To think shop changing rooms should be open!

[jerrywesterby]

What's the reason that they are still closed in some shops? New Look and my independent dept store have all their changing rooms open no problem. I need new bras and jeans, I would usually try on at a dozen pairs before I find the right ones so there's no way I've got the inclination (or money) to shop online for that. I think retail is massively shooting itself in the foot here when they want people in and spending money... Does anyone know of any other shops with open changing rooms?

YANBU - went shopping yesterday and all the changing rooms were closed, ended up not wanting to buy anything as not wanting the hassle of taking everything back.

Don't see why changing rooms are any more of a risk than anything else that's open - shopping, bars and restaurants, hairdressers, beauticians.

Maybe it’s to limit the amount of time shoppers spend in store. If there’s a queue outside to get in and all shoppers are faffing about in the changing rooms?
Also maybe staff aren’t massively keen to be manning the changing rooms coming into contact with all the people and handling everything?
That said I haven’t braved the high street yet!

We were waiting for Top Shop changing rooms yesterday. Heard a Customer with a hacking cough in there. Got out pronto! Imagine being that clueless that you’d go shopping like that? I felt so sorry for the staff

There are lots of things that aren't covid that cause a cough though.

My.mum has copd and asthma masks make.her cough.

Smaller shops have changing rooms open. I bought some trousers from Seasalt last week, and could try them on. Urban Outfitters have open changing rooms. DD spent a happy hour last week trying on loads of jeans until she found the right pair. They steam clean the clothes afterwards before returning them to the racks.

I agree that bras and jeans are items that do need trying on before buying. Are there any shops that specialise in bra fitting where you are?

It seems to be individual to each town/city then, which stores' changing rooms are open or not - Urban Outfitters in a large South East city was not open but yours was RampantIvy. Equally, our Zara was not open, but Motlight's central London one was. Very frustrating.

The Urban Outfitters was in Leeds, Seasalt in Sheffield BTW. I wonder if it depends on footfall. Leeds town centre was buzzing, but there wern't that many people in the shops.

Changing rooms are disgusting, smelly and unventilated at the best of times. I don't think touching stuff is the major hazard!

It's driving me crazy. I have a Next 20 minutes drive away so they are getting most of my business as I can go back for returns fairly easily. Everything else involves a longer journey and paid parking or a train fare. I didn't see any open changing rooms.

@Joeblack066 I feel sorry for people who have a hacking cough for a reason totally unrelated to covid and aren't allowed to go shopping 🙄

I’ve tried stuff on in White Stuff and Joules and H&M and Fat Face since reopening - Nottingham and Derby.

[quote WeWantAMackerelNotASprat]@Joeblack066 I feel sorry for people who have a hacking cough for a reason totally unrelated to covid and aren't allowed to go shopping 🙄[/quote]
Really? During a pandemic? How very virtuous of you.
I felt sorry for the the very uncomfortable staff member who would need to sanitise the changing room after.
But hey, that shoppers need for jeans clearly trumps other people’s health.

So asthmatics should just stay home? Like permanently

YANBU. It's madness that in our M&S you can book a bra fitting but the changing rooms are otherwise closed. So you can get measured by a member of staff but not take items to try on alone. H&M and Fatface are open here, New Look closed. Haven't tried anywhere else. And don't get me started on the one way system round the shopping mall. Once you're in the store (New Look were not limiting numbers) it's a free for all and the queue snaking round the store to return items was not in any way distanced. I'm getting utterly sick of inconsistent COVID measures to 'keep me safe'. Numbers have always been low here and I have never felt unsafe.

@Joeblack066

We were waiting for Top Shop changing rooms yesterday. Heard a Customer with a hacking cough in there. Got out pronto! Imagine being that clueless that you’d go shopping like that? I felt so sorry for the staff

Why should the person stay home just because they have a cough? not every cough is covid. I have a cough a majority of the year because of asthma nothing to do with covid.

@murbblurb

Changing rooms are disgusting, smelly and unventilated at the best of times. I don't think touching stuff is the major hazard!

I don't know where you shop, but that is not my experience.

Shopping at the moment is a dispiriting experience. I spent Friday afternoon on Oxford St to buy a few things that are tricky to do online. It turns out the shops are poorly stocked and it’s a proper hassle to actually buy anything.

I had a lady at Estée Lauder pressuring me to buy foundation off the back of smearing a dab myself on my neck below my mask (she finally relented & gave me a sample so I could put it on my face at home), I couldn’t try on walking boots at Cotswolds Outdoors as I hadn’t BYO socks & didn’t want to spend £15 on a pair (pre pandemic they loaned them to you), John Lewis’ changing rooms aren’t open and everywhere the poor staff generally just look harried, harassed and a bit scared.

100% back to online ordering for me, the trips to/from the post office are less hassle than going into town at the moment.

I agree. I haven't been into the city centre for almost 18 months now. I have started buying online and it has been fine and has also had the bonus effect of stopping impulse buying so I'm saving money. To my shame, I worked out I spent almost £3000 on clothes and shoes in 2019!

I am menopausal so suffering from really horrible hot sweats - the last thing I need in a shop is to have to wear a mask. I almost fainted in the supermarket a few months ago when I had a hot flush and couldn't remove my mask. My husband does the food shopping now and I'll be staying away from clothes shops until masks are gone.

Never I hope, people use our as toilets where I work (supermarket)!!

I've only been into Seasalt, but their changing rooms were open.

There's no reason not to try clothes on, it's a ridiculous policy, the retailers are being silly.

Everywhere seems short staffed with long queues at the till - even if the shop isn't that busy. Maybe shops are still limited to how many staff they can have in work each day no they are probably still making use of the furlough scheme. In my view once your sector can reopen the furlough scheme should end and people should be back at work.

From an infection control point of view it makes no sense. It means I have to take two trips to the shop - one to buy and, inevitably, one to return half the stuff - therefore coming into contact with more people.

From a business point if view it makes no sense. People will definitely be put off buying, I certainly was, especially somewhere like TKmaxx where the sizing is totally random as they sell so many different brands.

I'm struggling to see any logic in it at all. The only thing I can think it that they would have to pay a few members of staff to man and clean the changing rooms? But surely that outlay would be more than covered by the revenue.

And the quarantine thing doesn't make sense as If they're doing that, then they'll have to quarantine all the stuff I've taken home to try on and then brought back.

@user1471498399

Never I hope, people use our as toilets where I work (supermarket)!!

Why is that any different/better? Surely less hygienic as the clothes are more likely to have touched a pissy toilet seat or floor.

Keeping the changing rooms closed makes no sense except on a staffing level. If the retailers are blaming COVID they are lying.

Yanbu. I had to return a few things to Marks the other day and the women on the till were complaining about the number of returns they've been getting. Open the fecking changing rooms then!!!

Keeping the changing rooms closed makes no sense except on a staffing level. If the retailers are blaming COVID they are lying

I think this is what it comes down to really. It's a money saving exercise and covid is the convenient excuse. If the changing rooms aren't open they don't have to pay someone to man them. Just like if public toilets are open they don't have to pay someone to clean them etc etc.