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Updated: Oct 29, 2020 104 Comments · by

Tuesday’s TPS Report: Ponte knit belted sheath

Fashion· The Personal Shopper (TPS)· Wear to Work

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Our daily TPS reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.

Talbots' Ponte knit belted sheath

Reader M wrote in to request this dress from Talbots, suggesting to pair it with a black jacket. We like! The dark green color is somber without being boring, as is the other colors the dress comes in, a purplish “cherry brandy” and black. For our $.02, we'd pair it with something other than black — a dark gray, or a navy would be a fun way to play with colors. It's nice that it comes in regulars, petites, and women's sizes, as well. It's $159 at Talbots. Ponte knit belted sheath


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Sales of note for 9.10.24

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Comments

  1. AIMS

    I like it but not sure how I feel about the belt & buttons at the shoulders.
    Would need to see in person – a lot of times those belts that come with dresses look a bit too cheap. I would probably replace with another belt. Fabulous color!

    • Meredith

      You’re right… those buttons look like they could even be a little annoying. If you wear a necklace with the dress then it could get caught on the buttons, or my long hair could get tangled in them. I absolutely love the color and the verticle lines, though, and I think that the length is perfect.

      – Meredith

  2. shall remain nameless

    I know the readers here are all the kind of women who aim high. So I need some advice from anyone who has ever tried for something highly competitive–whether you got it or not.

    How do you keep from psyching yourself out during the application/potential interview/callback process? How do you stay calm and prepared to accept whatever the outcome may be? Overall: how do you deal with the fear that comes from admitting to yourself: “wow–I really, really want this”–?

    Inspiration good; paralysis bad. I am currently see-sawing between the two. Any tips would be hugely appreciated.

    • Kate

      Remind yourself that regardless of the outcome the fact that you have the courage, guts and determination to put yourself out there is better than wondering if you should have 5 years from now. It’s ok to acknowledge that you really want this – let that drive you rather than scare you.

    • Sheila

      I’m going through something similar, I think. I guess I’m just trying to keep it in perspective; I’m qualified and passionate about the position, and while I can present myself as best as I can, ultimately it’s up to them to decide and all I can do is try my best. In the meantime, life must go on.

    • AE

      Nothing for me is more nerve-racking than applying for competitive jobs. When I do, I just have to repeat to myself that I would put my application out there and just see what happens. At the end of the day even if I didn’t get the job, I wanted to walk away believing that I went for it, gave it my best shot, and didn’t let the fear of rejection prevent me from advancing my career by failing to apply. So by the time I set foot in the interview, I have already overcome a big hurdle, my fear of applying in the first place!

      Walk into those interviews confidently, because you have nothing to lose. Especially in this economy, if someone does not get a job she applies for it is not a reflection on her, her resume, or her abilities. If you are in a competitive profession like law, then you must learn to accept rejection if it comes.

    • Shayna

      Personal motto: High Hopes, Low Expectations… and I always figure that the only thing I will have lost is time spent applying that I wasn’t putting to another, better use, if I don’t get it… good luck!

      • anon

        Have to second that advice. The fanciest things I have ever landed in my day were things I thought I had only a very small chance of getting. It freed me up to enjoy the process.

    • Anon101

      When I don’t get a job offer, my reaction is that I would never want to work for a place that does not appreciate my background or think I’m a good fit. In this economy it’s hard to remember, but the applicant should be choosing the company as much as the company chooses the applicant. It’s like dating– realizing that the other person is not interested is a bit of a turn-off.

      • surrounded by lawyers

        IF you know your own awesomeness, yes. Which we all should. Well said, 101.

      • Amy

        Yes. This. Like! There’s also something to be said for the idea that if it doesn’t work out, that’s not where you were meant to be right now. I’ve gone for very competitive positions in the past – some worked out, some didn’t. Every time it didn’t work out, later I realized that wouldn’t have been the right thing. And everywhere I’ve ended up has moved me forward in my career in some way, even if – at the time – it didn’t seem like it was as-good of an opportunity. OP – good luck but don’t take it too hard if it doesn’t happen. You’re still fabulous even if you don’t get the position. :)

    • anon - chi

      Maybe I am reading into this, but the timing and phrasing of your question makes me wonder if you are waiting to hear back on a clerkship? If not, please disregard; if yes, keep in mind that you CAN apply again and you may have a much better shot the next time around. I know multiple people who applied while in law school and did not get as much as an interview, but who landed a clerkship and even had multiple offers when they re-applied after a few years of practice.

