The most embassing item you have bought.

[texasm31]

Then, just as you reach the head of the line, she apologises that she is about to go on a break and hands over to a spotty young lad. LOL

LOL. So true. I was in Gap Body looking at panties and just as I picked a few out and was about to ask about some bras, the SA (who had not been helping) radioed to the another SA and asked if someone could cover for her for a few as she needed to use the rest room. So a young male comes over from the regular Gap. I bought the panties anyway, but just could not ask about the bras.

[marika_jaye]

Out of town one day at the local Goodwill store, I was at the checkout with a very pretty sweater dress, when one cashier remarked to the other, "Aw, I was going to buy that dress for myself." Since I was out of town, I had a little fun with her and said "I'll put it to good use, I promise!"

If she only knew how embarrassed I was...

Another time, at a Shopko store, I brought 2 pair of pumps to the checkout. The cashier thought she was being clever when she asked me if I was sure they'd fit me. I was embarrassed, but I just went with the flow and told her they would, pointing out that I've worn that size for years...

...and then there was the time I went to Goodwill and bought a lacy full slip, realizing at the same time as the cashier that I was wearing a jacket with my (male) name embroidered on it....she made sure to use my name and wished me a pleasant day...I was speechless!

[Stephanie Anne]

I had these rashes under my armpits once and bought some lotrimin. I was so embarrassed at the check out counter thinking "he knows I have a pit rash". Turned out to be an allergic reaction to a new deodorant I was trying.

[Cristi]

For me it was one specific shopping trip. The store was having a great sale on pantyhose, so I picked up about 10 pair and headed to the checkout.
I was already at the register and placing everything on the counter when I realized the woman working the register was an old childhood friend who I hadn't seen in quite a while, but she did know my wife and we still have a lot of mutual friends.
I don't know what she thought of me stocking up on 2X pantyhose, since she knew my petite wife... and I'll never know if I was the topic of discussion later on, but at least she didn't ask any embarrassing questions right then!

[Christie ann]

I think it was that time I had to purchase some Preparation H

[Ozark]

There used to be a Shadowline store at the red roof mall in Branson, MO.
I have bought items there, mainly panties, for both my wife and myself.
The staff always treated me courteously and even directed me to sale panties.
I don't know what they said after I left, but I know to a commission sales person, a sale is a sale.
Ditto for the VF store and the Jockey store in Branson.
The only place I have felt uncomfortable was in the Maidenform store in Branson. Don't know why, but I don't get good vibes in that store.

Back in the late 1970's, my wife and I were working in Oklahoma City. This was the time when Sears, JC Penny's and Kmart were selling bravos underwear and unisex underwear.

I wore almost exclusively Vanity Fair hipsters, I was a size 6 or 7 (not any more!)

I only wore plain hipsters in a variety of colors.

I am in a dressing room trying on a pair of jeans. Standing there in a polo shirt and just my panties. The sales girl opens the curtain, looks at me and asks how am I fixed for panties?

I was dumbstruck. My feeble reply was .... uh ok.

When I told my wife about it she laughed and called me her little panty boy. I ended up buying the jeans and some boulet nylon underwear---for men.

I just got two new pair of boulet off of ebay.

Another time in Louisianna, I was in a dillards at the men's department looking at bikini underpants. The sales lady came up and started talking to me and told me that if I liked wearing these style of underwear, that I should shop in the lingerie section, as they had them a lot cheaper over there.

Penny's back in the 70's sold men's nylon panties with a cotton crotch. I was at my sister's in Florida and she was doing my laundry and asked me if I wore panties. I stammered a bit and she said she thought these were panties.

In the late 1970s, Penny's sold cotton panties that had a waistband like men's underwear. I had them in every color and same sister finally figured out I wore panties.

When I was 11 and went to a friend's house in the summer, his mother told us it was too hot to wear underwear and to put on these lite briefs.
Of course they were plain nylon panties. I was hooked! Spent the night at her house and she diapered her son! Well, you know the rest of the story.

Now that I am in my 60s, I just buy what I want. My money's green.

