Stratagem of a Lingerie Saleswoman

In Loving Mammary: My Week Sans Bra

2011-03-21T08:49:00.000-07:00

My insights on going brassiere-free for a week are summarized in the following article. Enjoy!

In Loving Mammary: My Week Sans Bra

Mallory Strange

After deciding what product to deprive myself of, my bra, I anticipated the week of deprivation and what it may result in. I wondered if my attachment to my bra would weigh heavily on me, as I have both been wearing one for years and working at a lingerie store. Knowing the detriments to not wearing a brassiere, I was a bit nervous of the damage that I might do to my ladies in the course of one week, especially after a professor of mine had commented on running without a sports bra.

The night before beginning my week of deprivation, as I was laying my clothes out for the following morning, I hesitantly put away my bra. To accommodate for the lack of undergarments, I decided on laying out my favorite shirt for the day ahead due to its double layers, knowing that it would be more censoring than some of my other shirts. Waking up, I found that I instinctually grabbed for my bra first, feeling slightly disappointed when reminded by its absence that it wouldn’t be there all week. Getting dressed, I felt hideous. One of the first entries in my journal made comment about how I no longer felt feminine, in fact, I felt so negative that I remarked “I do NOT feel very pretty or feminine today, rather, I feel very, well, manly.” After dousing myself with my favorite perfume, I felt slightly more at ease. While getting dressed for work one morning my roommate (who knew that I was doing the deprivation assignment) commented on how I had a nice shape to my breasts. We got into a long discussion about how we both felt that we couldn’t go braless because our ladies were awkwardly shaped. This is something that I have heard from previous friends as well. Women seem to think that the nature curvature of their breasts is unattractive. It is of no surprise that women tend to have body issues, but this seemed to be a more common trend than I had previously thought. Accompanying this image discontent, is the concern about breast size in relation to the rest of the body. One thought that crossed my mind was “I wish that my abs were as tight as when I was in high school, I feel like my gut is hanging out past my boobs.”

As the week continued, I realized that I never quite felt fully dressed because my routine was based solely around starting the day by putting on my brassiere first and then getting dressed. I realized how much effort I typically spend trying to ensure that I wear the right bra under certain shirts. Getting dressed took much less time than when I would wear my bra. It sometimes could take a full thirty minutes just to decide on what bra to wear (especially if I kept changing my mind on the shirt).

My relationship with my undergarment was a bit of a surprise to me. I thought that I might miss it more than I did. Although at first uncomfortable, I quickly learned new and interesting ways to mask that I was brassiere-free. Many of my summer shirts and dresses are constructed so that you can wear them without a bra. I found myself dressing in them quite frequently; thankfully the weather was warm enough that I could. Along with this, I tended to wear more free-flowing shirts, and scarves to cover up. The curious trend that emerged was that the reactions of the people around me who knew that I was conducting this assignment were far more concerned with my lack of a brassiere than I was. It seemed that everyday someone would make a comment or joke about not wearing a bra. I also found that my peers were quite hesitant to actually say the word “bra.” The subject would be brought up in ways that alluded to the provocative topic yet never distinctly mentioned. I began to wonder whether this might be due to the geographic setting I was in, as it had never been a provoking subject before. Could the South (specifically speaking the Knoxville area), be more conservative in discussions regarding feminine undergarments? I had to laugh a bit to myself at the conversations that were started merely because I wasn’t wearing a bra, and the lack of knowledge that women had concerning theirs. At work we see around 80% of women who don’t know the simplest thing---how to properly wear a bra-- and because of that women get the wrong size and feel discomfort throughout the day. Spurring discussions about feminine needs and associated products would ensure that women are well educated, comfortable, and their focus was on something more imperative than an underwire poking into them. Certainly when it concerns comfort women need be better informed.

Finally reaching the end of the week, as I was putting my bra on for the first time in over 7 days, the first thing that I noticed was how uncomfortable it was. However, the emotional dependency to my bra won over, as I once again felt feminine. I once again felt that I was fully dressed and ready for my day. “My outfits immediately changed too.” I began wearing shirts that were more form fitting. Less concern was placed on covering up.