      • Anonymous

        Clerkship hiring season ends just after Labor Day. It’s over for the most pasrt, except for some state court judges.

        • E

          not true. the first day the fed. judges on the plan could even receive applications was sept. 7th. but that is just on the plan.

        • Jay

          As a former COA clerk, I feel qualified to say that you do not know what you are talking about.

          • divaliscious11

            This. Recently had dinner with my judge and my first question was…have you found your clerks yet???? And ’em just laughed….

    • Anon

      While it might sound like a cliche, it is also true. You can never succeed if you don’t try. Of course with trying, you risk failing. We can’t avoid some failure in our lives. I have experienced failure in big and small ways. The one thing I know about failure is that I survived it (sometimes better than I survived my successes). I just fight through the fear knowing that the worse that can happen is I don’t get the job, promotion, client, or whatever. I have been there before and I know that success will find me eventually.

    • divaliscious11

      So my thought is, if I got the interview, then the job is mine. And if it comes to pass that that is not the case, it wasn’t a good fit. The thing that turns me off the most in an interview is tentativeness about one’s skill set. Not to get all new-age-y, but you have to put what you want out there in the universe. It is okay to really want a job! Once I am in job search mode, my motivation at the current job is always about leaving a good impression – that usually takes care of the paralysis. Best of luck to you, and if they can’t see your value, how exactly is that your fault…. (unless of course you bombed the interview or have a resume that doesn’t articulate your value – but those are fixable!)

    • L

      For the application process, you just need to dive in and put yourself out there. Fortunately sending out a resume/cover letter isn’t nearly as nerve-wracking as an interview. But once you get an interview, you should gain great confidence from knowing that you were selected from among a great number of very qualified candidates. Interviews are about confirming the impression created by your resume (intelligent, motivated, etc.) and fit. As long as you didn’t fudge your resume–you just have to be a polished, well-mannered version of yourself.

    • JessC

      Something my mother used to say to me when I felt they way you do: “What’s the worst they can do? Say no.” It’s okay to be pumped and really want this. More than likely, your enthusiasm will be in yoru favor. You just have to remind yourself that it’s not the end of the world and you’re not a total failure if it doesn’t happen.

  3. Sheila

    Oh, and the dress is super-cute, but I just bought a sheath in a similar shape and colour for 40% off the red-tag price at Mexx. I wear it with my patent plum Mary Jane pumps.

    • RoadWarriorette

      That sounds fabulous! I wish I were wearing that outfit right now…..

      I love this dress. I will be hoping for a Talbots coupon to come my way, but may check out TJ Maxx in my area just in case. And maybe looking for some plum mary janes :)

  4. Quick vent

    If your kids are too sick for school or daycare they are too sick to come to work with you for the day or an hour! My coworkers daughter is beautiful but she is not quite old enough to cover her mouth and I don’t want her bug!!!! Gah.

      • Big Firm Lawyer

        terrible! The poor child is probably in need of a bed and a blanket, not a drafty office

        • anon

          And the poor parent is probably in need of more help. I feel badly for everyone in this scenario. It ain’t easy, folks.

          • S

            I couldn’t have said it any better. Believe me, the LAST place that parent wants to be is at the office. It ain’t easy is right.

          • Jay

            Easy or not, it’s the parent’s responsibility and a sick child should not be inflicted on co-workers.

          • S

            I don’t disagree – but what I do strongly take issue with is the implication that a parent isn’t properly caring for a child by bringing them to a “drafty office” instead of providing them with “a bed and a blanket”. As I said, the office is the last place the parent wants to be. Some of us really don’t have a choice. Until you’re a parent trying to juggle a big law (or really, any kind of) job and children, you just have no idea.

