2
I have GOT to rant about Nordstrom.
I love Nordstrom. I really do. But I hate what happened when I went to try on bras the other day.
First of all, I had to rely on the fitter to retrieve sizes for me. They are kept in the back. So much for being able to research and scope them out on my own. I had barely even walked into the section before being asked what I needed help with. Yes, this is normal in retail land (been there done that), but I couldn't tell you a thing about what this store carries, as I didn't get to see any of it. It would have been really nice if she had at least walked through with me so I could show her what styles I like. Sure, I could have stayed and looked around more after we were done, but that would have meant dealing with her even longer.
At this point, the fitter pretty much took over.
After telling her that I was looking to try some 30FF's and 32F's to compare the fit, she gave me an odd look then asked "Do you mind if I measure you?" I figured what the heck, measuring yourself is hard enough. Let the pro do it, right? Wrong. She never broke out a measuring tape. Just had me take my shirt off. She looked at me and said "Oh I guess you are!".....are what? Why would my size be at all surprising to someone who does bra fitting every day?
I was wearing my 32F cleo marcie, which is my best fit so far. I pointed out that the bra I had on fit okay in the band, but that the elastic cut into me in an unflattering way. I was hoping for something with wider elastic or something. She interpreted the cutting in to mean that the band was too small. The fitter just didn't believe I had the right size. And so begins the most cringe-worthy part of this experience.
I asked to try some 30FF's, since some of my 32 bands were starting to ride up. For the record, my snug underbust measurement is 30.5 inches. Tight is 28.8. She made a big show about how a 30 would just be wayyyyyy too tight. Almost didn't even bring me one. When I finally talked her into letting me try one, she VERY THEATRICALLY tried to close it in the back and insisted there was no way it would work. This is with the front of the bra sitting on some of my breast tissue. She did not even try to hook the damn thing. Whatever. I guess 32 bands are good enough. On to the next size.
34D. She put me in a 34D. No measuring, nothing.
She proudly declared that it fit, until I swoop and scooped and had quad-boob all over the place. The rest of the session was her bringing me sizes that were wrong (34DD, 32D, 32DD) and me pointing out WHY they were wrong. She was getting visible frustrated whenever I would swoop and scoop. At one point she even told me to stop and to just "let the bra sit naturally". She readjusted one bra so that I wasn't quadding by lifting the underwire up onto breast tissue. I had to raise up my arms and point out to her that yes, that is still my boob. She didn't bring me even ONE bra in my current measured size.
The only reason I made a purchase was because I desperately needed a nude t-shirt bra. Ended up with a 32DDD Chantelle that happens to fit because the cups seem to run large. So thanks, lady at Nordstrom, for making me feel both fatter and flatter than I really am.
Sorry for spewing out all that evil. It just left me so freakin irritated and feeling like Ron Swanson at Lowes.
Filed under Bras ups and downs
15 comments
I'm so sorry you had such a shitty experience. I know the feeling. I think we all do. I think we have to go in places like these ready to do battle with our knowledge. I know how it can be when you're taken aback. But really though, too bad you didn't ask about her credentials. What was her experience? Where did she read? Did she not know the proper way to fit a bra? I think letting people talk themselves and show their lack of knowledge is vital in situations like these, as you stare at them knowingly. Perhaps even ask her about her own bra.
What makes me sad is to know that she is going to ignorantly fit other women like that. I would have told her, I'm sorry but I've tried on a lot of bras and I know my size so either you can bring me these bras or I'll go elsewhere (or talk to the manager).
Just remember, even the most "professional" bra fitter could have knowledge from god knows where that is totally wrong. I don't think I'd trust anyone at this point, as they think they know it all and there's not exactly a bra fitting school or certification they can get to show me what they know.
It doesn't even sound like this lady gave you privacy. Hourglassy regularly reviews bra fitters and in sometimes they talk about the hallmark of a good fitter, and one of them is that they are respectful and give you privacy. I can't find that post, but here's a link to some of their reviews http://hourglassy.com/category/bra-fitting-reviews/
Personally, I think Nordstrom is overrated in bra-fitting. I don't think I've ever lived in the middle of nowhere, in fact, I've generally lived in big cities and I often go there because there's otherwise good customer service.
I've never seen a single bra in Nordstrom Non-Rack with a 30 band, even though I am really short and thin, so if they should whip them out for anyone it's me. They, along with VS jerks, measured my underbust at 30 in, which I believed until the day I took out a tape measure and found it was 25 in, and if anything I'm fatter now. 5 in off is a LOT!
To be fair, I don't think they are jerks, but I believe that they are trained, officially or not, to take measurements so that no one falls outside the range that the store carries. Also, Nordstrom salespeople work at least partially on commission, which means that even if the store carries your size, it's in their interest to fit you in a size that they carry many models in, because that correlates to a higher commission, and more food on the table. Also keep in mind that the "weird size" market IS mainly online, so that if you leave the store convinced you are 30FF, you MIGHT buy one bra from there, and then you are probably going to do your shopping online because that's cheaper.
So I wouldn't take it personally, because basically fitting you right is going to lose them money. But basically unless the fitter owns the business or a share of the business, and profits from your repeat patronage, the incentives work against getting an accurate fit.
This thread has 15 comments. Log in to read them