Which problems do you run into that women usually don't? I know about the awkwardness some of you feel about looking at female nametags and probably occasional other 'guy things' that happen, but I occasionally find myself thinking about the challenges female shoppers more commonly face (longer waits, having unwanted attention from the opposite sex, chauvinist/patronizing car or electronics dealers, wanting to spend a buttload on clothes, et cetera), and I just wonder how you guys have it. Have any of you guys here ever taken on a shop you feel like a female might have an easier time with? I think we females definitely have an advantage when it comes to certain kinds, but I'm just wondering if anyone wants to share from a guy's perspective.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/05/2015 01:55AM by OceanGirl.

The first thing that comes to mind is when having to take pictures of my food in a restaurant. It's just not a guy thing to do.

On the other hand. I was at a restaurant a few months ago where these two 20's women were dining nearby. When their appetizers were delivered, they each took a picture of theirs, however, they both ordered the same app.

I have totally gotten over my hesitation to take pictures of food and everything else. If my 20-year old son finds it normal and natural, I can do it also. I actually now take photos of displays with the salesperson standing right next to me (usually a 20-something) and explain that my son has been trying to convince me to take photos and send them to him with questions. They nod sagely and seem perfectly OK with it, even sometimes suggesting other shots!

I have been led to believe that only 20% of shoppers are male, and that schedulers and MSCs really like having male shoppers available since we are less likely to be suspected. My experience doing audits is that I am always told that I am the first male that they have seen. Same thing for mystery shops which then become announced audits.

1) I have no desire to do the sizing audits. That is one which seems best left for women.

2) Schedulers seem determined to have me go and try on women's clothing, but that is probably just laziness if 80% of shoppers are actually women.

3) I think that the Pottery Barn shops are best done women, but I do them anyway. Same with Pier One Imports and Williams-Sonoma. I doubt that they think that I am the mystery shopper. I don't do the baby and children's clothing shops, or the ones which want you to tell clothing back to resale shops. Those seem far better suited to women.

Shopping in stores geared toward women with few or no man products. Yes I am shopping for a gift for my wife, girlfriend, secretary, or whoever I choose but you still get the looks.

I almost signed up for one of those sizing audits at a discount clothing store where they assign you sections of the store to check size labels and compare them to the hanger size indicator. I then read that I would need to audit teen under garments.

Females can shop for anything and get away with it. Men over 45 pawing through the teen sized underwear and starter bras is just creepy. It's not like I can say that I'm buying underwear for my grand daughter as a gift.

I would have no problem shopping in Williams Sonoma. I have gone in there looking for something and stumped them before. I like high quality cookware and they are a good place to "showroom" before making an on-line purchase.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/05/2015 10:02AM by scanman1.

Scanman, that's useful knowledge for me. I've never done those sizing audits, but a couple of times the bonuses have gotten pretty decent in my area and I've considered them. It never occurred to me that I'd be sorting through teenage girl's drawers... I'll let those shops go to the ladies now. Thanks for the heads up!

I've mostly felt that being a man was an advantage, due to lower risk of detection. Car salesmen take me seriously. I can afford to be somewhat judicious in the shops I accept, too, so if it seems like something a thirtysomething guy wouldn't do, I can just skip it.

Maybe this is ironic since it's catered to men, but I refuse to do Hooters. I'm happily married, and those places are tacky as hell anyway. If I want wings and beer, there's a much better place to go.

The most out-of-place I've ever felt on a shop was when I did one of those indoor trampoline parks. Mrs. Pinchers wanted to go and get some exercise, but the place was full of kids having birthday parties and such. If I was alone, it would have looked REALLY weird and creepy. Also, I had to skip a couple of the activities like trampoline dodgeball, because they were being played by teams of ten-year-olds and I would have looked like Billy Madison. I explained this in the report, and they accepted it and paid me.

@scanman1 wrote:

Females can shop for anything and get away with it. Men over 45 pawing through the teen sized underwear and starter bras is just creepy. It's not like I can say that I'm buying underwear for my grand daughter as a gift.

Been there, done that. I actually had to shop for undergarments for my daughter. I got in and out of there as fast as I could.

As far as doing shops for purses, accessories, etc., I don't even take the, "I'm buying something for my wife" approach. I just skip them altogether. Honestly, there aren't that many that I have come across in my area, so it isn't any big loss.

