You have a friend who doesn’t have money problems. Moreover, he isn’t selfish – yes, it does happen -, and he gives you things he no longer needs throughout the year. For you, the Christmas holidays are an opportunity to show your gratitude by giving him a nice gift. Which is not easy when you have a student budget. And the recipient of the gift can afford to buy whatever he wants. Maybe we’ll find our happiness on Avenue Jean Médecin. First stop: Galeries Lafayette.
First surprise: customers are flocking to the store even though it’s a weekday, in the middle of the afternoon. Warm atmosphere: the speakers, hidden in the ceiling, alternately play a Vincent Delerm song, the latest house or RnB hits, and… ads for Galeries Lafayette. As usual, the men’s shelves are full of women.
It’s difficult to find happiness here: the cheapest items range from 50 to 70 €. Unless a 30€ scarf would do. Too banal. In the underwear department, an observation is necessary. In 2008, gentlemen, you will have a choice between plain or… bad taste boxers! Let’s skip the white model with little red hearts, a classic. This year, designers offer boxers with Afro-Arabesque patterns or with colored circles, a seventies psychedelic delusion style (Achille). You can also find that it simply hurts the eyes. And I will not mention the name of the designer who decided to revive the light brown boxer with red plaid.
Have you heard of Anti-Monopoly?
Disconcerted, I need a pick-me-up. Let’s go to the toy department. Let’s try to find something other than made in China. Labyrinth, this timeless game (made in Ireland), is still in two dimensions. How is that possible? Even Noddy must have switched to 3D these days. Another curiosity: anti-monopoly (made in Spain). We are assured that the game has existed for thirty years. Really? Never heard of it. Players have the choice between two game modes. The “competitive”, more fair-play, but which can lead to suffering from the real estate market. And the “monopolistic”, which allows rapid enrichment, but you risk going to jail for entering into illegal contracts. With such a mentality, your children are not likely to come back to buy a Cerutti 1881 suit with its €500 jacket. But Parker is counter-attacking with Monopoly for toddlers. The game is supposed to “teach counting.” And getting rich off the backs of others, do kids have that in their blood already?
At Monoprix, there’s a blunder: the “school books” section offers a choice between Surviving Among Wolves and The Fifth Courtesan. Maybe it’s offbeat humor? Finally, during this journey, we forgot our primary goal: the gift for our generous friend. A shirt should suit him. Find the right size and there you go, it’s done. Let’s hope the dark blue that tends towards purple pleases him.
