THINGS I HATE ABOUT ZARA — Socially Staci J

If you have read at least one of my fashion related blog posts, you know that I am madly in love with Zara. So don’t take this post personal if you do too. However, there are a few things about this store that drive me absolutely mad. But before I start the roast, let me start with my general love letter to this brand.

FIVE THINGS I LOVE ABOUT ZARA

1) I love the massive size of the store, without being massively overwhelming. For example, I prefer to shop Forever 21 online because there is way too much product crammed on their racks. I'm an instant gratification girl, so you know that says a lot when I prefer to do it online. Shopping there is exhausting, particularly if you find one that is two stories high. At Zara, even the multi level stores are shoppable because of the store layout and their superior merchandising. I don't even mind the fact that shoes don't have a dedicated home. They've strategically designed the apparel pad with enough space to merchandise open stock shoes and I'm okay with this. I find the size I need and try it on instantly without the need to ask for assistance. And most of the time, there are no silly maximums for the dressing rooms. They kill me with that at Forever 21, especially if there is a long wait for the dressing room to begin with.

2) I love the fact that this store carries multiple price points, so you can find on trend items even if you are on a shoe string budget. The level of style that you get for the price is absolutely unmatched. Anthropologie is one of my favorite stores because the trends in their assortments are next level. But who can afford this on a daily basis? When I shop there, I shop the clearance rack and they have to be running an additional percentage off for me to bite. And even stores that aim to be the cheaper version of Anthro, i.e. Francescas, are pricier than ever. Try finding a dress in this store for less than $45. I can find a million dresses in Zara for under $40 and a quite a few under $30. This is one of the reasons why Target has struggled over the past few years. Their prices don't seem so cheap compared to the prices at Zara. Target's recent announcement that they are getting rid of two of their long standing brands, Mossimo and Merona indicates that these brands have struggled.

3) I also love the fact that if you’re on the leaner side of the size scale and not super tall, you can squeeze your way into a few pieces in the kids section, which means the price tag is cheaper. Yes I do and yes I did. (Sips tea…….) Some of their children’s clothes look mature enough for adults, so I take advantage. And lots of you do too because the biggest size always sells out first. So judge ya mama. Look at this gorgeous dress that looks like I could have bought it from Self Portrait, the queen of the flutter and the frilly.

4) I also love their website, which in my opinion, is best in class. The quality and size of the photos are top notch. You will not buy an orange shirt thinking it was red based on the pictures. And I love the fact that you don’t have to maximize the image to determine how the material looks up close. They do that for you. It’s so simple, yet perfect. If you typically order online, you know exactly what you are getting. There is nothing misleading about it.

5) And finally, I love the fact that they have really good quality basics. They have a basic tee for $7.90 that is extremely well made for the price. You typically need to size up, but who cares. It’s under $10 and they come in any basic color you would need in your closet on a daily basis.

FIVE THINGS I HATE

But just like with any romance, as much as I love Zara, they still do things that drive me crazy from time to time. If I didn’t love her so, I wouldn’t bother to correct. But love requires the hard truth at times. So brace yourself. It won't be pretty, but it is necessary.

1) Why are there only 2 people max working at the cash wrap? And why do they not seem to be in any rush to move people through the line? I can see this being adequate during the week, but on a Saturday? Do better Zara. I don’t want to spend an hour in line. It’s gotten to the point that I will not go to Zara on a weekend unless I go when they first open because very few people are in the store.

2) I love the website. I really do. But why won’t you tell me what size the model is wearing? You know damn well your sizing is not consistent. I need a frame of reference. Some things are sized in numbers and some things are sized in letters. Some items are made in a full size range of XS, S, M, L, and XL. Some come in only S, M, and L. And then they have the nerve to produce some items in only two sizes M and L. And I swear to gawd I saw a dress that only came in M. I’m not lying. And for those that don’t know, the full size scale is conveniently on the pricing ticket, so you don’t spend time looking for a size they don’t carry.

3) Back to this website, why do you label an item a dress, if you’re not styling it as a dress? Call it what it is……a shirt. It’s not a dress. Maybe it does look better as a shirt, but at the very least you should be styling it as both. If you can’t style it as marketed, I’m judging it and I’m probably not buying it. Stop it.

4) The name Trafaluc. How do you even pronounce this? You don’t even have this spelled on the website. It’s simply TRF. Did y’all forget how to spell it? I had to google it because I forgot how it was spelled. It’s not even spelled on your website. I don’t like it. It's stupid.

5) I hate your shoe sizing. You go from whole sizes to half sizes and then back to whole sizes. For the longest time, I thought you were just plain out of regular size 7s. And of course the sizing can be different by shoe, so I'm not judging you for this. This is typical for most shoe brands. But I need half AND whole sizes or just ALL half sizes or just ALL whole sizes. You have to pick a struggle. Like baby what is you doing?

What are some of your pet peeves about shopping at any of your favorite stores. I want to know them, so let me know in the comments. Check out a couple of more photos from this shoot.