Secondhand Store Amenities, Part I

Just the other day a friend and I decided that the one thing that’s most important for secondhand clothing shops to have is a decent dressing room, with doors instead of curtains. I know that lots of people either do not try on clothing before they buy it or are absolutely happy trying things on right in the aisles, say pulling pants on underneath a roomy skirt or pulling a shirt over a thin top. But I won’t shop without a dressing room because most thrifts do not accept returns, I’m particular about how my clothes fit me and I need the privacy of a dressing room to make a considered judgment about whether to buy or not.  

Since we’re on the subject of dressing rooms, let’s get specific. There should be enough of them so that there aren’t long lines and they should have hooks for hanging up the clothes, a chair for sitting down to put shoes back on and a mirror.  

Dressing rooms also need locks. I can’t possibly be the only person who’s noticed how many people do not knock before they try to open the door. It happens to me all the time. Whenever it does, I make a point of yelling out, “IT’S RUDE TO TRY THE DOOR HANDLE BEFORE YOU KNOCK.” I kid myself that I’ll embarrass the person into behaving better.