The best fashion and gift stores French Polynesia

Timetable

The shops are normally open from 7:30 to 11:30 and from 13:30 to 17:00 or 18:00 on weekdays, on Saturday mornings at the same times, and sometimes on Saturday afternoons. Grocery stores, small island shops and supermarkets close later and remain open on Saturday afternoons and even Sunday mornings. On Sunday afternoons and holidays, Papeete is a dead city and you will find almost nothing open. Religious fervour obliges, the islands suffer the same fate.

Budget & Tips

Good news for your shopping budget: tax-free! In French Polynesia, any shopkeeper whose retail sales in the store are subject to VAT can grant his customers the benefit of the tax-free sales regime, under cover of an export sales slip. To benefit from it, you must be at least 15 years old, reside permanently outside French Polynesia, and have been living on Polynesian territory for less than 6 months. This regime concerns all goods with a minimum value of 5,000 CFP per slip, except: goods whose sale has, by their nature or quantity, the character of a commercial supply for the buyer; consumable products (food and beverages, tobacco); goods subject to certain special formalities (including pearls and unmounted precious stones or cultural goods)

You can therefore buy your beads mounted on jewellery, as well as pieces of art handicrafts found at a gallery such as the Ganesha for example, in Papeete.

Another good plan for your pearls: some pearl farms, such as the Havaiki farm in Fakarava, offer pearl lotteries. The concept? You pay a fixed price and "bet" on a closed oyster; the oyster is then opened in front of your eyes, and whatever the value of the pearl it contains, the treasure is yours! Of course, not everyone is lucky, but even if you don't get a beautiful pearl, you will keep a good memory of it.

Also note that since your final destination is outside the European Union, you can benefit from Duty Free (tax-free purchases). Please note that if you are stopping over within the European Union, you will benefit from this at all airports on your outbound trip, but not on your return. For example, for a Paris-London-Papeete flight, you will be able to shop in Duty Free at all three airports on the outbound journey, but only at the Papeete airport on the return journey.

Finally, despite these few good deals, you should know that haggling is not a common practice in French Polynesia, any more than in mainland France. While it is of course possible to ask for a small courtesy discount, prices in the shops are displayed and are paid cash.

What's very local

Tikis, basketry items, cultured pearls, pareo, monoï, vanilla, tifaifai, tapas, shell necklaces, musical instruments (ukulele, toere, etc.); this is only a non-exhaustive list of the artisanal wonders that you will be able to find on the spot!

Tourist traps

This is fair enough, but be aware that luxury hotel shops are bound to charge higher rates than local craft shops.