Mr. Jones, I have your garter straps!"

[Marybeth_1966]

This is what I heard called out to me as I browsed my favorite department store--big red star.

I recently lost a ton of weight on a diet that my wonderful wife and I did together. We both went down two sizes. Me to a 10. Her to a 6. I'm not sure what clicked in my brain but in my new size, I so wanted to try stockings and a garter belt. I have been a lifelong dresser and love pantyhose. Love them! I often find myself saying t myself "god I wish I could wear pantyhose today" just about every day of my life for as long as my memory exists. I have always been a huge pantyhose fan. Maybe obsessive. I have probably 40 pairs of expensive hose that I always hand wash and put back into the original package--yea, weird but I love the idea of knowing what band I am wearing and taking them out of the original package. Weird?

So, with my weight loss, I finally felt comfortable enough to dress without a body briefer which has always been a staple to wearing pantyhose. I honestly have never owed a bra. All of my undergarments have been one piece body briefers which I have really loved over the years. Dropping two sizes, made me start to think about the feeling of dressing without heavy control garments. I think reading this site also brought to mind sexy alternatives.

So like most of us, I started to fixate on something new. For me it was stockings and something to keep my stocking up. In my new slimmer size, I went to the red star department store and browsed the sales rack. Browsing is an understatement, I studied everything available in the department like I was car shopping. The SA was wonderful--asked me once if I needed help and then left me alone. I spent another 30 minutes examining my options. I finally decided on a pretty bra and panty set that was also a garter slip. I was so nervous when I took my pretty things to the counter. The SA was wonderful and wrapped my first ever bra in tissue as well as my pretty garter slip that had a pretty silky panties hidden in them. I have purchased at least 20 shape garments over the years and was not as nervous as I was purchasing these pretty items.

Bagged my purchase and I went to my car when I unwrapped my prize and realized that my garter slip only had one garter. The other three must have fallen off--they are detachable. I was destroyed. I loved my black and gold garter slip/panties and loved the detail stitching on the only garter that still remained attached. I was heart sick and went home and googled garter straps only to find that you cannot really purchase these separate from a garter belt, boustia or a garter slip. I thought about going to another store of the same franchise to see if I could find the same undergarment. I really wanted the pretty garter straps with the stitching to match my garter slip / panties.

Ok--weight loss brought me back to the same store to return some male pants. I then went to the lingerie section to see if maybe I could find a garter belt with detachable straps to replace the three garter straps that I was missing.

I didn’t see anything and was about to leave the department when the SA called out and said "Mr. Jones, I have your garter straps!". She explained that when she wrapped my purchase in tissue, 3 of the garter straps came off the garter slip that I purchased. She said that she had me paged in the store but I must have left. She handed my three, black, satin, ribbon like garter straps that was stapled on a small piece of paper with my first and last name. She said that she felt so bad that she did not included these in my purchase that she had all of the girls on the lookout for me. She said that the garter slip that I purchased was so pretty, that she also purchased the same for herself!

Mr. Jones, I have your garter straps!

I told her that my wife thought it was unusual that the garter slip only had one garter strap but it was so pretty that she didn’t care. I then asked her help in picking out stockings and played dumb like pantyhose would not work. She sent about 10 minutes helping me pick out the first stockings that I have ever purchased--again I am a long time pantyhose lover.

What a great experience and what a great lady to make sure that I got my garter straps. As a final note, she complemented me on my choice on intimates and that I was not afraid to shop for them. I'm going back next week!

[Cynthia Anne]

That's kind of a bitter sweet story! Some sa's make shopping worth going back there again! Hugs

[Tina B.]

Nice store, but I think I would go through the floor, if I heard that message over the house inter com calling out my name. Sound like it's real pretty, glad you where able to get your straps back. I take it's a small town, if all the SA's know what Mr. Jones looks like, to keep an eye out for him? I think you maybe a lot bolder than I am.
Tina B.

[Rogina B]

Well,you finally got your garter straps...however you can buy them inany length,color and style on the internet..Good thing that the "extra helpful" sales assistant had the other girls "on the lookout" for you..LOL I would have turned the table by asking her what outfit she will wear hers with,etc.Surprised they didn't look up your phone number and just call you when they discovered the loose garters...unless they were worried that your purchase may have been for a girlfriend[which it was]and not your wife!lol

[Raychel]

What a great story, Thanks for sharing it with us, It was very nice of the Sales Associate to save them for you.

[Jennifer Soames]

I know what you mean. I had an SA put aside a white corselette for me and she ordered the matching panties in my size. She called and said they were ready. When i went in she rushed me to a fitting room and then she left to let me try on the panties ( I paid a deposit for them and they were already mine). She came in and helped me into the corsolette and produced some stockings. There I was all in white. I felt so great and she was soooo understanding and helpful.

I have been to this store many times. It is worth having a store where you are a regular.

[Marissa]

Good story, Marybeth...just imagine if you were in the store and the whole message was given on the speaker "Mr Jones, we have your garter straps". I don't think just hearing your name over the intercom would have been too embarressing, since men do shop for females :) Next time, maybe you should gage her response/facial reactions if you have a desire to tell her.

