SATURDAY SHOPPING,

Treasure and torture...Saturday afternoon shopping with girlfriends.

Why WHY are some shop staff still so dreadfully rude and arrogant??
I've already discussed service in another post and here I go again....promise to be brief.

Saturday afternoon and we walk into a clothes shop in Bordeaux...we ooh and aah over the latest autumn collection. There is a pullover that interests me. Size "S" and, to say the very least, " doll size." It is the only one out. I look at the trousers next to it...fabulous, but size 34 ( US 4!!). Then I look at the t-shirts...all "S" or " XS"...I'm wondering what kind of marketing is going down here, I'd only be able to wear the t-shirts on my legs!

Am I the only one who has ever wondered why shops selling quality clothing only merchandise the SMALLEST sizes??
I am so sick of going up to the sales desk to ask for a size 42, which is perfectly average for a strapping 5ft 7 anglo saxon woman....In one shop I once asked whether they sold adults clothing!!

An emaciated woman sidles up to me ( honestly,  her lips were so botoxed they must have been the heaviest part of her! )...she admires the pullover with me and asks, somewhat ironically, whether I'd like to try it on..I ask quietly whether it comes in an "L." So what does she do? At the top of her voice, in front of all the other customers, she asks her collegue whether this model comes in  L...ah non   shaking her head in disdain, they don't do "L"...meanwhile all the customers are craning their necks to see who the 'fat girl' is. We leave.

We go into another quality clothing shop and ask ourselves why the sales assistant here doesn't simply show the customer something else instead of trying to convince her she looks  merveilleuse in some kind of tunic in which she resembles the back end of a bus in a potato sack!!

Is it any wonder we all prefer buying our clothes in London!!!


The positively treasure-trove-in -comparison shops come in the form of fabulous kitchen shops such as Happy Kitchen, where Sophie will chat with you for eons about food, cuisine and actually help you buy what you need.This shop is a veritable haven for foodies and would-be cooks like me.There is such a willingness to share information and ideas about cooking and cooking materials.
Another delightful experience is Artiga where the sales woman gets poetical over the colours and textures of fabrics.Beautifully merchandised Basque textiles.

We leave both these shops with bulging bags and less bulging credit cards...

What are some of your favourite shops in Bordeaux..?? Where can we shop for clothes without feeling like Oprah BEFORE the diet and stomach surgery???

For dinner tonight, Chicken and Prawn Thai Green Curry, Noodles....

Comments

  1. I'm so happy to have the recipe for Waldorf Salad, when you made it last time I think I scarfed down twice as much as anyone else, it was so good.

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  2. Unequivocally!!!

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  3. Shopping in France is special; you need both a steel armor and a steel character to not “kill” the shop assistant. If you are not of “French” size you have a challenge. More than once I have entered into a shop with assistants smirking at me thinking what can she buy here (either out of size or price [especially if you are dressed in jeans and converse (shabby chic) and do not follow the “Bordelais” chic style]) and out of sheer spite just purchased something such as a very expensive pair of pants or skirt which I initially did not intend to buy! I’m getting better at it and it’s less costly but it still bugs the daylights out of me. But we still love France if only they could understand that not all women are “petite”.

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  4. I totally agree with reader's comment. I too am sick to death of being made to feel like an elephant!! I am someone who can afford to buy what I want and I almost always end up buying at Zara or H&M as the sales staff are such tossers!!!

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  5. So understand's Suzie's comments about "who's the fat girl"...I am a size 12 UK and can barely find anything to fit me or if I can the sales wenches make me feel dreadful. Once I was told to be careful " faites attention" when trying on a blazer. PLEASE educate them!! Service, the client is king etc etc

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  6. Well as a UK size fourteen i feel like porky the pig when i shop here!!! And as for service, i am told they need a BAC plus two or three to be a sales assistant ha ha ha in what i ask????
    I have started to pretend to not understand any French nor speak it, seems to have two reactions, they either ignore me or become very attentive as they probably think i am a tourist who is going to spend all her holiday money in thier shop ha ha

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  7. I refuse to go shopping here..waists are all wrong, jeans too small, tops never long enough, sleeves too short and really really unhelpful and rude shop assistants who make me feel like a fat hog. In England even really fat women can buy great fashion clothes....the sizes don't stop at 12!!

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  8. This shop really deserves all the publicity it can get. It is nothing short of wonderful.And the service shines!

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  9. The higher the price, the roomier the sizes, this is true in London and Newy York as well as Bordeaux. Would love to know where you ladies shop in London (this chic and cheap haven with sizes for everybody)-personally I have never found that address. Aside from H and M there is La Redoute which has every conceiveable size, trousers in three lengths,and one of their ranges, La Redoute Création is really chic. quality not too bad, either. And the prices go down as the season advances,even just eeks into the season (no waiting for the Big Sales) they send you birthday cards and special offers, it's fun.

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  10. Trilby Trudy...lovely name!! Thank you for your comments and keep them coming!! When I go shopping in London I have a general go between Oxford St, Regent St (more expensive but fits better...try COS) and then smaller boutiques out in the berbs..;Notting Hill good if you are feeling flush!!
    Seriously even Debenhams has great things if you look carefully..everything fits ALL sizes of FEMME and the prices seem that much more reasonable than here. Another thing..the clothes are better quality. I have a realy prob with Fr knits which pill after 2 wears!! let me know how you get on.
    Susie

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  11. I agree with Susie about Debenhams, you can look on line too and order.
    Also I would like to say I have the same prob with french knitwear...pills like crazy, even expensive cashmere sweaters!

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  12. Once upon a time, these tiny French boutiques were reserved for regular customers, i.e. the women who lived in the neighborhood. Forewarned is forearmed so come prepared:
    As you enter the boutique, and before you touch anything in the shop, single out a salesperson and start a conversation by sharing your fears about not being the right size for those amazing French clothes/boots that you adore.
    You can probably get this salesperson immediately "on your side" by insisting the problem is with your size, not the limited selection of their clothes.
    With a bit of luck, you'll receive the patience and empathy you're looking for once you've made it clear that absolutely nothing is their fault.
    Bonne chance!

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