New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1873-01-30
shopping In Paris.

Is it possible TO live, not chcaply, but viii
reasonably economy in Paris al the present
day? is question often hear asked By Eng
llshmen whose occupation obiges them Il
reside in the French capital. 1t is certainly
possible, although very difficult. To have
all articles sent from England; to market fol-
yourself, never trusting French servants, but
bargaining for whatever you consume-as in
England you would for the price of horse
at a country fair; to pay for everything witt
ready money, and offer every tradesman q
little more than half what he asks-are rules
that ought never to be neglected, unless YOU
wish to spend thousands where hundreds will
suffice. The shopkcepers ofParis ut the pre-
sent day seem TO take pleasure in charging
a foreigner double what they would ask one
ot their own countrymen or women. An in
stance of this came under my notice not a
month ago. Two lades-one an American.
the other a French woman-werc walking
down the Rue Saint Honorc, when the former
saw IN the window of a most respectable shop
Il straw hat which she thought she would like
for one OF her Children. She went in and
asked the price, and the shopman asked her
sixteen francs, for an article she could have
bought at any West End shop in London for
about three and siXpencc or four shillings.
Americans are not much given to find any
thing too dcar-in Paris, people say that
mos; Of them would rather pay high than 4
low price for what they want-but so mani
fest 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 ut
most She would pay for the hat was six
irancs-iivc shillings. The French lady en-
tered the shop alone, asked the price, and
was told that 1t was nine francs instead Of
sixteen, as had been demanded of her friend
She said that was too much, and offered six
francs, whercupon the article was put in pa
per and made over to her. She then taxed
the shopwoman with having attempted to
impose upon stranger, but the other was
not the least ashamed OF herself. "Mon Dieu,
madame, les strangers soIt toujours tres
riches, ct les ailaircs 4 Paris sont 81 mauyai-
SEES present." was all the satisfaction she
could get out of this pleasant specimen of {;
Partisan tradcswoman. Accustomed as we
are IN England for tradesmcn to ask what
they intend To takc--no more and no less
the idea of bargaining for everything we buy
from the silk dress to the handful OF car
rots required for the SOUPS to English men
and women most obnoxious but in Paris it
Is absolutely necessary, unless we wish to
throw away money by the pockctful. L saw
curious trial of the art OF bargaining made
last winter in Paris. Two French gentle
men, each accompanied by his wife, and hav-
ing an umpire with each to see fair play,
startod round the Halles Centrales, or CEN
trail niardets, to lay in their provisions for
the day. A list was made cut, 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 poultry, and the like. Onc of them
was to bargain and get things as cheap Us 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 bali an hour of each other; and the
bet was a breakfast for the whole party at
BlSnon's, that the gentleman who did not
bargain with tie dealers would have to pay
double what the one who did bargain paid
for his supplies-not one by one but taken as
a whole. They met about an hour later at
the door Of st. Eustachc, and when the UNI
pres came to compare notes, it turned out
that the non-bargainng purchaser had paid
not only double, but more than three times
what his adversary had done, and yet both
had the very same articles, and the same
quantity and quality Of acknowledgements.