Two (very) anticipated periods in the year, here we are, the sales started last Wednesday.
But beyond the commercial side, at Atelier St Eustache we like to go all the way. So, as you can imagine, today's article will focus on the history of sales .
Originally, what was called "sales" was an unsold or leftover piece of fabric that the merchant sold at a low price . The craze for sales as they are known today was born in 1830 in one of the first Parisian department stores: the Petit St-Thomas . Free entry was invented there (it is the fact of being able to enter a store without being obliged to buy an item), as well as the profusion of items and by extension the cut prices for unsold items.
This invention is due to a Norman Mr. Simon Mannoury who decided to sell his fabrics and materials in Paris. Simon Mannoury is a creative, a man full of ideas, he invented among other things: labels that display prices, free circulation in the aisles and mail order sales .
As his business grew, Mr. Mannoury offered more and more products for sale. But not all of them sold, so he had unsold stock . That's when the idea came to him. In order to clear his stock from the previous season, he lowered the prices of his items . Sales were born.
Anecdote
Mannoury hired a man named Mr. Boucicaut to help him sell his shawls at Petit St-Thomas. When Mr. Mannoury closed his store, Mr. Boucicaut found work in a haberdashery, which he eventually bought with his wife in 1852. This store would be named Au Bon Marché , and it was the store that inspired Emile Zola 's novel Au Bonheur des Dames (1883).
Several businesses are jumping into the breach of Mr. Mannoury's new sales, including Le Bazar de l'Hôtel de Ville , Galeries Lafayette and Le Bon Marché .
But like all inventions, everyone has their own idea. Sales quickly become a period of sales "of everything and nothing" where traders do not hesitate to abuse the period in question. It is therefore necessary to put legislation around this event. It was in 1906 that a regulation was applied for the first time. Then in 1962 , the law defined sales for the first time: "an occasional price reduction during the year and accompanied by brief advertisements". But in view of the abuses practiced by traders which persist, in 1996 the law takes charge of the ethics of traders . It is therefore now necessary that the items on sale have been offered for sale during the months preceding the sales.
Today, the two sales periods are observed in winter and summer . These sales alternate throughout the year with various promotions , private sales and clearance sales .
But what is the difference between sales and private sales?
Private sales meet very selective criteria: a very limited duration (often a few days), reduced prices and limited access to a few guests (often loyalty members). The difference therefore lies in the organization and the legislation. The concept was first invented by the giant Vente-privee.com in 2001. But today, its practices have changed, we can no longer call its activity "private sales" but "event sales" .
This is a system that will greatly encourage other merchants to launch themselves into the event sales market. Today, seller sites no longer limit the number of member registrations. This is why they can no longer use the term "private sales". The terms "flash sales" and "event sales" are now used. Despite the fact that these online brands continue to abuse the term "private sales" in their communication or through search engines.
And the opinion of St Eustache?
At the Atelier, we use sales like Black Friday , simply to sell off unsold stock from the previous season. This is why you will find a selection of socks on sale, and not the entire site. In order not to produce especially for the sales periods, only the models to be liquidated are at low prices. These models will therefore not be in the new collection.
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There you go! Now you (and we too) know everything about this sales madness.