Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
with the department stores, which gather many brands under
one roof. In general, an American woman's size 6-7.5 would
correspond to sizes 37-39 and a British woman's size 6-7.5
would be sizes 38-40. A man's shoe size 9 would be about
a size 42 for both American and British men.
La Halle Aux Chaussures: Chain of inexpensive self-service
shoe stores with shoes for the entire family.
Arche: Chain of trendy women's shoe shops, selling
colourful and modern—and very comfortable—shoes.
Mephisto: Popular French chain selling comfortable,
supportive shoes. Not cheap, but much cheaper than
buying them in North America
Cordonneries
(shoe repair shops) can be found in any
arrondissement
and BHV has a repair service. Some
métro
stations also have shoe repair and polishing booths—look for
signs near the WC that indicate '
cireur
'. The Talons Minute
shops offer fast repair service.
Products and Services
No matter what you need (or want), it can no doubt be found
somewhere within the city's confines. The brand names
might not be the same and the exact item might have some
minor differences, but globalisation—a source of worry to the
French—means that many imported items are found here,
from food brands to computers, clothing and cosmetics to
children's games. Prices for these items, once quite high,
are now fairly reasonable, owing to worldwide competition
and 'e-tail' on the Internet. For appliances, utilities and home
repair resources, see Chapter 5.
Unfortunately, the French idea of 'customer service' still
revolves around the old Latin saying: “
caveat emptor
(let
the buyer beware).” First of all, always count your change;
mistakes can be made, and cashiers can be harried. But
you're also a foreigner, so you have to be somewhat more
careful about the rare dishonest person taking advantage of
someone unfamiliar with the currency. Look at any order form
carefully before you sign it. Ask all your questions in advance,
for afterwards if something isn't to your liking, you may not
be able to exchange it.
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