Hello!
This week I wanted to share my love for the women’s clothing store Francesca’s. This topic also spurred my thoughts about how I get anxious shopping at local women’s boutiques. Honestly, I was kind of scrambling for an idea this week for a fashion post. I had a great idea planned, but some things I ordered weren’t going to make it to my house in time. So, I had to go with plan B, I will share that great idea next week!
So, why is it every time I think of shopping at a local clothing boutique, I feel extremely intimidated? I rarely ever shop at boutiques, unless I am with a friend. Usually the prices of the items can be scary in and of itself. I think the main reason I get nervous is the intimate setting boutiques create. They are made to be a very personal experience. You walk in, and there’s maybe one or two women working there, and it’s quite possible you will be the only customer shopping, depending on the time and day. If you’re lucky, the associates are very friendly and helpful. Sometimes though, they will say hi and let you go on your way. This can be a nice thing, but then there’s the situation of when you’re ready to try things on, you have to bother someone for a fitting room. I guess it depends on how you like to shop, do you like someone always by your side helping you? Or do you like to be left alone and only have help when you ask for it? I prefer shopping at somewhere like Target where I can be inconspicuous while shopping, but still have help when I need it. I’ve had really great experiences at boutiques, but also not so great experiences.
This brings me to this past weekend. I went into a local boutique here in Indy, and walked out with nothing. I was planning on doing a blog post about my experience at said boutique. I walked in and was nicely greeted by two girls. They said hello, but then went back to watching a video on their phone. I looked around, and saw a few cute things that I wanted to try on. The prices were about what I expected, some things were pretty pricey, while others weren’t so bad. One of the associates was getting a fitting room for another customer, so I went ahead and asked for one too. I tried the items on, they were okay, but I didn’t love them. I came out of the fitting room, neither of the associates asked me if I needed help or offered to take the clothes out of my hand I didn’t want. I decided to leave everything I tried on in the fitting room, said thank you, and left. Had the associates showed a little more interest in me, I may have felt differently, maybe I would have bought one of the items I tried on. I can walk around Target and shop, never getting any help, and leave with a few different things. That is because the prices are way better than women’s clothing boutiques. Part of the reason some women feel okay buying more expensive items at a boutique, is the experience that comes with it.
After I left the boutique, I decided to head to the mall and shop at Francesca’s. Francesca’s is able to give you that boutique feel, but they are a corporate company. I have never had a bad experience shopping at Francesca’s, and I have been to a few different ones. I walked in and was nicely greeted by one of the associates. As soon as I had a few items in my hand, one of the associates offered to start a fitting room for me. They will place your items in the fitting room, and write your name on a sign next to it, so everyone knows that it is yours for the time being. Another nice thing they ask is if you are shopping for a certain occasion, so that they can better understand what you are looking for. They will continually check up on you as you are shopping, taking everything you grab to your fitting room. While you are trying things on, they will come by and see how you are doing. When you come out of the fitting room, they will take the items you know you are going to buy up to the cash register. You can use your fitting room as long as you need, until you know for sure you are happy with what you are buying. They were having a buy one get two 50% off sale while I was there, too! So naturally I needed to buy at least three items of clothing. I was having trouble finding a third item I wanted. I asked the store associate if she could recommend anything for me. She ended up going to the back and getting a top that she thought I would love. She was right, I tried it on and ending up buying it. Because of the fantastic experience I was having, I decided to look at the jewelry too. I did this hands free due to the fact that they were holding my items up at the register for me. Guess what, I ended up buying three jewelry items, as well. It goes to show that great customer service will help sell more things. I felt so comfortable there, I could have shopped all day.
I may end up trying a different boutique, or shopping some online boutiques and sharing my experience with you. Below are the items I bought from Francesca’s. Online, they have buy two items get 20% off, buy three items get 30% off, or buy four or more items get 40% off! You can also get free shipping if you spend $60. The two tops I purchased are not online yet, but I will link some similar items. I will keep checking back for when they are available online.
How do you feel when shopping at local boutiques? I feel like I can’t be the only woman who feels this way, but it’s possible! I always know I will have a great experience and find what I need if I shop Francesca’s.