Customer Service and Boobs (or how I spent my afternoon)
Posted on 11. Feb, 2009 by Deb in Just.....Me, Just...Golf
I spent my morning on the golf course and have some thoughts about my play (as always) some thoughts on “golf etiquette” and some thoughts on being a woman playing golf when 98% of the other players are men. But that will wait til later.
Instead, I wanted to talk about Boobs. Not that I don’t think about my own boobs when I play golf because that is a difference in a woman’s swing and a man’s swing: keeping my arms straight as I swing. There is golf talk on that subject. But my afternoon was spent in the attempt to buy bras for my oldest daughter. And Close Encounters of the Customer Service Kind.
Let me start by saying that all of the females who are related to me by blood are above average in the upper portions. Blessed, some would say, cursed my youngest would say. I won’t embarrass them by posting their bra-size here, but just know that the girls are both larger than DD. They get it naturally. Even when I am thinner, I am top heavy. The last bra I purchased was a 36G which is what started me on this thought of customer service last week when I made my purchase, and brought to the forefront when I took the oldest shopping today.
I have two places I prefer to go when I go bra shopping. Nordstroms is the first choice and Neiman Marcus is the second choice.
Believe me when I say that it has taken me a long time to come to terms with the need to shop at what is considered a high-end retail store for a piece of clothing that is mostly seen by me, myself and I. I am the consummate bargain shopper and though I love nice things, I prefer to pay as little as possible for said things. I believe that women should wear beautiful lingerie. It’s an indulgence that is for yourself, and especially moms tend to indulge on everyone but themselves. But stores like Target have beautiful things – in a C or D Cup. When you are larger than a D, it is very hard to find something that fits, let alone something that is attractive. No teenager wants to wear a bra that looks like a Grandma bra. Even more embarrassing is having you MOTHER in the dressing room looking at your boobs (that you are not yet comfortable having because of their proportion in comparison to your peers).
Nordstroms and Neimans still has something that most stores have not had in years: Customer Service. Yes, I know, a rare concept in retail today. But the people that work at these places actually want to HELP the customers. And on top of helping customers, they know all about the products in their area – be it shoes, or cosmetics, or bras.
When you walk into the store, you are greeted and you are asked if you are finding what you need. When you walk into the lingerie department, especially with a teenager in tow, you and the teenager are treated with kid gloves. Every time you buy bras, it’s a good idea to be fitted again. I lost a mere 10 lbs and I changed from a 38FF to a 36G. You are whisked into the dressing room, and the teenager is measured. The sales person asks you what type of bra you are looking for (smooth cup, lacey, black, white, fun colored, etc).
Then the sales person allows you to stay in the dressing room while she digs through all the sizes until she pulls items for you to try on. She then looks at each one you try on, adjusts straps, checks the fit. If it fits, she tells you. If it doesn’t fit, she tells you and searches for something that does. Sometimes, you find something you love. Sometimes, you are unable to find something you can live with. No matter what, the sales person stays upbeat and kind. When you leave, she gives you her card to call in case you need something. When you are larger than average, finding a bra that fits, that looks attractive, that is comfortable and makes you feel attractive is exhausting. Digging through stacks of bras ranging from a 32A to a 44H is daunting. For a store to have a sales person that knows how all the different brands fit as well as how to properly fit you, will dig through the volume of bras in the store and bring them to you so that you don’t have to re-dress every time what you have picked doesn’t work? It’s a true God-send.
And when one of the kids is in tears because she is so much larger than her peers, these wonderful saleswomen are able to find words that sooth. Now THAT, is priceless. It’s priceless.
My ex-husband complained when I told him the youngest and I were going to Nordstroms this fall so I could buy her some new bras. He told me she didn’t need anything from a Hoity Toity store. But how the hell else am I going to get a 13-year-old properly fit when she is larger than a DD and has a band size less than a 36? Should I force her into bras that don’t really fit her? Or can I take her to a place where they will help us? I chose to do what was less traumatic for a stressful situation.
I bought my last bra at Neiman Marcus. I happened to be in the store when the rep from Fantasie was there. I tried on every single bra they carried that was available in my size. Today, we bought the oldest bras at Nordstroms. We got fabulous customer service.
And left with bras that really fit.