Women's Shopping Habits!?!?!
 

Question to all the women on GC.

1. Why do women try on the whole store and buy nothing? Anyone in retail knows what Im talking about. Its very frustrating to perfect fold a table of sweaters, or size a denim wall and have it destroyed. IMO, I can tell you what jean will look best on you than having you try on all umpteenbillion (sp) fits. So lets hear it.

To many people I know, shopping is like therapy--they just go for the experience, not necessarily to walk out with anything. My marketing professor used to tell us that women shop and men buy. I've been told I shop like a man because I like to know what I want before I go into a store, get it, and then leave. No need to make an all-day affair of it (unless, of course, it's a thrift store and then you have to hunt through all the racks if you want to find anything special). But my mom and my friends are totally different...they just enjoy browsing, and they really hate salespeople who try to tell them what looks good on them so that they will make a purchase and get out. ;)

I tend to try on a lot of clothes with full intentions of buying, but sometimes most of them don't fit me right. If at the end of a shopping day, I don't have a bag in my hand, I'll usually make an impulse buy just so I leave with something. And I've worked in retail so I know what you mean about people messing up all the racks.

like I understand if the clothes dont fit, but when women enter the fitting room with 8 pairs of jeans and like 6-7 tops I think its a litte excessive.

Achtung Im with you men are more effecient shoppers. We dont waste time, we know what we want, we get it, and we leave.

Re: Women's Shopping Habits!?!?!
 

Lately, shopping has been frustrating to me. I have a small waist, but have big hips, therefore, I am forced to try on every skirt, dress, or pair of pants/jeans that I like, with only a 50% success rate. :( :(

Shopping is just FUN. When girls and women shop together, it's a total bonding experience (as cheesy as it may sound). When we shop alone, it's often because we're bored or stressed out, or simply because there's something we MUST have right away.
We also shop so we can make lists of things we would LIKE to have when we get more money.

Personally, I am a very picky spender most of the time, simply because I like to make sure that it's something that really looks good on me and that I'll get a lot of use out of. I tend to be more spontaneous with non-clothing items (decor & such), and I will often buy things just because they're "sooo cute" and I "HAVE to have them".

As embarassing as this is, I admit that I'm a serial returner/exchanger - especially at Wal-Mart. They will take back pretty much anything, but I DO have my morals about it. I'm not going to return something that I have obviously used a lot or had for a really long time. Most of the time if I return something it's within a few days of the purchase, and because I honestly had no business buying it in the first place, or because it wasn't the right thing/didn't work.

When I used to do a lot of shopping, I would usually try on nothing and buy everything. Actually, I did and do most of my shopping on line. :)

If you're spending your hard-earned money, why not make sure everything looks and fits perfectly (even if that means trying on 6 pairs of jeans and 8 tops)? If something gets an "it's ok" reaction from me, I don't buy it.

I hate shopping, but love buying things...I thank heavens for the internet for this very purpose!

Working in retail myself i so feel your pain. And it is clear that women are the problem over men...takes 2 mins to clean the men's side and 2 hours for the women's.
My favorite is we have people stationed by the denim to help customers and when you ask "what size can i get you?" they say "oh im just looking" then not a min later they proceec to unfold and jumble up every pair they can....even though the same jeans are hanging right there in plain view....i just dont get it. I dont come to thier office and rearrange it all but they dont care!

Sometimes i'll have to try on 10 pairs of jeans before I find the ones that fit right and that are long enough (i'm only 5'7 but i have to buy long sizes). I've had salespeople tell me what jeans to buy -oh those will be long enough, oh it'll be so flattering.
Meanwhile, after I try on their recommendations, i'll end up looking like a sausage in capri (not normal like i'm looking for) jeans. Ugh... i had this guy in the Gap bring me this silk halter top in an ugly paisley and he kept on saying how great it would look on me. It looked horrible! And the material was too thin to wear a bra with, and without a bra everything would show. Sorry to rant, i have issues with some salespeople. Sometimes I just want to be left alone to do my thing!

And just because someone works in a store doesn't mean they can tell sizes and what will look good on someone. Some 16 year old working at Express isn't going to have a clue what would be flattering on me. Matt- you might have that gift, but customers don't know that, and sure aren't used to it :)

I'll take their advice if it's about different outfits- what matches or looks good together. Sometimes they'll know of a shirt that I missed somewhere, etc. But usually I think they're just being pushy trying to get me to buy more (which, admittedly, is their job) and that just annoys me sometimes.

I dont think Im that talented with womens clothing, but I can tell women not to try on slim fit jeans if they are very shapely, or a very slender person to buy stretch boot cut. My point was it takes a lot of effort and time to make the store "beautious" and women and men (more so women) can destroy it in 5 minutes. So the next time you are shopping be mindful.

I b!tch out my mom if she even so much as puts stuff on the hanger wrong when we go shopping.

I worked at TJ Maxx for 3 years. Each of the departments is just as big, if not bigger, than a mall store. Talk about a pain in the butt to straighten! And just because our stuff is cheaper than the department stores, doesn't mean you can throw it everywhere. And you'd be the only person in your department usually, so you didn't have any help- you were responsible for a huge area on your own.

I feel the neatness pain. But sometimes I would've killed for a mall store job- one the size of just one of our departments with several people staffing. TJ's paid more though.... mall jobs in my area paid crap.

