haute topic
Counter Intelligent?
The relationship between shoppers and salespeople can be as complex as a romance
When I walked into Boutique X&O* (name changed to protect the snarky) a year ago, it was lust at first shop. The booty-boosting Citizen jeans! The drapey Martin Grant dresses! But though X&O and I went on several expensive, um, “dates” (with me making eyes at McQ skirts or slinking into cashmere sweaters), I broke things off, and not just due to my soaring Amex bill. One day, the owner morphed from a shop girl into a “Mean Girl,” dismissing my question about a $300 blouse with a shrug and a sneer. Feeling like a college kid snubbed at sorority rush, I sprinted out so fast, she probably thought I’d spotted Marc Jacobs across the road.
The dance between shoppers and clerks can be a complex tango. If you take a strong lead (“Why is this dress $600?”), you risk stepping on a retailer’s toes. If the salesperson cuts in and smothers you with attention (or makes you feel ignored), you might never step near their racks again. “I pay attention to their non-verbal communication,” says Gretchen Hitchner, owner of Bethesda’s Ginger (7114 Bethesda Lane; 301-664-9242). “Someone who spends her whole time on her cell doesn’t want to be bothered. But if she keeps coming back to one item, I offer suggestions.”
Shopping for clothes is rooted in a desire to improve your appearance and mood, so the person fetching you a belt or telling you if a dress makes you look lumpy often determines whether you go home elated or deflated. “My pet peeve? Salespeople who don’t know or care about what they sell,” says Marlene Hu Aldaba, owner of Hu’s Wear (2906 M St. NW; 202-343-2020). “When staffers have passion for what they sell, you can feel it.”
