Many of them came to sniff out a good deal, a few days after Christmas. This is obviously too much. After announcing a clearance sale before its final closure scheduled for mid-January, the Fnac on the Champs Elysées, in Paris, was a victim of its success this Friday, January 3.
The store was in fact forced to close its doors just after opening, overwhelmed by the influx of curious people. Several thousand customers therefore braked this Friday, sometimes for several hours. The queue stretched for hundreds of meters, spilling onto Rue de la Boétie, adjacent to the avenue.
“It was an opportunity to give yourself one last Christmas present”
“I was behind the avenue, I couldn't see the entrance to the store because of the crowd,” says Martin, an 18-year-old student who came specially from Villiers-sur-Marne (Val-de-Marne). at 9:50 a.m. to try to buy a drone at a knockdown price. It was an opportunity to give ourselves one last Christmas present, but maybe there is still hope. Like him, a few dozen customers waited until after noon for a Christmas miracle. And this despite the signs indicating the closure of the store and the presence of the police.
“I think it will reopen today [vendredi]. It’s intriguing, there’s too much security for it not to reopen,” says William, 36, who came from Saint-Denis to chase the cameras. Same state of mind with Grace, originally from Champigny-sur-Marne (Val-de-Marne). “We stay ahead, you never know,” slips the young business student, looking for new airpods. One of his friends went to buy products at reduced prices, with the idea of reselling them.
“A little ashamed to have waited 4 hours”
Before disappearing, a police officer announces a possible reopening… Monday morning. “If people were able to come back, half of the items must have been sold, but we will still come back,” say Tom and Emma, from Aulnay-sous-Bois (Seine-Saint-Denis).
Clearance must continue until January 12, before closing. In March 2024, the Fnac Darty group announced its departure from Avenue des Champs Elysées after twenty-seven years of presence, justifying its decision by a store suffering from a heavy deficit.
Contacted by 20 minutesFnac has not yet announced an official date for the reopening of this sale. Earlier in the morning, after 15 minutes of opening, a manager indicated a reopening on Monday in front of the crowd of customers, noted AFP.
Around 2 p.m., after the police left, the customers dispersed peacefully. Martin, for his part, remains camped on the fence, not yet resigned, while being aware of the limits of his approach. “Really, it’s a bit of a shame to have waited 4 hours in the cold for nothing,” breathes the student, who is resuming classes and will not be able to return on Monday in the event of reopening.
The tourists wonder what is happening as they move forward. A few steps away, a street singer covers the ambient noise of the avenue with the great hits of Adèle's classics, the sound system at full blast. “Do you know when it opens? », repeat the newcomers tirelessly, mingling with the last disappointed ones.
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