I don't shop for therapy. I shop when I need to buy clothes. Sometimes a certain size fits me perfectly. Sometimes I have to try on multiple outfits before I find the one that is right. I have been pretty lucky lately. I tried on five bathing suits and bought three, two dresses and bought one, and three pairs of jeans and bought two. When I find a brand, style, and size that fits, I usually stick with it. I can buy an article of clothing in a few different colors.

i don't think it's a habit
it's more about being comfortable
for formal, i tried on 33 dresses
i ended up not even going because i felt so uncomfortable with my arms
and the dresses that they have these days showcase the arms


and sorry, but i'm not an outfit repeater

I HATE trying on clothes. I'm a wham-bam-thank you ma'am when it comes to shopping. I know what I want, I find it, know where I can get a better deal if it's not on sale, and buy it...

I guess I'm that way because I've worked in mall retail for over 4 years :(

Ditto that. I'm six foot, and can't ever find anything that fits! Trial and error is truly the only thing that works with me.

I also am paranoid, because you can tell that people in some stores work off of commission, and they WILL NOT LEAVE YOU ALONE, especially if you've asked them for help once.

Not to mention, in my experience, salespeople always guess my size wrong. Like not even remotely close. I wear a ten, and people have guessed a five on more than one occasion. I think t's my height that throws them off.

That said, I try to only get a couple of sizes of the same style at once, and try to leave racks as I found them. (Unfortunately, I can't always fold stuff right.)

Matt I'm so sorry you've seen the worst of our lot! My problem w/ shopping is that I'm short, thin, but yet curvy. It's so hard to gauge what brand will fit me best. At the Gap I wear 2's and XS/S but at Express my dress size runs up to a 7/8. I do think about people like you though; I always hang it back up on the hanger neatly and put it right back where I found it. :)

My store is having the largest sale in our history, so I am going to discuss some pet peeves I'm having with some of our "charming" customers.

1) Women who take (no joke!) over 40 items into the fitting room, come out saying that nothing fit, and then you go into the fitting room and find clothes everywhere. We have a fitting room wardrober for just this reason! Give the clothes to them!

2) Women who snap at you when you ask them how they're doing, what they're shopping for today, etc...then at the wrap desk when you ask them "And who was helping you today?" say "Nobody!" in a really exasperated tone of voice and usually either sigh or glare at you.

3) Women who pick up a shirt from a table you are board-folding, decide they don't want it, and when you say "Here ma'am, let me take that from you" instead refold it themself (in the incorrect way) and shove it in the middle of the pile.

4) Women who stuff themselves into clothes that don't fit! You're a 6, not a 0. You're a 12, not a 6. Don't complain that we have no pants that fit you when it's your fault for not admitting what size you are. We have pants that fit everyone!!!!

:sighs:

I feel better now. :)

It often takes me 6 pairs of jeans to find one that fits right. I end up going into the dressing room with the size I wear, and both the size above and the size below, in both an average length and a tall length. Since it seems every dang clothes maker sizes everything differently, any one of those 6 pairs could be what fits me best.

I think a lot of the trial-and-error of finding the right clothes, and cutting down on the amount of time it takes to shop could be reduced if women's clothes were sized the same way as mens. Then you just need to know your measurements, and can pick out the right size pair to try on right of the bat.

I'm addicted to internet shopping. I have m measurements, I know what my favorite brands and designers are and how their clothes fit me so that's all I need.

NYC is not a mall place anyway- I only hit the stores if I want something special that needs a more tailored fit, or if I want something funky that I KNOW no one else will have.

That would be nice, but there's so much vanity sizing about that I doubt that would work.
My size also varies on who makes it and the cut. For instance, many European lines' skirts and pants don't work on me at all. I've got a sizable gluteus maximus gigas and thick thighs. On the other hand, Ellen Tracy and Dana Buchman work beautifully for this pear-shaped body.

But on topic, man. Shopping is my thing and has been since I was 18, when my folx gave me $300 and said buy my fall wardrobe at USC. I'm a great ferreter of bridge/designer gear for low prices.
:D

THis is true. You've always got the hook up, lol! :D

If I turn into a shopaholic one day it is so on you Soror!

Steeltrap is a bad influence on all of us shoppers!!! :p :p

How's this for embarrassing? I've transferred into a new job recently where I must be professionally dressed at all times--suit, hose, heels, etc. So I've been wanting to find a few new suits. Last week, I went shopping and didn't find anything I was crazy about, although I did find one really cute brown pinstripe pants suit.

I get home on Wednesday night, and I find piles of garment bags on the bed. I asked greeklawboy, "What the heck is this?" And he says, "Oh, I was in the department store and I knew you were looking for suits. I liked these and I thought that you should try them on."

He bought seven suits--and here is the kicker: they ALL looked GREAT. Seriously, each one just got progressively better.

My husband knows how to dress me better that I know how to dress myself. I think he would have a great career in personal shopping if he ever chose to do that, lol. After all, this is L.A. :cool:

I NEATLY try o nclothes for fun. But since I've worked in retail for quite some time, I am quite a perfectionist at putting stuff away the way Ifound it!

Usually on my rare occasions to shop without the children, just for ME, I have a limited amount of time. I'll usually go through and pick out everything I like and want to try on. I only want to go into the dressing room once! Of course, everything does not work or look right. I only end up buying what looks absolutely great and fits perfectly. The places where I normally shop know when I am able to get there, I plan to spend some money, so they usually work with me on making sure I get the "big" dressing room, and checking in to see if I need a different size! I'm sure it is a pain for them, but hopefully the commission is worth it!