Plus Sized Clothing Sold Online but not in stores

[BabyBearsMom]

I just saw this article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/21/plus-size-clothing-online_n_3479724.html

I am plus sized and I find this to be very true. I do nearly all of my shopping on line and really struggle to find clothes that fit that are for someone in my age range. I end up buying a lot of basics from stores that I consider a little older (Talbots or Cold Water Creek) and then trying to make the look younger with belts and necklaces and shoes. It isn't easy and I feel particularly frustrated if I need to buy something and it has to be from a B&M store due to time constraints.

[wellyes]

Right, plus size women will buy online, but they don't want plus women in the stores. So this is win-win for retailers.

[BabyBearsMom]

It just makes me wonder why. Are the stores thinking like A&F even if they aren't saying it out loud? I feel like when you are PS, you need to try clothes on even more because not just anything will look good on you.

[psimpson3-5]

This makes me so damn angry!!! :31:

It is so hard for me to find clothes. While I love shopping online, I HATE shopping online for clothes. How am I supposed to know if it will fit me? It's so annoying. I've even toyed with the idea of creating my own plus size clothing store. I did a lot of investigation and it seems that it's even difficult to find wholesalers with decent, cute, good looking plus size clothes. And don't even get me started on plus size maternity clothes.....

[wellyes]

The evidence suggests that many customers who are not plus sized prefer to shop in stores with people of their own size.

[boolady]

And as irritating as all of that is, it irritates me even more that in Old Navy, for example, you can't even return your plus size items to the store, which you used to be able to do. No, free returns doesn't make up for the hassle of having to mail my stuff back when anyone else can walk in the store and return. My fluffy clothes won't infect yours with fat. I promise.

[psimpson3-5]

And as irritating as all of that is, it irritates me even more that in Old Navy, for example, you can't even return your plus size items to the store, which you used to be able to do. No, free returns doesn't make up for the hassle of having to mail my stuff back when anyone else can walk in the store and return. My fluffy clothes won't infect yours with fat. I promise.

Agreed!!! I haven't bought any of their PS clothing in some time bc this annoys me. I also find that their pants fit me funny and their shirts are typically not long enough IMO.

[BabyBearsMom]

My fluffy clothes won't infect yours with fat. I promise.:ROTFLMAO: Yes, we are like zombies. If you have close contact with us, you will be infected!

[AnnieW625]

I am 12/14 so not quite plus size, but I experience the same thing here as well and it is never easy to find the larger sizes out in stores like Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, Gap, and even Athleta because of the general "healthy skinny" lifestyle that everyone assumes is the Southern California lifestyle. The closest mall to me is in a hugely populated Asian/Indian area too so there is always more size 2-8 than there is 10-14 (DH has the same problem buying pants abd he wears a 32-32). I ran into this same problem when I was a solid 8-10 pre kids. I think it is absolutely absurd and it pisses me off as well. I too find myself trending towards Talbots for work dresses and tops now because I know their sizes are pretty consistent, but I do get annoyed with their not keeping the same stuff online as they do in the stores and I hate how some stores have some items but not the others.

eta: I also hate returns by mail and The Gap stores are the worst offenders. I went through it a lot when I was pregnant with my kids.

[Globetrotter]

It's frustrating, but I have the same problem with petite clothes. There is a small selection in the stores (similar to plus sizes) and many stores don't carry them in B and M locations at all so you usually have to order online.

[wendibird22]

It's frustrating, but I have the same problem with petite clothes. There is a small selection in the stores (similar to plus sizes) and many stores don't carry them in B and M locations at all so you usually have to order online.

Yeah that. My mom is plus size and I'm petite. We commiserate all the time.

[carolinacool]

And as irritating as all of that is, it irritates me even more that in Old Navy, for example, you can't even return your plus size items to the store, which you used to be able to do. No, free returns doesn't make up for the hassle of having to mail my stuff back when anyone else can walk in the store and return. My fluffy clothes won't infect yours with fat. I promise.

Exactly. Old Navy drives me crazy. I'm a size 18-20, but I can wear the "regular" sizes 18 and 20, so at least I had that when they yanked the plus sizes out of the stores - a lot of the time I would try on both an 18 and the 18W. But since then, they have taken a good bit of those out of the stores. The only size 20s they sell in store now are jeans and a few pairs of pants. No shorts in size 18 and 20 and no skirts in XXL in store.

I have a few things from Maurices, which is a typical mall store but in my price range. it might be a couple of years too young for me, but I appreciate that they have a plus-size line and are happy to promote it.

[ang79]

It's frustrating, but I have the same problem with petite clothes. There is a small selection in the stores (similar to plus sizes) and many stores don't carry them in B and M locations at all so you usually have to order online.

I'm petite and I hate shopping for pants, as very few stores carry petite or short length in store, but I prefer to try things on as I'm picky about fit. And I'm a bargain shopper and it seems that petite clothing never goes on clearance like other sizes either. So I end up paying full price from a very small selection, or ordering tons of stuff online with places that have free returns, then returning the bulk of my order because it doesn't fit right (the Kohls CSRs at my store know me very well from all my returns - thankfully they are very nice about it!).

[vludmilla]

And as irritating as all of that is, it irritates me even more that in Old Navy, for example, you can't even return your plus size items to the store, which you used to be able to do. No, free returns doesn't make up for the hassle of having to mail my stuff back when anyone else can walk in the store and return. My fluffy clothes won't infect yours with fat. I promise.

