[nabs-l] techniques for shopping and trends

Wed Oct 26 03:35:40 UTC 2011

ary,
Thanks for the encouragement. As I said,  I definitely want to go buy more 
shoes next year. And maybe I'll go alone or with another girl not in my 
family so I can actually take the time and browse and know what is there.

I did not think you paid for personal shoppers. Good to know. I think making 
an appointment sounds good so you know their available. We shop Macy's  a 
lot. So you're saying Macy's and Bloomingdales have personal shoppers. What 
if you don't know your size? Do they do measurements? I say that because a 
size 14 in one brand will be a size 12 in another. So you don't always know. 
Of course they cannot do the shopping for you. They don't know you. Its not 
like the grocery or drug store where they say, "what do you need?" and you 
say X Y Z and
they try and run off and fetch the items for you. Yes I've had that happen. 
I don't want them to pick the kind of soap or shampoo I want. I want to shop 
with them just using their eyes as a guide. So I go with them. And if they 
act too busy to do that, I come back.

Ashley

-----Original Message----- 
From: Mary Fernandez
Sent: Tuesday, October 25, 2011 11:19 PM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] techniques for shopping and trends

Hello Ashley and all,
Ashley, just a few things.
You Do Not Have To Pay for Personal Shoppers. Personal shoppers are
people who the department stores hire and who can help you browse and
select clothes.  However, they do not do your shopping for you. In
other words, if I go to Macys and say, hi, I want to shop, they will
ask me questions like, what kind of clothes, for what occasions, etc.
It's also important to know what colors suit you. If you do not,
that's something they can help you with.
In many places it's best if you have an appointment, however,
depending on the day it might not be necessary. If you go to Macys or
Bloomies on a Saturday when there's a sale, you might have a harder
time getting a personal shopper.
As far as shoe shopping. There is no reason why you can’t touch stuff.
And really, there's also no reason why anyone should be visually
looking for you and pickiing out your shoes. After all, you want to
have shoes that you like, and that are your style. So go to macys, or
dsw, or bakers, or whereever and if you have to go row by row until
you find something you fall in love with, then that's what you do. I
know what kinds of shoes I like, after many years of browsing. I also
keep up with the seasonal trends, so when i go to a department srore I
usually already know what brands I want to check out and just ask the
sales reps where those brands are. And then they bring me my shoes.
Also, yes they can measure your feet, but shoe size doesn't vary that
much, so if you know what shoe size you need, they can just bring it
out to you. If you are looking for a rare color in shoes, for example,
I needed some gold shoes a few years ago, that’s a good situation in
which you should ask a sales rep for assistance.
The student Slate will have an article with basic fashion tips on the
next issue so look out for it. It might answer some of the questions
you have.

