https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/zara-obsessed Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Fri, 22 May 2026 18:33:44 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/zara-obsessed#post-6836 Tue, 13 May 2008 16:45:54 +0000 Nicole 6836@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Ooops sorry, I thought it was Tanya who was telling the Zara in Germany story. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/zara-obsessed#post-6831 Tue, 13 May 2008 16:25:28 +0000 Angie 6831@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Oh dear Antje. I totally believe it. It is SO normal to get service like this in Euro stores in Europe. I have had several bad experiences. You come to expect it. </p> <p>You do not go to Zara for the customer service. If you go back to my blog entry about the chain store I mention this fact. Zara does not need to have good customer service. They sell their products like hot cakes and everyone wants their goods. They don’t even advertise and they are the most successful clothing retailer in the world. They can literally afford to be snotty. </p> <p>Tanya has exactly the same perception of shopping in both cultures as I do. There is a place for both shopping experiences in my life. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/zara-obsessed#post-6829 Tue, 13 May 2008 16:14:31 +0000 Tanya 6829@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Antje that was really horrible! </p> <p>I have actually had similar experiences in my country, basically you couldn't even go trough the store and browse , you would be told: 'Why are you looking if you are not buying???" !</p> <p>Having experienced shopping in both cultures, I can say that USA has quite a few advantages:<br /> 1. liberal return policy<br /> 2. usually better customer service<br /> 3. extremely better sales: more often, bigger percents off, not to mention coupons and promos and such<br /> 4. a lot of off-price retailers such as Filene's Basement , TJMaxx etc<br /> 5. Also typically better prices in general!</p> <p>Europe has more trends-for-masses retailers, less of a vanity size issue and better quality. </p> <p>I prefer the USA for shopping tough! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/zara-obsessed#post-6825 Tue, 13 May 2008 15:55:28 +0000 Ana 6825@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Wow, do they actually WANT to sell things to people? </p> <p>I had a friend who is from Australia, and lived in England, and my husband is from England, and both of them were shocked at our return policies here in the US. I guess in England once you buy it, that's it, you pretty much can't return most things. And everything is really expensive. My mother-in-law goes nuts when she comes here. I went shopping with her and found a nice t-shirt on sale for $6.99 for my husband and her eyes got really big. I said, "What? Do you think that's too much?" I thought it was a good deal. She said, "No, a shirt like that would cost 25 pounds in England (that's $50.00). TJ Maxx is her favorite store on Earth. I could drop her off there and come back a week later and she'd be happy. :D</p> <p>I'm jealous of all the clothing and trends and quality they have in Europe, but maybe we're luckier in some other aspects. I guess it all balances out in the end (I'm just speaking from stories I've heard from other people, since I've never been there. I can't wait to go, though!). </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/zara-obsessed#post-6822 Tue, 13 May 2008 15:47:53 +0000 Antje 6822@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>It's quite typical of German retail. I did consider walking out, but decided that this would be too foolish - how could I give up on my rare shot at Zara purchases? It's one of those moments where this girl decided to just suck it up and endure some stress for fashion's sake </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/zara-obsessed#post-6821 Tue, 13 May 2008 15:45:19 +0000 Nicole 6821@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>That's terrible! If a store is going to have a garment limit, then they should have an area near the dressing room where you can park your items. Marshalls is lik that--they only allow 6 items in at a time, but the store has shopping carts and a little open area where you can park your cart while you try stuff on. I've never been in a Zara, but it sounds like they have small floor space, so maybe they don't have room for that.</p> <p>Tanya, is that kind of treatment typical in German retail? I probably would have been so mad, I would have left it all on the floor and walked out! