty card (carte de fidélité), this one from Galeries Lafayette. You need one to take advantage of the post-Christmas sales (on until January 9 or so) which are on in many of the stores in Paris including the “grands magasins” like Galeries Lafayette. Though, if you aren’t observant or in the know you might miss the sales.
Items that are on sale are marked with either a colored dot or a tag with a colored square. Some stores have three colors other four colors and the amount represented by each color is different from store to store. Depending on the store, the prices are 20%, 30%, 40% and/or 50% off.
To make it even more complex, in many stores, either there is no info as to what the colors mean or it is very subtle. By subtle, I mean there are a few signs (or sometimes only one) with the colors ordered but no info as to the percentages. In stores where there is no sign you have to know to ask – and in one place I noticed that even the salesperson had a cheat-sheet sticky-note placed by her cash register to remind her of the amounts.
We found a great pair of shoes for 50% off. At the cash register there was another twist. To get the discount you need a loyalty card. Okay then, I’ll get one.
Well, to get a loyalty card you need to provide a french address, french mobile phone number (landline isn’t sufficient), birthdate, and an email address. They don’t make it easy, but for a savings of 55 euros, it was worth it.
Actually, I am getting quite a collection. I also have a Monoprix card and a couple of others. The Monoprix card gives cash back frequently in addition to the special card only in-store specials.
Maman & Fille 