Once a year my friend SC and I cruise the "Ladies Fashion" floors of DJ's Elizabeth St Store in Sydney. We decide in advance what one item of clothing we are looking for and proceed single-mindedly in one direction around each floor picking up anything that vaguely meets requirements.
After a full (clockwise) circuit of one floor we take our haul to the change rooms. We are not interested in returning to the floor at any point so we arrive with anything upwards of 15 items, convince the attendant that the 4 item limit is simply ridiculous and proceed to climb in and out of dresses until we find one we like
So here is my gripe. I hate tiny squished-in change rooms.
Growing up I would often visit a dress shop ("frock shop") owned by my mum's family that had real change rooms. These were huge curtained off areas with large mirrors and excellent lighting; hanging space for at least 20 items; a chair or two and shop attendants whose mission in life it was to rush out at get a different size, different colour or a seamstress to take up a hem. The big change room is all about you.
Small change rooms force you to step outside to either be pounced upon by an over eager shop attendant who tells you how fabulous you look or you are completely ignored by a lady whose job it is to hand out numbers. Small change rooms are all about them.
Give me a large airy change room and an interested (but not pushy) attendant willing to comb the floor for additional clothes and I am a happy customer who might just push my credit card a little further in appreciation of good service.
Where are the best/worst change rooms you've seen?
Growing up I would often visit a dress shop ("frock shop") owned by my mum's family that had real change rooms. These were huge curtained off areas with large mirrors and excellent lighting; hanging space for at least 20 items; a chair or two and shop attendants whose mission in life it was to rush out at get a different size, different colour or a seamstress to take up a hem. The big change room is all about you.
Small change rooms force you to step outside to either be pounced upon by an over eager shop attendant who tells you how fabulous you look or you are completely ignored by a lady whose job it is to hand out numbers. Small change rooms are all about them.
Give me a large airy change room and an interested (but not pushy) attendant willing to comb the floor for additional clothes and I am a happy customer who might just push my credit card a little further in appreciation of good service.
Where are the best/worst change rooms you've seen?
9 comments:
ALL the new shops seem to have tiny changing rooms. With all-around mirrors that don't show your bits and pieces in their best light. I just close my eyes and change clothes, refusing to look until I'm dressed. And then I have to step outside the changing room and have a peek.
Me too! Especially now with my big ol belly getting in the way. too small a bathroom stall is also my pet peeve....oh hey that rhymes.
Much as I love The Hill...and you know how much I love The Hill...the changerooms are a major gripe of mine about her Melbourne city store. The curtains, plush as they are, just don't reach from one side of the stall to the other. I really hate having my white and wobbly bits hanging out the crack in the curtain for the entire store to view.
The service there is good though...much more the old-style "frock shop" experience.
Even worse than tiny change rooms are the ones with no mirror at all, where they force you out into the middle of the shop to all look into the one communal mirror - aargh!! And of course every assistant, customer, husband of customer, etc. gets to put their 2 cents worth in - yuck!!
Not very hi-brow, but I love how Target has changerooms for those with wheelchairs or prams. I once parked in one and fitted in a breastfeed between frocks.
And yes, all changerooms should be like this..
Fairlie, I agree with you about The Hill. Very dangerous place to go if you didn't really intend to buy anything. They are very good with the "total outfit" concept but they still do it in full view of all and sundry. I nearly walked out of there with a pair of 10cm heels that I couldn't even stand in, let alone walk in.
H&B, haven't seen the target ones. Must check them out. I love a changeroom that fits the kids in as well - especially when buying clothes for said kids.
Ah, yes Myutopia, the bathroom stall. That deserves its own post. Hate going into bathrooms with all the shopping only to find the only place to put it on is a very questionable, wetish, blurgh floor.
Your dress shop of old with its big change room and good old fashioned service ethic sounds like it might be a hit these days with all of us.
Does anyone do a good change room these days - other than H&B's target?
Oh hang on - that was your question!
I hate the ones where there is no mirror in the changeroom and you have to go out only to be accosted by a pushy sales person and told that whatever ghastly thing you have on looks fab
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