Always have the reference number

I once had a customer ask where she could find the shirt with patches. I asked her if she could describe the item a little more as I knew there were four similar models on the shop floor, but she insisted that Zara only carried the one shirt of its kind. This is just one of the many times I screamed internally and wished I had a reference number.

A reference number (or product number) can tell a sales assistant just about everything: if an item is in store, if it’s on the shop floor or stock room, how many of a certain size we have, if it’s available online or in another shop, and much more. Having a reference number can save us a trip to the stock room, you a fruitless wander around the shop and everyone a lot of time.

So the next time you see an item that you’re unsure of, take of a photo of the price tag, not just the item itself. The reference number is usually located above the barcode and on the white care instruction tags sewn into the clothes. You can ask a sales assistant to look up an item during your next visit or you can do it yourself online.

Just be aware that the system we use may not always be right. It doesn’t account for unreported stolen items, missing left shoes, or white shirts that other customers have wiped their faces all over while trying it on.

Know when to opt for Click and Collect or Home Delivery

“How am I going to carry all of this home?”

For many customers, the reality of their sporadic online shopping doesn’t dawn on them until a stack of boxes with legs (mine) heads their way.

Click and collect is a marvellous thing —no missed deliveries and it’s often free. Standard home delivery is also free when you spend a certain amount of money online: £30 or more at Mango, £50 or more at Zara and Topshop, £60 or more at Urban Outfitters, £65 or more at River Island, etc.

So if you plan to buy everything online during sales season, put it all in your basket and hit that home delivery option. If you don’t, prepare to offer friends or loved ones a free drink/meal/favour in exchange for the extra muscle you’ll need to bring it all home.