Why We Hate Shopping and What Retailers Should Be Doing About It

As two 30-something year old women, we have something to say to all retailers out there.

Where should we be shopping?

We’re stuck, we certainly aren’t in our early 20’s anymore so all of the shops we previously frequented now frankly make us feel old, surely I never wore a skirt that short or showed that much midriff? Having stable jobs, a family and what we like to think of as ‘active’ social lives is great but that leaves little time and money for shopping, the places we ‘should’ be shopping ( according to the marketing e-mails continuously coming into our mail boxes ) still feel out of our price range. These are the places where you would be getting a good level of service, the help needed to buy a new outfit different to the previous wardrobe ( not updated in longer than we care to admit ) and that feels age appropriate. These are out of our league.

Instead we must contend with;

• People – loads of them, everywhere, often in groups of what can only be described as ‘judgmental teenagers’.
• Busy fitting rooms – often unattended that are hot and usually show you off in your underwear to everyone else in the store.
• Sizing issues – trying to remember what size you were last time you shopped in a brand is hard enough but trying to figure it out in a new one is simply exhausting.
• The memories – remembering every reason why you don’t go shopping (mainly that shopping for jeans or underwear is the most depressing activity on the planet and have more than once reduced us to tears).

Rant over, what can retailers be doing for us?

Simply, more attentive and helpful staff and just more of them. Failing that then clever technology, that actually helps us ( mainly get in and out of the shop quicker ), technology that helps us understand what we need to know about the product in the store and the availability of sizes and, if we’re getting really clever, the location of said sizes making us more self sufficient and armed with useful information if we then have to ask a member of staff.

Better fitting rooms – just add some better lights, a real door and a really smart mirror. We would love to be able easily call for help if we need another item or colour that the ‘smart’ mirror has already told us is in stock. The ability to order the item, in the fitting room, in all of the colours that it comes in because, let’s face it, we aren’t going to be going shopping again for some time. This removes the need to carry bags around and when shopping is already stressful who needs to add bags to the equation? If we can’t order online let us pay for our things in the fitting room and grab a bag on the way out, nothing worse than queueing for the fitting room only to then queue for a till.

Please let there be a retailer out there that can help us in our quest to simply buy some new clothes.