Tuesday, May 1, 2012

No Hassle

Regarding the comments in yesterday's post stating that certain stores are very ok with trans shoppers...

FWIW, here is a list of places I have shopped in the past year for women's clothing en femme or openly en homme* without a hassle. In many cases, store personnel (both male and female) gave me personal attention and helped me find what I was looking for (and even what I wasn't looking for).

Ann Taylor
Avenue
Banana Republic
bebe
Claire's
Deb
Dressbarn
Famous Footwear
Fashion Bug
JCPenney
Jessica McLintock
Kohl's
Lane Bryant
LOFT
Macy's
Nine West
Nordstrom
Payless
Sears
Sephora
Talbots
The Limited
Torrid
Victoria Secrets

* By "openly en homme," I mean I was open about the fact that I was shopping for women's clothing for myself and tried on women's clothing in the store's dressing room.


13 comments:

  1. AnonymousMay 01, 2012

    Now this is 'news you can use'!
    deborah

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousMay 01, 2012

    I think very few would hassle you and you can always leave if they do.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ah Sephora! I went in "en homme" the other day for a skin care product and a nice young gal helped guide me. As she checked me out we fixed a wrong email address on my frequent shopper's card to spell "Dianne" properly. She tucked a scent sample in my bag and I asked gently if it was, "boy scent or girl scent" When she said it was a men's cologne I shyly asked if they had any women's perfume samples instead. She looked at me with a moment's puzzlement and then said, "Oh, I can make something for you!" Younger people seem to take us in stride and I couldn't be happier about it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. No where that I have shopped openly for female clothes or cosmetics for myself have ever given me any hassle. Indeed I have found them to have all been friendly and helpful even when in drab if I say I am buying for myself. The only slightly difficult situation is when shopping in drab and having to use the men's changing rooms to try on a dress!

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousMay 02, 2012

    Just look for the secret TG symbol

    VISA Welcome!

    LOL

    ReplyDelete
  6. Stana,
    The post was an excellent response to Jack Webb's question ~ "Just the facts, ma'am"?
    Inquiring minds, however, want more...both more facts/stores/chains that are TG friendly AND reasons why things are getting better all the time:

    1. T money or plastic is as good as anyone else.
    2. A sale is a sale
    3. You, and many others pass/blend
    4. It is a fun and interesting and often amusing break from a humdrum sales job for the clerk to work with a T.
    5. Discrimination is not a good thing.
    6. The outreach that you and others have done on behalf of the T world.
    7. General better acceptance of T people by society as a whole.
    etc.
    I have no additions to the 'facts' and welcome other comments as to the 'whys'.

    Pat

    ReplyDelete
  7. You do outshop us and we are shoppers. Macy is our number one.Ross stores being number two. I have found over the years that the clerks are informed of the value of our business.(Trans)I have often been invited to use the fitting rooms.I have never been treated rudely once I gained the confidence in myself to be "Just Me"
    Thanks again for all you do for all of us
    Marilyn

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousMay 02, 2012

    Also add Ulta cosmetics and Merle Norman Studios I have been openly en homme and had great service. Purchased a wig at Merle Norman Studios in Woodbury, MN about five years ago. The wig served me well. Now I have grown out my natural hair and gone to a transgender friendly salon for a cut and set. Plan on having a perm about two weeks from now at the same salon. The salon is Up Front Salon in St Paul, MN near Como Park.

    ReplyDelete
  9. AnonymousMay 02, 2012

    I have not had problems shopping when dressed at
    Dressbarn, Fashion Bug, JCPenney, Macy's,
    Payless, Sears & Talbots. I don't know if my shopping trip to Kohl's was a problem but the store announced some code ("code xxxx" in a specific department) as my friend Tammie and I wandered around the store going into that specific department so I assumed we were being monitored. When I came to paying, there was no problem and I never saw anyone staring at us. Huggs, Jan

    ReplyDelete
  10. Only thing is, is it THOSE stores (meaning they just happen to have nice employees working there), or is it really the brand? I mean macy's has an open policy about gender, yet that one black girl had to be fired when she refused to let a transgender try on clothes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Is it really necessary to mention she was black? I had a very positive experience with a black clerk last Friday. I walked around in the store with the stuff I was trying on and she complemented me on the skirt and was very nice.

      Delete
  11. I've been treated great at Nordstrom a while back. In the lingerie dept the girls fit me for a bra wearing my silicone breast forms and let me try on as many bras as I wanted,I've also had help buying a pair of Spanx, It was soo fun!

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  12. I too had a bra fitting at Nordstrom's (Seattle). She quickly became my regular salesperson. I asked where the restrooms where, and she said, "the ladies restroom is over here. Follow me."

    ReplyDelete