Jump Forward: SALDI !!!!!!!!

This past Saturday I actually got up at a reasonable hour and after some reading ( thanks to my friend Sharon, the bookworm, syncing my Kindle to hers) I headed downtown to the main Piazzas, Repubblica & Signoria and the streets that surround them. It's  really only a 10 minute walk from where I live, and not really DOWNTOWN But that's how the NY'er in me refers to it. Well I should have known better because it was first day of .............

which translates to BIG, BIG sales!!

Now, as Americans, we are used to the sale and quite frankly it's not all that special. After all we have a gazillion sales a year in the U.S. We have New Year's Day Sales, President's Day Sales, Valentine's Day Sales, Easter Sales, Mother's and Father's Day Sales. We have Graduation Sales and Start of Summer Sales, Memorial and Labor Day Sales. We have Back to School Sales , Halloween Sales, Before, During and After Thanksgiving Sales as well as Before, During and After X-Mas Sales!!!! AND we have the mother of all sales the MACY"S ONE DAY SALES!!!!! YAY Once a month at least!

It's ridiculous! Really, look at that list! 

Well, the Europeans are not so lucky, for they have only TWO, count em TWO sales per year. That's it! In Italy and across most of Europe the sales which go by a myriad of names are in January and July.
Saldi, Soldi, Rebajas, Soldes whatever you call it, in which ever country in Europe it's the SALES! And they are HUGE!

They run for about a month starting with 30-50% discounts and as the weeks go on discounts of up to 70%. Thing is as weeks go on all the good stuff goes, so the real shoppers get out there day one.On Saturday, in every shop window across Florence signs SCONTO. 50%!!! It was an absolute madhouse! Locals and tourists alike mobbing the shops, lines reminiscent of Balck Friday in the States. The scene at Zara was like the running of the bulls. H & M looked like Filene's Basement in Boston during the running of the brides!!

It was Chaos. With the Euro at 1.45 and I being paid in dollars, I did not shop, I just sit on the bench eating my cafe gelato watching the madness . Here's the thing, I totally get it, can you really blame them, TWO SALES A YEAR! TWO! They have to wait FIVE months between sales.

Here's the kicker it's not just the ladies because Italian men for the most part, get ready, LOVE SHOPPING!!! Not all I'm sure, but a lot of them!! They don't just stand by impatient and miserably holding the purchases of their female counterparts, they get right in the arena. Yes they do! Unlike their American brother who for the most part would rather poke their own eye out than spend a day clothes and shoe shopping ,the majority of Italian men really enjoy it. Imagine a world where on any given Saturday your husband or boyfriend says," come on honey ,I really want to go clothes shopping today." Well there is such a place, it's called Italy ;)