[Jessica Keys]

For me it has always been "nylons"

[Aaron Zwidling]

For me it was definitely the first time I bought a bra. I was maybe fourteen or fifteen years old at the time, and on Saturdays in the spring or summer I sometimes went to garage sales with my mom. One Saturday the two of us went to one particular sale advertisied in the local paper, and it turned out to not be a garage sale so much as a flea market. Essentially this woman was selling inexpensive stuff of various descriptions out of her basement in what appeared to be a side business of sorts. On this giant table the woman had set up in her basement amongst all the knick knacks she had on display was a small collection of maybe 10 bras. Of course I pretended to ignore them to look at the other things she had for sale. After spending fifteen minutes or so looking through her stuff we left to go to the next garage sale on the list.

Luckily for me we had gone to this sale fairly early in the morning, and this woman's house was reasonably close to my house. My mom and I finished our garage sale shopping around lunch time, and from the ad in the paper I knew this woman was running her garage sale until mid afternoon. I quickly hopped on my bike and rode over to her house. Thankfully she had no other customers when I got back there, and the woman herself wasn't hovering around me while once again I pretended to look at everything except for the bras. After minutes of this I finally got my courage up, grabbed one of the bras and went towards her to pay. I was ready to sink through the floor at any moment, and likely would have fled empty handed if this woman would have said anything the least bit confrontational to me. Let face it, a fourteen year old boy buying a bra at a garage sale! This woman had to have known I was buying that bra for myself. Thankfully all she said was "will that be all?" before telling me what I owed her. I'm sure my face must have been beet red as I paid and left that basement as quickly as possible but the whole thing was well worth it inspite of all that embarrassment.

Of course it has gotten progressively easier for me over the years to the point where I now go bra shopping at least three or four times a year, always try on every bra I am considering buying, and really look forward to every one of those trips.

[susan54]

If you lookand feel confident, embarrassment does not feature. I have been fitted for a bra dressed as a man and as a woman, done a lot of partial dressing in fitting rooms to make sure things look OK with boobs and heels, and SA almost always relaxed about me trying things on. I have also shopped as a man in a skirt - amazing lack of attention.

The worst incident was in Debenhams, in a branch (in my home city) that usually wants men (I was dressed as a man) to try on women's clothes in the personal shopping area, but is perfectly nice about. On this occasion my pile of clothes included a side zip dress in size 12 (the only size they had in that style). The SA who had guided me to the personal shopping area was outside the changing room in case I needed other sizes - sometimes they just leave me to it. Luckily this was not one of the times they left me alone.

Now I usually take a size larger in a side zip dress, and my usual size is 14. But some brands are best in a 12 and I was optimistic. I got it on, but only just, and the zip would not even begin to close. OK - time to take it off. Oh. Stuck. Wriggle, wriggle a bit more. Still stuck. After five attempts I had to admit to myself that I was here as a man, wearing a bra with falsies, heels and wig, in a changing room in my home city completely trapped in a dress and needing assistance. I called over to her and explained, seeing the humour of the situation myself. She helped pull it over my head, both of us laughing (even if my laughter was a bit nervous). She was lovely about it, and when I went to pay no one at the till was laughing of even smiling slyly.

So if I can emerge unscathed from that, there really isn't an excuse for anyone getting embarrassed by a straightforward purchase.

[cctgurl]

Tracy

As a newbie not sure if it is Ok to answer a respond when not the originator but really identify your answer. The bra for me is the hardest. I acquire most of my stuff in second hand stores. Kinda got over shoes, slips and even garter and hose. Matter of fact I have selected outfits that show off my nipples via gause or see through. Actually find this much more exciting and they(nipples) stand out even more.

May I ask about the pic. I do glass work. I appears to be glass paint. Maybe by Peter Mcgrain or?

What a great line about the stands also great eye

[Vicki-Z]

How about going through the checkout line of your favorite grocery store with a box of tampons or maxipads?

Actually it's funny you mention this. Buying panties and lingerie for myself doesn't bother me. However my wife just can't buy tampons and maxipads for herself. All the years we have been married i have bought her tampons and maxipads. I even bought my daughters until she was old enough to buy her own. My wife is just to embaressed to be seen walking around the store with them so she will try to cover them up in the shopping cart. It's so funny that a couple times when I couldn't get out to buy them for her and she had to pick up her own she was in such a hurry that she bought the wrong ones.

