Last year I confirmed my suspicion that ZARA marks up all its clothes by $5 or more in the US. But today I discovered the full extent of some of those markups. It seemed like a miracle: a classy high-waist black skirt I'd longed for in April was on sale in my size in July (what?!). Marked down from $39.99 to $19.99 ... what a steal!
Until I peeled off the layers of sale labels and discovered that it sold in the EU for 19.95 EUR retail price.
In the years after I returned from Belgium, I waited each year until I traveled to Europe to shop at ZARA. Then I started to think I was being absurd, especially as I now live so close to ZARA in the bay area. But apparently I had it right the first few times around. It also seems absurd that I only shop for shoes on the fourth floor of the Herald Square Macy's in NYC while living on the west coast, but the payoff in stylish comfort shoes that don't hurt my feet makes the whole absurd procedure almost logical.
