"Yes, we came all the way from the United States. How did you guess?" One wore earrings spelling out "U-S-A" above a sequined shirt in the colors of the American flag. The other wore an equally patriotic cap. Marti Fernandez and Karen West had "no time" to chat. The two American friends wanted to "quickly grab some breakfast" near Galeries Lafayette and Printemps on Boulevard Haussmann in Paris. The 72- and 64-year-old from New Mexico planned to then indulge in "two hours of shopping in the area," before heading to a beach volleyball match at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. "Paris hasn't changed much since my last visit. But the city seems less lively, doesn't it?" observed Fernandez.

The Parisian department store district was not flooded with tourists on Monday, July 29, three days after the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Alpine troops and national police officers patrolled the busy boulevard, which welcomes an average of 300,000 visitors a week. On the sidewalks, Olympic delegation representatives could be spotted by their official badges and supporters, often accompanied by their families, by their shirts.

"The area is still quiet," admitted Printemps sales manager Sébastien Saint-Paul, as he sat on the terrace of Regain, one of the restaurants run by the store, which attracts 15 million visitors a year. On the weekend of July 27 and 28, foot traffic at Printemps was slightly below normal summer levels, he noted.

Chinese shoppers still absent

So much so that, in the elevators of Printemps' rival Galeries Lafayette, two sales assistants were" hoping for a quick start, as the Olympics are supposed to be a source of revenue." When questioned, the store's management refused to update its forecasts. At a press conference in June, CEO Nicolas Houzé predicted "a 5% to 10% drop" in business during the Olympic Games.

On the eve of the Games, Parisian retailers were already worried about their sales. Since the beginning of July, customers have been absent from the business district.

In line with government directives issued on February 21, employers have encouraged their employees to work remotely. The aim was to relieve congestion on public transport. "The area has been empty since the beginning of July," said Daniel Machover, a pharmacist at Carré Opéra, which operates four pharmacies in the area. Tourists didn't arrive until the day before the opening ceremony. And since the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, Chinese tourists in particular have remained absent, explained Machover, deploring the loss of customers who used to buy lotions and balms in large quantities. The pharmacist therefore predicted that the summer will not be "great."

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