Best Buys

Perfumes, Makeup & Beauty Treatments -- A discount of 20% to 30% makes these items a great buy; qualify for a VAT refund and you'll save 40% to 45% off the Paris retail price, allowing you to bring home goods at half the U.S. price. Duty-free shops abound in Paris and are always less expensive than the ones at the airports.

For bargain cosmetics, try out French dime store and drugstore brands like Bourjois (made in the Chanel factories), Lierac, and Galenic. Vichy, famous for its water, has a skin-care and makeup line. The newest retail trend in Paris is the parapharmacie, a type of discount drugstore loaded with inexpensive brands, health cures, beauty regimes, and diet plans. These usually offer a 20% discount.

Foodstuffs -- Nothing makes a better souvenir than a product of France brought home to savor later. Supermarkets are located in tourist neighborhoods; stock up on coffee, designer chocolates, mustards (try Maille or Meaux brand), and perhaps American products in French packages for the kids. However, to be sure you don't try to bring home a prohibited foodstuff.

Fun Fashion -- Sure you can buy couture or prêt-à-porter, but French teens and trendsetters have their own stores where the latest looks are affordable. Even the dime stores in Paris sell designer copies and hotshot styles. In the stalls in front of the department stores on boulevard Haussmann, you'll find some of the latest accessories, guaranteed for a week's worth of small talk once you get home.

Duty-Free Boutiques

The advantage of duty-free shops is that you don't have to pay the VAT, so you avoid the red tape of getting a refund. Both Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports have shopping galore (de Gaulle has a virtual mall with crystal, cutlery, chocolates, luggage, wine, pipes and lighters, lingerie, silk scarves, perfume, knitwear, jewelry, cameras, cheeses, even antiques). You'll also find duty-free shops on the avenues branching out from the Opéra Garnier, in the 1st arrondissement. Sometimes there are bargains, but most often not. Usually these stores jack prices up, so even though there's no duty, you're not getting a good deal. In general, these duty-free shops are best for last-minute buys or the impulse shopper who feels he or she is leaving Paris without having bought enough.

Business Hours

Usual shop hours are Monday to Saturday from 10am to 7pm, but hours vary, and Monday mornings don't run at full throttle. Small shops sometimes close for a 2-hour lunch break and may not open at all until after lunch on Monday. Thursday is the best day for late-night shopping, with stores open to 9 or 10pm.

Sunday shopping is limited to tourist areas and flea markets, though there's growing demand for full-scale Sunday hours. The department stores are now open on the five Sundays before Christmas. The Carrousel du Louvre, a mall adjacent to the Louvre, is hopping on Sunday, but closed on Monday. The tourist shops lining rue de Rivoli across from the Louvre are open on Sunday, as are the antiques villages, flea markets, and specialty events. There are several food markets in the streets on Sunday. The Virgin Megastore on the Champs-Elysées, a big teen hangout, pays a fine to stay open on Sunday.

Shipping It Home

Shipping charges will possibly double your cost, and you may have to pay duties on the items . The good news: The VAT refund is automatically applied to all shipped items, so there's no need to worry about the 182€ minimum. Some stores have a $100 minimum for shipping. You can also walk into any post office and mail home a jiffy bag or box of goodies. French do-it-yourself boxes can't be reopened once closed, so pack carefully. The clerk at the post office will help you assemble the box (it's tricky), seal it, and send it off.

Shopping Etiquette

When you walk into a French store, it's traditional to greet the owner or sales clerk with a direct address, not a fey smile or even a weak bonjour. Only a clear and pleasant "Bonjour, madame/monsieur" will do.

And if you plan to enter the rarefied atmospheres of the top designer boutiques (to check out the pricey merchandise if not to buy anything), be sure to dress the part. You don't need to wear couture, but do leave the sneakers and sweat suit back at your hotel. The sales staff will be much more accommodating if you look as if you belong there.