My Quest for the Perfect Bra or Why I Hate Bra Shopping

I discovered I hate bra shopping. I’m a full figured girl and bought my bras from a store in a Chicago suburb called “The Underwear House.” I could get satin bras, lacy bras and panties to match. The bras had underwire but they fit great and weren’t uncomfortable. They made me feel sexy. After I got married I moved to Alabama and when I needed new bras I called The Underwear House and ordered my bras over the phone. I read them the brand, style number and size. They took my payment information and sent me the bras. I’ve done that several times over the last five years and it was nice and convenient. I didn’t have to go shopping (I hate shopping) and try them on (I hate trying them on).

I needed new bras recently and decided I wanted to get away from underwire. I got tired of the wire poking through after a while and leaving cuts and bruises under my arms but that meant I had to go out and look at bras and try them on. Since I lived in a small town and the only store was Wal-Mart that’s where I went. Big mistake. The store is hot, the boxes don’t have the proper sizes in them and after about 30 minutes of trying on 2 bras (I took about 8 in the fitting room and that’s when I found out they weren’t in the correct boxes) I left empty handed.

We moved last month to a new town and I saw a Lane Bryant store. I knew where I was going for my bras. They’d surely have my size and I should be able to at least find one that I liked with no underwire. Last Friday was my day and the search for a new bra began.

First I couldn’t find the store. I knew where I thought I saw it but it wasn’t there. I did find a Kohls and knew they had a lingerie section so I went in. Yes, they had bras. Bras in every color imaginable with very loud prints. Whatever happened to black, white and beige? I went through every rack and box and they didn’t have my size. Before I left I asked an employee about Lane Bryant and received directions. When I got to Lane Bryant I headed straight to the lingerie section which was bra heaven with bras in white, black, beige, pink, red and purple and no loud prints. It wasn’t long before reality set in and I realized they all had underwire and molded cups that felt like they were made out of foam.

I saw a clerk and decided to ask for help. I have to say she seemed like a nice person until I told her what I was looking for. Then the questions began. I first asked if they had any that weren’t padded and she wanted to know what I had against padding. I told her I have enough of my own, I don’t need to add more. She tried to tell me this wasn’t really padding (anything one half to one inch thick is padding in my book)it was a lining to make sure “your headlights don’t show.” That’s fine but I don’t want any padding or lining and I don’t want underwire.

After foraging through the forest of padding and underwire I saw it. The only bra in the store, with no underwire or padding and they had it in my size. The nice, helpful clerkzilla informed me that couldn’t be my size, I had to be bigger and she proceeded to get out her tape measure and measure me in the middle of the store, announcing to anyone who could hear what my bra size should be. It seemed I had the band size correct but she wanted me to go up a cup size. She then gave me one of those underwire, molded cupped bras that I didn’t like to try on. I appeased her but still took the one I liked in the fitting room. After I had the bra on clerkzilla gave me she barged in the fitting room and saw there was a 2 inch gap between my skin and the top of the bra. Guess what? I needed to go down a cup size. I went to the register with the bra I picked out and debit card in hand. Now began the inquisition.

If you buy two you get two free. No thank you, I only want one right now. (I wanted to make sure I liked it before getting more)
Do you have our credit card? No
If you get our card you can get 15% off. No thank you.
You don’t want to save 15%? No. (By my calculations, the bra was $24. 15% would only be $3.60 which wasn’t worth a credit card to me)
You can apply today and if you’re not approved I’ll still give you our catalog. No thank you.
Why don’t you want our credit card, you can pay the balance with your debit card? I don’t want or need your credit card. (This was the first time I’d been in a Lane Bryant in over 10 years, why would I want a credit card for a store I don’t usually shop at.)

I was getting the feeling that they wouldn’t let me leave without that card but remained firm with my NO answer. I finally left with one bra paid for with my debit card and felt empowered. I held my ground and could not be bullied into buying more bras or applying for their credit card.

Don told me to go back next week and get more bras. I’m a little afraid to go back in there and think I’d rather order them over the internet, at least my computer doesn’t argue with me and I can turn it off when I want to.