Houda, 42, rushes into the H&M store in the Vache Noire shopping center in Arcueil (Val-de-Marne), with a handful of other customers.
“No one was aware it opened so early,” she chuckles.
On this first day of summer sales, the brand opened its doors at 9:30 a.m. instead of 10 a.m.
A godsend for this mother of four, who is starting a clothing marathon for the whole family.
“We usually start with the children,” she says.
This great regular at the sales has already spent up to 500 euros in previous editions.
But this time, she is more vigilant.
“Life is more and more expensive, so we are already planning what the return to school will cost us.
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With her husband, she runs a grocery store in Suresnes, which earns them 2,500 euros net per month.
Shorts on sale at 5 euros, ballet flats at 50%, three t-shirts for the price of two… Houda piles up the items on sale and quickly goes to the cash register: 61 euros for 12 items.
A very reasonable price, according to her.
“We are starting to look at the price of things”
With the sales, fashion stores also see the arrival of new customers: this is the case of Wemeni, 33 years old.
This finance manager examines H&M bodysuits for his 2-year-old, looking exasperated.
“It's the first time in my life that I'm running behind the sales,” he says.
Blame it on inflation, which worries him and his wife, despite their monthly income of 5,000 euros.
“We are starting to look at the price of things.
I had never frequented H&M before.
“Wemeni discovers the batch of bodysuits at 10 euros, according to him twice cheaper than at Okaïdi, where he usually goes.
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Lila, 60, puts on her glasses.
"I'm looking for something inexpensive.
This childminder comes to buy t-shirts for her son, but her budget is tight: 50 euros for the whole month.
Partially unemployed with a retired husband, the sales period is no longer synonymous with profusion.
"We think twice before taking something," she says.
Three plain t-shirts for 20 euros will do.
She doesn't even stroll through the women's section.
As the hours go by, the queue in front of the checkouts gets longer.
Laura, 25, patiently waits her turn.
A regular on the first day of the sales, she is very satisfied with her finds this year.
“I have the impression that the stores are giving more discounts than usual.
“His H&M shorts at 7 euros, sold off at 60%, and his Zara bag filled with 100 euros of clothes prove it.
"Also, the collections put on sale look quite recent," she says.
An asset for Laura, who still notices too small discounts: “I saw an item that was on sale only one euro cheaper.
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