TGIF-Fodorites!
While shopping yesterday, I had a strange encounter with a salesperson. Sitting here with my morning cup of coffee, I wondered what kind of stories are out there, all of the travels, all of the shopping, some of you must have some wacky stories about shopping and salespeople!
Mine:
I walked into a Victorias Secret store. I was looking at lace boy leg panties. A man in a suit, walked up to me and said, " Hi! How are you?! What can I help you with today?"
Now generally, if a lady is helping me, I would say, Have you worn these? Are they comfortable? or I wear this sort and wanted to try that sort and wondered if you have a preference..Then on to the bras, I would say I like for this to fit this way and ...well, you get my drift~
I am sure that this story would have been much more fun if it happened in Italy
Do tell me about your Strange Saleshelp Experience
and Have a Lovely Friday!!

Hi Scarlett,

What's so odd about a salesman wearing a suit?

LOL, thank you, ira , for the laugh

Well Scarlett, not to seem insulting, but I've seen a couple of guys working in Victoria's Secret. In those cases I think your questions to them might have still been appropriate.

I do remember asking a clerk some pretty simple questions in a Williams Sonoma or similar store once and having her constantly say, "don't ask me, I don't know anything about cooking." I kept thinking, "then why are you working here?"

I also remember going into a really nice men's store, a number of years ago. I had picked out a dress shirt with fine pastel stripes and a tie that had a wider diagonal stripe in the exact same colors. I loved the combination, but the clerk said he wouldn't sell me them because you just can't wear stripes with stripes. Meanwhile he was wearing a polyester leisure suit and white fake patent leather shoes. Like I was going to take fashion advice from this guy?

Patrick, this gentleman was dressed beautifully, he would have been happy to be of help and he was nice and soft spoken. But I tend to find it a little difficult to discuss my preferences for underwear with strange men..
You know-standing there with a little lace nothing dangling from my hand as I discuss the pros and cons of thong vs boy leg?
1-he most likely has not tried them out and doesn't have an opinion
2-his butt was nothing like mine
I remember the days when there was this old lady who worked in Bloomingdales lingerie and she would help find the perfect fit .. she used to drive me crazy when I first came to NYC, barging into the fitting room to help me adjust the straps, make sure it was the right fit..
I can just picture this guy, standing outside the fitting room, "how is everything, need some help"?

Scarlett, when my husband and I went to Italy, my mother impressed upon me the need to carry spare change, lest I end up with too many bananas. "Alright, Mother, is this one of your insider jokes, you weren't stuffing tailpipes in Italy, were you?" No, only visiting fruitstands (in a effort to counteract the digestive effects of too many delicious Italian cheeses and salamis, but that's a story best left unsaid). Not enought correct change for the purchase, so the change came back to Mother not in the shape of coins, but its equivalent worth in bananas!

I was wishing--futilely, as it turned out--that that was the way business was conducted all over Italy. I had visions of shopping for lacy little nothings and not having enough correct change. "No problem, Signora, you do not have the exact number of bills? Take this sexy little pantie instead."

Never happened! (sigh)

They have men working at Victoria's Secret??????? That's very inappropriate, in my opinion. They have to measure your chest! Talk about sexual harrassment bait. I wonder if it's an equal opportunity thing or if these guys just want to be around girls in their undies all day--talk about a dream job for a guy! I can't imagine that a customer would prefer to have a man help her with personal items like that--I'd probably leave the store, dazed and confused. I could maybe see a guy working behind the scenes and have him come out if a customer wants "a man's opinion" but not your front person. Wow!

Scarlett- I am a big fan of the boy cut undies at Vic's. They take a little getting used to, but they are very cute and very comfortable!

The strangest saleshelp experience I ever had was purchasing makeup at the MAC counter here in the Detroit area from a man that had more eye makeup on than I did (he explained that he was giving an application demonstration).

If I'm reading Patrick correctly, he was speculating that the salesmen he has seen in Victoria's Secret have the appropriate personal experience with women's underwear to be of help. Although, if this guy's butt was nothing like Scarlett's (her words, not mine, I have no personal knowledge), I suppose the experience might be less helpful.

Don't you just *hate* it when a man looks better in lacy underthings than you do?

I frequently have that experience in San Francisco.

Really, tho I find most salespeople give very little "fitting" help unless requested. Nowadays, most women know what size they wear and just grab and run.

I don't find anything the least "inappropriate" about a man working in a lingerie shop.

Unless you are wearing the undies for the benefit of another woman I'd say a man would be the PERFECT person for you to have discussed your preferences with...although I'm not quite sure why the whole thing would have been "more fun" if it had happened in Italy unless you're assuming that the man in this case woulnd't have bothered with the niceties of asking you how you are but would have proceeded to what appears to be the fantasy-oriented business at hand.

I cannot imagine an Italian man working in a lingerie shop! By the way, I want those VS undies! When are these people going to open in Europe!

Tulip, can you order from the catalogue? They fit the same as regular underwear
I got a pair in black..
I would not ask a strange man about fitting my underwear. I have had some guy - friends who were my Best "Girl"Friends in all senses of the word, but to chat with a strange man while trying on underwear is beyond me these days.
Maybe that is it!!! Scarlett is getting old

Scarlett, VS must hire men for Xmas to help other men buying gifts. I've also had a man help me in one of their stores. I hate it. I also hate men helping me in clothing stores. Somehow shoes are OK.

My rant from yesterday, went into Saks & couldn't walk 5 steps without a different sales person accosting me-hi, anything in particular etc. etc. I like to browse! They must have hired lots of help for Xmas. And their cosmetics dept has become like Bloomies-every 2 steps someone wants to spritz you. Puh-leeze

Koshka--you're right, most people know what size they wear, and I used to, until I had kids. I'll spare the men the details, but your body changes after you've been pregnant. I've had several fittings in the last few years because of that, and I know I'm not the only one. Call me old-fashioned but I'd much prefer to have a woman help me (yet I don't mind a male doctor--kooky, huh?).

Scarlett, when I first started reading your story, I thought "the man doesn't really work there! He just pretends to work there! Poor Scarlett was accosted by a cad!"
So in that way, I am glad he was a legitimate salesman On the other hand, I could never buy my underthings with the help of gentleman, no matter how well dressed. As a student, I once worked at a store that sold all kinds of unmentionables. A young man did work there as well, but the rule was: girls to the ladies, girls and boy to the gentlemen. I have all sorts of stories about wacky customers, but perhaps they are better left unsaid.

Scarlett, what are boy leg panties? I started buying nothing but thongs a few years ago and now I wonder if I'm missing out on something?????????

Hey Scarlett-
Here in San Francisco I would have assumed he'd probably tried on quite a bit of the stock and was in fact wearing some of it right at that moment!

Seriously, though, I miss those old fashioned bra-and-girdle shops with the expert, usually elderly, ladies who really knew how to fit the essentials.

Scarlett, I don't think they ship to Belgium, but I will have a look at the website. Xenos; I find those shorts way sexier than thongs (and more comfortable).

I suddenly realized, the vast majority of clerks I've bought my underwear from were women. So why shouldn't men be the salespeople for women's underwear? Is there some sort of double standard here?

Actually that's a retorical question. I already know the answer.