I used to be a hot commodity for the wings restaurants around here, but with the new MSC dropping the gender requirements, I have done a lot fewer of those.

The categories for the sizing audits change every month, so if you ever see the bonuses looking attractive you might want to see what departments you'd be working in.

@pinchers81 wrote:

Scanman, that's useful knowledge for me. I've never done those sizing audits, but a couple of times the bonuses have gotten pretty decent in my area and I've considered them. It never occurred to me that I'd be sorting through teenage girl's drawers... I'll let those shops go to the ladies now. Thanks for the heads up!.

@scanman1 wrote:

Females can shop for anything and get away with it. Men over 45 pawing through the teen sized underwear and starter bras is just creepy. It's not like I can say that I'm buying underwear for my grand daughter as a gift.

I would have no problem shopping in Williams Sonoma. I have gone in there looking for something and stumped them before. I like high quality cookware and they are a good place to "showroom" before making an on-line purchase.

There are more 'single dads' and 'house dads' raising daughters these days and we have a male friend who is solo raising his granddaughter. As the custodial parent I suspect such a male would be looking for 'easy to wash cotton, and definitely not sexy' while moms would tend to go 'cute and feminine'. So while in the past you would have looked like a perv, I suspect now it would look more understandable.

As for Williams Sonoma, even though he rarely cooks, my SO can not pass a Pottery Barn, Williams Sonoma or Kitchen Collections without wanting to stop and browse around.

I have long contended that men have it a little easier because we are not as often suspected as being shoppers. I've done sizing audits in the past that luckily didn't include teen unmentionables. but have also done the lingerie shops when I was allowed to bring my GF in for the fitting. It made that shop SO much easier than it would be for a female shopper since I was the one taking notes and my GF really just had to shop using my credit card...Something she's already a pro at!

My biggest issue s getting a bellman to help with bags. I can show up at a hotel with 2 roller bags and a laptop case and bellman will still walk past me without offering help. For a while I had a cane that I would hobble around with to elicit help, but than you always have to being entering/exiting the hotel with a cane. If i'm traveling locally, I have a file box full of books that I trow in the trunk and ask for help with.

@pinchers81 Picturing a grown-up attempting the trampoline-gym shop without kids was the best laugh I've had yet today. Thanks for that!
That was the only place in the world that ever left my boys completely and utterly exhausted afterward.

Now see I have no problem with the ross size audits. I have done like 3 this month with lovely categories being bras, ladies active bottoms and Infant girls play wear or multi piece sets. But it is a easy audit and pays decent. The other ross purchase and return while easier at 20 minutes total including return is $3 less pay but still worth it. But I just say my buddy Jarred asked me to look on the size audits just kidding.

My husband refuses to take pics in bathrooms, so if he ever decides to shop on his own, he'll have to read guidelines carefully before accepting! I wonder if other men feel the same way.

I know I am in the minority but for the right pay there is almost nothing out of the question.

@myst4au wrote:

I have totally gotten over my hesitation to take pictures of food and everything else. If my 20-year old son finds it normal and natural, I can do it also. I actually now take photos of displays with the salesperson standing right next to me (usually a 20-something) and explain that my son has been trying to convince me to take photos and send them to him with questions. They nod sagely and seem perfectly OK with it, even sometimes suggesting other shots!

I have been led to believe that only 20% of shoppers are male, and that schedulers and MSCs really like having male shoppers available since we are less likely to be suspected. My experience doing audits is that I am always told that I am the first male that they have seen. Same thing for mystery shops which then become announced audits.

1) I have no desire to do the sizing audits. That is one which seems best left for women.

2) Schedulers seem determined to have me go and try on women's clothing, but that is probably just laziness if 80% of shoppers are actually women.

3) I think that the Pottery Barn shops are best done women, but I do them anyway. Same with Pier One Imports and Williams-Sonoma. I doubt that they think that I am the mystery shopper. I don't do the baby and children's clothing shops, or the ones which want you to tell clothing back to resale shops. Those seem far better suited to women.

I had no idea you were a male until just now. LOL. Doh!

So scanman, if the "bra fitting" assignment came up, you would pass?

@tbclay wrote:

My husband refuses to take pics in bathrooms, so if he ever decides to shop on his own, he'll have to read guidelines carefully before accepting! I wonder if other men feel the same way.

