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An Australian bride-to-be has sparked a fierce debate online after she revealed she had been forced to pay a fee to try on wedding dresses.
Katrina Matias visited a boutique to prepare for her impending nuptials, after becoming engaged in Autumn last year. However, she was left shocked after finding out that the shopping experience came with a price tag.
The concept of charging for an appointment in a bridal shop, which is a regular occurrence at high-end stores in the UK too, sparked discussion on social media.
“Guys, who was going to tell me that there’s a fee to try on wedding dresses?” she asked in a social media post on TikTok.
She added: “Am I delusional for thinking that it should be free?”
However, the comments section were more divided as employees in the industry insisted it was a necessary part of the shop’s business model.
One bridal consultant wrote: “You’re paying for a 1-1 consultation with a specialist to guide you in the right direction based on your style preferences. My shop uses that fee as credit toward dress purchase but most places don’t.”
“Some places make you pay a fee so that it’s not just a bunch of people coming in to try on dresses and wasting their time,” reasoned another.
But there was outrage by some users as they wrote: “Nah I’m not paying to try on a dress, BYE.”
“NO?? WHAT??? omgggg what a scam,” commented another on the video, which has since amassed over 850,000 views.
Another wrote: “Australia seems to be heading in the America direction with extra costs. Crazy to put it on the customer when the employers should be paying their workers properly.”
Others were less sympathetic as they commented: “It’s only certain high end designers. Tell me you’re going to the expensive places without telling me you’re going to the expensive places!”
One person suggested that Matias could avoid the experience by doing more research.
“That’s why you do your research before going wedding shopping” scolded one person. “I did that and had five wedding stores on my list and found the one in the second shop”.
Others could see the bride-to-be’s concern as they asked: “I completely understand the purpose for this but what happens if you don’t find a dress at that location? Is it refundable?”
