little lady
01-13-2006, 11:41 PM
I don't know if this is the place to post this, but I thought maybe some like to hear about some of what goes on behind the scenes in a Brick and Mortar bridal shop.
I'm not saying that this happens everywhere but, it definately happened in my shop, mostly because I think the owner was neither mature enough, nor skilled enough to own a bridal shop.
Alot of what the Fields' mentioned in their book is absolutely true.
We didn't tear tags out of the dresses, but the owner had other ways of decieving brides. In fact, it was her bad business practices that made me leave, even though I love working in a bridal shop.
She had VERY bad problem with mismanaging money and she was notorious for for taking deposits and spending the money on other things (hair and nail appointment, clothes from the Lane Bryant catalog..important things like that :P ) Then, when it came time to order the gown for the wedding, she didn't have the money.
I once took an order for a gorgeous Mary's Bridal organza wedding gown...about $650. The sample fit the bride perfectly so we ordered that size. A month later, the owner asked me to "get the lipstick stain out of the inside of that Mary's gown". (I was her little "stain expert.") That afternoon, she called the bride and told her that her dress was in! Gah!
Another time that was absolutely appalling was when she accidentally took an order for 6 bridesmaids dresses in a style by Mori Lee that was discontinued but not marked. Rather than call the bride, she sent the sample off to a lady who copies them. She had the gowns copied and then tore the tags out of a few discontinued gowns and had ME switch the tags out of the fakes. What was worse was that the gowns were actually less expensive to order through the seamstress (about $100 retail each vs the $200 each for the Mori Lee style, yet she still charged the bridesmaids FULL PRICE.
It was even worse after her boyfriend/on again, off again fiance dumped because she began LOOKING for ways to mess with weddings just out of spite!
It was the last straw when I watched her purposely mess with a brides entire wedding because "she didn't like the bride." I was scared to death to think of what she might do to me! I had gotten engaged while working there and had my wedding gown in layaway. Needless to say, I paid it off and got out of there!
Ladies, not all bridal shops are bad...believe me, I could reccommend a few here in town that are WONDERFUL (and I know the owners and how they work) But just be careful when you go gown shopping.
My favorite suggestion has been made before. Take a needle and thread with you. If the sample fits you like a glove and you order a new one, stich a single (ivory or pale blue works) stich into the underside of the zipper where no one would see it unless they knew where to look. If you order bridesmaid dresses, take note of the fabric and type of stitching used inside. If it seems drastically different, they might have ordered a counterfeit.
Try to get a peek at the office...if it seems horribly messy, with papers stacked and piled everwhere...chances are you could end up with your order lost (This happened ALOT of times!)
If your gown comes in with something wrong with it (spots) mark the tag with an X, or else the shop owner will just take the gown to a dry cleaner, rather than order a new one. If you don't like the attitude of the sales staff in a bridal shop, for the love of Pete, RUN! It is possible to find the gown elsewhere if you can find someone who knows where to look!
Lastly, NEVER let a bridal shop bully you. The truth is, since the advent of the internet and chains like David's, smaller shops have gotten scared. They use bullying techniques as a way of ensuring that you spend the most money possible.
I hope this helps.
Have fun!
*Getting off my soapbox now*
I'm not saying that this happens everywhere but, it definately happened in my shop, mostly because I think the owner was neither mature enough, nor skilled enough to own a bridal shop.
Alot of what the Fields' mentioned in their book is absolutely true.
We didn't tear tags out of the dresses, but the owner had other ways of decieving brides. In fact, it was her bad business practices that made me leave, even though I love working in a bridal shop.
She had VERY bad problem with mismanaging money and she was notorious for for taking deposits and spending the money on other things (hair and nail appointment, clothes from the Lane Bryant catalog..important things like that :P ) Then, when it came time to order the gown for the wedding, she didn't have the money.
I once took an order for a gorgeous Mary's Bridal organza wedding gown...about $650. The sample fit the bride perfectly so we ordered that size. A month later, the owner asked me to "get the lipstick stain out of the inside of that Mary's gown". (I was her little "stain expert.") That afternoon, she called the bride and told her that her dress was in! Gah!
Another time that was absolutely appalling was when she accidentally took an order for 6 bridesmaids dresses in a style by Mori Lee that was discontinued but not marked. Rather than call the bride, she sent the sample off to a lady who copies them. She had the gowns copied and then tore the tags out of a few discontinued gowns and had ME switch the tags out of the fakes. What was worse was that the gowns were actually less expensive to order through the seamstress (about $100 retail each vs the $200 each for the Mori Lee style, yet she still charged the bridesmaids FULL PRICE.
It was even worse after her boyfriend/on again, off again fiance dumped because she began LOOKING for ways to mess with weddings just out of spite!
It was the last straw when I watched her purposely mess with a brides entire wedding because "she didn't like the bride." I was scared to death to think of what she might do to me! I had gotten engaged while working there and had my wedding gown in layaway. Needless to say, I paid it off and got out of there!
Ladies, not all bridal shops are bad...believe me, I could reccommend a few here in town that are WONDERFUL (and I know the owners and how they work) But just be careful when you go gown shopping.
My favorite suggestion has been made before. Take a needle and thread with you. If the sample fits you like a glove and you order a new one, stich a single (ivory or pale blue works) stich into the underside of the zipper where no one would see it unless they knew where to look. If you order bridesmaid dresses, take note of the fabric and type of stitching used inside. If it seems drastically different, they might have ordered a counterfeit.
Try to get a peek at the office...if it seems horribly messy, with papers stacked and piled everwhere...chances are you could end up with your order lost (This happened ALOT of times!)
If your gown comes in with something wrong with it (spots) mark the tag with an X, or else the shop owner will just take the gown to a dry cleaner, rather than order a new one. If you don't like the attitude of the sales staff in a bridal shop, for the love of Pete, RUN! It is possible to find the gown elsewhere if you can find someone who knows where to look!
Lastly, NEVER let a bridal shop bully you. The truth is, since the advent of the internet and chains like David's, smaller shops have gotten scared. They use bullying techniques as a way of ensuring that you spend the most money possible.
I hope this helps.
Have fun!
*Getting off my soapbox now*