By Casey Alice
(No, that’s not “thigh gap”)
So I was on my way to the DMV today (ugh) and decided to quickly stop in the Gap before subjecting myself to potentially endless wait times in the government office. My decision wasn’t completely spur-of-the-moment: I had been wanting to find my jeans size for a while in case I decided to buy a pair. (For the record, I neither I nor the author owns a pair of jeans.) I already own a number of pieces from the Gap, and they seem to fit well overall.
Despite not being dressed in my usual attire (read: dressed as the author), I went down to the jeans section and selected a number of different sizes and styles before heading over to the dressing room. I was mentally prepared for the attendant to smirk (or have some similar reaction) at a man walking down with an armful of women’s jeans to try on, but she simply smiled and directed me towards an open room. What a positive experience! I was very impressed with the customer service.
I tried on the pairs that I selected, but was kind of disappointed with all of them and proceeded to return them to the attendant (who again did not even blink). I went back out to the floor to pick up different sizes (I guess I over-estimated the first time) and styles. Returning to the try-on area, the attendant motioned for me to take the same room as the previous time.
These new pairs were delightful. I found a pair that fit very well and that were surprisingly comfortable: 29R Sculpt (in the classic jean color). The best way to describe them is “springy,” comfortable, and relaxing. Unfortunately I didn’t buy anything, but my preference is noted for future shopping sprees or sales.
One thing that I learned is that I’m not a fan of high-waisted jeans. I thought that, given their popularity, that I might enjoy a pair or two, but there was just way too much going on for me to enjoy the experience. However, a more important realization is that it’s not a dressing room attendant’s job to overtly judge a customer for their clothing preferences. I really did appreciate the attendant for not acting as if I was out-of-place, even though I was. It was comforting to experience this kind of acceptance, and I hope its the norm elsewhere.
What about you? Have you had any good (or bad) shopping experiences? Let me know below!
-Casey