My husband is in Paris this week and learned just hours after it happened that the Chanel fine jewelry boutique on Avenue Montaigne was vandalized! (more details on WWD). It is separate from the RTW/Accessories location that is a few blocks down as our Boppers may know. Three masked men with pump-action rifles entered the store in broad daylight at the lunch hour and smashed the outside windows for the items in there as well as many pieces inside from the cases. Chanel employees declined to reveal the full amount taken but the French police estimated “in the hundred of thousands of Euros.” The men were still at large after escaping in a getaway vehicle driven by a fourth man. At the end of April, the RTW/Accessories boutique down the way had been hit with two men who rammed their SUV into the doors and escaped with $300k worth of merchandise on scooters after torching their vehicle.
I was so devastated after he texted me this and it felt so real – he had been out shopping all this week, too! We also had a smash and grab at my local Chanel here in Dallas on MLK Day at 6am and it was awful. Our beautiful Chanel is on the corner of the nicest zip code in Dallas and across from the country club so it was incredibly brazen – they smashed a van into a side window display to gain access and then abandoned it for another getaway car. Luckily, those individuals were all apprehended in that case. Things like this seem personal to all of us who are fashion lovers and shoppers who appreciate these amazing pieces our favorite brands create! It is also quite unnerving for travelers who go to Europe or big cities to score a coveted piece!
Have any of YOU ever felt unsafe shopping abroad or have a story to share regarding shoplifters? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Picture courtesy The Guardian http://www.theguardian.com/us
- Sapphiresandscotch posted 9 years ago
- last edited 9 years ago
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I was in Paris in the first two weeks of May, since the attacks from last year I have experienced something new when in Paris.
When you enter the stores ( Galeries Lafaytte, Chanel, Hermes, Dior and YSL for example) the security guys on the front door kindly ask the entering customers to open their handbags and also check their shopping bags..
At first I was a little anoid with this, but then it got me thinking that is really necessary, cause you might never know..
I was staying at Mandarin Oriental and also there they were asking for the guests to kindly help with the security check..
Its very sad to see where our world is going..
- I.BAG.U replied 9 years ago
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I was just there ,the last time I visited that place is Tuesday , just came back yesterday .
- Jenniefer replied 9 years ago
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Yes, hubs said its quiet this week bc it’s Pentecost holiday week?! A lot of small local things are closed until Monday apparently. And yes, that plane disappearing is just awful as well. I feel bad for all the poor employees and possible customers that were inside! Traumatic. I have too many shoplifting stories I’ve been privy to even think about typing them all on here, unfortunately. ? Let’s just stay positive and keep the industry going by buying things! ????
- Sapphiresandscotch replied 9 years ago
- last edited 9 years ago
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Sapphiresandscotch thanks for reporting, let’s get this NEWS out to our readers. I really wonder what effect yet another negative event is going to have on tourism and the already struggling LUXURY sector. Especially today after the Egypt Airlines bombing of the flight that left Charles De Gaulle today too ? When I was in Paris in Jan it was so quiet and now as tourist season is fast approaching these events are happening again.
- Pursebop replied 9 years ago
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