conversation with check out assistant

[wendy68]

Yesterday I took a drive out to a local discount store that has a fairly good selection of make up and since I was low on foundation I thought I would just walk in and get some. Ive never had a assistant say anything to me in the past except the occasional " hey nice choice" or I use this myself". This time with at least five people in the check out line behind me , the assistant raises the foundation above her shoulder and bends her mid section with other hand on hip saying " are you sure this is your color? , I dont think it is." Well that took me by surprise and the only thing I could think to say at the moment was that I had consulted with the covergirl corperation on their wbsite and according to them this was a wise choice. Her grin immediately became enlarged much like you may of seen on the grinch who stole christmas cartoon. she said nothing else after that and finished checking me out. The expierece didnt bother me and as I left the store I looked back and she was looking at me with that same grin-just thought Id share this--wendy

[bah-bah-bobbie]

You compare her grin to the grinch that stole christmas. That is not a friendly grin. Yeah, it sounds friendly and seems like a noble attempt at good customer service, but because I have more faith that the moon will reverse its direction and head on a collision course with earth than I do in humanity, she was "fishing" to confirm her suspitions about you (girls send thier guy to buy tampons but do not trust us with make up selection) or she was mocking you. I hope I'm wrong. Reconsider her grin.

[Shannen]

good comeback!

[wendy68]

I guess I will never now what is behind the grin exactly. This girl was very young , looked liked she could be in high school. My take on her was that if it was a direct mocking of me then it was done so by a lack of maturity and limited knowledge of peoples lives.--wendy

[harmony]

reminds me of the time i went thtrough customs in europe.they decided to search my suitcase and found one of my bras.the *officer* held it up in the air-with a long line behind me-and asked "do you wear this?"i looked him straight in the eyes and said "SOMETIMES!"he got red in the face,deflated(he looked like a fat toad anyway)and lost interest in me.
i think sometimes its just boredom that makes them do stupid things.isnt a crossdressers life exiting!

[Sally2005]

What you could do is call her on it, say...oh? Well, can you help me get the proper shade? Then if she is not willing to help, you tell her that you don't understand...why did she offer her input if she wasn't willing to help...etc...etc. ...I'm sensitive this way, I find it rude for people to comment on anything I am doing. She might have thought she was making a friendly joke though and didn't really know why you were buying it. Probably, a GG would get a similar comment if they were buying power tools.

[wendy68]

Hi Sally,you make a good point about trying to get her to help me find the right shade. The thought had crossed my mind seconds before I ended up with the response I gave.At the time I thought of the other people behind me waiting and she was the only cashier that was present. I will definitely keep this idea in mind though if it should occur again.--wendy

[DanaR]

I agree with Sally and would either call or go back to the store. I could make for an interesting or fun adventure.

[wendy68]

That sounds like a good idea Dana , I will plan on stopping in again. --wendy

[Genifer Teal]

You compare her grin to the grinch that stole christmas. That is not a friendly grin. Yeah, it sounds friendly and seems like a noble attempt at good customer service, but because I have more faith that the moon will reverse its direction and head on a collision course with earth than I do in humanity, she was "fishing" to confirm her suspitions about you (girls send thier guy to buy tampons but do not trust us with make up selection) or she was mocking you. I hope I'm wrong. Reconsider her grin.

Wow, what a negative attitude! Thoughts like that will get you no where fast. Nobody knows what she was thinking. If she is suggesting it is the wrong color, I'd ask her why she thought so, and see what she might reccomend. Manufacturers try to determine their market but it is the users that really know what works best and how. She could easily have been right and just trying to help.

Gen

[bah-bah-bobbie]

Wow, what a negative attitude! Thoughts like that will get you no where fast.
Gen

Gen, in a way you are right. But in my lifes observations and experiences I've found that maintaining high hopes and low expectations cuts my disapointments in half. There are all sorts of arguments about going nowhere fast as opposed to going the wrong direction entirely, like what high hopes and high exactations got me. In my defense I did say I hope I'm wrong and I meant it.

That sounds like a good idea Dana , I will plan on stopping in again. --wendy

Please let us know how it goes. No matter what the senario was before you can still have fun with this.

[Nicole Erin]

She could easily have been right and just trying to help.

Gen

Yes Gen, you are probably correct, she wasn't trying to make a mockery of of a CD or anything, she was just trying to provide good customer service. :brolleyes:
Pulease!

[`Kayla`]

Now that's what gets me, a GG could buy a power tool at Lowes and nobody would think twice about it. A GG could walk into Wal-mart and buy anything for a guy and nobody would even think twice about that or give her a second look.

I've wanted to go to certain stores and buy my own stuff, from clothes to make-up but this very situation is exactly why I chicken out and don't. Well...I did once and that experience has caused me to not do it again. I went to Wal-mart to buy a pair of thigh highs and one of those extender things for the hooks on a bra. I even went out of my way to checkout in the garden center...oh God the look that woman gave me. It was even worse when I went back in there with my wife and kids.