        • Amy

          I hate it when parents bring a sick kid to an office instead of taking them home. You as the employee are not that freakin’ important! I once spent an entire day trying to console a sick little girl who had been brought to the office by Dad and plopped on a couch. She was miserable and wanted to go home, she missed her mom, etc. I don’t mind helping kids but his problem became everyone’s problem. When my kid gets sick, I take him the f*** home! I refuse to believe there’s no way the parent can work from home while the kid rests.

          • anon

            I have never had to bring a sick kid to work because I am lucky enough to have tons of help — paid help, and also family nearby. But I think it’s probably naive in most professional jobs to think you could always just as easily “work from home.” I have left a sick kid at home with grandma and grandpa or with the nanny more times than I wished I had to (they want me when they are sick), because I had a client meeting, or a court appearance, etc. Can’t do that from home. Sometimes, as the employee, you ARE that important, actually, or at least you can aspire to be. I’ll say that though all this is not easy, it is well worth it, and my career and my children are all doing great.

          • ADS

            You are welcome to refuse to believe what you want to refuse to believe. That doesn’t mean that your refusal to believe has any relationship to reality.

            No, the employee may not be that important to the job, but you can bet that the job (and the health insurance for the sick kid) is important to the employee. Unless it’s a regular occurrence for the employee, assume that everyone has a day when there just isn’t a way to do what everyone agrees is the right thing to do, and encourage your company to make better accomodations for employees with those kind of emergencies. (That means not just a written policy that allows people to take off when their kids are sick, but a corporate culture that doesn’t unofficially punish them for same.)

          • Amy

            “(That means not just a written policy that allows people to take off when their kids are sick, but a corporate culture that doesn’t unofficially punish them for same.)”

            Sorry, but every time I’ve seen someone bring a sick child into work with them, it was NOT a situation where the parent didn’t have sick leave, or couldn’t take off work, or had some all-important meeting or appearance they had to make, that no one else could do. My company has flex-time, telecommuting, ample sick and personal leave, and all kinds of other flexibility for people who need to take care of a sick child – including a culture where people jump in and help each other out in emergencies. So that statement is not even applicable to my workplace, and it also isn’t applicable to any place I’ve ever worked. I have never worked in a place where a manager would PREFER that the employee be there with a sick kid rather than call in. I think people put a lot of weight and importance on themselves instead of being realistic – and the reality is that no one likes being around sick children who are spreading germs (or sick adults, for that matter, and I think people who go to work sick are just as bad).

            And as someone pointed out below, illnesses that mean a slight fever and runny nose for a kid can be a serious problem for an adult. My son has gotten several illnesses at daycare that were not serious for children but turned out to be quite serious for adults, including a strain of strep that turned into rheumatic fever in one of his teachers and ended up hospitalizing her, and a case of rubella (in a kid whose mother had lied about immunizing him) at a time when four of the teachers at the daycare were pregnant. Even flu that seems minor can turn out to be serious, and I can say from experience that in the initial stages of an illness, it’s hard even for a pediatrician to tell what is wrong with a child. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve taken my son to the doctor and been told “we don’t know what it is, we’ll have to wait 24-48 hours and see.” When he got scarlet fever, they couldn’t tell it was anything different from a regular cold until the rash erupted, at which point he had already been sick for two days. That’s a long time during which someone who is pregnant or immune-suppressed could have been exposed, had I been shuttling him around my workplace.

            I am in a situation where we have no close family local to us, no regular babysitter, and few friends who have their own children and have the ability and willingness to take care of our son if need be. We have STILL never had to take our son to either of our workplaces when he was sick. We took him home, which is where sick kids need to go. Because that is where they will feel better, an because they are contagious and should not be spreading germs to other people – that’s why they can’t be at school. Aside from the courtesy to one’s coworkers, I think parents need to consider the needs of their children a little more as well. I feel sorry for any kid who ends up parked on an office floor after being told “sorry, I know you’re sick but you have to stay here, Mommy/Daddy is working.” I would imagine there’s no better way to communicate to a kid that their basic physical and emotional needs are subordinate to the needs of the parents’ career.

