Saturday, August 13, 2011

advice to brocanteurs


I sometimes receive emails from bloggers about to visit France, and keen to shop at brocante fairs, but unsure of the do's and don'ts .  Of course it's mostly just a question of enjoying yourself and using common sense, but just for fun I put together a little guide to  brocanteur etiquette:





  1. smile - everything works better when you smile

  2. wear  comfortable practical clothing, especially shoes, this is not a fashion event

  3. enjoy

  4. be there early - the best stuff really does go first, I try to arrive around 6 .... a.m. of course

  5. be discreet, don't talk too loudly, be measured in your appreciation of an item

  6. be polite, this includes learning a minimum of the local language, counting to twenty, thank you, goodbye ....

  7. smile ( did I say that already?)

  8. keep your eyes and your  mind wide open  -  be imaginative, don't just look at the object, think hard about how and where it could be used, restored

  9. be optimistic - take a basket

  10. certainly try and negotiate, but never so low as to be insulting!  Generally you can lower a price a little, sometimes you can't - then you either walk away - smiling - or give in and pay up!

  11. make quick decisions- mistakes are rarely serious

  12. don't shop in crowds, it's not practical to be more than 2 or 3 together, plus it makes you conspicuous and lessens your chance of a good buy

  13. dress modestly, don't wear bright colours, try instead to blend into the background

  14. never regret, what's done is done  (this is actually easier said than done, I still regret things I missed last year ... UGH!!)



I personally favour the country fairs , even if this means getting my feet wet in long grass, I always feel happier in a field than in a street!   But I suppose I'm just a country girl. 

Hope this is of some help - happy hunting !!





No comments:

Post a Comment