Atleast you had a fairly good come back towards her. Good for you!!!

[valenstein]

Trying to help? If she had said that to my gf, I think she would have gotten a smack upside the head.

In defense of GG's, I guarantee a GG has gone into a Wal-Mart to buy a lawn mower for herself and a clerk told her how much her husband would enjoy it.

[bah-bah-bobbie]

Now that's what gets me, a GG could buy a power tool at Lowes and nobody would think twice about it. A GG could walk into Wal-mart and buy anything for a guy and nobody would even think twice about that or give her a second look.

I've wanted to go to certain stores and buy my own stuff, from clothes to make-up but this very situation is exactly why I chicken out and don't. Well...I did once and that experience has caused me to not do it again. I went to Wal-mart to buy a pair of thigh highs and one of those extender things for the hooks on a bra. I even went out of my way to checkout in the garden center...oh God the look that woman gave me. It was even worse when I went back in there with my wife and kids.

Atleast you had a fairly good come back towards her. Good for you!!!

I know I'm going to be given stern words by some for telling you this, but if it helps you it's worth it. When buying some cosmetics and being given odd looks, lipstick (unfortunately not high grade no-smear brands) can be used to check alignment of door latches, cabintes, and I even used it to check gear alignment and clearence on a differential. Eye liner pencils show up better on wood than regular pencil, and even when covered with the inevitable saw dust you can still see your cut line. Nail polish is just as effective and a fraction of the cost of commercial grade thread lockers. Pantyhose make excellent strainers for a variety of liquids, and keep paint out of your hair when painting walls and celings, espacially if you are spraying. Buying femm stuff for guy activities is a ruse I always use, since some of the stuff is cheaper than the proper items and just as effective, and why go all the way out to a specialty store when wal-mart or rite-aid is so much closer? As for buying a dress and heels, well you have another thread started on this subject you can read my reply there. Scratch that. Ask the sales asscoiate "Which of these dresses would I be better off getting for my wife to surpise her with a special romantic evening. Great, now can you help me find a pair of shoes to go with it?"

Good luck buddy.

[Cary]

Our only salesperson at work is a GG. She dresses very well. I love most of the tops she wears. I think we wear the same size. During the few times I got the nerve to complament her on her clothes, she told me her boyfriend buys most of her clothes. He has good taste and he shops on his own. My point is that if you don't mind those silly people, they don't matter.

[Genifer Teal]

Gen, in a way you are right. But in my lifes observations and experiences I've found that maintaining high hopes and low expectations cuts my disapointments in half.

Limit your expectations (to protect yourself) however you like. If you don't ask, you will never know if you were right.

Gen

[Sandralatv]

At least some of time, or at least some time in our experience, we get sensitive about shopping.

I have been doing it for so long that 95% I could care less what anybody is thinking but it can still happen to me that my spider sense starts to tingle for some reason and I get a an apprehensive feeling.

At the same time, I have taught myself not to automatically react by trying to remove myself from the situation as fast as possible, because there are times when the sales person has interest in you, or the subject of cross dressing.

MY personal positive experiences has always been when the salesperson is a GG, but I have had some interesting experiences with GG shoppers.

I have also found that in many occasions in very small, owner run stores, as you relax, they will become more relaxed and eventually help you make better purchases. This has happened to me in several small beauty stores that sell wigs and for whatever reason, they have been owned and run by Asian woman.

Of course I live in the LA area, and have had a few of the positive experience shopping in Vegas. Were I in my original home town in the coal mining section of NE PA, I might keep my guard up with more suspicion and vigilance.

[donnalee]

While optimists are well liked, pessimists are seldom disappointed.

[sissystephanie]

Our only salesperson at work is a GG. She dresses very well. I love most of the tops she wears. I think we wear the same size. During the few times I got the nerve to complament her on her clothes, she told me her boyfriend buys most of her clothes. He has good taste and he shops on his own. My point is that if you don't mind those silly people, they don't matter.

The last line in the quote says it all! You own attitude about shopping for female things is all that counts. I have been buying female clothing and accessories for well over 60 years. Yes, I am that "young." For almost 50 of those years I had a wife whom I could have used as an excuse. she passed away a little over 3 years ago.

The only times I did ever use her was when I actually was buying something for her, which I did frequently. However, I bought my own makeup (although she applied it) and never even gave it a second thought. Over time I can safely say that I have bought anything and everything that a GG would buy, including feminine hygiene products for myself. If asked by an SA, I always tell them it is for me! They either say O.K., or they shut up! They are more interested in making a sale than who is going to wear those pretty pink satin panties.(Me, Me!!)

If you have that kind of attitude when you shop, you will have no problems!! BTW, I often shop dressed enfemme, but no wig or makeup. So I am a "girly" man! In fact, that is the way I went out to eat tonight, and then did some Stephanie shopping! Only comment by the SA, " you will love wearing those tops. they are so comfortable!" No question in her mind who they were for!

Sissy/Stephanie

Lady on the outside, but man underneath!