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/zara-obsessed#post-6816 Tue, 13 May 2008 15:31:16 +0000 Antje 6816@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>This reminds me of an unpleasant dressing room experience I had at a Zara in Germany. In the US, stores are generally extremely laid back about how many items you take into the dressing room (I've been in AT or ATL dressing rooms with 25 items ;-)) but German stores tend to have very strict policies, which makes shopping much more stressful. </p> <p>Since I don't have a lot of opportunity shopping at Zara (we don't have one in Seattle), I tend to go crazy when I'm finally in a store and try on tons of things. So last fall I was in Cologne/Germany, happily piling clothes over my arm (there also is no one in German stores who hovers around you offering "may I start a room for you") and finally walk to the dressing room with at least a dozen tops, dresses and jackets. Only to be told that I can only take 6 items at a time. Ok, so I ask if they would hold the rest outside the dressing room for me so I can swap them out later. They grudgingly hang them on a rack but said they wouldn’t guarantee that they would still be there in 10 minutes. Sigh. I try things on as fast as I can, decide to buy several of the first batch of 6, and then say I’m ready to swap out. Fortunately the other items are still hanging on the rack. But now they refuse to hold the items for me that I already tried on and want to buy. They tell me I have to keep them with me if I want to buy them, they won’t hold them even for 10 minutes. Double sigh. I tell them that they are close to losing me as a customer – after all, I was already committed to buying those things, and really wanted to try more things, but how can I keep both the items-to-buy with me and the new things in my dressing room if the limit is 6… we had a little standoff about this. In the end they hung the items on a rack again “without guarantees”, I pulled another real fast round of trying things on, found more stuff to buy, and luckily found all the items I wanted still waiting for me. I was pretty pissed at their consumer-un-friendly rules, but hey, I was their captive, and in the end I walked out with a big bag of goodies and have enjoyed my purchases since.</p> <p>I’m going back to Cologne (and Zara!!) in June, so I’m already bracing myself ;-)</p> <p>And the moral of the tale is: Our YLF Zara gathering will definitely have to happen in the US. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/zara-obsessed#post-6755 Tue, 13 May 2008 02:33:29 +0000 Tanya 6755@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>This is very funny! I was trying to imagine us doing this in that tiny Zara in NY on the 5th ave ( the only one I've actually been to) and I don't think we could all even fit in the store yet alone in the dressing room </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/zara-obsessed#post-6748 Tue, 13 May 2008 02:26:53 +0000 Ana 6748@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Lol, you guys crack me up! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/zara-obsessed#post-6735 Tue, 13 May 2008 02:00:26 +0000 Maya 6735@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Nicole, they would have to shut down the store to the general public and reserve all the fitting rooms for us for that to happen.</p> <p>Which clearly makes it an awesome idea.</p> <p>I can just imagine us all popping in and out of dressing rooms and all the "HEY GUYS DOES THIS MAKE MY KNEES LOOK BIG?" :p </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/zara-obsessed#post-6733 Tue, 13 May 2008 01:55:50 +0000 Nicole 6733@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Maybe a city that has a Zara can be the location of the first ever YLF Group Shopping Excursion! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/zara-obsessed#post-6729 Tue, 13 May 2008 01:43:53 +0000 Antje 6729@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I do, too. And I love that it cost $9.99 on sale Their regular prices for basics like that are around $25. Quite fab! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/zara-obsessed#post-6728 Tue, 13 May 2008 01:40:03 +0000 lisahead 6728@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Hi Antje- Thanks - I will be on the lookout- I really love your fuschia sweater from Zara.<br /> Lisa </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/zara-obsessed#post-6681 Mon, 12 May 2008 22:00:11 +0000 Antje 6681@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Zara is almost worth a trip to a city that has it Both for the funky sleek pieces you won't find elsewhere, and for the great affordable basics like simple v-neck sweaters etc. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/zara-obsessed#post-6480 Sat, 10 May 2008 23:12:57 +0000 Angie 6480@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Yup. You need to find a Zara store to acquire their merchandise. It’s just as well because their sizing is inconsistent. A fabulous Euro store. Try and find one. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/zara-obsessed#post-6446 Sat, 10 May 2008 18:36:59 +0000 Maya 6446@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Zara doesn't have an online shop. The best you can do is use the store locater to find one. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/zara-obsessed#post-6444 Sat, 10 May 2008 18:31:06 +0000 lisahead 6444@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Dear Angie,<br /> I looked up Zara- I love their website- even their home stuff is beautiful, but I can't understand how to buy something. The closest I could come was UK pounds (prices)- no USA! I figured out that I have spent $100 on ebay every 2-3 weeks. Since I am never going to buy clothes from ebay again, I want to build up a small colorful wardrobe- I used to love Ann Taylor, and even named my dog after them- but they have gotten SO DULL that I feel bad for them. JCrew is my new favorite, but now I want ZARA!! Thanks for the site- love it! </p>