So I've been slowly buying some maternity clothes. Thus far, it hasn't been fun.

My first experience at the GAP resulted in buying a size that was too big. I was a size 8 or 10 pre prego and I was told by the sales staff to buy a size 10 in maternity gear. So I did. I made it a point to tell the sales gal that this was my first time buying maternity clothes. No check-in at the dressing room, no question about other sizes needed. Nada.

So here I was with a pair of jeans I've already been wearing and can't exchange. A skirt and a pair of shorts sit in my closet, yet to be worn.  I'll get back to the skirt and the shorts in a second.

I find myself back at the GAP because I received a free jeans coupon from our Brand About Town friends at BlogHer. Sweet. Free jeans.  This time, I had a helpful, cheery GAP salesperson who looked at every pair of jeans I tried on. She concluded - I need a size 8, not 10.

Wonderful. I now have a pair of jeans I can't exchange, along with two other articles of clothing that I need to exchange for some new stuff. Meanwhile, I am going nuts trying to maximize the wardrobe I currently have without going nuts buy new clothes that will only fit me for a certain stretch of time.

So, to all the retailers out there...

1.) Make sure your sales staff is thoroughly trained in maternity gear - especially if your store does NOT specialize in prego clothes

2.) If a woman walks up to you and says, 'This is my first time buying maternity clothes', you may want to send some extra timing giving her some TLC on your maternity line. This is what you call a repeat customer.

3.) Cut some slack on your return policy. I wore my jeans once, washed them thinking they'd bounce into shape and I'm stuck with a saggy butt look.

I'm still a fan of the GAP, which is why I returned to the store last weekend. I'll probably return this weekend, exchange my old stuff and use that credit + a 40% off coupon to buy something else.  Gotta love the coupons:)