Have any online shopping success secrets?
Hi, Natalie-
My name is Jennifer W, and I’m at home all day with young children.
Shopping trips for mommy clothes are…not happening.
Shopping on line? Happens this way:
1. Mommy sees clothes on sale
2. Mommy wants these cute new clothes (not the $5 t-shirt she bought four years ago because it was big enough to wear into the second trimester of pregnancy and is still wearing)
3. Mommy orders the new clothes.
4. They arrive
5. They don’t fit right
6. They never fit right
7. Mommy sighs and puts on another $5 t-shirt
I look at the size charts. I made a virtual model at Lands End. I say the buying clothes on line prayer, but I still wind up returning 75% of what I buy on line. I’ve given up on shoes completely.
What is the secret? Help!!!!
Thank you.
Even if you can’t respond to this e-mail, it was very therapeutic writing it.
Jennifer
Hi ladies! Do any of you happen to have any tips for Jennifer? Better yet… any tips for all the other people (probably the majority of people who order online) who struggle with this issue? Leave a comment for Jennifer if you have any advice! Thanks!
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Shoes: endless.com has free overnight shipping and free return shipping, and they’ll match any other price available online. So it’s easy and risk-free to order several and return the rest. And unlike Zappos, you don’t get gouged. Prices are reasonable, searching for shoes in sizes, colors, brands, and types is very easy.
I live in the shopping dessert but LOVE shoes. Endless has been an absolute savior.
Another trick for buying shoes is pay attention to brands – know what size you are in a few specific brands, and then search for styles in those brands only. It helps narrow the search and cut back on the guess-work. That goes the same for clothes too – figure out what brands fit your body type and what size you are in those brands – shop those brands specifically.
I don’t know if I have any secrets…but the ONLY way I’ve been able to win at online shopping is to order from places where I’ve already tried on or own an item from. I’ve been famous for running into a stores, trying on an item just to see what size will work best so I can later order the item I’m looking for. I write down what size I wear at each store or brand.
I also have ones I rely on to always fit right, and some I know I’m taking a gamble with. But unfortunately that seems to be the risk of ordering online, lots of outfits look different once you get them on than they do in the pictures online.
My advice is take a day, get a sitter, bite the bullet, and spend it going to the stores you’d like to order online from. Try on a couple items that you’d be interested in ordering something similar to in the future, and jot down what worked best for you, and what didn’t. I simply cannot wear pants from a few stores! Sad, but true. Good luck!!
I’ve found that QVC clothing fits quite well once you find your size. I would highly recommend them for online shopping.
My suggestion does involve going out of the house, but only once. Get someone to watch your kids for an afternoon and go to the stores you would like to buy from online. Try on something of each article, i.e. a pant, a shirt, a skirt, a dress even a pair of shoes and see what size you are in that particular brand/store. I’ve done this with designer jeans in boutiques and scored big on the internet later, then when they arrived they fit just like the ones from the boutique even though they were a different style. I can’t guarantee this will always work, but I have had good luck in the jean department at least. I agree with you that sizing charts are difficult! Happy shopping : )
I have the same problem so I tend to only buy online from retailers where I’ve had success or have tried on clothes. I know how the Merona line fits at Target so I can buy their stuff online without problem. Same with Old Navy and Gap. I would suggest taking a couple of hours kid free to go to these types of stores that also do awesome online sales and find your favorite fit of jean, dresses, etc, and then when they go on sale online you will know what will work.
Ditto on the two previous comments on clothes.
As for shoes, piperlime and zappos are great websites as it usually only takes a day to get the shoes and they both have free return shipping. Sometimes I will order the shoe in 2 sizes, and return the ill fitting one the same day it arrives. I prefer piperlime, super fast, super easy, great selections.
Because shoe shopping with little kids just doesn’t happen. Well, at least not at this house.
With three kids under four-years, I do not shop in stores. I have just barely realized that the shipping I pay is way less than I would pay a babysitter to wander around the mall for even an hour or two. So for me…
1) Most stores have standard shipping or free if your order is over X amount of dollars, so I order as many things from that store as I might be interested in and return them for free.
2) I read the size chart for every single item (sometimes they change for each item of clothing). Then I order at least two sizes of each item.
3) I have no expectations. I might order 6 or 7 tops from a store and return five or them.
Hope that helps a little.
I have found that even knowing what size I wear from specific stores does not always help. I always order multiple sizes!! I usually end up choosing an item that’s not the size I thought/want to be. Returns are free and I am left with clothes I love!
I agree with a previous comment, although it seems like such a HUGE hassle get a babysitter or go at night when your hubby is watching the kids, it is great to get a night away and you could even go with a friend for a girls night out! You can get a LOT of shopping done in just a couple of hours and also get a good idea of current styles that are flattering on you!
I would say, however, that my best buys come from Old Navy. There sizing is pretty consistent and the clothes wear pretty well.
