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Discounted clothing. Levi's jeans, Abercrombie & Fitch polo shirts, Tommy Hilfiger underwear, Converse sneakers... Outlets are commonplace here, offering unbeatable prices all year round on a vast selection of American brands.
Signature sweatshirts. A trip to the USA is the perfect opportunity to return with a sweatshirt stamped with the name of a major university, such as UCLA - University of California, Los Angeles - Stanford, Berkeley... These can usually be found in campus boutiques.
Leather hats and boots. Whether you're at a rodeo or visiting a town immersed in cowboy culture, such as Virginia City, Nevada, there's no shortage of opportunities to buy "Western" pieces in the American West. A temple to the typical Stetson, it also abounds in beautiful belt buckles, sold in more or less authentic boutiques, such as those in Old Town, San Diego.
Sports jerseys. From the Giants to the San Francisco 49ers, not forgetting the Los Angeles Lakers and Anaheim Ducks, baseball, American soccer, basketball and field hockey teams are among the highlights of California: buy the jersey of your favorite player - why not LeBron James?
Turquoise jewelry. Arizona and Nevada are renowned for their abundance of mines. While some have been forced to close, such as Sleeping Beauty - once the largest in the country and one of the largest in the world - the exploitation they underwent can still be seen on many of the pendants, earrings and bracelets on display in boutiques across the Southwest. Commonly associated with Native Americans, turquoise jewelry has been around since the 1880s, when a European salesman persuaded a Navajo craftsman to make one from a piece of silver. Before that, shamans used turquoise in ceremonies to commune with the sky spirit.
Decoration and everyday objects
Antiques". Like ships going back in time, boutiques called "antique stores " specialize in the sale of ancient objects... or not so ancient. After all, we're not talking about items dating back centuries, but everyday objects symbolic of 20th-century America. Star Wars or animal figurines, rosaries, Bibles, pious pictures, tin cans, artificial snow bombs, license plates, typewriters, Coca-Cola bottles, plastic toys, baseball cards, Route 66 signs... These are joyful bric-a-brac where kitschy items rub shoulders with rare pearls, offering a sort of museum of the deep United States, of which the films of our childhood gave us a brief glimpse. In Orange, California, for example, the Old Towne district is well worth a visit for its wealth ofantique stores.
Native American crafts. From finely carved wooden objects to ethnically patterned linens and pottery, the native peoples of the United States create products of excellent quality. These can be found mainly in Arizona, on the outskirts of Navajo, Hopi and Apache reservations - among others - in gas station stores, for example. There are also historic shops such as Cameron Trading Post, near the Grand Canyon, and Cocopah, in Sedona. Although there are no labels to certify the authenticity of these items, you can check their provenance by looking at the label. If they don't, ask the sellers. Know-how also comes at a cost: if the price of the products seems very low, they're probably not authentic.
Movie posters. Some Like It Hot, Pulp Fiction, Jaws, Back to the Future, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Last Jedi... The cradle of Hollywood and the 7th art, California is full of shops whose walls are covered with movie posters, from vintage classics to more recent works. Some are run by true film buffs, delighted to chat with other enthusiasts.
By-products. From national parks such as the Grand Canyon (Arizona) and Arches (Utah), to attractions such as Disneyland Resort in Anaheim and Universal Studios Hollywood in the suburbs of Los Angeles, American souvenir stores are particularly well-stocked. Fine photography books, mugs, maps, pairs of socks, T-shirts and caps litter the shelves of the former. In the latter, you'll find a host of products derived from the theme of the store, from sweatshirts and figurines to objects specific to their universe, such as Star Wars lightsabers and Harry Potter magic wands. The catch: the sometimes exorbitant prices.
Las Vegas souvenirs. A gambling temple with a theme park feel, the city also boasts a large number of souvenir stores. Here you can buy poker sets, dice, chips, shot glasses, magnets, key rings and flashy caps and T-shirts.
Gourmet products
Wine. Although France's contributes to its cultural richness and worldwide renown, it would be a shame to miss out on one of the fine bottles of Californian wine to be found in the evocative Wine Country, north of San Francisco, or in the Central Coast valleys north of Santa Barbara. A bottle of zinfandel, the region's star grape variety, will be a sensation on your return. However, prices are generally higher than in Europe.
Cannabis. Having been legalized for recreational use in California, Nevada and Arizona, cannabis is on sale in numerous dispensaries. Chocolate bars, honey, herbal teas, peanut butter candies, varieties of weed... Some shops, such as MedMen, are veritable delicatessens, with a selection of products that is beyond comprehension, and for which the sales staff are invaluable help. Also, the law is strictly enforced: it's impossible to cross the threshold of a dispensary if you're under 21, even if accompanied. Moreover, it is forbidden to fly with cannabis, regardless of its presentation.
