I'm not sure whether to give Jeans West a standing ovation or recoil in horror at the news that they're going to roll out butt-cams in their change-rooms (can I also just share with you that to locate the clip below, I had to search "butt-cam" on Youtube and I am still a bit cross-eyed from the results that popped up but THAT is how far I will go and how self-sacrificing I am for you, dearest MM reader).
Anyway. I think if there had been more butt-cams in more of the world's change-rooms, I would have far fewer STUPID clothes (stupid = unflattering) and far more MONEY in the bank.
News Ltd's Jen Melocco reports….
With those famous words "Does my bum look big in this?" in mind, retailer Jeans West has rolled out the first of its butt cams.
The camera snaps an image of your backside on your own personal screen in the changeroom so you no longer have to venture into the main store and run the gauntlet of unflattering light and mirrors.
Jeanswest CEO Stephen Younane said the camera was a "way to bring some fitting room fun to the experience of purchasing a pair of jeans"and alter the once daunting fitting room experience.
But leading retail consultant Stephen Kulmar, of Retail Oasis, said changeroom novelties such as the butt cam have more to do with securing sales and offering service as retail stores cut down staff numbers.
"For males the changeroom is where the sale is made," Mr Kulmar said.
"Men don't like going shopping so if you can get them into the changeroom this is where the sale is made. And for women in particular, if they think their behind looks good in something, they'll buy it."
Mr Kulmar said developments such as the butt cam also compensated for decreasing numbers of sales staff. "Instead of adding staff, they are re-organising their service," he said.
While Jeans West was the first to offer the service in Australia, technology has been lurking in changerooms internationally for several years. British chain Ted Baker installed cameras along with video screens showing films to coax its customers to buy up.
US jeanswear giant GAP trialled clothes with a radio frequency that could be "read" when brought into the changeroom and then offered accessorising suggestions on a personal video screen.
There are really so many things to be grumpy about when it comes to fitting rooms, aren't there?MM reader Maz is grumpy. Last week she wrote me this email:
Yesterday I was in a store, and wanted to try on swimwear. But with some suits consisting of 2 pieces, I was quickly over my allocated 5 item limit. Despite me pointing out that the offending item formed part of a set, the 5-item-only policy was strictly applied. Moreover, I was the ONLY person in the change rooms and would not have held anyone up by trying on the sixth item. (I in actual fact have the potential to occupy a changing room longer if I am running around collecting the additional items in my undies or re-dressing in order to collect them).What if I want to buy a lot of things? Are the retailers not just doing themselves out of business by keeping me happy and letting me try on as many things as I want?
Maz, I have no answers for you, just sympathy. As I'm sure, do most people who are reading this now and just busting to share their fitting room gripes….
Top Comments
I work in retail in a women's clothing shop where we dont have a five item limit. It means that the more you try on the more your likely to buy. Being a busy inner city store it does mean that we always have a lot of stock to put back. But its just the way it is. Its kinda of nice when women come in with a pile of clothes and they say oh I hope i dont have too much and to see them smile when we tell them they can take it all in. I willl say though pretty pretty please hang garments up when you return them. Getting a pile of coat hangers and clothes one right after the other isn't pleasant. Bum cam is a good idea. So many women ask what they look like from behind. A tip, get the sales assistant (or friend) to take a photo of you with a mobile from the back, you get a better idea.
I work casually at a one of the major department stores and the fifth item policy is simply because we have too much shrinkage. If we allowed customers to take as many items as they wanted into the fitting rooms it becomes harder to moniter who had what, and who's returning items to the rack or purchasing them, therefore making it a lot simpler for people to steal, unfortunately the majority of theft occurs in fitting rooms...it also doesn't help when our 'fitting room tags' (which are given to customers) only go up to five, leaving us no choice really. However, I would generally give some leniancy for only a sixth item.