wideman

There are lots of Paris posts around; here's how North Americans can save some money when shopping:

The big department stores (Printemps, Galleries Lafayette, Samaritaine, BHV, and Bon Marche) are excellent places for US visitors to shop. They all have English-speaking info desks (though you should not expect all of the salespeople to speak English), and you can almost always save at least 10% and sometimes up to 25% off the marked price.

To get the 10% off, get a 10% off coupon for each store. Many hotels have these coupons in their info racks; if you don't find them at the hotel, you can get them at the Paris Tourist Bureau on the Champs Elysees almost at the top of the street, same side as Fouquet's.

If you will spend more than about $200 at any one store, you can take advantage of the VAT refund program. Here's how it works:
[*]Buy all of the stuff the same day at the same store (don't forget to use the 10% off coupon).
[*]Take your receipts and your U.S. (or any non-EU) passport to the store's tax-free desk. At the tax-free desk, the clerk will do lots of paperwork and ask you for a charge card to which the refund will be credited. Eventually, the clerk gives you an envelope with several copies of completed forms.
[*]When you pack to go home (that is, the place from which you will fly out of the EU), put all the stuff you bought from the store in the same suitcase, in a place where it will be easy to find. Also, allow at least an extra 30-45 minutes at the airport.
[*]At the airport, go to the tax-rebate office before you check in. Show the customs agent the completed forms that the department store gave you and your air ticket. The agent stamps the forms and keeps one. You then have to separate one copy (the pink one, I believe -- ask the customs agent), put it in the envelope that the store gave you, and drop the envelope in a post box (nearby). You don't need to stamp the envelope.

In a few weeks, your charge card gets credited for about 13% of your total purchases.

The procedure is certainly a pain in the neck, but it can be worth a nice little pile of cash.

Vulcan

I will only add that last week at CDG, I followed this procedure. The "tax" desk had a line of about 25 poeple and two people working it. Expect to spend a half hour. After I got to the head of the line and they were satisified, the stamped the form and put it back in the envelope that I was given by the store. IT ALREADY HAD A STAMP ON IT, put there by the store. They then pointed to the nearby postoffice box. The final glitch was that the envelope I was given by the store had no glue to lick and seal. I went to a nearby check in and someone was kind enough to give me a sticky peel off that I could use to tack down the flap.
I checked my credit card account and the credit for the VAT refund hit a few days later. It is a pain, but the system works.

MrCA

I can't speak for France but in Italy you can avoid the long lines for the Vat stamp by keeping the articles in your carryon luggage & going to the customs office located in the gate area at the airports in Rome & Milan. Once it is stamped you can get an instant refund at the booths located nearby. I have never encountered a wait longer than 3 people and often I am the only one there. Of course, you have the declared items in your carryon luggage and easily found by customs in your own country if you are checked, but of course none of us buy more than our maximum allowable amount, do we?

monitor

The procedure at MAD was relatively quick and painless to get the VAT refund for my wife's fancy handbag, however the credit did not appear on my next statement and I thought it had gotten lost. It showed up two months later.

Non-NonRev

My experience at Brussles National was essentially the same as MrCA's in Italy. I'm sure that I lost a bit in the conversion from Danish Kroner to USD, but it was nice to have the refund over and done with (the purchase was made in CPH but I was leaving the EU from BRU).

By the way, if you're in CPH, check out the Mephisto "concept" store on the Storget. They have the full line including many styles not sold in the US, and at good prices. After my refund, I ended paying less than USD 160 for my shoes. Imagine my delight a few weeks later when I saw the same style in Nordstrom for USD 280

(Edited to correct brain fart)

[This message has been edited by Non-NonRev (edited 03-11-2001).]

PAUL PALMER

Just to clarify the discount cards for the Au Printemps or the Galleries Layfeyette. You can usually find them over at the American Express office just by the Opera. If not, go to the Welcome Desk, and say that they have sent you. It never fails. I am sorry that getting the VAT back is so tedious, the only consoling factor is that we receive no similar refund upon leaving the USA to return home. Moreover, our prices include VAT , those in the USA are always tax exclusive.

ILuvParis

On the other hand, the taxes in the U.S. are far less burdensome (less than 10% and non existant in some areas). I like Harrod's in London where you can get immediate refunds.

PAUL PALMER

IluvParis, How do Harrods do that? I thought that the papers had to be stamped on departure? Is there a minimum value (which I think applies in France?) that you have to spend it Harrods?

Thanks in advance

belle3388

was wondering about the same thing too, Paul Palmer...
i did shop at Harrod's (few months ago)and this was the procedure: with 10% (or less?)handling fee, they prepared the paperwork showing how much refund either in cash or to the credit card of my choice... (i chose latter)
but i still had to 1. go to the customs and have these receipts stamped, 2. mail one of the copies in the envelope provided

has this changed recently?

MrCA

In London, I have bought items in a jewelry store and received an instant refund. They did this by having me sign a second charge slip for the amount of the refund and gave me an envelope to mail them back the stamped customs form when I processed it at the airport. If they did not receive the form back within 2 or 3 months, they would put through the charge. Obviously you have to be certain you are dealing with a reputable store since you rely on them to rip up the credit card slip.

PAUL PALMER

Thanks for the information. Credit Card fraud in Europe, even at reputable establishments, is now so rife that I would not leave a second card for all the refunds in Europe. I would strongly discourage the practice, inconvenient though the alternative may be. You may be leaving yourself wide open.

ILuvParis

Sorry, I don't have the details about Harrod's. My friend made a major purchase and filled out some papers on the spot. I THOUGHT they gave him an instant refund - perhaps not. He is out of town for a couple of days. As soon as he gets back I will get the details and post here. I hope I haven't mislead anyone.

Non-NonRev

Agreed. My experience in Zurich a couple of years ago was a little different. When I purchased a watch, the saleslady removed the tax and charged me a net price. She then filled out forms and instructed me to do the following: immediately after passport control I was to go to a customs desk, show them the purchase, get the paperwork stamped and then drop the completed form into an adjacent mailbox. Everything went off without a hitch - I appreciated that they trusted me under the "honor system" to exercise the paperwork process.

(Of course it was a relatively inexpensive quartz watch <USD400 - maybe they would have processed it differently if I had bought a Patek or an IWC)