Target and My Special Needs Child

Here in America, Target stores are pretty much a required store for lots of families.  Heck even Buzzfeed made a really cool video about women going to Target.
 In our town, there are at three stores. The closest one to me is West Fullerton Target. I've been going there since it first opened about 15 years ago. When Princess was an infant, I used to push our jogging stroller there several times a week just to get out of the house and get a little exercise. Princess even learned what the sale sticker looked like and schooled her grandma on it when she was around four years old. I'll be the first to admit that there are some days that I go there more than once a day.
The great thing about our particular Target is that there is a low turnover rate. That's awesome for us because my outgoing child has cashiers and stock people who know her by name. Our favorite cashier is Susan. Susan always has a warm smile and a hug waiting for Princess. If Princess is not with me, she will ask how she is. She knows that Princess has her struggles, but she loves her just the same. Another long time employee is Mimi. This lovely gal is a little person. Princess connected with her right away. It was as if she knew something was different about her, but she just treated her like everyone else. I think Mimi knew that Princess had her own challenges long before I shared them with her. When Princess had her first hospitalization back in 2012, Mimi somehow felt in her gut that something was amiss because I kept going to the store without my shopping buddy. I shared with Mimi a little of what was going on in our world. This precious lady went out of her way to bring a necklace from home for Princess. She kept it in her pocket until she saw us one day. Then she presented it to my daughter. She told her that when she saw this necklace, it made her think of Princess. Out of all of the people that she knows, she thought of my daughter. She took the time to make her feel special.
There are other  wonderful employees who work there as well. Amanda is one of the managers. She keeps her employees happy and focused. I never see them chatting with each other or on their cell phones like I do in some other stores. There's another employee who has the same name as my daughter. (Her real one) She's friendly and professional.
All of this to say this store knows my child and I. If I did not get excellent customer service, I would not keep going there.
On a recent outing to our local Target, Princess was distracted. It was a few days before Valentine's Day. We were at the store picking up a few gifts for staff members at Princess' school. I thought Princess was right next to me, but she had wandered off to look at something else. I saw where she was, but she didn't see me. After realizing she'd lost sight of me. she headed over to customer service. They were just about to call me, when I showed up. It was a relief to hear the young ladies behind the counter say that they recognized my daughter and knew she belonged with me.
Targets are like your local neighborhood school, if you like yours, you feel blessed.
I know that not every single Target is like mine, but I'm glad to know its customer service shines.

This motto is definitely true of the West Fullerton Target

Adventures in Clothes Shopping

The other day I posted this as my status update on Facebook.
" I will say that clothes shopping with Princess  is always an adventure. Since she doesn't like the way most clothes feel, the fitting room is always an experience. Today Princess made me so proud. She went into the dressing room stall by herself, came out with a dress that we both agreed didn't flatter her, changed back into her clothes and emerged with the dress she was putting back in her hand. The best part was when she told the fitting room clerk, " Here's the dress I don't care for and the card with the number of items I took into the fitting room. Thank you. " Wow, I guess I'm doing something right. This is a huge accomplishment for Princess."
Here's the back story on why this was so amazing.
Clothes shopping with Princess is no small feat. I cannot tell you the number of times we have walked out of stores empty handed. I have left Target in a huff more than you would believe. Princess loves the style of Justice clothing but hates the way that a lot of their clothes feel. For their part I know that clothing manufacturers make clothes for most people. They don't try to make clothes that feel like sandpaper. If that were the case, they would be out of business really fast.
Princess has a number of requests when it comes to clothing. First there must be no tags or lace. Then jeans and leggings are out of the question. Leggings just don't feel right. I am not sure why. For Princess jeans are the closest thing to sandpaper you can get. If Princess is going to try on a t-shirt, it cannot have a large graphic on it. For school she wears her red spirit shirt over her dress so that the graphics on it don't even come close to touching her skin. The only long sleeves that Princess will wear are those on jackets. I almost forgot. Don't even ask Princess to try on anything with elastic in the sleeves or you will have clothes thrown at you.
Speaking of clothes being thrown. I must admit this has happened at Target on more than one occasion. Fortunately with us this has only happened at stores when not a lot of people were in the dressing rooms.
I know you are probably wondering why I don't just buy the clothes and just try them on at home. Or I could order the clothes online. Both of these are easier said than done. As for trying on clothes at home, Princesswould have the same problems at home as at the store and I would have no exit plan. When it comes to ordering clothes online, the problem is that Princess will tell me she likes something. I will cut off the tag for her and then she will change her mind. Then I am stuck with clothes she will never wear. I do have another girl who is more than happy to take Princess's cast offs so at least I know the clothing goes to a good home.
There are other reasons besides Princess's Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) that make clothes shopping a challenge.  She also has ADHD which makes it hard for her to focus. I have to have a lot of patience with her so that she can stay focused and not get distracted by the mirror or other people trying on clothes. Then there is the issue of Princess's mood disorder. She can be doing just fine when all of a sudden she will change moods. When that happens, we leave quickly. I know from past experience. This will not turn around. Finally because of anxiety, Princess will not try on something if she is afraid it will not feel right. This can be very frustrating for her and I.
When we get home from clothes shopping, I usually need my husband to be on duty so to speak so that I can decompress with a walk or just some me time.
 The pay off to finding Princess the perfect clothes is huge. She has been known to actually purr like a kitten when she finds the article of clothing that feels just right. If she really likes something, she will wear it a lot. So it is worth it to me to pay more for clothing knowing that they will get a lot of use.
Currently Princess has seven outfits in rotation. This is a big step in the right direction considering that she has worn the same dress for three to five months at a time. No matter how much I wash the favored dress, it will still look like something a homeless child would wear. Yes children have told Princess that she must be homeless because she wears the same thing over and over again.
Below is a picture of Princess in one of her favorite outfits. She wore this particular dress for 5 months straight! When she finally moved on to another outfit, I had her leave the dress at the clothing store.