Sales have a rich history dating back to the dawn of modern commerce. It all began in 1830, when a certain Norman by the name of Simon Mannoury arrived in Paris and founded Le Petit Saint Thomas, a cloth and clothing store that was the cradle of all Parisian department stores.
Introducing innovative concepts such as price tags, free movement in the aisles (with no obligation to buy) and even mail order, Mannoury left an indelible mark on the history of commerce. But while his novelty shop was thriving, unsold items were piling up... That's when he came up with the ingenious idea of clearing out the previous season's stock by slashing prices. Thus were born sales.
At this time, Mannoury employed Aristide Boucicaut as head of the shawl department at Petit Saint Thomas, until the store closed for good in 1848. Boucicaut did not give up, and a few years later, in 1852, he and his wife Marguerite founded Au Bon Marché. The visionary couple pioneered many avant-garde sales methods, such as the"Month of White", and popularized the concept of discount sales, elevating sales to cult status.
It wasn't until 1906 that so-called "au déballage" sales were regulated, and in 1962 that the term "sale" as we know it today was definitively adopted, i.e. an occasional price reduction accompanied by brief advertising. Further legislation set the dates for promotions, such as the second Wednesday in January, which still marks the start of the winter sales.
Today, sales remain a cultural tradition, punctuating our year. A frenetic ballet of promotions, private sales and clearance sales, awakening the enthusiasm of bargain hunters with each new season (winter and summer)!
