Shopping in France

From 15 June to 30 September 2024, certain stores in Paris can choose exceptionally to open on Sundays. This authorisation to derogate from Sunday rest applies to 15 municipalities for various sectors. This includes food retail, sporting and leisure goods, convenience stores, cycles and motorcycles, department stores, clothing, bookshops and stationery.

Depending on where you are staying in Paris during the Olympics, you may find shops open on a Sunday in the following municipalities (“arrondissements” in French):

• 1^st arrondissement
• 2^nd arrondissement
• 3^rd arrondissement
• 4^th arrondissement
• 5^th arrondissement
• 6^th arrondissement
• 7^th arrondissement
• 8^th arrondissement
• 9^th arrondissement
• 12^th arrondissement
• 15^th arrondissement
• 16^th arrondissement
• 17^th arrondissement
• 18^th arrondissement
• 19^th arrondissement

In other municipalities, the following rules apply:  Opening a business on Sunday: what regulations?

Yes, if you are a holder of a "mobility and inclusion" card bearing the "disability" and "priority" wording. Then your assistance dog may enter a shop. 

The current French regulations stipulate that :

• information on prices is compulsory, whatever the sales method: in a shop, on the internet, at home, etc.
• the trader must indicate prices in euros and inclusive of all taxes, in a visible and comprehensible manner.
• the trader is obliged to inform you of the price of a good or service prior to the sale, even without an explicit request from you.
• the trader must indicate any additional charges.

In a shop the retailer must :

• inform you of the price of the product by displaying it directly on the product on sale or by means of a sign or notice placed close to it.
• indicate the total price and also the price per litre or per kilo for pre-packaged food, hygiene or cleaning products.
• display the total price and the unit price when selling a batch of products.
• If the quantity of items is such that it is impossible to display the price of each product, the retailer must make a catalogue available to give you information on the price of each unlabelled item.
• If the trader charges for a quotation or delivery service, he must inform you in advance.

Yes, if you explicitly request them.

However, the retailer will not automatically give you a receipt after you paid.

Since August 2023, 3 options are possible when you check out in a French store:

• No receipt given, if you don't request it;
• A printed receipt, if you specifically request it;
• A digital receipt, if the seller provides this service and you request it: you will receive it by text message, by e-mail, by QR code or by message in your banking application.

Regarding the invoice, it is obligatory only for the provision of services of more than 25€ including VAT.

More information: All about billing

The provision of single-use plastic carrier bags for packaging goods at the point of sale, free of charge or against a fee, is forbidden in all shops.

At check-out, cashiers may give or sell customers only reusable plastic bags (i.e. thicker than 50 microns). Or alternatively bags made of materials other than plastic (fabric, paper, etc.), whether free of charge or not.

There are 2 main sales periods of a maximum duration of 4 weeks in winter and summer. Each French department decides of the dates by order of the Prefect. They set beginning and ending dates which are compulsory for all sellers.

Summer sales in 2024 start Wednesday 26 June at 8am. Therefore, the summer sales in France finish before the Olympic Games start. But also outside this period price reductions are possible.

All the information on payments in France in our article "Payments during the 2024 Olympics"

If you are over 16 and live outside the European Union, you can benefit from a VAT (value added tax) deduction, whatever your nationality. To benefit from this deduction, you will need to give a proof of identity when you make your purchases.

This deduction applies to tourist and non-commercial purchases of more than €100 including VAT over a period of 3 days maximum from the same retailer. This tax relief excludes however certain items (services, cultural goods, weapons, etc.).

If you use mobile applications for your tax refund or you wish to shop online, check the terms and conditions and the required documents (e.g. invoice with name).  Be aware that you will never get a 100% refund of the VAT because a commission will apply.

If you purchase in a shop, in principle there is no right of withdrawal, all sales are final. You cannot cancel your purchase unless you pay a cancellation fee. However, many retailers offer the possibility of exchanging and/or refunding the item within a certain period of time. Before buying, check with the shop owner.

When purchasing from a seller in France, you automatically benefit from the legal guarantee of conformity. However, please bear in mind that if the item stays in France, the legal guarantee grants it. That is unless you inform the seller that you are exporting the item, and he/she acknowledges this in your contract.

If the seller informs you about the possibility of an additional commercial warranty or a “service après vente”, inquire about the conditions and in particular the geographical scope. Will it apply when you take the item home?

Further information in our article on Guarantees and warranties.

During the Olympic and Paralympic Games, be careful of counterfeiting! Many tourists fall into the trap of buying a product branded as official Paris 2024 merchandising without realising it is actually a counterfeit product. Even if a toy or a piece of clothing displays the Paris Olympics mascot on it, it doesn’t automatically qualify as an official merchandise.

The goods most affected by counterfeiting are games, toys and sports equipment, food and drink, personal care products, clothing and accessories.

Possession of counterfeit products is strictly illegal in France. Follow our advice before buying:

• Check with the brand whether the seller is one of its authorised resellers and report any unofficial seller.
• Compare the prices applied with those of the brand’s official store. Be wary of prices that are too good to be true or offers of substantial reductions.

Find more pointers in our article on counterfeit products.

• First, contact the seller in writing. Retain proof of your correspondence.
• If this effort proves unsuccessful, proceed as follows:

- If you live in France, you can receive assistance from a consumers’ association, whose contact information is available on the DGCCRF’s website. You can also report your problem with the hotel operator or the rental property owner on the SignalConso platform.

- If you live in another EU Member State, Iceland or Norway, the European Consumer Centre for your country can assist you. Visit the ECC Network website for its contact information.

- If you live in a non-EU country, contact the embassy or consulate of your country in France or report your dispute on the website econsumer.gov, via the complaint form or contact the members of consumersinternational.org.