          • anon

            But it’s not like saying to the kid, “your needs are subordinate to my desire to play golf with my buddies — here, sit in the cart with this box of kleenex and don’t whine.” It’s saying, “your needs are complicated and all of them can’t always be met simultaneously. You need me to have a job, and you need a comfy place to be when you are sick. When both aren’t possible, we’ll just have to figure out on a case-by-case basis how to handle it.” That’s life, even for a kid. Sounds like you have had bad experiences in your workplace, and I’m not vouching for every parent who has ever done that. But I know that, if I were to “work from home” every time one of my kids had a cold or a stomachache, I wouldn’t have my job for long. No one thinks bringing a sick kid to work is ideal — nor do they think having sick adults come to work is ideal, and yet they do it ALL THE TIME — but in a crisis, could I see it having to be that way? Sure.

        • Lawgirl

          I’ve seen it done (parking sick kids under your desk with a blanket), but it has NEVER been necessary, IMHO. For 10 years (since my 1st child was born), I’ve signed up for an on-call nanny service for days that MY HUSBAND AND I CANNOT MISS WORK. The agency offers care for sick kids (for the nannies who wish to brave it). It’s about $150/day. Not exhorbitant given the need and the salary that most professionals are pulling down. And I’ve found similar services in big cities nationwide. Lord have Mercy on those poor babies who are sick in a drafty, noisy office instead of their beds.

          • Anonymous

            That $150/day might be reasonable for you, but it’s out of reach for the vast majority of people and most people who cannot afford $150 are the same people who cannot afford to miss work.

          • MelD

            $150 a day may not seem like a lot to you, but many people don’t even make that much in a day. Most people who have small children are closer to the beginning of their careers and aren’t necessarily going to be making huge salaries. I’ve worked at places that gave a whopping 6 six days a year. That’s not enough for one person, much less a person who has multiple children.

    • TK1

      If the child is really sick she should be home. But I can’t count the number of times my child was sent home from school/daycare “sick” and was fine! No never, no cough, just “had a tummy ache” which is kid for I want to go home.

      • anon

        Yes and no. Coworker brought in kid with what turned out to be mumps. Her kid got better very soon. One of my coworkers ended up in the hospital seriously sick thanks to catching it. I’m sorry, but your sick kid doesn’t belong in the office. Period.

          • michelle

            probably parents who don’t believe in vaccinations… which is really hard on the rest of the population, as you can see here. But if you’re one of those folks who don’t get their kids vaccinated, you REALLY ought to keep them isolated when they’re sick; things that are minor illnesses for kids can be quite significant to adults who catch them (like measles leading to possible sterility)

  5. divaliscious11

    Has anyone seen the new Talbot’s suiting in person. I rarely wear suits, but they look really nice in the pictures… they are a stretch wool. may have to check them out when I am near a Talbot’s that carries them….

    This dress is pretty. I like the green.

    • Carolyn

      I actually just bought one in heather grey – fits really nice, good quality.

    • lawDJ

      I agree, the new Talbots suits look amazing in the photographs. I need to stop by a store to check them out.

    • Amy H.

      I tried the Talbots stretch wool suit and had to return it because the boot-cut trousers (the only ones that could possibly work on my pear shape) are unlined, and were incredibly itchy.

    • Anonymous Today

      This annoys me. It’s fine to use the Corporette community to get better ebates, but at least admit that’s what you’re doing! We all know that it also benefits you if we sign up after clicking your link!

  7. Anonymous Today

    I like this dress a lot on the model, but the material gives me some pause. It’s definitely something I’d want to see in person. And, I adore the Cherry Brandy color!

    • Suze

      Yeah, I wonder about the material. I bought a ponte knit pencil skirt of fabric/with cut a lot like this on sale from AT a few months ago. While it is comfortable, after a couple of hours, it goes pretty shapeless so that by the end of the day, I basically just look like ‘ye olde potato sack’ and the vertical seam lines enhance peasant hips once the potato sack phenom comes on. Not the look I’m generally striving for. And I also am not sure about all the extras – the belt, the buttons, the pleating or whatever around the neckline…..pass.