Last week, I went to an Icing store at the mall to pick up an eyeshadow pallet and decided to see about picking up a necklace and earrings. Course the helpful SAs asked me if I needed help as I was in drab. "Just looking"..So after looking around the store more and making mental selection of other items, I was once again looking at the necklaces. One SA figured I really needed help so she persisted on asking what I was looking for, so I showed her the necklace and didn't know which earrings were best. After looking at multiple choices with her even asking "what type would she like?" and to offset that answer, I chose two versions that I did like. So I gathered my items and went to the counter for her to help me. As she was bagging things nicely, again the questions came up "What is this for, an occasion?" "Do you think she will like wearing them?"

LOL..finanlly enough was enough.. "Yes, I will like wearing them"

Afte her mind worked that over "Oh, you will wear them? Cool, so do you 'drag', my manager 'drags' sometimes"

LOL (again), my response was not totally correct.. "We don't call it 'drag', we call call it crossdressing..and yes, I do...see" as I showed her a couple of pics of me. She smiled big and then "Wow, that is so cool, you look prettier than me"

LOL...yeah right..she was rather cute..so I felt good about it all.. I thanked her for the purchases and for making it all okay..and out the door I went in hopes of seeing her again on my next visit :)

Sorry, didn't mean to raid your thread, but thought I would share that sometimes even in drab its okay to let them know :)

Hugs,
Marissa

[BLUE ORCHID]

That's like buying something descrete and they didn't clear the security device and you get stopped
at the door theft alarm and your nosey neighbor just happened to be there at the sametime.

Orchid

[Marybeth_1966]

Thanks all for your replies. I truly enjoyed reading the responses and seeing the number of visitor to this thread. I did want to explain that my writing may have been miss read. Yes, I was paged by the sa after my purchase but it was just my name. The theme line from my real life story, "Mr. Jones, I found your garter straps" was spoken by the SA when she saw me in the department the next week--not over the public address system in the store. Sorry for the confusion. Regardless, the statement in the intimate department sent shivers down my spine and made my heart race! I was taken back that this sa would have taken the time to bind my 3 garter straps in a piece of register tape with my name on it. To my own persistence, I went back a week later to see if I could find the same garment with all 4 straps and would have bought it in any size. I love the garter slip that I bought and was so disappointed to not have all four garter straps. To think that someone would take that much care, for a perfect stranger awkward stranger, one that we would think is out of place, haunted me for a week--that is an amazing sense of customer service.
I think most of us who shop in the intimates department are invisible. We think we are. We dismiss help and then hold on to the idea that the sa is thinking that we are shopping for our significant others. I was taken aback by the fact that someone would care that much to help me realize my own dream even if they didn’t realize it was my own dream. I have not had a chance to wear my new garter slip yet. Actually have dressed up since the purchase but I am holding this purchase for a special dress up session when I have the time to properly get fully made up with the proper outfit. Silly? Maybe. But I think that is how real women feel when they purchase an outfit or special lingerie and anticipate weeks for an upcoming special occasion to wear their new purchases. Maybe I am too much of a dreamer but I have enjoyed the hours that I have spent trying to decide what I will wear with my first pair of stockings and my now complete garter slip. Thanks again for letting me share this beyond my own heart with so many wonder friends

[JiveTurkeyOnRye]

We think we are. We dismiss help and then hold on to the idea that the sa is thinking that we are shopping for our significant others. I was taken aback by the fact that someone would care that much to help me realize my own dream even if they didn’t realize it was my own dream.

There's actually a very good chance that the SA knew it was for you. SAs who spend any deal of time working in a lingerie store or department have dealt with at least one, if not more, male customer shopping for himself. I was recently in a Frederick's of Hollywood buying lingerie and the SA actually just asked me blunt, she said "Are you shopping for your wife, girlfriend, yourself?" I usually do tell the SAs I'm shopping for me but I was kind of caught off guard when she asked me so I stumbled through my words for a second and she went to re-assure me and said "Don't worry, we get guys in here for themselves all the time!"

[Kellyzspot]

This is what I heard called out to me as I browsed my favorite department store--big red star.
...
I finally decided on a pretty bra and panty set that was also a garter slip.


Loved your story! I shop at 'the star' as well and even had the SA at the store across 'the river' offer to allow me to try on a torsette in her changing room, but it was a dark and stormy night so I was also the only one there. What was funny was she asked twice if I were a dancer.

[Claire Cook]

I love this one too! It's wonderful when SA's are understanding -- and I, at least, haven't met one yet who isn't. While many of us would fall through the floor if this happened to us "Mr Cook, we have your bra here..." , I think we should be proud -- and not embarrassed -- when it happens! Several of Kimberley TX's great posts have touched on this. If I'm not ashamed to say "Yep, that sure is my bra (or garter belt , or whatever) then maybe folks will become a little more, if not accepting, perhaps tolerant. And what greater compliment can we have than to have an SA say "You have such wonderful taste that I am getting one myself"!

[Persephone]

Way cool, Marybeth! I admire you for handling it so well. There are some who would have run off in panic, failed to see the glass door, smashed their face, fallen down, the whole drill.

Your SA is wonderful too! You should be sure to continue to shop with her.

Hugs,
Persephone.