Today I want to share a little tip for those in the Paris area - if you're ever looking for batteries, phone, camera or computer chargers, don't hesitate to head on down to Pile Expert on rue Delambre near Montparnasse. It's a tiny little shop, but the owner is so friendly & helpful that you won't regret the trip.

We stopped by there this weekend and we had a bit of a wait, but the owner helped pass the time by joking with everyone in the store - from telling one customer that he was open from 10h pile to 18h pile or to telling another client with a wink that he hoped he and his wife would think of him when they used the batteries they'd just bought for his wife's new vibrator (the client was an over-sharer). His prices are also good too - for example, he changes watch batteries for 6€. The woman ahead of me couldn't believe it since last time BHV had charged her 26€!

The first time I'd gone in was, ironically enough, because my bags had been lost (thanks again Delta - btw, still waiting for my 2nd bag to be delivered!!) and I was looking for a charger for my computer since mine was in my suitcase. I knew it was going to be expensive, but I wasn't expecting it to be 90€. So when I explained the situation and that I couldn't really spend that much for a back-up charger, he thought about it and then said "How about if I rent it to you for 10€ a week?". And before I even had a chance to reply, he'd taken a pair of scissors and started cutting the package open. Now how often does that happen in France? So I wasn't really surprised this visit when he said he mostly works by word-of-mouth - and true to form, it was a friend who first told me about him. While we were in there, there were even a few people who'd said that FNAC employees had sent them his way since they didn't have what they needed in stock.

So I'm just trying to do my part to spread the word - it's not that often that you come across a store owner willing to go the extra mile here, and this guy definitely deserves a bit of free publicity.