I agree with leaving no stones unturned in principle and I'll always scout out an unlikely option if something catches my eye but in practice I'm very hard to please. And who has time to comb every store every season?

On the other hand, I find myself returning over and over to brands that have earned my loyalty and not bothering with those which I know are unlikely to fit. I also value a good B&M shopping experience. I have very little patience with any store that has me fighting crowds to rummage through piles of poorly presented clothing.

I like shopping and don't mind spending an afternoon at the mall or wherever. But I have learned that some stores/brands are rarely if ever going to work for me either due to fit or style. So while I might pop into some different shops if something catches my eye, I spend probably 90% of my shopping time in shops where I know I have a good choice of finding something that will work.

I have also lost my patience for dealing with sifting through too many disorganized places like TJMaxx or Winners. I think this is why I struggle with secondhand shops as well, unless I'm out with a friend.

I have never been a terribly thorough shopper. I frequent around four chainstores, three or four local independent boutiques and peruse one other online retailer (for clothes only, excluding footwear and gear). I rarely go elsewhere. Occasionally I thrift or ebay shop.

Once a year or so I will go shopping for a day in a different city and check out a wide variety of places, and if I am travelling I will browse different places.

I may be missing great buys in the other places but I am not too worried.

There are some places where I am much happier to shop and to buy than others. While that DOES leave some retail stones unturned, it is the style of shopping that makes me happiest. Like you mentioned, I have neither the time nor the inclination to sift through large stores with many items I am not interested in - often while plagued with blaring "music" - to find the rose among thorns.

When someone recommends an item that seems like it would fit and that I like from a store I don't usually frequent, I will sometimes give it a try. But I am NOT a personal shopper, and I just cannot visit every retail option. I am happy with the places I do shop, and that's what matters to me.

I'll leave no stone unturned within reason. I'm a plus size so I will at some point look at every store that offers my size. Some shopping centers don't have any stores that I can shop at. The single best mall in SoCal for plus sizes has a grand total of nine stores that carry my size. So hitting every option is much simpler for me. Take JC Penny for example. It is one of the stores that I can shop at in that mall but not my favorite so I'll make a sweep every few times I'm there but I don't hit it every time. I've gotten some pieces there that I like but it isn't worth a lot of effort.

A hard and fast personal rule for me is that if a clothing store does not want to sell me clothes, they get none of my money. I will never buy accessories at say Banana Republic / J Crew and so on because they don't make plus sizes.

I really identify with what Greyscale said. I tend to stick to the tried-and-true stores that a). "get" me (size and style wise) and b). offer free delivery and returns (since almost all of my shopping has to be online).

But like Ummlila, I also try to shop in person a bit when I'm able to frequent a city and try things on. And in that case, I sometimes just "scout." Try on, examine fabrics, look at real colours. I might or might not buy -- often they don't have my size. But seeing what is there and whether it might fit sets me up for possible later on-line ordering. And this is because, as Greyscale says, the store that "gets" me one season won't necessarily get me the next. (I'm right with her on Zara this year.)

I do have a few tried-and-trues for sure. For me -- J. Crew for knits and tees and sometimes shirts and trousers/ jeans; Zara for trendier updates (but not this year. alas...); BR for wardrobe essentials; Club Monaco for the occasional "extra" or statement or slightly more luxe looking piece. I have just tried Aritzia this year for a few tops and was happy with service and quality of items, even though their brick and mortar stores have always, always, always left me both mystified and unsatisfied.

Nordstrom's is good if I am visiting the US. But much less so now that our dollar is low.

I think the "leave no stone unturned" thing is more for happy finds like Ceit's belt (it happens if our eyes are open) and for "need this item now" (e.g. must have new dress to wear to friend's wedding). And also in answer to Greyscale's observation. Retail changes every season. Just because a brand has worked for us for 3 years running doesn't mean it will work this year. If it doesn't that's not the time to despair, but to get out there and figure out which retailer does "get us" this year!

ETA, just to add -- on the rare occasions I do get to do in person shopping, I do not go into every store. No way. I hit my best bets and any that have appealing window displays. I never waste time (it is a waste, for me) in H&M or the like -- unless I know that I want a specific item from there already, probably from looking at someone wearing it here. Or from an Angie recommendation.

Actually, Angie recommendations are huge for me. Even though she often does her roundups from Nordstrom's and I can't shop there -- sometimes the items are also available elsewhere, and if she recommends them for my body type, that gives me a good place to start.