Lighthearted thread! Clothes shopping has become a PITA! Shakes fist at Covid!

[LucyTamedOgres]

Lighthearted thread as I know Covid has brought serious heartache to thousands of people and my heart really does go out to all effected.

Just throwing this out there though!

I can try on shoes but can’t try on trousers or skirts. Tops I absolutely understand, especially ones you have to put over your head but why not the bottom half? Why not button up tops? Why not coats and jackets? Have read (albeit briefly) that Covid does not survive well on soft surfaces, so I’m more likely to pick up a can of beans, that a previous shopper decided they didn’t want, and possibly come into contact with Covid than on a soft T-shirt? Actually more likely to come into contact trying on shoes due to the hard surface!

Won’t more and more people shop online rather than the high street, as it’s such a massive inconvenience returning everything, then Sale items are only given a 14 day return window. Will this be the end of many high street clothes shops?

The only shops I have tried are M&S and Asda, are all shops adopting this approach?

Again, this is lighthearted. Just wondered how you all felt about it! I did have success yesterday though, returned a top to M&S and managed to buy 3 T-shirts, which when tried on at home, actually fit! The dresses though have all gone back!

Yeh all shops have the same approach

You’re right. This is another nail in the high street’s coffin. Everything’s been bought online in this house since March.

Can you imagine trying to sanitise every fitting room on a busy Saturday afternoon before the next customer goes in?

It's rubbish, isn't it? I went for the first time the other week, bought things I was pretty confident would fit and took them all to the loo to try on before I went home. Otherwise it's a train journey to return. And I didn't feel like I could try multiple sizes like I normally would. It was all boring, practical stuff, not sure when I'll feel like I can go dress shopping again. I was never an online clothes shopper because I try on lots.
Hate this virus, reason #5316

I was able to to try on clothes in a shop last weekend. I think it was the only one in town though

I’m screwed and I bet so are a lot of people

I need new work trousers. Not sure if my size though and I can’t afford to buy several pairs to take home, try them on and then take them back.

It’s a cost I can’t afford to pay

I don’t understand why they’d have to sanitise the changing rooms though?

I was at the hospital yesterday. Multiple people using the toilet, same in a pub. These don’t have to be sanitised after every use?

As long as there’s hand sanitiser used before entering & then exiting the changing rooms, alongside mask wearing, what’s the difference?

It's stopped me buying clothes.

I'm a funny shape (top heavy, long-waisted,chunky legs, arse a bit on the scrawny side) so often end up trying 3 sizes on before I find which fits (or that none do lol). There's no way I'm buying 2 or 3 sizes of things just to take them back.

We have very limited clothes shops in the small town I live and I have a 10 mile trip to a hellishly busy city or a 20 mile trip to another town, too, which makes taking stuff back even more of a hassle.

It's saved me loads of money and I've realised how many I clothes I own that I hardly ever wear.

But we can all try multiple pairs of shoes on?

Dead easy

Shop online

Another loss for the High Street

we can't try on clothes or return them

I’ve only been in one clothes shop since March - Oliver Bonas, where I actually went to buy a card. I saw a dress in the sale I liked, couldn’t try it on, so didn’t bother buying it. This week I had a look online and saw it had been reduced further, so I snapped it up.

Shopping used to be a bit of a leisure activity for me, usually coupled with a nice lunch with a friend, then a glass of wine later on. I’m happy to shop online, but I definitely miss the fun aspect of a browse on a Saturday afternoon, or a lunchtime wander round Topshop.

It’s quite a funny sight seeing a load of shoppers trying on clothes in the John Lewis carpark before taking them back in for a refund!

Im hoping i don't have to go anywhere that needs nice clothes for a while. My shape doesn't always fit for off the peg clothes, regardless of size - nothing more disappointing than doing an online clothes shop and sending every single thing back! Trying on clothes in a shop is the only realistic way for me to buy clothes so without having that option I'm stuck!

I work in a clothes shop that won't open the fitting rooms. I had a brilliant (I thought) idea. Un furlough me and a few others who are desperate to go back in and start earning 100% of our wages. One of us could stand on the fitting room and guide the customers in then sort out the unwanted items. Another one of us could be waiting with the cleaning equipment and as soon as the customer left the fitting room it would be thoroughly cleaned ready for the next person. Then there would be a third member of staff who would collect all the unwanted clothes, take them out the back and give them a steam clean with the industrial steam cleaners that we already have in store.

Win win. The customers can try on so buy more from us because other retailers are not opening fitting rooms. Customers happy. Staff happy to be back and earning. Business happy because they are selling more and processing less returns. They can also apply for the grant or whatever it is that they can claim from the government for un furloughing staff. People are not having to return on public transport to get refunds so helping with the spread of Covid. I thought it was genius!

The company had a different idea. They told me on Friday that they are making me redundant.

@Debinaround do you work for Debenhams?!

I cant understand why they haven't started to put the size in inches on everything instead of insisting we all guess what they mean by ''size 14''.

@Debinaround so sorry you’ve been made redundant

Yes it's a total pain. I very rarely go in to the city, usually every couple of months. I bought some clothes that don't fit and obviously couldn't try them on. I've now got to go back to the shops to return them within 28 days.
It's definitely put me off high street shopping in my local city. As much as I'll miss Primark, I'm going to stick to online shopping for a while.

Yep, it’s stopped me buying clothes too. I rarely buy clothes online and I HAVE to try things on before buying, especially trousers. I DESPERATELY need some new work trousers but buying them and taking them back is such a ball ache when I’m a shop I would normally try on five or six pairs. Taking clothes home to try on surely presents more of a hygiene risk anyway?

It's a huge pain. My 12 year old badly needs new bras but I have absolutely no idea what size she is now. Our only option would be to buy loads online and return what doesn't fit. It'll be a long process though because she must have tried at least 10 bras on the last time and I can't afford to buy 10 bras at once.

This is what credit cards are for, if you time the purchase well, you have at least 6 weeks between ordering and paying the bill, so ample time before you need to pay the bill to return the items you're not keeping, so no need to have actual money tied up in the exercise. Then what you do keep is paid for when you pay the bill, with direct debit in full every month so you don't forget or pay interest.

@VainAbigail no not Debenhams, my (ex) shop isn't in trouble. Is doing really well on internet sales by all accounts.

@LucyTamedOgres thank you. 20 years I have been there, loved my job and the people I worked with. I'm totally devastated.