Shop and Sit

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When my husband initially told me we had the opportunity to move to France I wasn’t interested. I was mostly concerned about my ability to manage daily life, as I knew it would be much less handicapped accessible and I would be a long way from my family & friends support group. Then he said to consider it a 2-year shopping excursion. Suddenly he had my attention.  Little did I know that Paris would not be the easiest place to shop while in a wheelchair. That fact has slowed me down but it certainly hasn’t stopped me, and it shouldn’t stop you. The day we got off the plane we headed (blurry eyed) straight to Darty’s, a local electronics and appliance store to purchase all the things we needed; it wasn’t fun but certainly necessary. The store has unusually large aisles for Paris and is completely accessible. Of course if you are coming to Paris on holiday, I doubt you’ll want to take home a washer and dryer so let’s get on to the more wonderful pastime of fun “real” shopping!  The easiest place for us to do that sort of shopping is at the large department stores or malls. My favorite department store is Printemps. It’s completely accessible, has an elevator and I love the clothes and accessories. They also have great kitchen and home products. We go to the flagships of: Printemps (64 Blvd. Haussman), Bon Marche (22 Rue de Sevres) and Galeries Lafayette (40 Blvd.Haussmann) every once in a while, but usually visit the branches at the smaller malls “Centre Commercials” in the outlying areas as they’re less crowded, which makes it much easier to get around. These malls always have a Printemps at one end. All stores in malls are for the most part accessible.  Something to watch out for if you’re disabled are the small portable dressing rooms. These are tricky for anyone but can be a nightmare for those of us that can’t perform circus tricks in various stages of undress. First they’re very small and a wheelchair can’t fit inside. Secondly, they don’t have a chair to sit on while changing. Finally, the walls are simply curtains hung from a rickety frame. They are frequently set up around tourist season or the holidays and in some stores they are the only dressing rooms available. The first time I tried something on in one, I removed my dress and held it in my teeth to keep from dumping it on the floor and then leaned against the back wall…uh, curtain…and the whole thing started to wobble. I fell on my bum, hissed a little expletive to get the full attention of the entire store, closed my eyes and waited for the complete house of cards to fall down around me. Miraculously it did not. Just a couple of months ago I was in a small store and heard a little shriek coming from the dressing rooms. A young woman in her bra and underwear fell to the floor, along with the entire set of dressing rooms. I can only imagine how often this happens. I’m quite sure security personnel amuse themselves by taking bets on which ones of us will fall. Consequently, my advice to you is: it’s better to wait for a real dressing room if there’s one available.  Another reason I like Printemps is they typically have a Jacque Desanges hair salon. We usually walk in on a Saturday; make appointments and then shop until it’s time for them. They do a good job and they go out of their way to make me comfortable. It’s also far less expensive than it was to go to the French Salon I frequented in the US. Most malls have a FNAC (Books, CDs, Cameras, PCs, etc.) and an Auchan (a large super market). On a Saturday these stores are usually a complete madhouse so they’re very difficult to get through in a wheelchair. There are many small stores of interest in between. Sephora is one of many make-up and perfume store and Etam is a great place for lingerie, especially for those of us in small sizes!  In many stores if you’re trying on clothes, the clerks will push your chair into your dressing room and offer full assistance if you require it. Recently at Printemps a little girl that couldn’t have been more than 6 walked up to me and greeted me with a “Bonjour Madame” and then offered to push me into the cabine (dressing room). While shopping, we’ve mastered the art of using the wheelchair on escalators. There’s never a picture of a wheelchair on the “Safety Warning” as you get on, although by the time we leave Paris I think there may be one. We’ve been banned from the escalator at one Monoprix (remember it’s not just for groceries)—but in general the French worry far less about liability, so do these things at our own risk. My husband wheels me on with the front wheels slightly up and then rolls me off at the top landing. When we’re going down he backs up with my chair in front of him. Many places in France have what looks like a flat escalator on a steep slope, which we use the same way, although as soon as we get on I have to lock the brakes and as soon as we’re about to get off I release them. At the one Monoprix I think they must have a picture of us up on a wall opposite suspected shoplifters. If we get anywhere near the escalator the security guard smiles and wags his finger in a non gesture and points to the elevator. When we shop in the small stores around Paris there’s almost always at least one step up to get inside. My husband usually tips the wheelchair up or helps me up and then I can walk in with my cane. He then folds the chair and either puts it in a corner inside or leaves it folded outside. We keep an eye on it as we shop and the only problem we’ve ever had is that two men thought it was for sale and wanted to know the price. Be sure to have your name on your chair regardless of what you do with it. A standard American chair will not fit in some doorways and once inside there’s frequently not…
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