I decided for my first blog post I would share the letter I recently sent to Blue Notes.
Here is the story:
I am a frequent shopper at Blue Notes and as a student I enjoy their inexpensive clothes plus their merchandise at the store is usually what I am looking for in clothes (cheap as sh!$ but can be pulled off as trendy..ish)
I noticed that every Blue Notes l went to they did not have mirrors inside their change rooms.
This did not bother me at first, but the more I shopped the more I realized how annoying it really was.
For males and females who do not feel 100% confident about their bodies, trying on and buying clothes can be an exhausting experience and I do not feel that it is fair that Blue Notes forces these experiences to be shared with other shoppers.
The Letter:
Subject: A genuine customer suggestion
"To whom it may concern,
My name is Jessica R and you could consider me a loyal Blue Notes customer. I love the prices and the merchandise is usually just what I am looking for.
I am a very, 'jeggings' and cardigan type girl and your store is able to feed my cardigan addiction without burning a hole in my wallet.
As an average 21 year old female, I do have days that I do not feel like a Victoria Secret model, but, that is normal.
As a loyal customer, I have a suggestion for you; Please consider putting mirrors in your change rooms.
I work in retail but still cannot figure out your tactic behind the non-mirrored change rooms.
If your reasoning behind having no mirrors in the change rooms is so that when I am outside of the change room looking in the mirror, your staff communicates with me by telling me I look great or offering help by asking me if I need a different size… well.. they don't always do that.
In fact, out of all the times I have been into Blue Notes, I have rarely ever had a staff member engage with me while I was outside of the change room. (This is not specific to one location, this is all the locations I have been to).
The last time I was trying on a pair of jeans the only "engagement" I got was exchanging an awkward smile with a dad of a tween sitting outside of the fitting rooms who was waiting for his son/daughter in a fitting room while I was deciding if these jeans made my butt look weird. I felt bad for the both of us.
Also, I have a twin sister who grew up with body issues and she NEVER went into a Blue Notes change room. Now that she is older, fit as hell and has no reason to be shy of her body, she is still a female and she still feels self conscious and refuses to try on clothes when others can see how she looks before she has a chance to look into the mirror.
I went to Blue Notes on Boxing Day (Yes, I did indeed have the courage to go shopping after christmas dinner).
Obviously I was not feeling my BEST and I was forced to go outside of the BUSIEST CHANGE ROOM EVER and look into the mirror to realize I picked a pair of jeans that were 2 sizes too small and I, as well as every other person around me (This included the full capacity of customers trying stuff on who were also outside of their change rooms looking into the mirrors, AND the line up of people waiting for a room) they ALL saw me in a pair of jeans that were way too small.
I looked like a stuff sausage. This experience was embarrassing, to say the least.
This epidemic (YES!! it is an epidemic) is even WORSE now that your store is beginning to target its merchandise to 12 year old girls who look like they belong in California.
I mean, if I could rock a crop top and short shorts, I probably would, but I CAN'T.
What happens when jane doe wants to try on her "Love is my Drug" crop top but only wore a pair of jeans? What if she wants to wear this killer crop with her killer high wasted peplum skirt at home but did not wear it to Blue Notes?
So she has a choice of going outside of the change room, barring her entire stomach to a store full of strangers, or she can get dressed, put on her regular clothes, go out into the store, try and find a high wasted bottom and go back into the change room and try on her crop. Maybe her crop won't fit, maybe the skirt is 2 sizes too small, and everyone in the change rooms and in the store will be able to see her in her pudgy glory.
Long story short, I do not understand why you do not have mirrors in your change rooms. Maybe even put mirrors in half of your change rooms.
This is not just about your staff not engaging with customers who may need a different size in the change room, it is about someones full shopping experience. Putting mirrors in your change rooms might motivate me to spend more time in the change rooms and try more merchandise on.
It can be like the 90's, instead of asking "smoking or non smoking?" you ask "mirror or no mirror?".
Please continue to rock, Blue Notes. Like I said, I am a loyal customer and 67% of my wardrobe is years of accumulated merchandise from your store. Most of it jeggings or cardigans and maybe more of it would be skirts, crops or any form of see-through blouses if I could have a mirror in the change room.
Please think about it!
Best Wishes & Happy New Year
Jessica R"
I really hope someone actually reads this letter and takes it seriously. I also hope I am not the only person with this opinion.
An update will be provided if I get into contact with anyone from Blue Notes.
Fingers Crossed.
Jessica R