I find it amusing the looks I get from women while I pick up tampons and maxipads. Some look shocked and others just smile. If there are two women together sometimes they will make comments to each other and you can hear them chuckling to each other. One time I had one woman who seem so shocked and was so obvious about watching me that when I picked up a box of pads I walked over to her dressed in my male clothes and told her that this is my favorite brand and that I find them so absorbant and comfortable to wear. Well you should have seen her face, there was another woman about 4 feet from me who was watching the whole thing and heard what I said she just looked at me and smiled.


Vicki

[Sharon B.]

About the only thing that bothers me is someone that I know that doesn't know about my passion for feminine items.

[LauraEwing]

Buying a nurse uniform and a rampant rabbit. Nail polish or lipstick are other items.

[dennisGTS]

It used to be Lingerie; I'd get really red in the face (maybe even sweat a little) but not so much any more. I'd have to say, currently it's Make-up for me.

[Roberta Marie]

When my son was 12 and started playing football, we went to a sporting goods store to buy him the required athletic supporter and cup. He was trying to be as cool as possible when he started looking at the display, but when the sales person that asked if he needed any help turned out to be an absolutely drop dead, gorgeous, blond about 18 years old, he turned bright red and choked and stammered so bad that I had to tell her what we were looking for.

[Farrah]

I'm not embarrassed so much anymore, but I used to be terrified when buying makeup or finger nail polish. Now, I just go in and pay for and not think anything about it.

[Angie G]

Everything I buy And I Buy everything At a store in person never really bothered my at all. Even the real personal things.
Angie

[Lainie]

I bought several pairs of shoes a few years ago, and the male clerk thought it was pretty funny. He read my name from the credit card out loud for everyone to hear--just to be sure that everyone noticed I was buying heels. Really humiliating. Now I tend to smaller shops with shorter queues.

... but isn't embarrassment part of the excitement, sometimes? I was embarrassed nearly to the point of fainting the first few times I bought almost every type of thing.

[Farrah]

I bought several pairs of shoes a few years ago, and the male clerk thought it was pretty funny. He read my name from the credit card out loud for everyone to hear--just to be sure that everyone noticed I was buying heels. Really humiliating. Now I tend to smaller shops with shorter queues

That male clerk sounds like he was a real jerk!

[Jodygurl]

On a Sunday morning about 6 months ago I got a call from Visa. They wanted to know if I had made an online purchase that morning at 2 AM. I hadn't nor had I been buying things 11 PM the evening before. They'd detected the possible fraud and I was very greatful as it is a debted card, which is worse. The lady immediatedly voided the card and wanted to verify all the other recent purchases. Deluthe Trading (some very nice ladies tanks), Rockler's (a woodworking supplier), Home Depot (of course), and Victoria's Secret. I agreed to all and she asked again about VS, seems there were four recent charges and I could tell by her voice that she was questioning the name and voice against purchases from the premiere langiere dealer. I again agreed and added that they had some lovely things. Busted! And loved it! I could hear the smile in her voice as she agreed.

Not really embarassed but caught and loving it made for a delightful morning. I've since lost my anxiety about buying in person, especially w/ the new Visa card.

[Aaron Zwidling]

I bought several pairs of shoes a few years ago, and the male clerk thought it was pretty funny. He read my name from the credit card out loud for everyone to hear--just to be sure that everyone noticed I was buying heels. Really humiliating. Now I tend to smaller shops with shorter queues.

... but isn't embarrassment part of the excitement, sometimes? I was embarrassed nearly to the point of fainting the first few times I bought almost every type of thing.

Seriously Lainie, you should have asked for the manager and then questioned why the clerk had just read your name out to everyone in the checkout line. I would like to see the little twerp justify that behaviour to his manager. I would also likely start mentioning invasion of privacy and lawsuits, and ask the manager how the corporate lawyers for the store could be contacted. A disinterested, silly or nervous SA is one thing, but what that clerk did is simply unacceptable as far as I am concerned.