I will do it in a single person bathroom because obviously I am the only person in it. But yes, I refuse to take a photo in a multiperson restroom. Also it is not legal:

Many places have laws prohibiting photographing private areas under a person's clothing without that person's permission. This also applies to any filming of another within a public restroom or locker room. Some jurisdictions have completely banned the use of a camera phone within a restroom or locker room in order to prevent this. The United States enacted the Video Voyeurism Prevention Act of 2004 to punish those who intentionally capture an individual's private areas without consent, when the person knew the subject had an expectation of privacy.[41] Additionally, state laws have been passed addressing the issue as well

I resent having to have people carry my bags for me at hotels. It's even weirder when I arrived without having someone take my bags, but I absolutely must have someone take them down from my room. My mother's logic was that a lot of women go shopping and have more/heavier bags at the end of their trip, but that just doesn't make sense for me, especially because I'm a young man who's visibly in good health.

You are right bgriffith! One "salsa place" (when we used to have to take a picture of the bathroom) said if it's a single bathroom, yes, take a picture but if its a multiple-stall bathroom do NOT take a pic. I guess it is considered unlawful

My understanding is that what is unlawful about bathroom shots is if you get any other person in the photo. I used to be super cautious that the multistall restroom was empty before I would start shooting photos and generally do them with my back to the door so that if anyone attempted to enter the door would be blocked long enough for me to stow my camera.

I haven't experienced shops requiring restroom pics that did not make allowance if anyone else was in a multi-stall restroom. I would never consider snapping pics if I were not alone.

I suppose one problem would be shopping a strip club.

Before your imagination gets the better of you, the requirements include a two hours bar audit, four rounds of drinks for two people, and no lap dances. I would have to give away some rounds or dump them out to do it. Haven't done it.

Now you can let your imagination run wild.

Four drinks in two hours? That's crazy, and dangerous for the driver, et al.

True Mert,

A taxi or the like would solve that problem. But I was more concerned about keeping a straight head for the observations. Thus, giving away or dumping is an option. But it can be memorable if caught.

I'm not sure whether it is good or bad that you hadn't known that I am male. Maybe I was in touch with my "feminine side" when submitting responses here?

Unless you chose a moniker designed to really throw us off the scent, I continue to believe that you are female.

@SoCalMama wrote:

I had no idea you were a male until just now. LOL. Doh!

The same post was my first indication you were a man. Sexist as it is, I think we tend to assume most mystery shoppers, hence most forum members, are women until told otherwise. If it makes you feel better for some reason most have assumed Flash and prince are men when they are both women

This discussion came to mind today as I did a shop at a smartphone store. There, and at several recent shops (hardware, mattresses) I've had the expectation, based on the shop guidelines, that the customer rep would be doing an extended spiel where they asked me a bunch of questions that were on the list as things they were supposed to ask me. Instead I got highly contracted presentations where they didn't push for a sale. I've even allowed myself to fall silent to let them fill in space with whatever sales talk they wanted; or I asked, "Is there anything else you want to tell me about ____ product?" to let them talk as they pleased. But they don't.

All the reps were male, as am I. I pose myself as being much less informed than I really am about the products (I ask a stupid question or two). For good measure, I try to dress somewhat shabbily, and may not even shave for the day...! So you'd think they'd spot me as an easy sale.

Do the ladies here ever get THAT sort of treatment? Is this a sexist dynamic at work, or the way things are done for everyone?

Documentarian,

I think that is $$$ bias at work. Salespeople often size you up by your appearance to judge how much money may be spent. This is true at jobs where a commission on sales or tips are involved. Like you state in your post, I often dress a bit down for the place and I will sometimes get that kind of perfunctory presentation. In other words, if you don't look like you can pay for the product they choose to not spend much time with you.

@vlade5394 wrote:

I think that is $$$ bias at work. Salespeople often size you up by your appearance to judge how much money may be spent. This is true at jobs where a commission on sales or tips are involved. Like you state in your post, I often dress a bit down for the place and I will sometimes get that kind of perfunctory presentation. In other words, if you don't look like you can pay for the product they choose to not spend much time with you.

Ah, I should have thought of that, thank you. Then it sounds like a good test to see whether they do what they're supposed to.

These reps obviously never met Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh!

It may seem like a good test, but unfortunately that is usually not a test the client has any interest in us performing. Most often it will be to dress and present ourselves as someone who can afford the product. Just like Lamborghini doesn't give a rat's patoot how their associates treat women customers. The shops are only offered to men.