3 Tricks In Discovering Dress Shop Transparency

by Mark Douglas February 28, 2018

Are you being treated fairly by formal wear stores, or are you the victim of price gouging and shady tactics? 

When you're looking for a great place to pick up the dress of your dreams, you don't just want the perfect dress. You also want to be sure that you're shopping at an honest shop where you won't end up paying insane prices for that perfect Gown, Dress or Tux. By looking for these three key factors, you'll be able to determine whether or not your dress shop is offering the transparency you need. Shopping early for your dress, like we discussed in last week's blog, will give you time to find your perfect dress at a store that's transparent in its pricing practices.

1. Check the tags. 

In an honest, transparent dress shop, you'll find manufacturer's tags that include the style number. This will allow you to go online and check out information about the style: how much it's selling for elsewhere, whether or not it's last season's dress, and more. If the tags have been swapped out, on the other hand, you may find that your dress shop is hiding something. Having the style number will also allow you to check online to learn more about how the dress was created and where its cost comes from. A store may claim a dress is from 2018 but you know it isn't. You saw that exact same dress style back in 2016, you're sure of it. They may simply be misguided, but why wouldn't they know? Maybe they are trying to fool you. This is a red flag and means you'll want to take a closer look at the rest of the shop's practices. 

2. Look for price matching. 

Is a store offering price matching if you're able to find the dress cheaper somewhere else? This is a definite red flag. This may prove the shop with the lower cost has you in mind and not just profit. Think about what's happening: you've already been to the better lower-cost boutique. But this more expensive store wants to bank on your time constraints and loyalty-free attitude to drive back and patron the customer-minded shop. You have to take a stand and subsidize the better shop. In time the higher priced shop will be forced to get with the program or fail. The cost-effective shop clearly cares about having you as a customer by being honest about their pricing practices in the first place. That means better odds that you'll get the dress you need at the right price. 

3. Overwhelming secrecy has you uncomfortable. 

You are being watched like a hawk. You can't go into the dressing room without an attendant. You can't zip the dress up by yourself. There's a sign on the door that says employees will be fired for not zipping customers. You pull out your phone to snap a picture of the dress but instead it's you getting snapped at by management. Is this what you had in mind when you wanted an experience in shopping for the dress of your dreams? Don't walk, RUN to the exit. You have to go online and read the reviews before making such an important investment. If a shop is bad you can rest assured there are plenty of angels out there begging you to wise up. Now it's up to you to do your research. 

Use your own personal knowledge and judgment when investigating. You have a great sense of style, and you've paid attention to the way the industry has moved over the past several years. Authenticity is becoming increasingly important to many brands and many customers. If you're looking for a dress shop where you can find the pricing transparency you both want and need, contact us here at All Dressed Up. We'll work with you to find the perfect dress, whether you're looking for a dress for prom or planning your dream wedding. 

And now for a real Bonus! Mark and Cheron have begun a new video series, 'Puttin On The Ritz w/ DJ Mark!' Here is the second episode, "#2 Finding My Perfect Prom Dress | Shop Transparency." -Mrs Sherri Millard gets interviewed!

Video Dialoge: 

(Mark) "Sherri, your daughter, and Miss Chattanooga, Miss Laney Millard has been in pageants for many years and you've had a chance to shop all around Chattanooga, Atlanta, Knoxville... tell me about dress shop transparency. When you are browsing through gowns what are you looking for?"
(Sherri) "I wanna see style numbers from top name brands. If I don't I begin to wonder just how much the dress is marked up."
(Mark)"And so is it true that when a shop says they will "Price Match" is it true these are code words for just how much their dress is marked up?"
(Sherri) "Yes. I've been in stores where they've changed the number on dresses so you can't look up the actual prices and that's frustrating."
(Mark) "Tell me about the transparency in regards to style numbers and price matching here at All Dressed Up?"
(Sherri)"That's what I love about shopping here. All the style numbers are on the dresses and they sell at MSRP which is the lowest price allowed by the manufacturer."
(Mark) "Sherri, I think I have a position open for you! Prom Girls, it looks pretty transparent down here, better get moving!.... and Tell us what you think, Subscribe to our channel, share this video, and we'll see you next time!"

ADU is owned and operated by Mark and Cheron Douglas.

Visit All Dressed Up today to get started on your prom dress shopping.

Photographs courtesy of Mrs Sherri Millard, Miss Laney Millard's mother.

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A post shared by All Dressed Up Bridal Prom Tux (@alldresseduphixson) on Feb 21, 2018 at 9:11am PST

Also in Cheron's Bridal Blog | Wedding Day