IN FORM®

By Adam Welsch
Cupid Intimates

In his fascinating 1999 book, Why We Buy – The Science of Shopping (Simon & Schuster, New York), retailing-environment consultant Paco Underhill describes which strategies work and which ones don’t in encouraging consumers to buy merchandise at brick & mortar retailers.  Thinking about this book made me wonder, “Are lingerie stores and intimate apparel departments doing the right things today to entice customers to purchase more bras, shapewear, and panties?”  While the answer will be different at each location you enter, there are some questions – based directly on Mr. Underhill’s research – you can think about to grade your favorite store the next time you shop for intimates. (more…)

By MaryJo Kosisher-Demski
Cupid Intimates

Ladies, have you ever given much thought to the gender of the person who waits on you in a lingerie department or rings through your intimates at a big box store?  To be perfectly honest, I’ve always been more concerned with the actions of the other customers waiting to be rung up.  I try to avoid standing behind the harried woman who’s simultaneously trying to hold an infant, keep tabs on her toddler, argue with her “tween”ager, fumble with her car keys, and search frantically for her debit card (whose PIN she inevitably can’t remember), all while arguing with the sales associate over a pricing question.  When I pull the short straw and find that person in front of me, my already-simmering blood hits a full boil and I frantically scan the store for a less-congested lane, or at least one with no “customer issues.”  Needless to say, I’m not the type of woman who cares whether a man or a woman waits on me as long as I receive pleasant, prompt, and professional customer service. (more…)

By Nancy Miller
Cupid Intimates

Last week I spent Monday afternoon trying on bras in a department store.  Whatever happened to the days when sales associates would hang on your every request, and run back and forth across the sales floor to bring you anything you desired?  They used to offer to find other sizes or different styles while you tried on merchandise in the fitting room.  Last week, instead, it was my job – as the customer – to do the running and searching, in between reps of dressing and undressing.  I left the store empty-handed and exhausted. (more…)

By Marcy Montgomery Jones
Cupid Intimates

I’m tall.  Not the kind of tall that limits me to two-inch heels.  Nope, the kind of tall that inspires people to ask, “Did you play basketball in college?”  It’s led to a plethora of fitting-related frustrations over the years including: the inability to find shoes at department stores; the requirement to buy 36”-inseam pants online because they’re unavailable at brick & mortar retailers; and the realization that the “tall” clothes sold at most places aren’t suitable for anyone who’s 5’10” or taller.  Can I get an “AMEN”? (more…)