all you need to know about fitting rooms

Reader's Digest has a fairly new monthly column titled something like " (insert number) Things Your (insert job title) Won't Tell You". Recently, this has been my favorite piece in the magazine and I enjoy reading "the dirt" regarding services that we all take for granted...things like what our doctors say about us behind closed doors, or how our waiter responds when we don't tip as well as he or she thinks we should. The quotes in the magazine are provided by anonymous employees and usually prove to be quite enlightening. That being said, I decided to write a similar post about my job..."12 Things Your Fitting Room Attendant Won't Tell You". I've worked the fitting room in two clothing stores and have of course, had discussions about the fitting room patrons with other employees, so the things I'm going to mention are *generally speaking* pretty commonly held opinions and facts.

01.) Please re-hang your clothing after you have tried it on. It doesn't take much time and makes it easier for us to process your clothing and get it back on the sales floor, which in turn allows us more time to help you. And if you just can't re-hang it, at least turn it right side out. This makes hanging so much easier and is much more sanitary. It's not healthy or enjoyable to have to muck through anonymous sweat in order to reverse a shirt. (Some fitting rooms provide us with hand-sanitizer, but most do not...and we can't run to the bathroom to wash our hands after each shirt we hang.)

02.) We really don't mind getting you a different size or color. It's our job, and it takes less time for us to find a particular article than it would take you-helping you get in and out faster (hopefully with more product purchased). It also saves you multiple trips to the fitting room.

03.) Don't be afraid to give us back the clothes that don't fit. Some well-meaning people think that they are saving us hassle by taking their "ill-fitting" clothes back out to the sales floor. The truth is, we get in trouble for your hanging mistakes. Each store has different hanging policies and if our boss finds those pants you hung the wrong way, we get blamed. It's so much easier for us process your "ill-fits". (PS-This does not void tip number one! It doesn't matter if the article is hung right, as long as it is on the hanger-all we have to do is make sure the zippers, ties, and buttons are closed and tied, and the hanger clips are in the right place, instead of having to hang plus make sure the closures are fastened. It also helps us to know which articles were hung originally. It's frustrating to carry around a pair of pants on a hanger-trying to find the right rack, when they are actually folded on a shelf. Putting your clothes on the hanger is just helpful any way you look at it.)

04.) If we are in the fitting room when you leave, tell us you are leaving. Many people walk out and we assume they are getting another size (and failed to ask us to get it for them)-then someone else slips into the open, un-clean fitting room without being seen and throws a fit because there are unwanted clothes strewn about.

05.) The fitting rooms are locked for a reason: It helps prevent theft. If you find the doors locked, locate an associate and ask nicely for a room. Again, it is our job to provide a room for you, but we have to abide by company policy which states that any unused room must be locked. This is also the reason we so annoyingly ask to count the items you take in with you. Note: If you don't see an associate in your general vicinity, either wait patiently, or ask for a room at the register-there are usually a limited number of fitting room keys and other than the attendant, the manager at the register is the next most likely to have one. It is very annoying when we are returning unwanted clothing to the sales floor as fast as we can, and there is someone at the fitting room yelling and waving at us from across the store (something that happens quite often and just makes you look silly)...yes, we know you are there-we knew you were there when you got there, we just haven't been able to make it to you yet. Have some patience-we will usually suspend our "go-back" missions and help you as soon as we possibly can.

06.) When we ask to count your clothing items, hand them to us-don't just tell or show us how many you have. Most stores require the associate to manually handle each article that is taken into the fitting room, this helps to reduce theft. Trust us, we dislike counting your clothes as much as you dislike us doing it, but it is a requirement.

07.) You disrespect everyone in the store when you trash your fitting room and leave. When we go to clear out your fitting room and find clothing covering the floor in a pile two feet deep (not exaggerating-this happens on a daily basis-the worst offenders happen to be well-dressed, high-class business women in their 30s and 40s), it not only takes several trips to clear out the room, it also takes a lot of time to process your unwanteds. Yes, that is our job, but when the fitting room is busy, it requires time that we don't have and takes away from the service we are able to give other (less egotistical) patrons.

08.) Men make us happy. Men are the most apt to re-hang and physically return their un-wanted clothing (saving us the task of clearing out a pig-sty), ask for direction, and allow us to do our job in the way we are required . They are also generally more cheerful and polite, and most have a sense of humor when they ask if a shirt is too small and we tell the truth. This makes for a happier fitting room experience. (Not that all women are fussy-this is just a generalization)

09.) We are happy to give our honest opinions if you want to know if clothing fits or matches-it's another aspect of our job. However, we become less happy when you ask for our opinion and then get offended when we tell you something doesn't match or needs to be larger-most fitting room attendants love to help and want you to be able to look your best-if we say it's too tight, it usually is. (If you won't listen to us when we tell you it's too tight, we may *subtly* resort to one last attempt at helping you by telling you that the clothing might shrink in the wash. We're not trying to be mean or dictate your clothing choices, but rather we desire to save you future embarrassment when you bend over to pick up that cookie you dropped on the floor and split your capris instead.) PS-And no, we really don't care what size you are. Telling us you are several sizes smaller than you really are just to make us think you are "fit" doesn't help us and certainly isn't impressive.

10.) If you have small children (9 or under), don't allow them to come to the fitting room unattended. Sometimes mothers want a break and send their young kids to try on clothes by themselves-kids can't tell if something fits right or not and they need adult supervision. Other patrons don't appreciate children crawling under their fitting room doors or yelling loudly for their mom to come help them.

11.) Treat us like humans and you should get quality service. Treat us like servants and your quality of service will plummet due to the fact that we don't want to lose our job by letting a snippy comment slip.

12.) Again, we don't mind helping you. Our job is customer service and we know the store inside and out. If you have a need or a question, don't be afraid to ask for help. If we don't know an answer, we can quickly track down someone who does.