Halloween Costume Shopping with Linh

Yesterday, I met with Linh and took her to the mall to buy a costume for Halloween. She was so excited. She told me during our last meeting that she was going to be the Red Queen from Alice in Wonderland, but she didn't want to buy a pre-made costume because it's so expensive. I usually make my costumes myself or buy them in pieces, so I offered to help her.

We went to Ridgmar Mall because that's where I work both of my jobs. Linh asked me to take her to Hot Topic because sometimes the store scares her and she didn't want to go in alone. I thought this was funny. A lot of people have the misconception that Hot Topic is a scary store. The walls are painted black, but there's more light in a Hot Topic than in a Hollister. The movie is sometimes loud, sometimes screaming, but there's also much calmer music on the playlist. The employees are tattooed, pierced, and/or wearing strange clothes, but they are all nice people who care about helping customers. Honestly, Hot Topic employees are the same people that one might see working at any other store or restaraunt. One might not notice this because in those situations, the employees are encouraged to cover up their tattooes, remove their piercings, and wear a uniform or conform to a more rigid dress code. Anyways, Linh was surprised when she came into Hot Topic with me and the music was soft. She saw several things that she liked and enjoyed being in the store. We picked out some blue eyeshadow and red lip liner for her costume.

Then we tried all the girly stores: Wet Seal, Charlotte Russe, and Forever 21. We were looking for a black corset, preferably with some embellishment or something to make it look more royal. We were also on the lookout for a black skirt that wasn't too short. Linh wanted to ensure that her costume was not "slutty" like a lot of other women's costumes that are avaliable in stores. This is another reason why she and I are making her costume. We found everything that she needed pretty easily- and Linh only spent $18. After Linh bought all her pieces, we sketched her costume together. I gave her a short list of the things that she still needed to complete her costume and instructions on how to do it.

It was interesting to see how people treated Linh and how she interacted with salespeople in the stores. She isn't always aware of the customs, so sometimes she looks a little lost or asks unusual questions. People noticed her slightly unusual behavior and seemed off-put by it or they thought she was funny. I wanted to explain to everyone that she's a sweet girl and she's only been living in the United States for three years. It seemed as if people didn't know what to say to Linh, so they would say nothing. When I go into a store, I usually have minimal interaction with the salespeople as well. However, that's because I choose not to talk to salespeople unless I truly need something. I am a sales associate at two stores so I know what it's like on both sides. I mostly don't want to bother anyone. I don't mind when customers talk to me, and I make an effort to respond to them- no matter how unusual their conversation may be. The cashier at Charlotte Russe didn't even attempt interaction. She rang Linh up and if Linh asked a question, the cashier would give a quick, monotone response. She was somewhat rude to us. I couldn't tell if she was being rude because Linh asked questions and phrased things in weird manners, or if she was just tired and didn't want to be at work. The associates at other stores made an effort to talk to us and answered Linh's questions honestly and casually. The cashier at Forever 21 made conversation with us about Halloween costumes. I think people are unsure of how to react to people they're unfamiliar with, so they become stand-offish or laugh.