Standard Question: How do the French afford these prices?

If my experience with visiting American is normal one of the
most often ask questions is about how the French can afford "these prices"?

I don`t know, I have live here non-stop for 30 years and the prices long
looked normal to me, having adjusted to them.

What one can say is that France of today is not the France when
we came for a year here in `65-66. Prices rose quite
a bit since then, the price of a meal at the Tour d'Argent was
a 100 francs or so, and the price of lunch at the little habitué
restaurant I ate at near the lab was 6 or so francs. Today that
would be 60 or so Francs for the same meal, 10 fold increase and
a meal at the Tour d'Argent might be 1000 francs. Except that now
we talk about euros.

Generally, also, incomes in France have been rising in all categories.

In fact, Saturday`s Le Parisien had an article on Saturday with the
title that incomes had risen 10% from 1996 to 2001. However, they
had increased more for the lowest level, 16% than the middle level
incomes, 8%. The highest incomes had increased 13%.

I looked at the corresponding US figures and came up with 5%
for the lowest 20% and 15% for the top group. So in this sense
the French poor did better, slightly, that the French rich and
even the American rich. The logical trap of that argument is that
16% on a $10,000 a years income is $1,600 but 15% on a $100,000 is
$15,000. In fact the top 5% family in the US, average, went from $226,000
to $260,000 in this period. The lowest 20% went from $9700 to $10,100.

(http://www.census.gov/hhes/income/histinc/h03.html second table
for inflation correction)

INSEE figures are more difficult to figure out since they calculate
the "standard of living", which is the family income divided by a
factor factor which takes into account family size (a family of two
adults is 1.4 people). Whatever, the French do seem to be pushing
up lower incomes faster than the average.

Earl

Earl Evleth wrote:

If my experience with visiting American is normal one of the
most often ask questions is about how the French can afford "these prices"?

I don`t know, I have live here non-stop for 30 years and the prices long
looked normal to me, having adjusted to them.

Paris is expensive? As a visitor, I find it cheaper, on the whole, than
a lot of the UK- certainly quite a bit cheaper than London. I take it
you've never holiday-ed in Norway?

David

--
David Horne- (website under reconstruction)
davidhorne (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk

In article , Earl Evleth
wrote:

If my experience with visiting American is normal one of the
most often ask questions is about how the French can afford "these prices"?

I don`t know, I have live here non-stop for 30 years and the prices long
looked normal to me, having adjusted to them.

What one can say is that France of today is not the France when
we came for a year here in `65-66. Prices rose quite
a bit since then, the price of a meal at the Tour d'Argent was
a 100 francs or so, and the price of lunch at the little habitué
restaurant I ate at near the lab was 6 or so francs. Today that
would be 60 or so Francs for the same meal, 10 fold increase and
a meal at the Tour d'Argent might be 1000 francs. Except that now
we talk about euros.

Generally, also, incomes in France have been rising in all categories.

In fact, Saturday`s Le Parisien had an article on Saturday with the
title that incomes had risen 10% from 1996 to 2001. However, they
had increased more for the lowest level, 16% than the middle level
incomes, 8%. The highest incomes had increased 13%.

I looked at the corresponding US figures and came up with 5%
for the lowest 20% and 15% for the top group. So in this sense
the French poor did better, slightly, that the French rich and
even the American rich. The logical trap of that argument is that
16% on a $10,000 a years income is $1,600 but 15% on a $100,000 is
$15,000. In fact the top 5% family in the US, average, went from $226,000
to $260,000 in this period. The lowest 20% went from $9700 to $10,100.

(http://www.census.gov/hhes/income/histinc/h03.html second table
for inflation correction)

INSEE figures are more difficult to figure out since they calculate
the "standard of living", which is the family income divided by a
factor factor which takes into account family size (a family of two
adults is 1.4 people). Whatever, the French do seem to be pushing
up lower incomes faster than the average.

Earl

Let me guess, your only interaction with a payroll check is the
endorsement on the back ?

As the Rand Corp, and many, many others have shown, those earning
around $13K actually have audited expenditures closer to $17k.