Not saying you shouldn't be annoyed by this but I, who am not plus size, cannot return my tall size clothes in Old Navy stores. I need to return them by mail like you. In this case, I think it is a matter of logistics; Old Navy doesn't sell tall size clothes in their stores either. I certainly wish they did as it would make my life easier. In fact, almost no store carries their tall line in store and when they do, it is usually only a small fraction of the total line. I don't think they are trying to keep tall and thin women out of the store, right?

[anamika]

The closest mall to me is in a hugely populated Asian/Indian area too so there is always more size 2-8 than there is 10-14 (DH has the same problem buying pants abd he wears a 32-32).

I am really scratching my head as to why the Asian demographic affects clothing sizes? Asians come in all sizes too ;)

[Gracemom]

I have been pretty much the same size for 20 years (size 16-18) and I have to say that the selection of plus sized clothes in stores is much, much better than it used to be! But we do still have a long way to go. I'd love to buy Athleta clothes, for example, since I love to exercise. I want to look cute when I'm active too!

[anonomom]

I've stopped buying online from stores who won't sell plus sizes at B&M locations. If a store doesn't want me in it, then it doesn't need me to send it my money, either. I buy most of my my clothes at Kohls, Target or Land's End.

[AnnieW625]

I am really scratching my head as to why the Asian demographic affects clothing sizes? Asians come in all sizes too ;)

I don't get the practice either and had never noticed such a slim selection of larger 10-16 sized clothes at all until I moved to my general area of So Cal (SE LA County/NW Orange County) at all until I started shopping at this particular shopping mall (about 3 miles from my house) until I moved to my house in 2005. I had no idea that they would do this, but since then I have just noticed that there are always lots of smaller sizes and the Petites section seems larger as well in some stores like this mall's Macy's. stocked vs. a nice variety of all sizes. I am sure that all stores do a similar practice, they keep out what they know is going to sell so if a store sells more smaller sizes they will keep more of them out so maybe it isn't all Asians who in general are often of smaller stature, but I still think that demographically speaking it does have a large factor of just how much the store sells of what sizes (the city of where the mall is located is 61% Asian, and the neighboring tiny city has a large Indian population, which makes up about 20% of the other population....per wikipedia). Again I could be completely wrong on that theory, but based on my experience it makes sense to me.

[ett]

I am really scratching my head as to why the Asian demographic affects clothing sizes? Asians come in all sizes too ;)

Yes, Asians come in all sizes but in general they skew toward the smaller sizes.

[Globetrotter]

Yes, Asians come in all sizes but in general they skew toward the smaller sizes.

I don't think this necessarily applies to South Asians/Indians, but women from other Asian ethnicities around here tend to be on the small side, both in height and weight!

[sweet_pea]

It's frustrating, but I have the same problem with petite clothes. There is a small selection in the stores (similar to plus sizes) and many stores don't carry them in B and M locations at all so you usually have to order online.

:yeahthat:

[boolady]

It's frustrating, but I have the same problem with petite clothes. There is a small selection in the stores (similar to plus sizes) and many stores don't carry them in B and M locations at all so you usually have to order online.

I just find that at a lot of stores I'd like to shop at, Ann Taylor and Loft, for example, they have pretty extensive petite lines in store. If you need an 18 or a 20, it's online only. Really? You can't just add one or two of each of those sizes in store?

The closest Nordstrom to me has a fairly large petite section, but despite being a newer store, has a pitiful plus size section. The sales associate even commented on it to me the last time I was there, when I was asking about some things I'd seen online. She told me that there was virtually nothing she'd wear in store, and that she didn't know why their in-store selection was so poor. I thought maybe it was just me, so I appreciated her candor.

[carolinacool]

And I hate when stores talk about stuff being "exclusively!!" on line. Like it's a good thing.

Can we discuss whatever happened to Target's plus-size department? Basically, it was never great. But now it seems even more pathetic. And everything - at least at my stores - is crammed onto four racks. Last year, the swimsuit choices were fantastic. Lots of different styles and different types of bottoms in several colors. Stuff that would appeal to teens and younger adults. This year, just one rack of "mature" looks and the only bottoms in-store are black briefs and shorts. And I remember the younger-styled stuff sold great last year. I don't get it.

[BabyBearsMom]

And I hate when stores talk about stuff being "exclusively!!" on line. Like it's a good thing.

Can we discuss whatever happened to Target's plus-size department? Basically, it was never great. But now it seems even more pathetic. And everything - at least at my stores - is crammed onto four racks. Last year, the swimsuit choices were fantastic. Lots of different styles and different types of bottoms in several colors. Stuff that would appeal to teens and younger adults. This year, just one rack of "mature" looks and the only bottoms in-store are black briefs and shorts. And I remember the younger-styled stuff sold great last year. I don't get it.

ITA on Target. I feel like their plus size clothes look really frumpy and trashy, at least the ones at my store. I want to tell people that the "F" in fat does not stand for Frumpy!! Just because I am bigger does not mean I want to wear a moomoo. Also, just because I am big does not mean that I only wear jeans and t-shirts. I have a career and need nice career clothes too! It's frustrating.

[carolinacool]

Also, just because I am big does not mean that I only wear jeans and t-shirts.

Yes! Yes! Yes! I was about to mention the obsession with basic t-shirts! If you are only going to give us four racks, please don't take up half of it with these super basic, boring clothes!