Nordstrom Q: I think we did it wrong - YouLookFab Forum

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Nordstrom Q: I think we did it wrong

Traci

Veteran

This is kind of a weird question and I suspect when I read your answers, I'll think "duh" to myself because it seems like there should be a simple answer, but it wasn't apparent to me today.

My daughter and I finally went to our city's new Nordstrom store to check it out. There are 3 floors and we looped each floor, picking out things we liked along the way. She was in a wheelchair, so we were just putting small things in her lap. When we started in on the final floor I went looking around by the entrances for a shopping basket of some sort, but couldn't find one. Finally, stuff started falling out of her lap and we stopped at the closest cash register in a random department we hadn't even shopped from (jewelry) and piled our purchases on her counter and checked out. We still had half a floor to go, so I asked her for a bigger bag than we needed so we wouldn't run into the same problem again.

So, clearly this is not how it was supposed to go, but how do you shop all of Nordstrom? Should we have checked out in each department before moving along?

Shopping

26 replies

Latest reply was from Gaylene

Anonymous

Hmmm. That is a good question. I do tend to make my individual purchases in each department as I go along. But I have to have the luxury of time to do that. If I was short on time, I might very well gather everything together and go to the nearest cash register. Your way seems time efficient. Good work.

AviaMariah

Veteran

I think it only matters if you had a SA helping you in a department. He/She would have to use his/her number when you pay so that they get the commission. Although I think they can give you their number if you want to go to a different department and pay. I usually shop and pay by floor. Usually one SA is helping me get items even if they're in different departments.

Sheila

Veteran

I have always paid for each item in the department where I find it. If you ask for it, any store clerk will give you a shopping bag. There is never a central checkout line, except possibly at the Nordstrom Rack which is an entirely different concept and store at a different location.

Helena

Veteran

No idea but you have demonstrated why I hate department stores!!

unfrumped

Veteran

Don't know best way, but I have same issue in one of our dept stores.
I may try on some items and then want to go see if Petite is better or maybe I'm trying to match something or haven't made final decision. So I tend to carry items through different "boutiques" in the store. I am not intentionally trying to evade the SA, but I realize that may not be good for them. When I finally make a decision, if I have items from 2 areas I tend to want to just check out where I am, and more so if someone is right at the register. If I wandered away from somewhere but all or most items are from an area farther away, I do sometimes go back to that area for the express purpose of crediting the SA. It is very time consuming, or seems so, to check out at 3 or 4 stations, which could easily happen. Add to that I always seem to be there at "change of shift" and sometimes after wandering around, the original SA is gone.
I wish I knew a better approach.

Style Fan

Veteran

I would check out at the department before moving on. I look at each department as a separate little store.

Traci

Veteran

I did consider checking out at each spot before we moved on, but I wasn't really set on all the purchases until we had seen most of the store. No SAs really helped us, although many introduced themselves. I thought about going back to the floor with the one SA whole told us her name, but that just seemed silly and we were both getting pretty tired by that point.

I may try to remember to bring my own shopping basket the next time we go. I was kind of surprised in hindsight that none of the SAs that introduced themselves offered to let us leave our collections at their counter, but they may not have realized how much we had b/c it was in my daughter's lap instead of us carrying it awkwardly.

Thanks for all the insight! I had never realized that I've never really shopped a whole department store before, rather I've always just hit one or two departments, like shoes or cosmetics, in one go.

Staysfit

Veteran

I definitely pay by department.

Anonymous

I buy at each department, sometimes having the SA hold something at the counter if I am still browsing.

Diana

Veteran

Now that you mention it, I don't think I've ever shopped an entire department store before! I think I'd find it exhausting! I definitely wander around to different departments carrying merchandise though. I like to carry things around for a while before committing. It's probably bad practice, but I also take things from multiple departments and try them all on at once in a single fitting room. I hate having to get undressed, take off my outerwear and shoes, etc just to try on one item, and it's so much easier to try on a bunch at once.