When you have a progressive tax, you encourage underground economies.
It is not only over shore accounts that seek to elude the tax man.

jay
Wed Feb 18, 2004

"Earl Evleth" wrote in message
...


If my experience with visiting American is normal one of the
most often ask questions is about how the French can afford "these
prices"?

I don`t know, I have live here non-stop for 30 years and the prices long
looked normal to me, having adjusted to them.

What one can say is that France of today is not the France when
we came for a year here in `65-66. Prices rose quite
a bit since then, the price of a meal at the Tour d'Argent was
a 100 francs or so, and the price of lunch at the little habitué
restaurant I ate at near the lab was 6 or so francs. Today that
would be 60 or so Francs for the same meal, 10 fold increase and
a meal at the Tour d'Argent might be 1000 francs. Except that now
we talk about euros.

I've no idea what "Tour d'Argent" does for it's money, but my guess
is that "normal" people do not go there for lunch. It's just like in
London, you can go to one of those places owned by some celebrity
chef that charges 49.99 for lunch, or you can go to a normal place that
charges nearer 9.99. Get it right and the 9.99 version can be better
than the 49.99 place - people lity City Dealers go there to be seen to
be able to afford it, not because it is guarenteed to be good.

tim

tim writes:

I've no idea what "Tour d'Argent" does for it's money, but my guess
is that "normal" people do not go there for lunch.

I've actually been there for lunch. It wasn't worth $900. The food is
pretty good, but not good enough to justify the price; the service is a
bit too good (they even tried to follow me to the restroom), but that
alone can't justify the bill.

In Paris, you get the best bang for the buck by going to
moderately-priced restaurants. The handful of very famous restaurants
are overpriced. Food can only get so good, no matter how much you pay.

It's just like in
London, you can go to one of those places owned by some celebrity
chef that charges 49.99 for lunch, or you can go to a normal place that
charges nearer 9.99. Get it right and the 9.99 version can be better
than the 49.99 place - people lity City Dealers go there to be seen to
be able to afford it, not because it is guarenteed to be good.

Exactly.

--
Transpose hotmail and mxsmanic in my e-mail address to reach me directly.

In article , Mxsmanic
wrote:

tim writes:

I've no idea what "Tour d'Argent" does for it's money, but my guess
is that "normal" people do not go there for lunch.

I've actually been there for lunch. It wasn't worth $900. The food is
pretty good, but not good enough to justify the price; the service is a
bit too good (they even tried to follow me to the restroom), but that
alone can't justify the bill.

My goodness - I really can't think of when any meal can possibly be
worth 900 bucks, unless that's a group total...

In Paris, you get the best bang for the buck by going to
moderately-priced restaurants. The handful of very famous restaurants
are overpriced. Food can only get so good, no matter how much you pay.

Must agree. Though it takes a bit of searching to find these cheaper
restaurants with good food. Most of the places around tourist
attractions are hopelessly overpriced...Of course, these are probably
not places that the locals go to.

-Vicky

....I think they followed you into the bathroom to make sure you weren't
going to dine'n'dash...g

Tim K

"Mxsmanic" wrote in message
news
tim writes:

I've no idea what "Tour d'Argent" does for it's money, but my guess
is that "normal" people do not go there for lunch.

I've actually been there for lunch. It wasn't worth $900. The food
is
pretty good, but not good enough to justify the price; the service is
a
bit too good (they even tried to follow me to the restroom), but that
alone can't justify the bill.

Vicky writes:

My goodness - I really can't think of when any meal can possibly be
worth 900 bucks, unless that's a group total...

It was for three people. But no meal is worth $300, either.

--
Transpose hotmail and mxsmanic in my e-mail address to reach me directly.

Tim Kroesen writes:

...I think they followed you into the bathroom to make sure you weren't
going to dine'n'dash...g

I agree. I was in jeans and a polo shirt with hiking boots, and I think
that made them nervous.

--
Transpose hotmail and mxsmanic in my e-mail address to reach me directly.

On Thu, 19 Feb 2004 07:49:11 +0100, Mxsmanic
wrote:


I've actually been there for lunch. It wasn't worth $900.

Hey was that $900 per person, for a group, or for a 1 week voucher?