The insights that I have gained are centered mainly on the emotional attachment that I had with my bra. With such a routine item, I hadn’t expected the emotional pull to be so strong, however, the one thing that I thought about every day was the feeling that I wasn’t feminine enough. In regards to applying this information in advertising, using Taylor’s Six Segment Strategy Wheel as a guide to building strategy, my attachment to my bra would be most appropriate in an ego and socially combined strategy. The positioning strategy that would best work for me would be to use a user image tactic that reiterates the emotional gain received through wearing a brassiere. A user image strategy would be the best approach in acknowledging the often dismissed emotional attachment that women have to their brassieres, and creating an image in women’s minds that by using a certain product that you will emerge more feminine, both internally and externally. Women want to feel beautiful, and by presenting something to her that meets those needs, advertisers will relate to her on a level that she may not cognitively recognize, but nonetheless will respond to.

Brassiere Deprivation

2011-03-11T06:27:00.000-08:00

My week without bras was quite interesting. One thing that seemed to be a trend was how when something so common is taken away, you begin to realize how important it really is to your daily routine. My bra made me feel feminine in a way that other clothing, jewelry, and perfume couldn't.

I will stop here, as I am currently working on analyzing my journal entries. I'll post my full report as soon as its done!

Ban on Bras

2011-02-24T09:45:00.000-08:00

So today in class we were assigned a deprivation assignment, the premise of which is to choose something from your daily life and give it up for a week. The whole notion of the assignment is to understand the implications of the product in a consumer's life.

So ladies and gentlemen, my class voted and this upcoming week I will be giving up....drum roll please...BRAS! Stay tuned, this should be an interesting study.

Lipping out

2011-02-23T11:11:00.000-08:00

While sitting in class yesterday I noticed a fellow peer was dressed up for an interview. This girl does not usually dress quite this way, and looked very nice, however I noticed one thing about her outfit. Because her shirt was made of a lycra material, you could see that her bra did not fit her properly. By this, what I mean to say is that she had a "ridge" where her bra lipped out, creating a gap between her and her bra. This may go unnoticed by men, however, women tend to nit-pick about this very phenomenon.

What a simple solution it would have been for her to just get a bra that fit her correctly....problem solved. After class I was discussing this with my friend, and she, too, commented on how she had recently gone to a conference, dressed up, and had the same problem. She made reference to her cup size changing recently, saying that she knew that was the cause of the shirt mishap.

Two things stand out in my mind from these situations: 1) women don't seem to know how often to be fitted (every 6 months if you were wondering), as they continue to wear bras that do not fit and wonder why their clothes don't look quite right and 2) women seem to think that the reason you can see that shelf line is because of the shirt, not the bra. Both of these circumstances are opportunities where a salesperson did not assist the customer in TEACHING her about her bra. I wonder sometimes why women think that its an untold rule of thumb that we all know how to properly fit ourselves? But it's not. Most of us didn't have the "bra" conversation way back when.

Moral of the story: make sure that your customer knows not just the features and immediate benefits of the product, but what that product applies to outside of expected uses, and how that product fits into their lifestyle. Guaranteed your customer will appreciate you taking the extra step, and in turn trust in your company the next time that they need something.

Weekend Trend Alert!

2011-02-17T16:35:00.000-08:00

   One trend that I've noticed over the course of my three years working for a lingerie store is that no matter where you are in the country, the personality types that you see on Saturday and Sunday are consistent. I have now worked in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Tennessee and regardless of the state, you can count on Saturday traffic to be friendly, talkative, and overall desiring of an associates help.
   Sunday, however, seems to be the day that everyone is much more guarded, refusing assistance and being much more irritable. At first I found this a strange phenomenon, but after discussions with other sales associates and friends, I think the proximity that Sunday has to Monday has a large part in the attitude change.
   So what should you do to assist customers on Sunday when even a simple "hello" provokes their guards? Make sure to allow them the space to feel that they are not being bombarded by salespeople. Offering a friendly "Hello, my name is......I'll be right here if you need any help finding anything today" helps to establish your presence in case of need without pitching sales right when they walk in the door. I've found that after a few minutes of perusing, if you then reengage with him/her, he or she will be much more accepting of help, sales pitches, and promotional offers that you have to address.

To be a Jackie, or a Marylin?

