Urban Outfitters is known for it's high amount of teen and early 20s clientele and I have always had pretty good experiences there. Last week was no surprise. The store near me was having a moving sale; most items were 50-70% off and even though it had been picked through, I found loads of great items and ended up leaving with a few shirts, a sweatshirt and a skirt ALL for $30. I wasn't greeted as I walked in, but the few people working seemed very busy at the registers. Because it was a huge sale I wasn't expecting much attention from them anyways, but found the lady working in the changing room to be nice and attentive. The changing rooms were clean and didn't have any clothes left in them from the person before, proof that the woman working was doing her job. As I went to check out the line suddenly got really long and they tried to ring me up as fast as they could but something wasn't working with the cash registers. The guy who was working kept apologizing and saying it would only take a minute, and overall just tried to be helpful. I had a great experience and it really made my day better. Excellent job UO!

• Customer service - 5/5
• Store organization - 4/5
• Clothing/fashionability - 5/5
• Pricing - 4/5
• Overall - 5/5

XI Clothing is one of those stores that on the outside seems a bit run down, but if you look through everything there, there's some great finds. I went to the store by me today in the afternoon. It was pretty busy and no salespeople were near the front of the store, so I wasn't bothered when I wasn't greeted. 

I started looking for clothes and remembered I had been wanting to get a flowy kimono top and asked a girl working if they had any. She was confused by the term 'kimono top' and i showed her a cardigan nearby and told her "sort of like this but with a chiffon or flowy fabric" and showed her a different shirt made of the material. She seemed in a bit of a daze or not listening and said they didn't have any. Luckily I still decided to look around and found about 5 tops that matched the description I gave her and most were what I was looking for. 3/5 were even on mannequins throughout the store! This really upset me as I otherwise would've left the store when I could've been a customer. 


I got a few items to try on and headed for the dressing room. Checking out was easy and fast even when the store was packed and I found the cashier to be helpful, especially about explaining their return policy.

I like XI Clothing and their clothes, sort of an in between of Forever 21 and Rue 21. The clothes aren't organized by type but by color, which is helpful if you're looking for a certain piece or outfit but can be difficult if you're just looking for shirts. Unfortunately only after choosing to review/secret shop XI Clothing did I realize it only exists in my state. So if you're around one I hope this helped!

• Customer service - 3/5
• Store organization - 3/5
• Clothing/fashionability - 4/5
• Pricing - 5/5
• Overall - 3.5/5

After a bad day at school last week, I decided a bit of retail therapy couldn't hurt. I walked into the tiny boutique-style store (I didn't even know there were more than a few until writing this article!) and found myself a bit disappointed. Truthfully, the chaotic day didn't exactly help put me in the best mindset, but no matter what, I think shopping should be an enjoyable experience that has the ability to lift our spirits.


So after walking in and seeing there were only two other women in the store, I thought for sure one of the two college-aged girls would greet me-I was mistaken. I decided to head towards the large sale rack in the back, brushing off that I was never welcomed, maybe they just didn't see me. The rack of sale items was a bit cluttered, but it seemed the two sales girls were brushing up the front of the store, and it wasn't so cluttered I couldn't find anything. As I was looking through dresses marked only about $10 off, I heard the two women trying on clothes cavelling over a blouse. The two sales girls walked by and also told the women how great the color looked on her or some other form of compliment.


I was sure by now the sales girls had seen me, but still had yet to say hi or ask if I needed help finding anything. A bit annoyed, I made my way to the front of the store to do one last look over of the jewelry and bags before I left. One of the sales girls was in the front near where I was and as a group of 2 ladies and their daughters walked in she made a cheery 'hello' and smile. Cheery sales girl was working on the rack of already organized clothes and as I made my way out of the store just moments after these new ladies walked in, I was never noticed.

Though perhaps the sales girls thought I was a spy on a mission or running away from the law, being greeted going in and out of a door is basic customer service, as is being asked if I'm doing ok or need help finding anything. This isn't the first time I've had this happen at Francesca's Collection, and I'm not sure why, their clothes and style seem to reflect that of late teens to college aged girls.

All in all here is how I rate my experience:

• Customer service - 1/5
• Store organization - 4/5
• Clothing/fashionability - 5/5
• Pricing - 3/5
• Overall - 2.5/5

     Being a teenager who shops a lot, I can't help but feel a bit on the outside looking in when I shop alone or with a friend my age. I sometimes feel like I'm not being taken seriously, other times I feel like a well valued customer and am treated with the utmost respect. I think the way that a company treats someone who doesn't look like they have a lot of money to spend and still lives with their parents says a lot about the company and their values.
    Because of this, I've started an exciting new segment that I will post every Friday, Secret Shopping. I will go to a store, look around, try on some things, and leave without buying something. Then I'll write a post on my experience as a whole.

I hope you like this idea, please leave comments on how you feel about it, and any other type of stories you'd like to see!