Throughout lockdown we were itching to get out and go shopping. A trip down the local high street or a meet up in the local shopping mall … whatever your desire it just wasn’t going to happen. And it didn’t.

Online shopping, like the New Normal became, well, the New Normal. We bought everything from baked beans and toothpaste to clothing and shoes. The baked beans and toothpaste were fine but the clothing wasn’t always what we had in mind and as for the shoes …

Now we can go shopping, suitably masked, we seem to have lost the excitement a trip with family and friends engendered, probably because we must continue to maintain a distance, stay in bubbles and have difficulty making ourselves understood. Have you noticed how wearing a mask affects your hearing? What is that?

But as with everything, there is good and bad so we have come up with a list of the Top 10 things we DON’T miss about shopping for clothing in shops …

 

Over or under heating.

I’m calling this Reason #1 It’s almost as though, in winter or summer, they’re determined to keep us uncomfortable … we’re either wishing we had a personal fan or a duvet jacket … and if you’re struggling through your own temperature gauge problems you’re in trouble. I can only say “Good Luck with that”! Clothing is meant to be tried in temperate climes …

 

Never being able to find the exact piece of clothing you want

Yes … Reason #2 even though ads are plastered everywhere you look for the specific item you want it’s just not available. Especially not the colour you want. If it’s not On Trend, forget it …

 

Impossible sizing

This should probably be Reason #1 but it’s #3 on this list. It’s a common catch-cry for women everywhere … unless you’re buying a sari. There are way too many variations on a theme in clothing and poor sizing applies to every manufacturer and every item of clothing you buy (from bandanas to shoes). It’s impossible for example, to find one size 10 which is the same as another size 10.

Working on the principle that some of us will be able to pack a bag and go away shortly, this is an International Sizing Chart … in case of need!

The search for a toilet …

(lavatory, powder room, restroom … you know what I mean) can take longer than finding the right wedding dress. WHY??? This is Reason #4 which begs the question “And why are there always more men’s toilets than there are women’s???” It’s women who spend time in stores looking for clothing …

 

Badly fitting impossible to close changing room curtains …

or saloon doors that are too high or too low, OR horror-of-horrors, THE COMMUNAL CHANGING ROOM. The lack of privacy is frightening … somehow, if you’re over 25, removing your clothing just seems wrong in front of a crowd.

I can only speak for myself but I really do not want to dress and undress in front of a bunch of total strangers.

 

Only the Full Price top is left …

The Sale top has been sold … is Reason #6 and maybe there never was one?! You deliberately went into the store for the top with 50% discount. It seldom comes as a surprise when you’re told they’re sold out … of course they are. As irritating reasons go, this one is pretty good!

The mirror isn’t long enough or makes you look a weird shape …

You can’t see the whole picture and you look like a clown in a fair ground. So you step outside to use the full-length mirror and are seemingly surrounded by young girls who are tall and slim. Suddenly, you look like a sack of potatoes tied in the middle. How can you buy clothing when you suddenly feel dumpy?

 

Other women with half-a-dozen children

All of whom are desperate to watch you trying on … especially the children. What is that? And why can’t the children understand that being told to SIT STILL and BE QUIET means just that … SIT STILL AND BE QUIET …

 

The irritation of folded items.

Sure, you’re giving some poor girl a job … she can spend all day every day re-folding clothes to ensure the store looks tidy. The guilt and frustration associated with trying to re-fold the clothing yourself is sweat-making. I know, I should leave the mess I created and just walk away but I really cannot do that. It doesn’t seem like fair exchange to me, but what would I know?!

 

The Checkout Game of 20 Questions

Standing with your hard-won piece of clothing the list seems endless. Do you have a points card? Would you like one? Do you have a store card? Do you want a store card? Get a card right now and you’ll get 20% discount. Are you paying with a card? Are you paying with cash? Do you want a bag? Will you pay for the bag? Do you want the hanger? Do you want to go on our database for special offers? Would you like fries with that?

 

Choice overwhelm!

You want a plain white t-shirt with to-the-elbow sleeves, not too short and not nightie length. Plain. Did I say plain?! It’s like food … why can we never find what we really want? Which takes me all the way back to #1

I would love to know what you miss about store shopping and if you prefer the ease of shopping online? How successful is buying clothing online? The only problem with online shopping, if it is a problem, is that you can’t turn it into a day out with the girls … Or can you?!

Please share with us …