Battling desperate hordes at a sale, digging through racks and carrying a load of clothing to the dressing room only to confirm that no, indeed, nothing fits, was never a pleasant experience. Shoppers subjected themselves to the whims of salespeople, designers and one-size-fits-no-one clothing.

But now, a visit to a store feels different, and it's not just that glass of Scotch in your hand. With seemingly endless ways to shop - through smartphones, flash sale sites and luxury lenders - retailers are vying for customers and context lest they get lost in the shuffle. Selling the experience, not only the clothing, is their latest pitch.

Joey Rubenstein was sipping from a heavy rocks glass recently while waiting for his sport coat at Hugo Boss in downtown Manhattan: "It feels like a social experience, very James Bond or 1960s Playboy, but I guess it's also kind of like Vegas - the more you drink the more you spend."

Drinks have become a popular perk at men's wear stores like RRL, Billy Reid and Seize sur Vingt in Manhattan, and what stores serve - wine, beer, cocktails - is intended to be an extension of the brand. "It's a way of telling everyone they're not a giant company and have a more personal approach in the way they run their store," Michael Williams, a consultant to fashion brands, told The Times.

Now that you're ready to kick back with a snifter, all that's missing is a book, which may be nearby. Boutiques and clothing retailers are selling more books as large chains disappear or devote more space to e-readers and games.

Stores known for apparel have been carrying titles that add to a brand's personality.

The fashion designer Marc Jacobs opened Bookmarc in Manhattan in the fall. Kitson in Los Angeles, known for its celebrity clientele, estimates that it sold 100,000 books last year, double what it had the previous year.

As retailers try to get shoppers "excited about different ideas as they walk in the door, books can be a tremendous way to narrate those stories," Aaron Hoey of Anthropologie, which increased the number of titles it carries, told The Times.

Sometimes, the clothing label can be the most difficult thing to read. One store's size medium may be another's extra small. Sizing has never been standardized, so companies are pushing for more informative labels.

MyBestFit is even offering full-body scans at malls, which lets a shopper know what sizes she should try among brands in a database, wrote The Times.

Levis decided to make it easier to shop for jeans, which can involve trying on dozens of pairs to find just one that fits. It introduced Curve ID, a line with three styles depending on the size of a woman's backside - slight, demi and bold.

And the fit may be perfect �?online. A new breed of e-commerce sites like JewelMint and Send the Trend uses algorithms to determine a user's personal style, filters the options online and presents users with a selection of shoes and accessories for a monthly fee. For Emily McNish, 24, who pays $29.95 a month for JewelMint's services, the experience is like being part of a "secret club."

It's that emotional feeling retailers are hoping to harness. As Wendy Liebmann, chief executive of a marketing consulting firm, told The Times: "I think there's a real opportunity in retail to be able to romance the experience again."

Anita Patll