Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-01-03
SHOPPING In PARIS.
How Strangers are Imposed Upon.

The shOp-keepers Of Paris at the present
| day seem TO take pleasure in charging a
foreigner double what they would ask one
Of their own cOuntrymen or women. An
instance Of this came under my notice not
a month age. Two ladies --One an Ameri-
can, the other a French Woman-Were
walking down the Rue Saint Honore, when
the former saw in the window of most
respectable shop a straw hat which she
thought she would like for one Of her chill
dren. She went in and asked the price, and
the shopWoman asked her sixteen francs,
about hirteen-and-sixpence, for an article
she could have bought at any West-end
shop in London for about three and six
pence or four shilings. Americans are not
much given to find anything too dear in
Paris; people say that most OF them would
rather pay high than low price for what
they want-but so manifest an attempt at
imposition was too much for her; she laid
down the hat and joined her friend, who
had waited outside. The latter asked why
she had not bought the hat. When told
the reason, she said she feared she did not
know how to drive a bargain in France,
and, if she would say how much she would
give for the article, she (the French LADY,
would try and get it for her at that
price. The American lady said
that the utmost she would pay for
1t was six francs-fiVe shillings. The
French lady entered the shop alone, asked
the price, and was told that it was nine
francs instead Of sixteen, as had been de-
manded of her friend. She said that was
too much, and offered six francs, whereup-
on the article was pat in paper and handed
over to her. She then taxed the shop
woman with having attempted to impose
upon stranger, but the other was not in
the least ashamed Of herself. "MOn Dieu,
madame, les etraugeTs sont toUjours tres
riches, ct les affaires q Paris sont 81 maui
vaises present." Was all the satisfaction
she could get out of this pleasant specimen
of a Partisan tradesWomal. Accus-
toned as We are in England for
tradesmen 10 ask what they intend to take
no more and no less-the idea Of bar
gaining for everything we buy, from the
silk dress to the handful of carrots required
for the soup-is to Englishmen and women
most obnoxious; but in Paris it's absolute
ly necessary, unless we wish to throw
away money by the pocketfuL l saw
curious trial of the art of bargaining made
last winter in Paris. Two French gentle
men, each accompanied by his wife, and
having an umpire with each to see
fair play, started around the Halles
Centrales, or central markets, to lay
in their provisions for the day. A list was
made out, so that the two individuals were
to purchase exactly the same articles and
the same qualities of food, so much fish, so
much vegetables, so much beef for soup, so
much mutton for roasting, so much pOul-
try, and the like. One of them was to bar
gain and get things as cheap as he could;
the other was to give whatever the women
at the different stalls asked him. They were
not to go round together, but within halfan
hour of each other, and the bet was a break
fast for the whole party, at Blgnon's, that
the gentleman who did not bargain with
the dealers would have to pay double what
he who did bargain paid for bis supplies
not one by one, but taken as a whole.
They met about an hour later at the door
of St. Euslache, and, when the umpires
came to compare notes, it turned out that
the non-bargaining purchaser had paid not
only double, but more than three times
what his adversary had done, and yet both
had got the very same articles, and the
same quality and quality Of each.-BeIgrd-
Uid.