To finish off this week talking about shopping frustrations, I found this post in my archives. Unlike previous re-runs, however, I found this one in “private”; I think it has been published previously, but not on this blog!
When was the last time you went shopping for clothes and were able to thoroughly exhaust your possibilities? Were you thoroughly exhausted? Sometimes, by the time I’ve looked at everything, I’m too bushed to even try on! (Now that’s efficient!)
Recently, though, I’ve developed some skills. I can cruise through a rack, sometimes through a whole store, in minutes, and I’ve increased my chances of finding what I need.
You can do it too.
Dressing for clothes shopping includes wearing a simple top which you can try things on over and slip-on shoes, if possible.
Choose your destination carefully. Before you even get to the store consider:
- Does this store stock a good selection in my size? This one gets me all the time. For example, the Eddie Bauer outlet doesn’t even offer their outlet label in XS. If less than half the offerings are in my size, do I even want to expend the energy to drive out there, get out of the car, pick through everything, and so on? No. If possible, concentrate on stores where your size is in the middle of the options, rather than at one end.
- When thrifting, look for stores that organize the racks by item and size. Hopefully, in your area, as in mine, this is becoming common practice. My favorite thrift store even puts things on the rack in color order.
What to look at first? Especially if you are likely to run out of time (as in running into nap time), prioritizing is a must!
- Is there one item which, if you had it, would make it easy for you to get dressed everyday? If so, start there.
- If you are shopping for more than one type of clothing – for example, jeans and a jacket – look first at the one that takes the greater effort to try on. You can always try a jacket on without getting undressed.
- Shopping for something to wear with one specific item is not really efficient. Better is to have a comprehensive wardrobe plan where the pieces you like to wear work easily together.
Three intense scanning techniques:
- Narrow down the colors you are looking for. This is how I was able to shop the entire Old Navy store while my hero was waiting in traffic to get out of the parking lot. I only wear a handful of colors: pink, peach, aubergine, and neutrals; and color is the easiest thing to scan for.
- Look at the length of the items hanging on the rack. With longer t-shirts and longer shorts in style now, they will obviously be easy to spot amongst the many items you are not interested in. (Although more challenging, petites can use this technique in reverse.)
- If it feels icky to the touch, don’t bother trying it on. This has to do with learning to recognize the feel of the fabrics you like to wear. Knowing I will never wear a polyester blouse, no matter how beautiful the color or pattern, has saved me literally hours in fitting rooms.
Perform fitting room triage. Once you have made your initial selections, prioritize your fitting room energy:
- Is there one item which, if it works for you, will be the only one you buy? Try that one first. You might be done just that easily.
- Try your favorite selections first.
- But don’t make yourself get totally dressed in between. For example, try all the bottoms, in priority order, then all the tops.
Advanced technique: Carry a tape measure with you. Learn some measurements that will make or break the fit of a garment; for example, I won’t bother getting undressed for a rise that measures anything less than 9 inches.
Just because we don’t have time to do the leisurely shopping we’d like to do, doesn’t mean we don’t still have to be dressed every time we leave the house. I sincerely hope these tips will help you to shop more efficiently.