Traumatised By Trying

ALeigh

Do you try clothes on before you buy them?

I am terrified of online shopping, and always try thing on in store, buy in store. Because being short and curvy, I NEED to know it looks good before I invest! And yes, I am a teenager, which is why when a friend of mine spent $600 ish NZD on clothes in one day, in store, and didn't try anything on, I was horrified. But she just said she'd return whatever didn't look good! The idea seemed ridiculous to me, and yet it's a growing trend amount my peers. Those who do try on clothes in-store usually just go home and purchase it offline thinking it is cheaper and forgetting about shipping and taxes and exchange rates...

What do you think of these new trends??? Would you buy things without trying them on, only to return when you don't like them? Have you bought stuff online after seeing them in-store because of costs?

10 years ago

Shopping

20 replies

Latest reply was from Jaime

Aziraphale

Veteran

Lots of people here are American and are shopping online at American retailers, so they can order clothes and return them if they don't fit (return shipping is usually free). Online shopping is especially useful for those who don't live in a major urban centre.

I don't do a lot of buying online, though, because I live in Canada, so return shipping costs money unless I'm ordering from a Canadian retailer (and there aren't as many good ones). Plus, I do live in a large urban centre, so there are plenty of real shops go to. I much prefer to try things on in store than to order them online and hope for the best. I certainly can't imagine going to a brick-and-mortar shop and buying things without even trying them on!

10 years ago

Anonymous

I always try before buying. I'm a little obsessed with fit, but also hate wasting time having to make returns, whether in store or online. It saddens me when people try out items in a B&M store and then buy online elsewhere. Sure, it may be cheaper, but this practice eventually puts stores out of business--especially independent boutiques whose owners spend time curating collections. I realise this way of shopping is a growing trend though.

10 years ago

Anonymous

Since my body isn't hard to fit, I shop almost exclusively online from retailers that have excellent return policies and that sell brands I've already tried and can know with a reasonable degree of certainty will work well for me. I always look at the size charts, the actual garment measurements if available, and fit information. I've gotten fairly good at it and rarely have to return anything.

10 years ago

deb

Veteran

Almost all of my shopping is online. I order multiple sizes and return those that do not fit. Before the internet I did step same with catalog purchases.

10 years ago

always trying

Veteran

I am buying more on line these days because there seems to be so much more on line. Finding what I want is much easier. I am getting tired of stores being out of things in the colors and, or sizes I want. This seems to be happening more frequently on line too. especially with sale items.

10 years ago

Janet

(website)

Veteran

If I'm shopping in a B&M store, not online, I try on about 95% of the time before buying. The rare exception is when I'm buying a duplicate of something I already know (or strongly expect) works for me, or something like a tee at Target. I will not purchase an untried item if I'm shopping in a place where I cannot return the item and get a full refund.

I'd rather invest a little time in the fitting room to avoid having to make a repeat trip to the store to make returns.

10 years ago

rabbit

Veteran

I always try on in the store, even if it's just trying on a jacket over my existing clothes or winding a scarf around my neck. Sizing is so inconsistent that there is no other way I could be sure that a top or bottom fits me unless I bought three sizes and took them home.

Sometimes I try on in a store and buy online (if the shipping is free and returns are free -- otherwise I don't think I've ever bought anything online and paid shipping, I'm in the US though). I usually only do this if it's a common item that is at many different retailers, or I'm waiting for the season to be over and it to go on sale. Alternately sometimes the online site for the same store will have lower prices, and if the brick and mortar won't match them, I will order online.

No matter where I buy an item I always try it on at home as part of several outfits, not just one, before deciding to keep it or not. Honestly I probably return 1/3 of what I bring home, even after in store try-ons. I'm picky and want things to be both exactly right for me, and in my budget -- and I'd rather spend time than money.

Occasionally I'm stuck with store credit if I return something somewhere with a restrictive return policy or if I end up not wearing it past the return window. I try to be as mindful with the store credit purchase as I would for any other clothing purchase.

10 years ago

Anonymous

I almost always try stuff on in the store, but find that simply carrying a measuring tape in my purse works if I simply need to get the chest measurements of tops. That's the critical information I need. For pants, I mostly go by hip measurement and inseam length. I then pay attention to the rise. Usually, a misses size will fit better than a petite size, except the inseam. I almost always have to have my pants shortened. Most dresses and skirts fit me off the rack, with no alterations. I stick with petite sizes for dresses and skirts.

10 years ago

JAileen

Veteran

I rarely try stuff on because mostly I buy on the internet, and return what doesn't work. I only buy from places with free shipping both ways. I recently bought nine pairs of sandals, and returned six pairs.

10 years ago

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

Like Janet, I'll sometimes buy things from Target without trying them on - I know how their sizes run and if something doesn't work they've got a very good return policy and I'm there at least once every couple of weeks anyway. Their changing rooms aren't the best, and I often have a cart full of non-clothes items that I don't want to leave alone while I try stuff on. With most mall stores I try things on in store and try to make good decisions, leaving anything I'm not sure about. I do try to leave the tags on for a day or two and try them on at home, with the rest of the outfit if necessary, before making a final decision.

