My Baffling Consignment Shopping Experience x3 - YouLookFab Forum

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My Baffling Consignment Shopping Experience x3

lyn*

(website)

Veteran

My sister is starting professional school in the fall, and we decided to hit up a few consignment stores to see what professional pieces we could pull My sister is about my size, a bit taller ... so we thought that it would be a nice experience. We had planned a pleasant lunch as well!

Store 1 - Manager confronted us as soon as we walked into the store and told us she didn't carry things in such "small sizes" except for a few items in the very back of the store. I asked if she would like to carry more small sizes (I had some stuff in my donate bag I thought I could bring in); and she said no; she carried clothes for "real women". Okay; isolated experience, right?

Store 2 - Manager was also the only person in the store, and she followed us around with hawk eye. Were told we shouldn't touch anything. We decided to leave then and there. Also; the stuff I saw wasn't stylish at all, quite worn and I wouldn't have paid the near-retail prices for any of those things.

Store 3 - No service at all. No employees to be seen at all, actually. Higher end merchandise, found a nice pair of white Paige jeans and wanted to try them on. But there was no one there. Went to the back ... "HELLO?" ... no one there. bizarre.

Conclusions - no more consignment shopping for us (at least in this city)! We had great luck at the outlets and she has tons of cute stuff to wear for her clinicals coming up

Weird, eh?

Is this the norm?

Much love,
Lyn

Shopping

29 replies

Latest reply was from Isabel

Transcona Shannon

Veteran

Wow - those are all wackadoodle experiences lyn. I'm curious to know which consignment stores you went to? "Don't touch anything".....um....what is up with that??? I can see why you just went elsewhere.

This has not been my experience at all. I frequent two consignment stores in our city and both have been positive and rewarding experiences.

christieanne

Veteran

I don't think this is the norm at all. Just really bad service!

You might have stumbled in to store 1 that is a specialty larger size store? There is one of those in a nearby town here. But even so, there are nicer ways to indicate this. I would have said "oh my, I am afraid you may have to just look at the shoes and let me point you to the accessories since you most likely won't fit in my clothing sizes but thank you for coming in...." etc.

Rude,inexcusable service - sorry ;(

cciele

Veteran

Wow, that would certainly turn me off of consignment stores. Sorry you had that experience! But glad the outlets worked out for your sister.

Meredith1953

Veteran

Carry clothes for "real women"? What kind of comment is that to make? You don't think she was trying to be humorous do you? Sorry your experiences were so surreal....and I do mean that in the bad way.

Chrizzle

Edited to add: Your experience in Store 1 and Store 3 sound like incredible rude and incompetent customer service. Store 2 sounds like a slightly different animal.

What happened to you in Store 2 happens to me about half the time I go into a store of any kind (other than grocery stores), regardless of how low- or high-end it is, and regardless of how well or how badly I'm dressed.

Getting trailed by store staff or by security is one of those things that happens to people of color in America all the time, and there's lots of research to confirm we're not just being paranoid, and that this happens to us way more often than to people who appear white. (Not saying this is why it happened to you, just stating my experience backed up by social science research. Also not saying this never happens to white people, just pointing out how much more common it is for people of color.)

On those occasions, I usually either get the "no-eye contact while being watched as if I'm about to stuff everything into my bag and run" treatment, or the "aggressively repeated non-smiling 'Can I HELP you with anything?' even after I've told them 3 times that I'm just browsing" treatment.

If I feel up to it when I get home from such an experience, I write a letter or email to the management explaining why I won't be back.

Astrid

Veteran

Wow, that's unbelievable. I don't have any experience with consignment stores, but I've read this interesting post about the whole 'real women' issue just yesterday.

https://yrwelcome.wordpress.co.....who-arent/

Chrizzle

Thanks for that article, Astrid. So on point. I won't tolerate body-shaming of any kind.

The management of that first store needs to be made aware that the "real women" remark was rude and uncalled for. For one thing, the implicit assertion that Lyn and sister aren't "real women" because of their size was offensive. For another, they could have been planning on spending megabucks or making recommendations for somebody who *is* in the store's size range!

