Description:

The 2012 January Sales (Soldes) in Languedoc and France

If you are originally from the UK and are now residing in the Languedoc Roussillon, you may be wondering why the post Christmas sales have not yet materialised in the shops in cities around the region. If you are used to going shopping on boxing day to get all the best bargains, it may come as a bit of a shock to see the complete lack of "soldes" signs hanging from every window.

However, there is no need to despair! The January sales in Languedoc and the rest of France actually start in January and the dates are set by the government, hence the need to wait a while longer. For Languedoc Roussillon and the majority of the rest of France, the sales officially start on 11 January 2012 and continue until 14th February 2012. There are a number of departments which start their sales earlier, particularly near the border with Belgium, Luxembourg and Spain, where shops are afraid to lose customers to the neighbouring countries sales (which start just after 1st January).

Having said the above, it is still possible to get involved in some early sales in Languedoc before the official date, so take a look at our top tips for the January Sales in Languedoc Roussillon:


January Sales Top Paris Tips

• If you have been a previous customer with some of the larger (nationwide) companies in Languedoc and have registered your contact details, expect an SMS, letter or email with special pre-sales privileges.
• As the sales are over a period of 4 weeks, the reductions actually increase in value over time. For example, an item may have a 20% reduction in the first week but this is then increased to 30% in the second week. Look out for signs stating "2ème or 3ème demarque" which is 2nd or 3rd mark down. The risk is of course that the item you want sells out during the first price reduction!
• Try to avoid going to the sales at the peak times which are Saturdays, lunchtimes and Friday afternoon, to avoid the crowds. Don't forget though that many shops will still be closed on a Sunday.
• Go to the shops you are interested in on the day before the sales start to take your time to find what you are looking for and to try on clothes for size etc. This can save a huge amount of time as most shops during the sales are chaotic and there are large gueues at the fitting rooms (cabine d'essayage).

If you have any other tips which you think would benefit others, please let us know via the enquiry form below and they will appear in the list above. Thanks and happy shopping!

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