To think retail stores will never survive if they don’t let customers try things on?!!

[TheNewLook]

How are we supposed to give them our money when we can’t try anything on? Nobody want to schelp into town, buy a tonne of clothes, trail them home only to return most of it?

Same with online shopping. I return far more than I keep. It’s an exhausting process. Ordering, opening, trying, parceling up and waiting at the post office!

Let us try things on!!

I don’t care if the person who tried it on before me was harbouing Covid. It’s highly unlikely to live long enough on fabric to be able to contaminate me afterwards.

Aah I misread your post GirlCrush

If hope soon that our Government advises that it is ok to open fitting rooms as like Germany has.

Just had a bit of a look on Instagram this morning, there's quite a few fashion bloggers who have been trying things on in changing rooms. Mainly in central London (currently tier 2 so id have expected them to be tighter restricted).

They were all in the more expensive end of the high street, so perhaps more stores are realising they need to allow people to try things on if they want sales, whereas customers are more likely to take a chance of a £25 pair of trousers fitting than a £150 pair.

I want to buy my Dd a new coat but not sure if which size she needs but Jojo won’t let us try it on 😩

@jgjgjgjgjg

It is ridiculous. Bought my daughter a new coat yesterday. She wasn't allowed to try it on on the shop floor. So we bought it, stood outside the shop door and tried it on, then returned it. What did that achieve for the store apart from inconveniencing me taking up staff time processing the purchase and the return??

Its about control, everything a customer tries on has to be quarantined for 48 hours (72 in some shops) if the shop does not have checks in place they will have no idea what's been tried on and cant quarantine rejected items, if something goes through the refund system the returned item can immediately be quarantined - its simple really

@Oldsu - except that doesn't work as customers are allowed to touch clothes on the rails, just not try them on.

If its not safe for the public to touch clothes, they clothes shops should be closed. Not allowing trying things on, but allowing people to touch clothes they arent buying doesn't make sense.

That said, more and more stores are allowing trying on by the sound of it. Hopefully that means the shops that sell things I like will keep going!

All Saints changing rooms are open.

The assistant seemed thrilled to be able to tell me this!

I recall the huge operation that was the sunglasses section of TK Maxx when shops first reopened. Someone stood by it, in full PPE with a crate collecting anything tried on and spiriting it away straight after.

By the following week the staff member had gone and crate was left on the side with a 'please put tried on glasses in here' note stuck to it.
Now? Crack on with it, no crate, no sign. Normality.

Never made any sense as when someone tried on the sunglasses they then moved on to the makeup/soap etc which they picked up, sniffed, inspected and put back without anyone batting an eyelid.

If any of you are in the Wimbledon area apparently Elys (dept store) changing rooms are back open.

I live near there and was there recently and they weren't open then so think fairly recent.

@Sunshiney1981

YANBU. I took my Dc for a new coat yesterday. Saw one in Zara but was told no you can’t try it on. How was I supposed to know which of two sizes was the right fit?? Was told to buy it, take it to the public toilets to try on and return if needs be! That’s unhygienic on another level. The worlds gone mad. We left.

I did exactly the same but for a jumper for me. The shop was quiet as late night Thursday shopping so can't believe why they were bothered - yes I know it has to go back into quarantine etc!

[quote DisgruntledGuineaPig]@Oldsu - except that doesn't work as customers are allowed to touch clothes on the rails, just not try them on.

If its not safe for the public to touch clothes, they clothes shops should be closed. Not allowing trying things on, but allowing people to touch clothes they arent buying doesn't make sense.

That said, more and more stores are allowing trying on by the sound of it. Hopefully that means the shops that sell things I like will keep going! [/quote]
There is a difference between touching clothes with sanitised hands (unless you are the dick who wont sanitise your hands when you enter a shop) and actually putting on a garment that can touch arms and neck or any other part of the body that hasn't been sanitised

You can make a styling appointment to try things on in John Lewis - this is how I got my coat this year. A bit excessive imo but good that there’s an option the. They quarantine the clothes for 3 days.

Ridiculous. I was in FatFace in a holiday resort this week. There was a man trying to explain that his wife had tried on a coat earlier in the day and he wanted to come back and buy it for her as a Christmas gift.

The staff wouldn’t let him have it because it was in quarantine. He was going home next day, they were trying to work out what time he was leaving and what time the coat Was allowed out. The two didn’t match up. The man explained that he had to leave by 9am to be in work that afternoon. The shop assistant said the coat wasn’t allowed out until 11am.

The man tried to order it online but it wasn’t available in her size, so he decided to take annual leave to ‘wait for the coat.’

It was his wife who had tried it on, she was the reason it was quarantined.

I just don’t have the words.

@oldsu - but covid doesn't come out through your skin. You breathe /cough/sneeze it out. Hands need to be sanitised because you touch uour face and other surfaces people have coughed/breathed on with your hands. Skin by itself is no risk at all.

Even before all of this I never tried stuff on. If I don't like it I will take it back.

In a shop last week I had my son trying on a coat and jumper just in the shop so we could see if they fit it didn't even cross my mind that we weren't allowed to try them on and no one said anything. Luckily we brought both things he tried on or I'd have just hung them back up.

I agree. Although I appreciate the issues retail must be facing it’s putting me off not being able to try anything on. Seeing as you can touch the clothes in the shop how much different is it to try them on? I am so in need of new bras!

There is a difference between touching clothes with sanitised hands (unless you are the dick who wont sanitise your hands when you enter a shop) and actually putting on a garment that can touch arms and neck or any other part of the body that hasn't been sanitised

Firstly almost no one sanitises their hands when they go into a clothes shop... I was waiting for a family member outside one only last week and counted less than one person in six doing so on entering.
Secondly, does Covid ooze through pores? I don't know. Surely you're far more likely to carry it on your hands from sneezing or coughing or touching your face than you are to have it on your arm or neck.

I’m sure they could insist you sanitise your hands on entry to changing rooms

I just shopping at places online where I am pretty sure they will fit and returns are easy, not buying anything in store as I only bother to go in store if I can try on so order from Seasalt, Next Directory and John Lewis, it is good though as I am being much more discerning with what I buy and it does seem to have curtailed my excessive shopping habit. Fortunately with bras I wear ones from M&S that are one of their staple styles so can just order a new one or pick up in store without trying on