Some shops in France have a little sign in the window or hanging on the door that says 'Entrée libre'. Anglophones think to themselves 'free entry'!? WTF, it's a shop, of course it's free entry if they want any customers!!
But 'free entry' in the sense of there is no entry fee would be 'entrée gratuite' in French. 'Entrée libre' actually translates as 'enter freely', as in - 'come in, feel free to browse...'. And the implication is that there is no obligation to buy.
It's a hangover from the days when you did not enter a shop unless you had a firm intention to buy something. The shopkeeper would let you in and out usually, and upon entering you would discuss your purchasing requirements with them first, before being shown a selection to choose from on the counter. Or you might have a list, which you handed over and the shopkeeper gathered the items for you. Shops were often set up as a small space with a counter at the front, with all the goods in a storeroom behind.
It started to change in the 1960s, but prior to that the relationship of customer to merchant had hardly changed since medieval times. There was an expectation that you chatted with the shopkeeper, exchanging pleasantries and news. If you wanted to browse you went to the market rather than a shop.
3 comments:
I remember shops in Rouen and Paris in the 1970s where you didn't have entrée libre. You had to ring the bell and wait to be waited opon. No browing. I think entrée libre might mean, more or less, self-service, as in today's supermarkets.
I remember seeing that sign when first in France...but never on a dress shop!
Even though I lived in Paris for several years, I never realized what that meant. Thanks for the explanation.
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