What are some shopping tips for men shopping at Victoria's Secret?: originally appeared on Quora: The best answer to any question. Ask a question, get a great answer. Learn from experts and access insider knowledge. You can follow Quora on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.
Answer by Alecia Li Morgan, Former VS Store Manager
Here are some pro-tips and work-arounds to get the average guy through a shopping trip at VS with minimal trauma:
Set yourself up for success.
- Size helps. Sorry, I know you'd prefer you come in and just tell us she's about "this" big (holding your hands apart) or worse, creepily stare at our other associates and say she's about her size, but maybe with bigger boobs. Yikes. That'll put you on the Creeper list posthaste. The easiest way to figure this out is if you have access to her clothing and can just check her bra and panty size. If you can only get one, DEAR GOD, get the bra size. Because you could tell me she wears a size small tshirt, and she still could be anywhere from a 32A to a 34D and possibly even further down the line either way. But if you tell me her pants size is an 8, I can for sure tell you her panty size.
- Style guide is good. If you're buying her intimate items, you should already have had some access to her existing ones. This is good. Yeah, you're probably going to be looking at them, but SHE is going to be wearing them. If you know she only wears plain cotton everything, buying her a really intricate lacy whatnot is probably not going to be your best bet. We can suggest items that are along those same lines, but maybe a little bit fancier or whatever. If she always wears satin thongs and you decide on some cotton hiphuggers, you may also strike out. So having a general idea of what *she* likes (not just you) will help us find something you like and that she also has a great chance of liking.
Choose your battleground.
Time and place are important.
- Time - don't go midday on a weekend. Associates are going to be swamped, the store is going to be packed with women (who will shoot you suspicious glances 9 times out of 10), lines will be long, product will be messier, and you're going to want to cut and run before you make it one room in.
- Place - a smaller store at a smaller mall may be more enthused to see you (or any customer) and thereby give you extra attention, AND may also have more sizes/colors still in stock - buuuuuuuut it's also possible that they won't have received as many different varieties and definitely won't stock as many different styles and selection overall. A bigger store is going to have more stuff to choose from (unless they're super sold down).
- Day of the week is also important. You already know no weekends. Tuesdays are good because most of the "new" promotions and new launches begin on Tuesdays. This means likely the newer stuff will be freshly put out and you'll have a higher chance of getting what you want in the size you want. Tuesdays are also good because "launch" days are big for tracking numbers - associates are eager to make a sale and therefore will be happy to assist you and point out every possible variation or variety you may want. Tuesdays also aren't really generally very busy, so any sale is a plus, making you more valuable than just a rando guy on a weekend full of women shoppers who know what they want and take less work to get to the counter.
Once Engaged in Battle
- Look for an associate who doesn't seem to be actively busy. Look for someone who is greeting or who approaches YOU and asks how she can help you today. Don't be afraid to be vulnerable. Telling us point-blank that you're lost and need help is one of the quickest ways to get a smile and some extra help.
- Give us some firm guidelines to work with and we'll get you on your way faster and with a better result, but even if you've got a vague "I'm not sure? Something pink? and soft?", we'll work with you.
- Be upfront and clear about your budget. It's fine. We hear everything. This helps us not overwhelm you, and even if it seems awkward at first, it actually saves you from more awkwardness later if we keep showing you stuff beyond what you want to spend, etc.
Some general tips:
- As others mention, sets are nice. If you pick something that's not a basic black/white/nude, chances are it's a "seasonal" or "fashion" color and pattern - which means that the 'matchbacks' (all the matching panties, shorts, sleep shirts, robes, etc) are going to go out of stock and not able to be found later. At a minimum, if you're buying a bra (or even a slip), you should buy the matching panty - or get help finding one that matches well enough (if the size in the one you need is out).
- Ask about the 3fers. As in 3 for 33, etc. A lot of times the panties you're paying $14.50 (or a little more even sometimes) for are sold at a slight discount in "sets" of 3 (sometimes 4 or 5), so it might be nice to just pick her out two more.
- Don't always just go for the really sexy stuff. Most of the time, women like to buy this ourselves - we know what looks good on us in terms of style and color, and we like to really be in charge of this because it does make us feel empowered and sexy (if we choose to wear this stuff at all). Sometimes it's nice to go luxurious or comfortable - look for some of the softest things that are still very pretty, or the slips that aren't so much about being laced in as floating around her. Besides, how often will she really wear that same $88 corset or merrywidow? If you buy a pretty, fancy bra and panties, it's still going to look sexy on, but she can also wear them normally, too. Match it up with a slinky robe if you want to make an "evening" set.
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