Belgium and France have notoriously restrictive sales regulations (see this article from The Economist), with an official starting and ending day, limitations on pre-sales, maximum discounts, limited shopping hours, and officials making sure that all this is strictly applied. Some other continental European countries have similar rules.
The pity is that governments have forgotten about the Internet and globalisation. Personally I care less and less about sales in the place where I am staying. It is easier in general to purchase some products (about anything but clothes) on the Internet. Amazon.com (as opposed to European versions of the site) sells just about anything now. I haven't bought books or DVD's in a "brick-and-mortar" shop for ages (actually I think I have never bought a DVD in a shop).
The same goes for most electronics and home appliances. Why bother and waste your time go to a shop, try to park your car, wait your turn, queue at the cashier, etc. when you can buy the same thing online, usually for cheaper ? So except of it is an emergency and one cannot wait a few days for the delivery, there is little reason not to shop online.
So why do people still care about the sales season ? For clothes, mostly. Accessories, neckties, sports equipment, cosmetics and anything else than is size-free can also be bought online, usually for much cheaper, all year round.
The choice on the Internet also defeats the best shopping centers in the world. Amazon.com has millions of garments and accessories listed, and browsing for what you want is so much easier and faster than going from boutique to boutique, especially during the overcrowded sales. Anybody who doesn't live in central Paris or London has absolutely no interest in shopping outside rather than online.
For some people (especially women), shopping is also a way to kill time, go out and meet people. In that case, the most attractive option is indeed to do the sales in a big city. But again, the Belgian government managed to drive its richest customers away with its too strict pre-sales rules.
It was reported in the news that tens of thousands of well-to-do Belgians went to New York for their shopping during the year-end holidays (before the official sales Belgium), mostly because the dollar was so low, so their plane ticket would be paid off after a few purchases only.
If they managed to find articles sold at a 50% discount, they would get a further 50% off from the change rate, ending up paying about 25% of the normal price. Buy a nice coat for 1000 euro and you save 750 euro, twice more than a return flight Brussels-New York. Buy a few suits, shoes, a wallet, etc. and it becomes obvious why shopping in New York can be much more advantageous than shopping in Brussels.
Even if you don't have time to fly to New York, you can still try some clothes in a local shop (as long as you don't live in the remote countryside), find your fitting size, write it down, then order those products online for half the price. As sales aren't really limited in time online, you can do that almost all year round - keeping in mind that websites with prices in a low currency (US dollar, yen...) act as a permanent overall discount.
So, however way you look at it, if you are going to spend a lot of money in your shopping, there is little incentive to do it in Belgium or France (well, Paris is a bit of an exception because of its exceptional range of fashion products and services).
I am not trying to incite Europeans to shop outside Europe. What I wish to see is more flexibility and more liberalism in shopping regulations in Europe. Otherwise, if everybody thought like me, most European retailers would close their doors within a few years.
The pity is that governments have forgotten about the Internet and globalisation. Personally I care less and less about sales in the place where I am staying. It is easier in general to purchase some products (about anything but clothes) on the Internet. Amazon.com (as opposed to European versions of the site) sells just about anything now. I haven't bought books or DVD's in a "brick-and-mortar" shop for ages (actually I think I have never bought a DVD in a shop).
The same goes for most electronics and home appliances. Why bother and waste your time go to a shop, try to park your car, wait your turn, queue at the cashier, etc. when you can buy the same thing online, usually for cheaper ? So except of it is an emergency and one cannot wait a few days for the delivery, there is little reason not to shop online.
So why do people still care about the sales season ? For clothes, mostly. Accessories, neckties, sports equipment, cosmetics and anything else than is size-free can also be bought online, usually for much cheaper, all year round.
The choice on the Internet also defeats the best shopping centers in the world. Amazon.com has millions of garments and accessories listed, and browsing for what you want is so much easier and faster than going from boutique to boutique, especially during the overcrowded sales. Anybody who doesn't live in central Paris or London has absolutely no interest in shopping outside rather than online.
For some people (especially women), shopping is also a way to kill time, go out and meet people. In that case, the most attractive option is indeed to do the sales in a big city. But again, the Belgian government managed to drive its richest customers away with its too strict pre-sales rules.
It was reported in the news that tens of thousands of well-to-do Belgians went to New York for their shopping during the year-end holidays (before the official sales Belgium), mostly because the dollar was so low, so their plane ticket would be paid off after a few purchases only.
If they managed to find articles sold at a 50% discount, they would get a further 50% off from the change rate, ending up paying about 25% of the normal price. Buy a nice coat for 1000 euro and you save 750 euro, twice more than a return flight Brussels-New York. Buy a few suits, shoes, a wallet, etc. and it becomes obvious why shopping in New York can be much more advantageous than shopping in Brussels.
Even if you don't have time to fly to New York, you can still try some clothes in a local shop (as long as you don't live in the remote countryside), find your fitting size, write it down, then order those products online for half the price. As sales aren't really limited in time online, you can do that almost all year round - keeping in mind that websites with prices in a low currency (US dollar, yen...) act as a permanent overall discount.
So, however way you look at it, if you are going to spend a lot of money in your shopping, there is little incentive to do it in Belgium or France (well, Paris is a bit of an exception because of its exceptional range of fashion products and services).
I am not trying to incite Europeans to shop outside Europe. What I wish to see is more flexibility and more liberalism in shopping regulations in Europe. Otherwise, if everybody thought like me, most European retailers would close their doors within a few years.
And because of these differences, you get to touch the items you want to buy before you buy them! Except you prefer to buy them online others prefer to go to the stores.