    • dw

      I’ve had really good experiences with everything I have purchased from Talbots lately. I used to avoid it because I thought the styles were a little dated, but this year Talbots is in my top-5 fave places to shop.

      I just bought a pair of their trouser-cut jeans and I love them too.

  8. Magdeline

    I really like it! The green color is nice- professional, autumn-y, and a bit unexpected. The shape looks like it would be very flattering on a variety of figures. Nice pick!

    • spacegeek

      Do a search on oxford pumps at endless.com or piperlime.com or zappos.com. Free shipping and returns. I have a pair from Crown Vintage in black that I adore and another pair from Joan and David that are also fabulous. (Bought 3+ years ago) I love laceup pumps… that menswear vibe works for dresses and trousers and gives a retro feel that I love. John Fleuvog, Chie Mihara, Miz Mooz are some excellent brands, depending upon your “funk” level. Also Anthropologie.com usually has a good selection.

      • divaliscious11

        I have a J&D pair I bought in a polished Black leather around that time. They look really good with a wide leg trouser and crisp shirt!

    • jcb

      I could have written this comment! I have been lusting after those exact shoes for a couple of weeks, but looking around for something similar , still a quality shoe that won’t kill my terrible feet, but with a slightly lower heel. Would be very grateful for leads as I’ve come up empty.

    • dee

      I loooooove these shoes, have been debating buying them for a while. 3 1/2″ with the Nike Air sole is fine for me.

    • happyness

      target has a pair in their ‘exhiliration’ line! they look nice and you cannot beat the price!

    • MM

      I’ve been looking at these for weeks! Really want them, and thinking I can handle the height in this brand. I agree with AS that cute heeled oxfords are not easy to find, and I’ve tried running the searches suggested previously.

      • L from Oz

        I have a gorgeous pair from Think, but they were pricey and quite hard to find in my size. But I love them…I keep hoping they’ll make them in brown for next year! (Mine are black.)

      • spacegeek

        Hmm. What about Miz Mooz Alana Oxford from Endless? Or RJ Girl Women’s Beliuma Oxford? Wanted Shoes Utica Pump?John Fluevog Women’s Barkerville Pump? All from Endless

    • lawDJ

      Have bought from there before and have nothing but great things to say. Look on retailmenot and others for more coupons, usually you can find up to 30% off extra with free shipping etc. :)

      • In need of a winter coat

        Awesome! That’s what I was hoping to hear :-) I’ll keep trolling for discount codes for more than the 20% I have now!

          • In need of a winter coat

            What was the fit like of the coat – do you remember if you needed to size up/down? I’m kind of… big-chested so I’m debating

    • B

      I bought this coat, and only returned it because I fell in love with another non-camel hair coat and couldn’t justify buying both.

      I remember this being very nice quality, especially for the price. Sierra Trading Post is one of my secret sites to pick up ridiculously cheap but practical apparel. Their discounts are amazing.

    • divaliscious11

      Thanks for the link…just found a great deal on some snow boots for my little people!

      Coat is gorgeous too…If I didn’t already have 3 camel coats….

    • Amy

      I’ve bought lots from them over the years and they have great service and very easy returns. Make sure you check for coupon codes before you buy, as there’s almost always a 20-percent-off with free shipping code out there.

      • In need of a winter coat

        Found a couple = new camel hair jacket @ under $150 – I used a couple codes from RetailMeNot :-D

        Thanks all!! Now I just have to wait for it to get here… any idea how long it takes them to ship?

        • Amy

          They are generally very fast. I’ve gotten things four days after I ordered, which is more than I can say for most online retailers. My last Talbots order took 14 days to get to me!

  11. AIMS

    Gap mystery discount, online only
    Between 10 to 40% off your purchase
    Thru 9-24
    B6KXK2FCMBPQ

    • kjf

      Thanks – I got 30% off. Loaded up on favorite fit tees that were already on sale for $12.50. They were $8.75 after the coupon.