Sincerely,
Mary

On 10/25/11, Ashley Bramlett <bookwormahb at earthlink.net> wrote:
> Sam,
> Thanks. And that's the technique I was thinking of! As we know, shoes are
> laid out on racks, in rows. I figured I could go up to one, for instance 
> the
> sandles if that interests me, and feel them. Then get a sales associate to
> help me pick the size, color, etc from there. Actually, they are supposed 
> to
> help anyone; they will measure your feet to find out the right size.
>
> We've gotten assistance for shoe fitting before, but family has done the
> browsing. Glad to know another blind person does this. I have a little
> vision, so may be able to see the colors and that will aid me in going to
> the right shoe row.
> My shoes are wearing out. I want some new blue easy spirit shoes to go 
> with
> slacks. And I need new sandles for next summer. So I definitely can do 
> some
> shoe shopping. IMO, since shoe department staff are expected to measure 
> feet
> and pick out shoes from the stock room my impression is they have more 
> sales
> staff on hand. I notice when shopping with my mother that its easy to get
> help in the shoe department typically, but if you have a question in the
> clothes department, you'll be waiting a long time! Sighted people need 
> help
> finding a size or a particular brand sometimes; after all department 
> stores
> are huge! But since the coporation wants to keep all the money, they are
> stingy about hiring adaquate sales staff to assist customers. Another 
> good
> thing about shoe departments or shoe stores is I've noticed their customer
> service is overall better. If you need to order shoes, they take care of
> that well. Clothes stores aren't the greatest; they may take your order, 
> but
> fail to notify you when its in or enter the rong thing in.
>
> I wonder if new balance shoes or Niki are more popular.
>
>
> Ashley
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Sam Hogle
> Sent: Tuesday, October 25, 2011 10:39 PM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] techniques for shopping and trends
>
> Hi Ashley. I've gone shoe shopping before, and to me, they are some of
> the easiest items to pick out. When I go shoe shopping, I find out where
> the shoes are, and go down the line feeling each one. Some may find that
> weird, but if they were to say anything, I would respond with at least
> I'm doing it independently. Anyway, if I find any that I'm interested
> in, I then ask someone to describe those to me. The description would be
> stuff like brand name or color. Then, based on what I like and what I
> know from others about what the trend is, I make my selection. Hope this
> helps.
> Sam
> On 10/25/2011 9:59 PM, Ashley Bramlett wrote:
>> Thanks Chris.
>> Maybe others will chime in later. I heard that personal shoppers is
>> one technique. I wonder how that works though. Do they select clothes
>> based on skin tone and size? I wonder if some stores will measure you
>> for size. I would expect you'd need an appointment which is fine, but
>> I wouldn't want to pay for a service just to pick out clothes.
>> Also what about shoes. Usually if I'm with family, they browse and try
>> and pick for me. Is it okay to browse by touching the shoes? Maybe get
>> a shoe salesperson to bring me to the right type of shoe and then I
>> see what is there? Sighted people just look around and say oh that
>> shoe looks good. But I wonder a better, independent way even if its
>> with sales staff.
>>
>> Ashley
>>
>> -----Original Message----- From: Chris Nusbaum
>> Sent: Tuesday, October 25, 2011 7:03 PM
>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] techniques for shopping and trends
>>
>> Hi Ashley,
>>
>> I can't help you very much with techniques for shopping for
>> clothes, perfume and jewelry, as most of these questions would be
>> better answered by ladies, which I'm not. But I can give you one
>> resource for finding out the fassion trends. There's a lady
>> named Lynn Cooper who started an initiative called the Mirrors
>> Project, to make fassion more accessible to people with
>> disabilities. She comes on ACB Reports, which can be heard on
>> acbradio.org, twice every season to give her Fassion Report,
>> describing
>> that season's fassion trends for both men and women. This is a
>> good resource to find a detailed description of all the trends
>> spesifically tailored for blind people. Lynn's Web site is
>> www.lynncooper.us and you can find the 2011 ACB Reports shows on
>> www.acb.org.
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Ashley Bramlett" <bookwormahb at earthlink.net
>> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>> Date sent: Mon, 24 Oct 2011 14:47:40 -0400
>> Subject: [nabs-l] techniques for shopping and trends
>>
>> Hi all,
>>
>> What are techniques for clothes shopping? What do you need to
>> know when going to shop? Of course, the size and brand you wear
>> are important. What else?
>>
>> I know how to shop for regular items like groceries; you just ask
>> a clerk in the store. But clothes are different. You need the
>> right thing and often need to try things on. I?셫 sure picking
>> out something like jeans, sweat pants, or a casual shirt is
>> easier than picking out something more dressy. Personally, I
>> grew up using JCPenney and Hects before they were bought. We
>> also use Macy?셲 too.
>>
>> Also, how do you pick perfume out? What about jewelry? We cannot
>> see it in the case.
>>
>> I know some stores have personal shoppers. Do they charge for
>> their service? If you used one, how did it go? How long do you
>> have with them? Some blind people always shop with family so they
>> can get feedback on how they look. I;?셝 rather pick my own
>> things and pick out something independent from my mother?셲
>> taste though, sometime.
>>
>> Also, I?셫 not into fashion much, but its good to be aware of
>> trends and the latest stuff so we can pick them if we want. How
>> do you find out about that stuff? Are reading magazines such as
>> Seventeen a good idea even though we can?셳 see the pictures?
>>
>> Thanks.
>>
>> Ashley
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-- 
Mary Fernandez
President: Georgia Association of Blind Students
Emory University 2012
P.O. Box 123056
Atlanta Ga.
30322
Phone: 732-857-7004

"It's not worth doing something unless someone, somewhere, would much
rather you weren't doing it."
Terry Pratchett

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