To Shop or Not to Shop, that is the Question

I have never been very good at buying clothes so I always try to bring a trusting friend with me to make sure that I don’t buy ridiculous items. Over the years I have built up my confidence slowly and venture out now and again on my own. Of course everything changed once I tried going shopping in this country. My first shock was the size issue. Regardless of what I would try on, the salesgirls always liked the items that were the smallest and tightest on me. Even when I would tell them that I am buying clothes for work and that I have to look respectable, it didn’t make a difference. I had to verbally fight with them to let me buy the larger item that really did fit me perfectly. Next came the dressing rooms. You have all heard that Israelis have no patience, but I had never experienced sharing dressing rooms until recently. And when I say “sharing” I mean that when one girl comes out to look at herself in the mirror, another one just simply walks in and tries something on. Most stores do not have mirrors in the dressing rooms so you are forced to come out and parade in front of everyone to look at yourself. (This is also when the sales girls exclaim how gorgeous you look, even if you can’t zip up your pants). The first time this happened to me I walk into my dressing room after looking in the mirror and found another person there. She walked out a few minutes later and said nothing to me, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. I had a few more items to try on and had to be quick about getting in and out each time without someone walking in on me or asking me to hurry up.

And you wonder why Israeli women are so aggressive.