First shopping trip!

[Hannah W.]

Just had my first ever 'in person' shopping trip for me! During my lunch break i plucked up the courage to do some shopping in my local Primark store. Was stupidly really nervous (i was in drab & I've shopped for the wife dozens of times!) but buying for myself was a very different experience! Didn't get a lot (wasn't brave enough!), just a couple of vest tops, a t-shirt & an underwear set, but it was really an exciting thing to do (did feel like people knew I was shopping for me & not my wife) Hopefully now I'll have the confidence to do it more frequently.

[reb.femme]

I'm like a kid in a sweet shop when I go shopping with my wife as sometimes I like so many things. Wallis is my absolute favourite, but expensive, so that quells the enthusiasm somewhat. :battingeyelashes:

I think you were very brave actually, as you completed a major part of what you set out to achieve. Buying on your own is not easy without a certain amount of nerve. I returned a top to ASDA and then went delving for an alternative on my own. There I was, tape measure in hand and I have to say full of confidence, as I just didn't give a damn about who was around and what they thought. I'm not like that every day though. :sad:

Well done Hannah, the first of many by the sounds of it. :)

Rebecca

[robindee36]

Good on ya Hannah. It becomes less daunting the more you do it. I always try to stop through the womens' section whenever I'm at the shops. After a while, I stopped noticing if any of the SA's or customers were watching and just go about my business. There was a line in a thread last week, I believe, for addressing curious/helpful SA's. Something like, " Oh, these are womens' dresses, where are the mens' dresses". Suppose you could morph it into "where is the mens' lingerie" if the need arose.

Look, our lifestyle is a bit out of the main stream no matter which continent you live in. Curiosity is to be expected. So long as the treatment is kind and courteous, no worries.

Hugs, Robin

[Chari]

Congrats on your shopping adventure! Guessing we all were a bit nervous on our first time out, but it gets easier with every outing. Most others do not care what you are buying or for whom. Always be confident and comfortable in who you are. Enjoy!

[suzanne]

And it only gets better the more you do it, too! Once you get to the point of asking the sales assistants for advice, trying something on in the fitting room and getting the assistant's opinion on the fit, you'll be hooked for life. You'll see why shopaholics exist and how they are created.

[Quiet_Ami]

Congrats! It took me forever to get up the courage. It's fun, though, isn't it? :D

[Tannis]

I've done a small handful of in-person shopping trips. I was as well nervous as hell, and I'm hoping it didn't show too much on my face.

Although there's a few tricks that I've come up with that give me a bit more confidence. Some of them however limit it to when you shop. I'm sure most of them are fairly obvious though.
Buy clothes right around Valentines day, or possibly Halloween. I don't exactly have a whole lot of data to back me up, but it feels as though there would be significantly fewer possible questions or judgemental looks.
Any other time of the year (or also during Valentines/Halloween), when you're checking out, ask for a gift receipt. It's a relatively safe bet that I'm not going to go back and exchange anything myself, however I've found this immediately changes the clerk's look from "huh, that's kinda odd" to "Oooooooh, ok, that makes sense... it's a present"

For any kind of undergarment they will usually say it's final sale, but simply having requested a gift receipt cements the 'gift' thought into anyone within earshot's mind.

[Princess Grandpa]

Good for you! It's fun yea? I still get squeamish going to the dressing room with things but the more I do it... I guess what I'm thinking is we need to keep doing it until we are comfortable. What a wardrobe we will have.

Hug
Rita

[Rachelakld]

It's a slippery slope.
Next minute you will be dressed all sexy and stuff, strutting through the malls
:)

[Julie Denier]

Good for you! Have fun ;)

[Hannah W.]

Thanks for all the kind words girls! Really was a fun lunch break but you're right...I now want to go back & do it again tomorrow!! Primark is easy too, it's very much a pile it high, sell it cheap kinda place with very little chance of meeting the same assistant twice...maybe I will go back tomorrow ;)

[Trisha65]

You will probably find that each time you do it, it gets easier and easier as you realize that nobody really cares. As long as you are acting civilized and not really flaunting it, it is usually very easy to shop.

[Beverley Sims]

Hannah,
Wait until the first time you go shopping DRESSED!

I went with three girlfriends years ago and I was scared as hell!
But what a buzz..... I have never looked back.
Good for you.