IF YOU THOUGHT other home medical equipment providers were your only competition, here's a heads-up: In women's health, you're also competing against such upscale department stores as Nordstrom, Dillard's and Saks Fifth Avenue. This means that women who've had breast cancer surgery may not have to alter their regular shopping routine if they go to, say, Nordstrom for their prostheses, post-surgery bras, swimsuits and other items.

"Often, women who've undergone a mastectomy will work with their favorite salesperson or a personal shopper to find the right products," says Nordstrom spokeswoman Amy Jones. The Seattle-based chain offers a range of post-mastectomy products and services-including a fitting program-for women who are undergoing or who have undergone treatment for cancer. Besides breast forms, bras and swimsuits, the Nordstrom salesperson will help her customer find head wraps, scarves or non-allergenic cosmetic products, Jones says.

In other words, to compete with such stores you'll need that same sense of personal care and a dressed-up environment.

"When talking to prospective dealers, we always tell them that a nice store or dressing room is epitomized by a very feminine, warm and appealing environment," says Linda Whittredge, national trainer and fitter for Waco, Texas-based Capital Marketing Technologies, which manufactures Nearly Me mastectomy products. Stores should avoid the "sterile environment of a hospital," which women who have had surgery have experienced, she says. "We want woman to feel comfortable in their surroundings."

It's demoralizing for women to look for a breast prosthesis at a store that's ugly, says Vincene Parrinello, founder and chief executive officer of Hope Aesthetics Cosmeceutical in Escondido, Calif. Women prefer stores that offer products in a "classy, upscale way that makes them feel regal." -M.F.