After years of thrifting I've gotten pretty good at telling whether something is close to my size or not, and sewing some of my own clothes has probably helped with that too. Carrying a tape measure when you're in situations where you have to make quick decisions helps too - I've got a couple small ones that are small enough to go in a purse or on a key ring.

Online I'm not ashamed to say I'm a profligate orderer. We've got a lot of stores with good shipping and return policies here in the US and even with brands that are consistent with sizing you can't tell for sure until you try something on in person.

10 years ago

Deborah

Veteran

I buy on line when I am unable to access the brick and mortar store. I am very particular tho. I generally only order from stores that I know well and that have an excellent and simple return option. I understand that desire to try things on at home. I also work in retail and have customers who do tht also. I like to see how something looks in my mirror, in my life setting and also play with my existing clothing to ensure that the new item should in fact become part of my wardrobe.

10 years ago

Summer

Veteran

When shopping in store, I will always try things on, taking more than one size into the fitting room. The acid test comes at home, though, when, like Deborah, I try the new item with the rest of my wardrobe. If it doesn't work, it will be returned.
If something I like in store is not available in my size or colour, I will order online, but I have never resorted to online shopping just to get a better deal.

9 years ago

Carla

Veteran

Bricks and mortar (B+M) shopper, though I sometimes do a phone order after catalogue shopping. I am NOT an online shopper. I always try on in store - even duplicates! I've found the same style in a different fabric can fit differently and sometimes there is variation in sizing from one year to another. Also, sometimes you pick up a flaw that you would miss if you didn't try the garment on.

9 years ago

Anonymous

I do approximately 80 percent of my shopping online in America. Even if I shop in a store, I rarely try anything on at the store. I hate the tiny dressing rooms. Then I always stand there so stiff and uncomfortable that I can't really "feel" the clothes on my body. When I try clothes on at home, I move around. I sit. I bend. The decisions I make when I try things on at home are usually more accurate and I'm happier with the end result.

9 years ago

Maneera

(website)

Veteran

I do about 80% of my shopping online in India. I find it very convenient - you see a lot of variety, most sites give exact measurements for the item so I know what size to buy, and yes, you get better discounts. I return whatever I don't like and it's never been a problem. Plus, the biggest advantage - I get to try the clothes in my own home, with other wardrobe items I already have including shoes, and get to make a more informed decision. Give it a try!

9 years ago

Anonymous

There's a lot to be said, I think, for being able to try things on at home to make sure they work with other items you already have.

9 years ago

krishnidoux

Veteran

I live in Canada and I don't buy much online, for the same reasons as Aziraphale, except I don't live in a large city. I do have some choice, but not all the choices that I would get if I lived in one of Canada's larger urban centers. Like you, I need to try on anything before I buy. Fit is not always perfect, and sometimes I may buy with alterations in mind, if the item is not too expensive. Because we can't expect the pret-à-porter to suit every shape.

9 years ago

Gigi

Veteran

I do almost all of my shopping online, for many reasons. I am hard to fit, and some places sell my size only online. I also find that there is a much larger selection online; much of what is in my wardrobe was not offered in the stores near me (even though I live in a large metro area).

I have also been noticing lately that I have a high level of stress and anxiety when I shop in a store. The loud noise, the cramped fitting rooms, etc., make me anxious. If I can have the items delivered to my home, I do much better, and then I just return what doesn't work to the store.

9 years ago

shiny

Veteran

Hi ALeigh, I'm also short and curvy. These days I buy most of my clothes online because increasingly petites are "online exclusives" and not available in stores. I will go to the mall to check out the regular sized version to see what the fabrics feel like and their quality, and to get a sense whether the item will even come close to fitting. So I may try on the regular Small top in the store, and pass it up, going home to order the petite Small instead, having deduced the petite version will hit at the right place on my hip and be cut higher in the arm holes.

I really hate having to ship things back, not just the shipping $ but also the hassle -- which makes me much more partial to stores that have reliable sizing. It's rare I will take a risk on an online store or brand I have little experience with. I will say this hurts me most when it comes to shoes. Since everything went online with shoes, I am far more apt to just keep re-ordering replacements for shoes that already work, rather than trying something new ordering sight unseen from online.

As to your friend who ordered $600, seeing you are a teen, is it possible that she made that excuse to you because she felt uncomfortable justifying what she was doing? That seems like a lot of $ for a teenager to plonk down on a shopping trip, even if she'd tried everything on. Or is it possible she has some aversion to dressing rooms? I'd give your friend the benefit of the doubt here. Something else may have been going on with her.

9 years ago

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

There is almost no local online shopping in Israel (although that is supposedly about to change). I personally would love to be able to order and return online from Zara, but apart from that most of my shopping is second hand. I am pretty good at assessing fit by sight (I sort at a charity shop and look at literally hundreds of garments a week). I won't buy a more expensive item at a consignment shop without trying it, but only try on jackets and coats at thrift shops.

9 years ago

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