Just a few I've been saving...

[Lingerie_Lackey]

I really need to think up a new username because I don't work for the government now. I currently work in the lingerie department of a large retail company. Anyway, I've got a few SC stories that I've been saving up because they didn't warrant their own individual threads. Sorry, this post is long!

Whining that we don't have what you want will not make it magically appear
Slightly-out-of-breath-customer: "Excuse me, where are your slippers?"
Me: "They're down on the ground floor with the shoes."
SOOBC: (Sighs, evidently p***ed off.) "I've just come from downstairs. I looked around that area and couldn't see them." (Storms off.)

Lady, I don't know what to tell you. The slippers are where they are. Sadly I didn't get my invitation to attend Hogwarts therefore pointing a stick and yelling, "Accio slippers!" isn't going to do anything other than make me look ridiculous.

-----

I'm approached by a lady asking if we have a particular bra in her size. We didn't, I tell her this and inform her we could order her one - which she declines - and go back to my tidying. For the next few minutes I could hear her muttering, "How frustrating." whilst looking for another bra.

I know it's frustrating when we don't have what you want, but I offered you your only option and you turned it down. Suck it up or shut up.

-----

Who would have thought people would get soo annoyed at being told we have a separate desk for returns and another for orders? Personally I think there are bigger things to get worked up about but hey, what do I know?!

One woman came to my till to ask where she could order something and when I started to direct her she sighed and walked off. But because she walked off whilst I was mid-sentence she didn't hear what I was saying so had to come back and ask again because she didn't know where she was going. HAHAHA stupid woman.

Don't throw your toys out of the pram/tights across the floor
Sadly, I didn't get to witness this one. Customer comes to our fitting room to ask if her daughter can try on some tights (I believe this is 'pantyhose' to you guys across the atlantic). She was informed she couldn't for hygiene reasons. She then asked "I suppose that if I buy them and they're not right I can't bring them back either." She was informed she couldn't. Her response to that was to throw the tights, overarm, across the fitting room floor and storm off!

Why do you think you know our job better than we do?
We offer a free bra-fitting service that generally works by appointment, however if people walk-in and our bra-fitter is free then they will see them there-and-then.

I was restocking hosiery with another colleague when two women with a straggle of children appeared and asked if we could fit them. As neither myself nor my colleague are trained in this service we understandably couldn't do it and told the ladies so. They then unleashed their verbal diarrhea upon us.

From what I gathered they had come in wanting a fitting on a bank holiday Monday in the middle of the post-xmas sales and were not only surprised, but actually angry, that we couldn't do one today. Their words were, "We came all the way over from NeighbouringTown and had to bring the kids." FTR NeighbouringTown is a whopping 8 miles away. So instead of doing as advised - taking our number so they can call us in the morning on a day they know they'll be coming in to check availability and book - they decided to go around the shop asking random employees if they could fit them.

My colleague informed them that it can take half an hour for a proper fitting which is why we do it by appointment. One of the women called this "ridiculous" and said in a real smug, know-it-all, proud-of-herself tone, "I've been fitted before and it only took 15 minutes." I've only been in this job 4 months but I've already been around dozens of fittings and I can tell you that it most definitely can take half an hour, sometimes longer. But obviously this woman's one experience trumps mine and my colleague's knowledge of part of our own job.

If you say you're not "shooting the messenger" it might be more believable if you didn't say it so aggressively
I turned up for work at 6pm ready to start a 12-hour night shift and almost immediately after walking onto the shop floor was accosted by a woman who was unreasonably annoyed at our hosiery section.
Unreasonably Annoyed Customer: "Are they all the tights you have?" (Said in a very confrontational tone)
Me: (Slightly confused because there is quite a large selection) "Yes, that is our entire hosiery section."
UAC: "Ugh, it's absolutely dire! There's no choice at all!"
Me: "..." (I really didn't know how to respond to this so I said nothing.)
UAC: "I know it's not your fault... But it's diabolical! And I hate what you've done with the shop." (We recently had a huge refurbishment and expansion.) "I don't mean to shoot the messenger. Ugh." (Walks off)

Don't jump to conclusions
On a busy Saturday two of our tills decided to break down. Whilst we were waiting for them to be repaired the following happened:
Angry Lady: (Approaches my till.)
Me: (Smiling politely) "Hello there, thank you for waiting."
AL: "You need more staff!"
Me: "We have plenty of staff. What we need are working tills."
She had no comeback to that one.

ETA: One more!
Lady came up to me saying we'd had some knee-length thermal socks the week before but she couldn't see any. That was because we'd sold out so I told her to try our ordering desk to see if they could be ordered for her. It turned out they couldn't for some reason.
"Well I guess I'm screwed, aren't I?" Was her response to being told this.

Dude, they're socks. Hardly worth getting into a tizzy over. As a side-note, if you saw them last week why didn't you buy them then if was so important you have them?

[emax4]

Geesh, is this the season for showing off gams or are women really in a bank-robbing mood all of a sudden?

[MoonCat]

Geesh, is this the season for showing off gams or are women really in a bank-robbing mood all of a sudden?

Nope it's Kate-&-Pippa syndrome. Apparently the Middletons have made wearing hose popular again, so now that hosiery is back in fashion, everybody just has to have some.

I'm confused as to why a bra fitting would take even 15 minutes, let alone half an hour...unless you're including trying on the fitter's suggested styles?

[dalesys]

I really need to think up a new username because I don't work for the government now. I currently work in the lingerie department of a large retail company.

Instead of the backers & sackers you're working on the baggiers & saggiers?

Lady came up to me saying we'd had some knee-length thermal socks the week before but she couldn't see any...
"Well I guess I'm screwed, aren't I?"