Keix

Veteran

At Nordstrom, I like to befriend a promising SA and have her start a fitting room for me; then I tend to drag her around the store to different departments, but they have always been totally fine with that. So I end up with one fitting room and one checkout, not having to carry everything myself, and properly crediting my salesperson (who has earned their commission!). This was my approach at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale one year when I wandered into the SF flagship store with no appointment; I just snagged an SA from Lingerie, which is where I went first for a bra fitting, and she helped me shop the whole rest of the sale.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

I don't think you did anything wrong. I usually carry stuff around until a salesperson asks me if I want to start a fitting room, and then return there with everything when I'm ready to purchase. I often 'comparison shop' between misses and plus or between Point of View and the other area whose name I forget right now. When it's busy like NAS I usually end up being at multiple points, but when it's not what busy I usually wait and do it all at once, with whoever's helped me.

I've never seen Nordstrom offer baskets or bags - I suppose that has a vibe of discount store or something. It's not a bad idea, though, especially for people who can't haul a lot of stuff around - several outfits can get pretty heavy and awkward.

Gigi

Veteran

I always pay by department, but that is usually because I have someone helping me. I also am a frequent shopper, so I don't buy a whole lot in any one trip. I think that even if I shopped several departments, I would like to check out at each department, simply because that gives the SA a chance to know that she did her job well and made a sale.

Beth

Veteran

I generally shop by department, but if I have items from several nearby or related departments, I may just try everything on at the same time and pay in one shot. For example, if I have a dress from Individualist, and a sweater from TBD. That said, we have quite a small Nordstrom here. In a larger store, I'd probably pay by department.

I always shop specific categories like shoes or cosmetics separately.

Nordstrom SAs almost always ask if I want to start a fitting room if they see me carrying items. I wonder if they didn't notice that you had a stack of things since they were in your daughter's lap. I'm usually walking around with several hangers in my hand, which is more obvious.

rachylou

Veteran

I usually take everything to the SA who helped me most. There's always one who kinda sticks with me. It would be nicer to go by department, but truth is I'm usually using my debit card and I've got a weird little bank that can only handle 8 transactions per day.

viva

Veteran

I don't buy as I go because I like to know what ALL of my options are before committing. I know I'm going to see something an hour in that I love, and then wish I hadn't spent that $100 when I walked into the store. But I don't carry stuff around either. Sometimes I take notes on my phone, sometimes pictures, and then I go back to the department(s) where my final choices are and buy them in each relevant department. BUT ... I am usually only buying 2 or MAYBE 3 things in one trip, so that makes sense. It sounds like you were racking up quite a haul. In that case, I would have wanted a shopping bag to collect so that I could make final decisions at the end.

This is not a stupid question .... clearly, there is not an easy answer!

Jjsloane

Veteran

My Nordstrom is not that big and I only visit a few departments usually. I do check out at each one to make it easier to get around. I think the fact that they don't have shopping baskets means they want you to do that.

kkards

Veteran

hmm...actually I think its Nordstrom's that did it wrong! generally someone will ask if they can help you, and even if you don't want to try on, you can ask them to hold it at the register. then, even if that SA doesn't travel the store with you, when the next SA asks if they can help, you can say, SA X in Dept Y is holding stuff for me, can you add this to my collection or ask SA X to come get it.....IMO this is what Nordstrom's is usually best at.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I work with a sales assistant who takes all the items per floor to a fitting room. That way my clients and I are never holding heaps of clothing.

Carla

Veteran

I agree, find an accommodating SA and start a room. Most shops will have a few larger rooms to accomodate a wheelchair as well, so clothes can be auditioned in store rather than brought home and then the chore of a a,big return.

retailgirl

Veteran

I'm surprised you spent that much time without having a salesperson help you! Our Nordstrom has all the women's clothing on the second floor, so if I'm looking for clothing, I usually have one person help me. I would pay separately in shoes, cosmetics or accessories. But any SA can help you anywhere in the store. And don't feel obligated to buy if you don't want something!

