Part Three: Lean on Me...

Lean on Me...
Any sales associate worth her (or his) salt at a good maternity boutique could possibly be your best friend for the next nine months or so. Use those sales associates! Here are some ways they should be able to make your maternity clothing journey as painless as possible...

• Don't be too quick to say you don't need any help. Let your sales associate assist and educate you. Just like being pregnant is a new experience and you take your doctor's advice, you should learn as much as you can about from your sales associate so you can make the smartest choices/purchases.
  
• We, the boutique babes, only benefit when you feel and look good. Quality sales associates want to send you out in the most flattering fit possible. As the saying goes: when you look good, we look good. You are our best form of advertisement, so we won't steer you wrong!
  
• Your sales associate sees the clothes "on" every day and should be an expert at reading what would be a good fit for your figure. (Yes, you still have a figure and one that is unique to you -- just like before you got pregnant!) Let her see how things fit; she will be better able to make suggestions for you. Try on things she suggests. You will be surprised. Trust me.
  
• Sometimes, the sales rack is a goldmine. Sometimes, it's just a batch of things that didn't work so well. Don't assume your sales associate is only trying to "up-sell" you when she suggests you look beyond the sale rack. Many times, you'll find easier and better fits in the non-sale inventory.
  
• Take advantage of the high level of service you should get in a boutique. More often than not, the experience will be a more personal service with a better quality of information. If you are searching for a specific type of item, ask your sales associate to call you when new shipments that fit the bill arrive. And when she calls, hustle in before someone else snaps up the new styles or your size!
• Be sure to sign up for newsletters, email blasts, Facebook pages, etc. so you can keep an eye out for new lines, items, and especially, sales and promotions!
  

CRAVINGS CUE: It was a sure marker of some kind of achievement (questionable though it may be) when the first group of customers started coming in and saying: "My friend shopped with you and she said you'll tell me if my butt looks big. That's why I'm here!" If nothing else, we serve it up with humor and honesty here at Cravings...