  12. EM

    Boot question:

    So as you may remember from an earlier post, I have two Cole Haan shoes, both of which I am dissatisfied with (the interiors bleed and the inside soles have worn out.) In looking for a replacement, I found these LL Bean boots: http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/65985. To my eye, they look very versatile–both business casual and weekend casual. What do you think? How comfortable do you think they would be for all day city walking?

    • surrounded by lawyers

      At this mid-calf height, I couldn’t wear them with skirts/dresses to my business casual office. Otherwise, thumbs up! As to comfort, I have not tried on any LL Bean boots recently, but I will say that in my experience Cole Haan is hard to beat.

    • kjf

      I’ve not worn these specific boots but I have a couple of pairs of sandals from LL Bean that I have been pleased with. Their $20 flip flops are almost as comfortable as my expensive Clarks and Birkenstocks.

      I am seriously considering trying these as well. I like that the heel look sturdy enough for slick surfaces but still acceptable for my “dressy” business casual office.

    • Anonymous

      I haven’t tried these boots but I’ve never been anything but happy with LL Bean’s quality.

    • EM

      Thank you! @ Surrounded, ha ha, no I wasn’t going to wear them with skirts. KJF, if you buy them, report back please! Anon, I too, like my LLBean items, but have never used them for more dressy things, like leather boots. Still, free shipping so what have I got to lose?

  13. housecounsel

    What an absolutely gorgeous color, but I must try it on. I ordered a beautiful green dress from Talbot’s that was featured here a few months ago, and it was absolutely shapeless on me.

    As a mom, I feel for the mom who brought her child into work, but I can’t imagine a situation in which I would do that.

    • divaliscious11

      This. I wish more Talbot’s stores carried dresses and suiting for exactly this reason…. I love shopping online, but some things I’d rather just try on….

      The only time I have brought my sick child to the office is if I’ve rushed out to get ’em, and needed to stop back at work to pick up some stuff to use at home for work….. Thankfully, I work for a company that I have the ability to use my sick time for me or my kids, or my husband, if necessary. …

    • anon

      Why do you assume it’s a mom? The post doesn’t say so. I’m not trying to be difficult, I’m just pointing out part of the issue here. Even our most judgmental poster above (Amy), when confronted with a sick kid brought to work by the Dad, complains: “she wanted her Mom!” Why not her Dad? Shouldn’t he have gone home with the kid? But maybe the kid did want Mom, and probably the person in the original post is a Mom too. But it’s those expectations, and the judgment heaped upon women trying to manage them consistently with professional careers, that keep us down.

      • divaliscious11

        Anon- I think housecounsel was merely expressing empathy versus an assumption with negative connotations that the person who did this was a mom. If you substitute parent, it doesn’t change the context of what she said.
        I do agree with you however, that, in general women are penalized more harshly, and judged more harshly when they don’t meet expectations put upon them as parents, while dads tend to get a standing ovation for merely parenting…..

      • Anon

        Because 99 times out of 100 it is the mom. In every work situation I’ve ever been in, I’ve never watched one of my male colleagues leave to get a sick child. Golf, yes. Kids, no.

        • Anonymous

          This makes me feel so fortunate to have my wonderful father. He picked me up from school without fail.

          Thanks Corporettes for reminding me how lucky I am!

          • L from Oz

            Me too. Go Dad! (I’m at home for a few weeks right now, and SuperDad has also been making lovely dinners each night.)

      • Amy

        Yes, the dad should have gone home with the kid; that was my point. And sorry, but kids do have a primal connection to their mothers. If someone doesn’t understand that, they either A. don’t have kids B. didn’t have a mother, or at least not a very good mother or C. both. My husband is incredibly supportive, empathetic, tender and involved but when my son is sick or hurt, he wants me. And if I didn’t feel an obligation to be with him when he needs me, that would be a pretty good sign I shouldn’t have had kids.

        • anon

          Since I DO have children, and disagree with you on many points, I will be sure to call my mother tonight and tell her how horrible she must be. Right after I thank her for taking care of my sick preschooler because I have a deadline tomorrow.

  14. Parisienne

    I like the dress and would pair it with a black jacket – or a tweed one.

