[nabs-l] techniques for shopping and trends

Thu Oct 27 00:45:16 UTC 2011

Hi Cindy. In the case of the discount stores, I might try the rout of
making an apointment. Surely if they know you're coming in advanse, they
can have someone there to assist you. Just a thought.
Sam
On 10/26/2011 7:45 PM, Cindy Bennett wrote:
> I love to shop with my friends, and there is nothing wrong with this.
> But it is good to know your style, because even when I'm with my
> friends, we usually find clothes for ourselves and are just together
> to offer opinions of our finds.
>
> I do have a question though. I like to shop at discount stores, but
> I've noticed that stores like Ross and TJ Max are often disorganized
> and lacking shopping assistants. Does anyone have any advice for this?
>
> Cindy
>
> On 10/25/11, Ashley Bramlett <bookwormahb at earthlink.net> wrote:
>> 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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>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
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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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