Shop assistants that think they know better than you - Funny anecdote

I don't know if it's ever happened to you, but I regularly have arguments with shop-assistants regarding my bra-size. This is my last and funniest anecdote of all. Two weeks ago I went to a lingerie shop with my mum to get her a cup-sized bikini -which she actually found, after years of trying, YAY mummy!-. It's one of those shops that cater for more sizes, they go up to G in some models. Problem is, they don't go down to 30 hehe.

So while mum is trying on bikinis, I'm there looking for something for me -although I knew I would find nothing for my 28G/30Fs, but still- and this nice shop assistant comes to me. She was middle-aged, and very sweet. She asks me if I need any help and I ask her for my size, and she stares at me like I should go visit a shrink. She says 'there's no way you are that size', to which I answer 'I am, I've been fitted three times already and, what's most relevant, I am wearing that size right now', but she's like 'no no, no way'. She looks at me, measures me through my tank top, and of course I'm laughing quite hard, and she's laughing too, because she thinks she's right. So she says 'you are a 32C/D at the most'. She kindly gives me a 32D, and then she shows me a 32F, which is what I was asking for (more or less), and she looks at me with that face that says 'don't you see that's too big for you?'. She then goes on with 'I'm not allowed to go on bets, but oh my if I could... I'm sure I'm right'. I smile politely, go into the dressing room, try them on and prove I am right. She comes to the dressing room too and can't believe it. She then admitted she was wrong and said 'wow, you totally look smaller... it's never happened to me before!'. Well, it happens to me all the time!

Afterwards I was going around the shop looking for bikinis for mum and each time she run into me, she laughed and said 'You're right, you won!'. Hahahaha... probably she had a topic of conversation for her whole dinner with family that night!

14 years ago

rosee

Veteran

At least she admitted she was wrong and could laugh about it.

I hate it when someone (SA) tries to convince you they are right and expect you to buy the item, with pressure. I get very stubborn and leave, letting them know my disappointment in the service.

I usually don't have trouble though. I greet people when I come in and when they ask if they can help, I say "I'll let you know when I do" and then browse around pretty undisturbed most of the time. I don't like high-pressure sales people. When I used to work retail, I was never high-pressure but I had very high sales -- building rapor with your customer is important.

Kristine

I had a similar experience. She really thought I was a 34A and I suspected (and ended up at) a 32C, a size they didn't carry. Objects can be larger than they appear I guess.

rae

(website)

Oof, I agree it was good she admitted she was wrong. I would have been seriously peeved if someone had pressured me to take the wrong size. At least your mum found her bikini, though! High five, mum!

Queen Mum

Proof that when we are wearing the correct bra size, we don't always appear as big... or sometimes as small, as we really are.

Anonymous

I've had many experiences like that over my leg length. At 5'6" I guess its not normal for someone to have long legs! I often ask SA's for long length pants which is then met with the retort....you will be FINE with the regular length. And when I try the regular length on, the hems are often hovering up over my ankle bones. Oh my...you really DO have long legs! Then they come back with some precious long length pants, which I try on to demonstrate that I do INDEED wear long length pants. This conversation happens all the time. And in many different stores.

Astrid

I have had similar experiences with my bra size! I'm a 30E and you can't even buy this size in normal clothing stores here in Germany. We have one store (in a city like Berlin!) that sells this size, because it isn't a german company. Normally the smallest band size is a 32 and in most stores they don't go higher than E. I was shopping with a friend a while ago and she wanted to shop for new bras. She tried some on that were clearly the wrong size for her and the shop assistant was gushing about how great they were. My friend suggested I look also if I find something and I told her that they didn't have my size here. Then the assistant was really insistent and told me I was talking crap and that I was clearly a 34A. Well I didn't argue with her, it happens all the time. Most of the girls here have never even heard of bra fitting and because of that nobody rebels against the problem with all the missing sizes.

Kate

It's happened to me too (I wrote about it here: http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....ng-failure). I'm a 30DD, and she tried to tell me that a 32B looked great, when I said I needed a larger cup size the best that she could bring me was a 34C (which again, she told me looked great). There aren't any physical stores nearby that carry my size, so I do everything online now.

What surprises me even more is when the sales associates know which sizes of which clothes will fit me PERFECTLY just by looking at me (fully clothed)! There's one woman at my local J Crew who has some kind of a gift, it's amazing!

Girl X

I've had people ask how tall I am, and then insist that I'm way wrong when I tell them! I mean, really? Who doesn't know their own height?

@Girl X: while we should know our heights, there are people who don't or are in denial. I am 5 feet 5+3/4 inches and have been that height since I was 12 -- haven't grown since. Some women I've met try to tell me they are 5' 6" when they are very clearly shorter than I am. They tell me I am mistaken. I've just learned to say "You should learn to stand taller then to maximize your height". I hate getting into arguments about something so obvious.

@Enginemom: I have had that pant leg issue myself. It's funny how one SA wouldn't get me the taller size, so I just went to another one. I'm the one paying here -- it's my choice in the end.

CocoLion

In my experience in bra fittings they always want to put you in a more ordinary size -- shop assistants want me in a 34C when I am a 32DD or 30DDD in some brands. The 34C gore is like an inch away from my chest and I have quad-boob but they think that's correct fit! I think it's from the Victoria's Secret model and most bra models at dept stores like Macy's where they put them in smaller bras for a "sexier" look. I find that when the bra is too small like this you have no support (too large a band) and you bounce a lot. Speaking from experience of wearing the wrong size for years.

Irene

Why do they do that? I mean, I'd get the recommendation if I was, like, obviously a size 14 and asking for a 4, but, really, if I COULD fit into a 34C, why on Earth would I be paying 60 bucks for a not so pretty 30G bra? You think I'm an idiot trying to make my life hard? If I KNOW such size exists, I must be wearing it, because it's not like many people know about sizes bigger than C...

Freckles

Grrr. Shop assistants can be fabulous, middle ground or horrid. Lets all hope we find fabulous ones in the stores we frequent!

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