Colette

Veteran

I don't think you can do it wrong at Nordstrom. I generally shop by department but if you know you are planning a shopping haul maybe make an appointment with one of their personal shoppers or a sales associates you enjoy. I do this for my SO in men's with great success and always question why I don't do it for myself.

Traci

Veteran

I guess a couple of things that made this trip out of the norm is that we weren't really buying many clothes. I picked up one cardigan and just tried it on right off the rack. Otherwise, we had lots of little stuff...sunglasses, perfume, lotions, scarves, headwraps, etc. And I was probably a little misleading to the staff because we kept telling the SAs who did approach us (probably 10-15 total by the time we were done) that we were browsing. We really didn't need any help or chitchat, we were having a great time going at our own pace. When we were finally ready to pay I did try to wait around for one consultant who was from the department of my most expensive purchase, but she was with another customer for 10 minutes, so we moved on. She hadn't actually helped us choose the perfume, so I didn't really feel beholden to her. I did consider going to look for the one consultant who had told us her name, but I wasn't even certain which department she had been in.

I did consider asking an SA to hold our things at their counter, but their counter space is so tiny, I felt like we'd be leaving a messy pile of things in their work space. Maybe that was a silly concern...I don't know.

Thanks for all the responses. I guess there really isn't one simple answer to this one. It's interesting to hear all the different ways people do this.

kkards

Veteran

traci…i just wanted to add one thing that maybe obvious to you, but reading your original post has me wanting to state it ---never ever put something you have not paid for into a shopping bag with things that you have paid for….it differs state by state, but in some states, that act alone is considered shop lifting. but even when that act isn't shoplifting, its an act that will get you unwanted attention.

Traci

Veteran

kkards, thanks for that mention. That did cross my mind, and I was also concerned that if we just asked for a bag to use to hold things that could be taken the wrong way too. Actually, I was a bit nervous that just getting on the elevator with things in my daughter's lap might get us followed around, but it didn't.

When we made our purchases, I asked the SA to bag our stuff up and then give me a large bag too. She ended up bagging our small things in a small bag and putting that in the larger bag, but she put the cardigan I bought loose in the larger bag. We ended up being done at that point, so it didn't become an issue, but I did wonder how anyone watching would know we weren't up to no good. I think all those thoughts about not looking like shoplifters was part of what had me thinking on what's "right" in this situation so hard. Because really, even if I had an empty Nordstrom bag and started filling it with intended purchases, to someone else it would look like I was trying to look like I'd already bought the things...This is what sent me looking for some sort of a shopping basket or bag to carry around. I get it if they don't want to advertise this option, but it does seem like they need some sort of option for people who shop this way?

Gaylene

Veteran

I'm like Joy. I use the SAs in a full-service department store to put items into a dressing room, or on the counter, until I'm finished shopping. The philosophy of a full-service department store is to treat every customer as a special visitor by providing "extras" like bottled water, comfortable dressing rooms, tissue-paper wrapped purchases, and a full staff of SAs to make the shopping experience easy and pleasurable. Why not take advantage of it--that's what goes through my mind when I enter the premises.

ETA: The more that I think about it, the more I realized what an interesting question you've raised about different kinds of shopping experiences in different stores. For example, I'd never walk into a small, independent boutique without greeting the owner and saying goodbye before leaving, but I can't say I'd bother to do the same at H&M. I'd never expect a SA at Target to trail around behind me holding stuff I'd picked up, but I'd think of that as quite appropriate at a high-end department store. Touching the merchandise in an expensive designer boutique is likely to elicit frowns, but filling a shopping cart with a heaped pile of clothes and shoes is the norm at a discount outlet. We shoppers need to be a versatile bunch if we are to leave no shopping stone unturned!