Plus size shop employment - is this legal ?

[laceygo]

DD 16 has just filled in an online application for a Saturday job in a plus size clothes shop, and right at the end it says ' all employees are required to wear our clothes as uniform , size range starts at size 16, please tick if you can fulfil this requirement '
Is this legal ? Just sounds a bit off to us

But there are hardly any plus sized shops now,there's none near me,all on line ,so does that mean a larger person can't get a job in a clothes shop now? ..it is discrimination against fatter people simply because hardly any shops stockbigger sizes ....

I used to work in Evans many many years ago, none of the staff were able to wear the clothes as too small, but in the 3 years I worked there and job vacancies became available not one plus sized lady ever applied for a job there, I loved working there and had a great rapport with many of the regulars, much more fun than when I worked in an upmarket 'British' clothes shop.

I shall make sure I look at the sizes of shop assistants in future now ,because I've seen quite a few fat people in Tesco and Sainsbuys but none in next ,none in river island...

I don't think shops should be able to dictate where the clothes you wear at work come from, but I think I'm in a minority there.

Being fat or thin is not a protected characteristic. This is not discrimination.

Many shops do this. Hobbs and Cos for example. It is helpful for shoppers as they see what clothes look like when on and it is good for the shop as customers spot and perhaps buy things they wouldn't have noticed.

I'm just back from Paris and I tried on a dress in a boutique soley because it looked great on an assistant. It didn't look as good on me as it did on her but she was able to reccommend another one (which I bought) as she then knew what I liked. For reference the assistant and I both need a generous size 14.

I don't think shops should be able to dictate where the clothes you wear at work come from, but I think I'm in a minority there

It depends on the shop. Shops like Cos, Hobbs , Gudrun Sjoden and the shop in Paris I mentioned have a very specific "look". It would look peculiar if the assistants didn't fit with it.

I worked in River island as a size 22. That was a few years back though. I can't walk around any shop without my jacket on as I always get asked for assistance. Thought it was just because of me being big as it only ever happened in Evans but happened in H&M last month.

Do staff who work at shops that require you to wear their clothes as uniform have to buy the clothes or do they borrow them?

I assume they buy, but I hope they get a greater than usual discount.

Legally, I think it's generally accepted that employers can require their employees' appearance to be a certain way. Requiring someone to be within a clothing size range would fall into that. It would only be unlawful discrimination if a would-be employee had a disability that affected their weight and the employer refused to make any adjustments.

Morally ... again, is it really that different to an employer requiring that employees have hair shorter than a certain length, no visible tattoos, that kind of thing?

@Andylion They buy at a big discount. (75% at the shop that ds1 is trying to work at)

@Andylion

Do staff who work at shops that require you to wear their clothes as uniform have to buy the clothes or do they borrow them?

I assume they buy, but I hope they get a greater than usual discount.

Iworked in retail for 7 years, i got an allowance of free clothes and everything else was 40%.

As a sales assistant you are there to sell the clothes to people, a lot easier to do if you have tried it all on and own some of it.

Nobody seems to be addressing the topic of men being less desirable for the role of wearing their clothes is a 'requirement'

The man who doesn't get the job could argue he was sexually discriminated against because he's male and won't be wearing women's clothes - The form clearly says it's a requirement.

I remember blokes working in Evans. They wore black shirts and trousers.

yours do also sell mens clothes from the Bad Rhino range (I think that's it) so it wouldn't be an issue.

If a plus-size person wanted to work at a regular-size clothes shop, and they had the same requirement to wear the merchandise as uniform (which lots of clothes shops do) then they wouldn’t be able to work there either. It goes both ways.

This.

I’m plus size and seen slim staff in Yours and Evans though

-This is not discrimination..

It is, it’s just not unlawful discrimination

The thing is, if you’re plus sized to the extent you’re sized out of standard high street brands, you already know you’re unlikely to get a job selling non plus size clothes. Those stores don’t have to spell it out, because size 24 women are already aware they’re probably not getting that job. Zara and Topshop and so on can leave it unsaid and have it take care of itself for the most part.

Since that doesn’t go both ways, and slim women are unlikely to feel apprehensive about applying to sell plus size clothes, the plus size stores have to make it clearer.

It’s the same with a lot of ‘front of house’ type roles. Adverts don’t spell out that they want an attractive person to be the first face clients/customers see, but we all know you have to be decent looking to get certain jobs.

Is this yours clothing OP cause my daughter had same thing when.she applied and i had questioned it at the time too. Doesnt seem right to me

This is not discrimination..

It is, it’s just not unlawful discrimination

No it is not. It is utter nonsense to say it is.

I’ve worked in top shop and river island (big London shops) . I was a size 18 at the time and whilst it wasn’t written on any application form it was very clear you had to fit in the clothes to work there. In both my interviews I was asked what size I was and there’s was tick boxes up to size 18 for TS and 20 for RI so I’m gonna make the assumption if you were over that you just would be ‘unsuccessful’.

So really it works both ways 🤷‍♀️

She can still apply and tick the box that she can wear their clothes even if she isn't a size 16 or above. It's easy enough to make clothes smaller, just not larger.
Tell her to pick clothes which will be easy to take in (not too tailored) and she'll be fine!

She can still apply and tick the box that she can wear their clothes even if she isn't a size 16 or above. It's easy enough to make clothes smaller, just not larger.
Tell her to pick clothes which will be easy to take in (not too tailored) and she'll be fine!

That is a ridiculous suggestion. The point of staff wearing the shop's clothes is that the assistants are effectively models for the clothes. What on earth is the point of altering a size 16 and above so it fits a person who is size 10?

Agree with everyone who says you’d need to wear the size 6-18 clothes in ‘straight size’ shops so I don’t see the problem.

Also, it can be embarrassing clothes shopping when fat (I’ve been a size 12 and a 20) so I’d much rather pay for pair of size 20 jeans with a similarly fat sales assistant than a teeny young woman in Topshop or whatever. Yes, that’s MY issue but it’s how I feel. It removes a level of anxiety for me.

I can see why, they want shoppers to feel comfortable buying clothing.
I remember buying a pair of size 22 jeans in dorothy perkins and the sales assistant was about a size 6 and she held them against her to fold them and i was mortified, i have never bought anything that size instore again.
A lot of plus size people feel embarrassed by their size and are more comfortable with similar sized assistants.

Also, it can be embarrassing clothes shopping when fat (I’ve been a size 12 and a 20) so I’d much rather pay for pair of size 20 jeans with a similarly fat sales assistant than a teeny young woman in Topshop or whatever. Yes, that’s MY issue but it’s how I feel. It removes a level of anxiety for me

It isn't even a case of you having to think it's "your issue". It is just common sense marketing to make customers feel comfortable. And assistants can give advice about the clothes from personal experience.