  15. Parisienne

    Actually, on second thought I would pair it with its own matching green jacket from Talbot’s.

  16. ML

    I ordinarily love Talbots. However, I wish to publicize a terrible experience I had there recently. At Phipps Plaza, in Atlanta, I stopped in on a lazy Sunday afternoon, my first time in that particular store. Because I was not at the moment dressed to the nines, I was snubbed by the sales clerk and made to feel very unwelcome. Thankfully, that is not my usual experience at Talbots, which ordinarily, I like quite a lot.

    • RR

      Wow, that would have really upset me. I’d be snubbed a lot–I never look my best while shopping!

    • Anonymous Atlantan

      Sadly, I’ve noticed that Phipps Plaza salespeople tend to give subpar treatment to anyone not dressed to the nines. I don’t know if this is because so many people I see at Phipps are DRESSED UP to shop or what but goodness – just because I favor cargo shorts and tshirts on Saturdays doesn’t mean I don’t have $300 to drop on a sharp M-F work blazer if you’d actually acknowledge my presence in your store.

      “You work on commission, right? Big mistake. Big. HUGE. I have to go shopping now…”

      • AnonAnonAnon

        Yup, happens in restaurants here in Atlanta as well. We went to the Atlanta Fish Market this summer and clearly they put all of the “poor” people in the crappy screened in porch area where the air conditioning wasn’t working properly. Ugh. Never going back there again.

    • hmm

      I think salespeople are snotty because they know that snubbed women feel the need to “prove” to the snotty saleslady that they can afford the things in the store (I’m a former [unsnotty] retail girl). If you refuse to play this role, the tables turn pretty quickly in your favor. (Also from retail exprience, I found that the people with the most $$ to spend wore whatever the hell they wanted because the rules didn’t quite apply to them. grew to LOVE the sweatpant/uggs-clad shoppers).

      I laughed when I had this same experience when shopping for a wedding dress recently. I do not have to “prove” my worth to someone who’s making $8 an hour to browbeat me or make me feel small, but I will HAPPILY waste her time, try things on, and then order the right size online if she doesn’t come around to being at least cordial.

    • anano

      This happened to me in Brooks Bros. this weekend. Usually the same person is there and she knows that even though I am dressed in jeans and a T shirt, I often spend a lot in the store. But she wasn’t there this weekend, and I didn’t get so much of a second glance even though I know several salespeople saw me, whereas the older couple in the store (probably in their 70s and dressed in khakis and button front shirts) was helped immediately. I still tried some stuff on, but man was I annoyed. Didn’t end up buying anything either.

    • E

      On a related note, a pet peeve of mine: my husband and I both shop at the flagship Nordstroms in Seattle, and though I didn’t traditionally spend as much on clothes as he does, now that I’ve married him I am rapidly catching up. My peeve: the salespeople in the men’s department are so much more helpful than the women in the women’s department. They greet him, remember his name, pull things they think he’d like. My husband is a naturally gregarious kind of guy, but when we go up to the women’s department, they ignore us, I sort through racks without anyone asking me anything, and even when I ask for help I’m often given the bare minimum. What gives? We usually dress to the same level on weekends, so it’s not like he’s looking great and I’m a schlub. I just don’t get it.

    • JessC

      I might be alone in this, but I HATE overly-attentive sales people. Particularly the ones who feel the need to tell me about their current sales – as if I didn’t see the half dozen signs immediately upon walking in the store. Makes me crazy. Leave me alone and let me browse. If I want/need your help, I’ll definitely ask.
      But I’ve definitely had the experience where the sales people didn’t seem to give a crap that I was in the store. I guess it’s a fine line – be attentive, but not annoying.

      • L from Oz

        I have more clothes from Marc O’Polo and Jigsaw in my wardrobe than my income probably justifies, because they’ve always had incredibly helpful salespeople. I’m short and cheerful looking, and frequently get ignored in shops, so I may overcompensate when I do get served!

      • N

        No, you’re not alone. I hate overly-attentive sales people, too. If I need help, I’ll ask for it. If I’m not asking for it – let me browse in peace.

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