2011-01-31T06:54:00.000-08:00

        While relaxing this past weekend, watching Mad Men, it dawned on me how clueless some advertising agencies can be when it comes to targeting products to the female psyche. The episode focused on the Mad Men coming up with an ad campaign for Playtex that would rival that of the competitor Maiden Form. After a boys' night out brainstorming session, the Mad Men come up with the idea that all women either want to be a Jackie Kennedy or a Marylin Monroe. The client ultimately decides to continue with their current, more conservative approach.
        I had to laugh a little when I saw this episode. True, there are women out there that strive to be a Jackie or Marylin, however, with women becoming more empowered everyday, these Mad Men miss the boat on understanding who women really are and what women really want.
       The majority of women that come into my store aren't buying bras to please men (with the exception of V-day and anniversaries), instead, they are making purchases based on what they want. Appealing to this demographic is more about making her feel good in her own skin. Tapping into the female psyche is much more complex than forcing her to fit into a predetermined iconic mold. When targeting women, concentrate on who she really is, rather than what is the preconceived image of who she may (or may not) be.

Mad Men Episode Guide

1960's Maiden Form Advertisement:

Love is in the....lingerie?

2011-01-21T07:43:00.000-08:00

In the past couple of years the fashion trend for the post-Christmas season (entering into Valentine's day) has been primarily focused on animal prints, and spring colors such as bright greens, purples, and blues. However, it's refreshing to see that this year the traditional colors of red and pink are back! Just in time for Valentine's day, stores are unloading new designs that are more vibrant than ever. The addition of sparkle has been added to these traditional colors to really make them pop.
Traditional reds and pinks tend to sell best for this holiday, and have been long awaited. I have had customers who have turned right around and walked out the door because in past years she did not have the choice of red or pink for her lingerie. Black for a long while had been a top seller, but black is considered the go-to "sexy" lingerie color. Women tend to purchase this color year round and opt for something fresh and different when given the option during holidays. For Valentine's day women want something unique and representative of the day of love. Take into careful consideration the colors you pick for launches, and more importantly, the time at which these colors are launched. This can have great influences on whether your customers are excited to shop with you or whether they decide to shop somewhere else.

Holiday Happenings

2010-12-27T09:03:00.000-08:00

          One of the most frequent questions I've heard over the holiday is "What are your current sales?" With the economy still recovering, many consumers are being frugal with their money. Currently, our store does not offer holiday specials and this has turned many customers away. In fact, many customers have left not only disappointed, but angry.
          Offering incentives to loyal customers helps to create repeat buying and entices customers to shop your store over others. An incentive as little as a 10% discount can encourage shopping and will in turn help to increase sales over the holidays. Many companies are seeing marginal increases in sales revenue in comparison to last year, even without incentives to buy. With the addition of incentives, customers are more prone to spend within your store rather than in stores that do not offer good discounts, or any. Popular incentives include percentage discounts, gifts with purchase, purchase with a purchase (such as a discount on a purchase item with another purchase) and promotional offers such as $25 back with any $100 purchase.
          Although holidays such as Hannukah and Christmas are over, companies who concentrate on promoting incentives to customers post holiday should continue seeing increases in profits into the new year.

Push-ups, Padding, and Uplift. Oh My!

2010-12-05T08:11:00.000-08:00

        In continuation to my last blog entry, another trend that piggy backs this phenomenon of perky ladies, is the distrintion between push-ups, lined bras, and uplift bras. Over the holiday season the biggest seller in bra varieties has been the varying lines of push-up bras. We have nearly sold out entirely of push-ups in the classic colors (white, nude, and black) and have begun seeing more and more vibrant colors of push-ups flying out the door. One thing, however, that also seems to be occuring is the confusion to what the differences between a push-up bra, a lined bra, and an uplift bra are. Women seem to think of these terms as a colloquialism for the same meaning. In reality, a push-up literally pushes the girls up and in, adding roughly a cup size (or even two) to the overall size. For instance, a woman who measures as a B cup will be transformed to look like a perky C while wearing a push-up.
       Uplift does just what the name implies, it boosts the girls up, creating that perky, youthful look without adding to the overall cup size. Women who have larger ladies frequently do not want to add to the overall size. These ladies often tend to confuse this term with push-up and miss out on the benefits of this bra. Along with this, these same women think that lined bras means that they are padded. Lined means that there is an additional layer of material (or lining) to the inside of the bra so that women will not get the "cold" effect. Both uplifts and lined bras are the ideal product for well-endowed women.
       Its important not only to fit women properly and make sure that the customer maintains the proper fitting information, but to also take the time to thouroughly explain and detail benefits, distinctions, and features of the many different bra types. Many stores do not provide this information thouroughly enough and leave customers confused, frustrated, and ultimately disappointed. Building brand reputation begins with giving the customer superior customer service, answering any questions about products, and taking the time to ensure that the customer is more than satisfied with their purchase. This is turn will build positive brand reputation and brand loyalty.