Yep. And you're getting it without a warm fuzzy feeling too.

[wynjara]

I'm confused as to why a bra fitting would take even 15 minutes, let alone half an hour...unless you're including trying on the fitter's suggested styles?

Being a rather, uh, generously proportioned individual, I can say that in the past I've spent at least that long. Different styles will fit differently, different garments of the same size and style will fit differently, heaven forbid you want to try it in a different color, 'cause that's going to fit different half the time... It's more than worth a half hour of your time to get a bra that will stay put, keep you covered, not stab in uncomfortable places, etc.

[Sapphire Silk]

Nope it's Kate-&-Pippa syndrome. Apparently the Middletons have made wearing hose popular again, so now that hosiery is back in fashion, everybody just has to have some.

I'm confused as to why a bra fitting would take even 15 minutes, let alone half an hour...unless you're including trying on the fitter's suggested styles?

I've had a formal fitting before. It took about 20 minutes or so. The lady very carefully measured my chest in several places to get the chest size and the correct cup size.

I had no idea that most women wear the wrong size bra. They usually buy on cup size, when they should buy a larger chest size and a smaller cup size to get the correct fit for the "girls."

[Teefies2]

I've had a formal fitting before. It took about 20 minutes or so. The lady very carefully measured my chest in several places to get the chest size and the correct cup size.

I had no idea that most women wear the wrong size bra. They usually buy on cup size, when they should buy a larger chest size and a smaller cup size to get the correct fit for the "girls."

Ir took me FOREVER to figure this out!

[Mongo Skruddgemire]

She then asked "I suppose that if I buy them and they're not right I can't bring them back either." She was informed she couldn't. Her response to that was to throw the tights, overarm, across the fitting room floor and storm off!

Tights or pantyhose as I recall have a sizing guide printed either on them or on the display. So you can see that if you are X tall and are Y weight then you need Z size.

And since they are stretchy, there is some leeway in the sizing in that Z size may cover a range of people within a size range.

So if they get the one size that covers the height and weight range that she falls in it is likely to BE right.

[RealUnimportant]

Even as a guy, I know that fitting bras can be painstakingly labourious. It's not just making sure that the right measurements are taken, but finding a bra that matches those measurements; there's not just minor variations between stores, but between different lines or even colours!

[Lingerie_Lackey]

I'm confused as to why a bra fitting would take even 15 minutes, let alone half an hour...unless you're including trying on the fitter's suggested styles?

Like others have said, it's actually quite a complex process and some women need more help than others.

We get customers who have no idea what a good fitting bra looks and feels like, young girls coming for their first bra, women whose bodies have drastically changed recently due to things like pregnancy, weightloss/gain or surgery. There are also about a gazillion different styles of bra, all of which fit differently, and every woman is a different shape and size with different requirements. I.e. larger busts needing more support. Much of the time it's not sufficient to just whip a tapemeasure around them, give them a size and send them on their way.

I used to think I was alone in hating bra shopping until I started working for my current employer!

Instead of the backers & sackers you're working on the baggiers & saggiers?

AAAAAH I love that!

[Little Retail Rabbit]

I've had a formal fitting before. It took about 20 minutes or so. The lady very carefully measured my chest in several places to get the chest size and the correct cup size.

I had no idea that most women wear the wrong size bra. They usually buy on cup size, when they should buy a larger chest size and a smaller cup size to get the correct fit for the "girls."

Ah! Proof that its different everywhere you go! I typically wear a 36C but I suspect its not the right size...the shoulder straps tend to be tight, I sometimes spill out of the front in certain styles...adjusting has to be done a couple of times a day. But i just don't bother with getting measaured because everyone I know has had a different experience. My very busty friend (who is at LEAST a G cup, maybe more) has to shell out for very expensive Marks and Spencers bras about once a month because despite being the only ones that fit, they still an't handle the weight of her breasts and snap after a few weeks. And she's been told conflicting sizes from M&S, La Senza, Contessa....an ex colleague of mine was told by a fitter that its the other way round, that you should have a smaller chest size and a bigger cup but she couldn't stand it because she could hardly breathe (I understand that the chest band is supposed to actually take the weight and not the shoulder straps, but thats hardly comfortable either).

We once tried working out our bra sizes from our company's measurement instructions...according to it, I wear a 34AA...I know I admitted I was quite likely wearing the wrong size (for one, I'm probably actually a 37), 36C is definately more accurate than 34AA XD We never bother using them for the customers either.

[PepperElf]

"I've been fitted before and it only took 15 minutes."

And that still doesn't mean you can do them.

[earl colby pottinger]

One reason I like being a guy is the problems I notice women with larger breasts have.

I have seen the shoulder straps leave grooves in the top of the shoulders from having to support the weight for years.

I have noticed the arcing of the back to balance the center of gravity, that must lead to back problems in later life.

Considering what has happened to me on very hot days with even a small pinch in the belt area, I hate to think of the marks/welts a badly fitted bra will leave.

I have a friend who was so fat that a fold of skin that because it was not exposing to the air the sweat built up in the enclosed area and caused him to develop an ulcer, can that happen to women in that area too?

Last but not least, I understand that women hate not being able to look a man in the eyes when talking to them.

[Can I Help Your A$$?]

They always say "most women wear the wrong sized bras." I think it's because bras are generally not made for us; they're made for mannequins made out of plastic.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Nope it's Kate-&-Pippa syndrome. Apparently the Middletons have made wearing hose popular again, so now that hosiery is back in fashion, everybody just has to have some.

Kate I can understand, but Pippa? I thought she was just famous for her ass.