Victoria

(website)

Veteran

that's absolutely appaling customer service, lyn! I would have said something to the manager about her "real women" comment. WTH, seriously? I guess if you wear small sizes you are not "real woman"? Agh...

JennyAnne

(website)

Veteran

Wow, what a miserable day. Wackadoodle is definitely the word - that or meanies. Anyway, I'm glad you had luck elsewhere.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Utterly miserable

Go shopping at Winners!

cheryle (Dianthus)

(website)

Veteran

LOL at Angie's comment.

Lyn, I always thought our society was far more tolerant than what you have experienced. Perhaps that's my perception because I work in such a racially and culturally diverse office. The lack of service you received is unacceptable and you can express your lack of satisfaction by spending your hard earned money elsewhere.

lyn*

(website)

Veteran

Angie read my mind; I just got back from Winners with my sister. HAHAHA.

Thanks ladies; maybe it is that particular area of town - we hit up a consignment in a hipper area of town that serves our age group and had a grand time

Love!

Amy

(website)

Veteran

Steam would have been coming out of my ears and I would have let them have it.. I'm glad you found better elsewhere.

rae

(website)

Veteran

Sounds an awful lot like my bridal shop experiences, except instead of being too small I was apparently too fat. There is poor service evrywhere, unfortunately.

catgirl

Veteran

My consignment stores are extremely fashion-savvy and helpful. I am horrified for you, lyn!

Jjsloane

Veteran

Awful. Please give them a Yelp (or your equivalent) review. That will get their attention. So sad, I only have one consignment store in my regular shopping area so I'm limited. It's not too bad and they are not rude so I guess I should be grateful. They do have an odd limit to items in the dressing room (although the excess hangs outside your door and you are on the honor system to exchange quantities) I do a decent trade there so I can't complain, but not really a super score at any time (yet - this is the thrill of the hunt)

kmb1

Wow, that is strange. I never seem to have much luck at consignment shops, but at least at the few I've been to the staff was polite!

Anonymous

Lyn, I'm so sorry! That stinks! I hope you had success at Winners.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Appalling. And stupid on their part. I hope you have better luck at Winners.

ManidipaM

Veteran

Ugh! especially those first two. Lack of service is bad enough. But actual outright rudeness?

Good point by Chrizzle.

AJ

Veteran

ACK! I'm so sorry you had such rude service THREE times!

Glad you were able to find better places to spend your money. Their loss for sure!

Mander

(website)

Veteran

I was going to guess something like what Chrizzle said -- that the shop assistant was racist, or possibly thought you were both too young to be shopping there.

Totally bizarre in any case. You'd think that in the current economic climate people would be a little more mindful of the impression they are giving potential customers, but then I'm always surprised as peoples' capacity for idiocy and rudeness.

Sarah A

Veteran

sounds horrible! i am glad that winners and the other shop was better. those remarks are just plain awful!

krishnidoux

Veteran

Lyn I'm so sorry you and your sister were subjected to this appalling treatment. Thanks for sharing it, though. Hope you found something at Winners and at the better consignment stores.

Fruitful

Veteran

So you are not real, Lyn? What is wrong with people! Was it a plus size store?

Chrizzle, that is a shame - and I mean, real, ugly shame.

lynne

Veteran

What an awful experience! It sounds like the first was using "real" as a synonym for "plus size". That always pisses me off.

lyn*

(website)

Veteran

No; it wasn't a plus size store. It said on the window "XS to XL!" so I was encouraged.

shoppingisfun

(website)

Veteran

Augh, I hate that "real woman" crap. I once walked into a Chico's (I'd never been in one before and didn't know what type of store it was) and was told almost immediately that I would not find my size there (I'm tiny), but it was done in a very polite manner! Sounds like poor customer service all the way around.

Isabel

Veteran

It is just so hard to know what people are thinking.

Unfortunately, Chrizzle is correct in that there is plenty of evidence claiming that non-whites get trailed more in stores.

We only have one consignment store near where I live and there is no customer service there except the cashier. That's it. In overall stores, I have being tailed. The minute that I touch something someone appears asking to put it in a room for me. This happens quite a bit at our local Loft store. I realize that people have quotas to make, but it flusters me so much that I just leave. I don't like browsing or shopping, so having someone give me suggestions drives me nuts.