What is Too Perky?

2010-11-07T07:11:00.000-08:00

      Why do so many women think their ladies need to be up to their chins? Bra education needs to be extended into where the girls should naturally fall, and what is considered over the top--perky versus popping out.
       Although many stores boast that they offer superior customer service, one thing that many stores neglect is proper bra education. Even the leading stores that supposedly offer this service seem to neglect to educate buyers on where a bra should sit, how tight the straps need be, etc. In result to this, women come back to the store to return bras claiming they didn't fit or were uncomfortable. Of course they're uncomfortable, its like buying a pair of jeans three sizes too small! One way to build better customer relationships and brand loyalty (as well as diminish returns) is to better assist your customer in buying her bra, making sure to take the extra step in educating her about styles, fit, and what is right for her body.
       I've had customers walk into the store already in a sour mood because of previous experiences, and leave in tears of joy because they felt that they finally got the help that they were looking for. These same customers came back asking to be helped by me because of how happy they were with their purchase the time before. Not only did these customers go from being angry at the company to being repeat purchasers, but now they feel as though they have some relationship with the sales people, and those relationships help in building brand reputation as well as increasing sales.

Body Image

2010-11-06T17:57:00.000-07:00

It's astonishing how many women think negatively about their bodies. I hear from women all the time statements such as "my bones stick out too much" or "the ladies look too pointy." Ladies, confidence is internal! Bras are just an accent to this. Pitching a bra to someone who thinks like this is easier than you think. You need to bolster her confidence and spend the time finding something that makes her feel feminine. She'll leave feeling a fresh sense of self and return again and again because you helped her to feel confident in her own skin. I've found the best selling bras for this are the ones that include memory foam. This seems to be the lastest trend, as it fits all the requirements of comfort, feminine shape, and can be made to look sexy as well.

Impressions on Your Customers

2010-10-13T07:57:00.000-07:00

In the world of retail, you never know who's going to walk through your door. All walks of life will eventually stop by. Retail is often is overlooked in its unique complexity to relate to its various consumer interests. Corporate spearheads are so removed from what happens on a daily basis within stores, they often miss the mark when trying to market to consumers. They persuade employees to approach consumers in a way that often is unrealistic. My job is, simply, is selling lingerie. I am hear to share my experiences as a salesperson, I will be focusing on the special way that one can determine exactly who there customer is and what that customer wants five minutes after they walk in the door.

I once had a manager who told me "At the end of the day, its only bras and panties." This is very true, and something that anyone who works in retail needs to repeat as a mantra. She recognized that I was becoming overwhelmed with people demanding my attention, and in more or less words told me, don’t take yourself so seriously. This helped to open my eyes to enjoying my job rather than feeling like a laborer when on the clock.

Your initial impression on the customer sets the foundation of your whole encounter, so one thing to keep in mind, is that employees need to truly want to help their customer. Being genuine when you say "Welcome to ......What can I help you find today?" makes a huge difference in how your customer will react. People can pick up on subliminal messages, and you better believe that they can easily tell if you're truly happy to help them, or going through the motions. So corporate companies, listen up! Keep your employees happy! Make sure that management has a good balance between authority and friendship. I'm not saying, go out on the weekends with employees, however, employees will take pride in their work and will want to achieve goals when they feel that their place of work is at least enjoyable and a place of security. I have always looked back on my managers and thought, they were like family. They are people who truly care for me and my well-being, and in return, I cared what they thought of my performance and what I could achieve for them during work. Although the customer may not consciously pick up on this dynamic, it WILL influence their perception of the store as a whole. Employees will be able to work seamlessly together, which in turn creates a superior customer experience, and thus create a consumer base that are repeat customers, solely, because when the customer walked in the door they truly felt welcome and assisted.