I have 4 little ones at home, so I completely understand! But try to make the effort – it is soooo worth it!
You really have to read the reviews, they can be return savers, especially with shoes. If there isn’t a review on fit I usually just say forget it!
Wow- thanks everyone! Endless.com is a find. I knew about Zappos (and have used them for kids shoes) but all the shoes I like there are so way expensive it’s actually kind of funny.
I think I need to be bolder about ordering more than one size if I really like something and then return whatever does not work.
It’s so true that shipping fees are nothing compared to baby sitting costs. That is an excellent point to keep in mind. Also- cost of gas… driving around adds up. My dh also likes to remind me that my time is worth something, too.
OK- back to the (new) drawing board!
I feel like with some items, especially more investment pieces, like pants, you just need to try them on every time. I’ve tried to buy pants online several times, and they never fit right. Never. Never ever. For example, my favorite pair of jeans right now are ones that I bought from the Gap earlier this year. They’re a size 2, and even though I’m on the tall side, they’re regular and they’re the perfect length. However, when I’ve tried to buy other pairs of Gap size 2R pants online, they’ve been too big, too small, or too short (by up to five inches) every time. Every time. Pants from other stores in the same size never fit, pants from other stores in different sizes never fit. I’ve sworn off buying pants online.
It probably sounds silly, but I usually order and item that I really want in two different sizes and then my sweet husband will usually return the item for me that I don’t want on his lunch break at work (because he can get in and out as opposed to all of the drama that I encounter taking three kids shopping!) It usually doesn’t cost any more shipping to order another item. l also pretty much only shop online at stores that I know my size (like other ladies have said).
I have five small children at home, so I have the same dilemma. Finding the time and energy to go out and shop for clothes for myself can be very frustrating. My biggest advice would be to not give up on the online shopping. I buy almost all my clothes online these days and not just because I never leave the house. It’s more because it’s easier to find time to shop sales at various stores online than it is to spend 3 hours doing it at the mall (yuk!). My successes have been taking advantage of the times that stores have free return shipping (like Boden sometimes does) and order every size that you think might fit – like 3 pairs of the same pant. I also take advantage of online stores that have an actual store where you can return things too. You are still going to the store but you’re not spending time shopping, you’re just returning items. And yes, I hear you with the whole measuring thing. I measure, measure, measure and those size charts never seem to work for me either.
I’m not sure if someone has already mentioned this, but my advice would be to hire a sitter … once. (Or go on a weekend if your husband can watch the kids!)
Pick a few brands that best define your style (for me these are J.Crew and certain brands at Anthropologie), go to these stores + try on a few jackets, shirts, tees/tanks, pants, skirts, dresses … and WRITE DOWN your size in each item. I’ve found that the nicer the store, the more consistent the sizing (usually). Places like Old Navy, Forever 21, and even sometimes Gap can be really inconsistent with their sizing. J.Crew, Land’s End, Eddie Bauer, Ann Taylor, etc … will be better for online shopping. Anthropologie is hard because they carry so many brands — I typically just stick to the brands I’ve bought from them before.
If you take the time to really find out what fits you and make a list, you’ll have a much easier and more successful time shopping online in the future. And then, no more crying babies in fitting rooms! Thank goodness!
I’m loving these comments! Yes, crying babies in the exam room put a damper on the whole shopping experience.
That is a great suggestion to have dh return things on his lunch hour (don’t you wish you had a lunch hour, LOL).
I am definitely going to try ordering multiple sizes. I can order things at Lands End and get free shipping most of the time, and return the stuff at Sears for free. I have wanted to try a couple of their skirts but keep thinking they won’t fit. Well, now I am going to take a gamble.
The nice thing about shopping on line is that I can do it a little but at a time. If I go to the mall, after a couple of hours my head starts spinning and I wind up buying nothing. It can get overwhelming. And I *like* to shop. A lot.
At the same time, I have some shirts that I just. can. not. bear. to keep wearing.
And thanks for the kick in the pants to start writing sizes and brands down. I’m always thinking: do I wear petite medium at Eddie Bauer or is that LL bean.
Investing in a little shopping notebook is next!
(Can also write kids shoes sizes down in that…)
I do most of my shopping online because 1. I have four boys 2. I am an impulse buyer and I have a much harder time staying on budget in a store when I have fallen in love with too many things I have tried on 3. It gives me time to really think about how much I truly love an item to know if it is worth it.
That said, I typically shop at the stores I know and trust the fit and sizing (DownEast, Ann Taylor Loft, Gap, etc.). For stores that sizes vary at (like Anthropologie) I read the reviews. I also stick to skirts, dresses, tops and jackets when I shop online. I leave my pants and jean shopping to “in store”. I just think those are “need to see how they fit” items!
Jennifer W – This is SUCH a good question. I have the exact same dilemma. Young kids. Lack of time. Sizing charts never are quite accurate. Thank you for getting this conversation going!