La Vallee Village — Attraction in Torcy

The 45 minute bus ride seemed to have given all the shoppers on board just enough time to get themselves ready for the 6 hours or so of shopping. All the stores are setup for a boutique experience at marked down prices with inventory from last year or a few seasons ago, as mandated by French law. Mark down varies but saw several items drop by 50 to 70% off.

Many top brands and mid-range French brands are in this Village which to me is a very pleasant surprise. The usual suspects are well represented tenants of the Village and several popular local brands. You will not be disappointed.

While there are many brands, the property thankfully is not very large. But large enough to keep a happy shopper very busy the whole day.

What i want to share here is the VIP treatment that we got by special invitation to The Apartment. From what i hear, most people dont have time to see this awesome place even if they get an invitation. Certain requirements are needed to qualify access to a high luxe experience. Sweets, light refreshments are available as well as its own powder room. Very tastefully decorated with influence of the English with beautiful appointments and touches of French finds from everywhere, i was told. Manned by Mr Yousseaf, a very efficient Hospitality Manager and dont take his youth too lightly, he has more up his sleeves than meets the eye. Well, as an Asian, these are just some my observations.

Yes : they have bus Service from Rue des Pyramides location in Paris City Vision in the 1st Arrondissement; By the Tuilleries. A bus stop is a few meters away while the Metro stop is quite a distance to walk but doable. The return bus trip early in the evening can take well over an hour.

Yes : they do cash and credit card charge back de taxe but be forewarned, best to queue 1 whole hour before the bus departure as the queue can become long and the process lengthy. There are limited counters ( I think just 4 ) to Service the de taxe process. I know, not enough. Also, please bring your passport to do this.

Yes : 9am bus departs from Paris with return at 4pm and 6:30pm or thereabouts. Please reconfirm directly in their office or website.

Yes : there are many Mainland Chinese shopkeepers as well as French people.

Yes : they accept UnionPay credit cards

Yes : they have a few shops that sell colognes and Parfums like Annick Goutal

Yes : they have an ice cream stand and a cafe or a shop that sells sandwiches and beverages.

Yes : for those qualified, they offer hands free shopping which means you shop and leave items purchased in the store to be delivered and for you to collect in the Welcome Center. But do collect 30 to 45 minutes before the bus leaves. The queue can be long.

For those who are not into shopping, there is a small Gallery of beautiful photographs which we enjoyed when we...

Disappointed by the Handling of My Purchase & Lack of Resolution I normally expect a luxury brand like Prada to uphold high standards in customer experience—but unfortunately, my recent experience at Prada La Vallée Village (France) has been nothing short of disappointing, and for over two months now, there has still been no resolution. While traveling, I purchased a handbag from the store that I believed to be the last available model—a floor display piece. The sales associate told me it was the only bag left and that I could try to exchange it at a Prada store in Florida once I returned home. I trusted this guidance, only to later see another (newer) version of the same bag being placed on display after I purchased mine, which makes me question the truthfulness of what I was told. The bag I was sold was clearly used and dirty, especially the handles. Due to the material, the stains cannot be cleaned, and I noticed the wear only after reaching my hotel, which was an hour away from the store. I tried contacting them immediately after, but received no reply, and was unable to return in person due to international travel. Upon returning to Miami, I went to the Prada outlet as advised—only to be told they couldn’t help me because the purchase was made in France. Since then, I’ve sent multiple follow-ups, and the only update I’ve received was that the store contacted customer service in the U.S., but they’ve heard nothing back since July 27. To summarize: I was sold a floor model bag under misleading information. I was told exchanging in the U.S. was possible, which is apparently false. I was not shown a second bag, contrary to what the store later claimed. The store admitted they’re “confused” and cannot help unless I fly back to France. Despite being told they are “working on a solution,” I’ve received no resolution for over two months. I have not used the bag, and I remain deeply disappointed. I had hoped this could be resolved respectfully and reasonably, but I am now left with a product that was mislabeled, mishandled, and misrepresented—with no meaningful support from Prada. This experience does not reflect the standards I expect from a brand of...

Crazy crowded during black friday sales! Recommended stores: acne studios, versace, loewe, marni Visited but service wasnt great: clarins, ami, stone island, bottega, prada/miumiu Total chaos: maxmara, tommy, armani, maje, sandro

One of the staff at clarins felt a little racist(?) she did still thank us and all but there was no smiles no bon soir au revoir or good evening so it was a little bit of a let down. She also didnt put our tax refund documents into an envelope like everyone else did 🥹not sure if it’s a clarins thing.

On the contrary, the lady at acne studios really went the extra mile as we were trying on clothes. Thoroughly enjoyed the experience! Do check it out if you’re looking for jeans~

Versace was the epitome of personal touch. Due to several reasons, we had to leave the shop and return afterwards. When we went back, the staff at the door greeted us with a “you’re back!” And another staff we briefly spoke with also remembered us. Really appreciate the service from the team.

Loewe lady was very friendly and we had a nice conversation going as she was going to visit our country in the coming year.

Marni lady was very friendly and helped to process our tax refund despite the system running into errors. We had to go back to the store later on but she made sure we sorted out everything before we left.

The shops Iisted under “total chaos” are there because they were simply too crowded. You cannot have a peaceful shopping experience in any of them. Granted, it was black friday, but perhaps with better crowd control the experience could be better.

Tips: Sign up for the la vallee membership and you can get 10% off for participating stores during black friday sales until 2 Dec (iirc) Remember to show the staff your code. None of them asked me if I have the membership so… I lost out on about 40euros of discount :( Some shops have a virtual queue, i.e. ugg. I registered for the queue but it never got to my turn (I was there 9am-645pm) so I’m not sure if it even works...