...to wish retailers would just look out the fecking window?

[somewherewest]

...inspired by our local branch of Jojo Maman Tres Expensif*, which is chocca with sunhats and swimwear despite the fact its fecking -5 outside. Seriously? There were icicles overhanging their beachwear window display last week.

*I realise this immediately discloses the fact that we're not in Toxteth or Brixton

YANBU my DD has grown out of her snowsuit and i cannot find a coat for her now i have tried just about everywhere, looks like she'll have to wear DS old one age 2-3 [buhmm]

Men probably still have coats out because of buying patterns- I'm guessing slightly here, but a man will buy a coat when he sees it, it will last a couple of years, doesn't really matter about the weather. Men have very different buying habits. Parents typically go coat shopping at set times of the year- September for back to school, or possibly October as the colder weather hits. Then again in the few weeks before Christmas for 'smarter' coats to wear to pantomime, meals out, etc. Those coats are bought to last a certain amount of months, and then the parent will go buy a 'spring' jacket- a mac or waterproof type coat.

There wasn't even spring jackets break.

Seems it's all geared up for the convenience of the store/stock rotation/putting displays and stock out. Doesn't really matter what the customer needs.

That's probably why you can't buy an Easter Egg at Easter but you can buy all the eggs you want in February....

I feel a real cow wanting to buy cold weather stuff when it's cold and warm weather stuff when it's warm.
Oh no.
It does not work like that.
All I wanted today was warm tights seeing as it's bloody freezing out and I've worn out all I have.
But no.
All they have is Cooling bare ones which is not good.

Which parents are these? I buy stuff when DS needs it: he doesn't grow at a steady pace. He started this winter in last year's coat which still fitted him, then I bought him a new one in November (on Ebay), then I bought him a second one on Ebay in January when he had an unexpected growth spurt.

Possibly I'm a man: I have been accused of it before...

I'm not a man.
I just happen to need things seasonally.

Sorry, my previous post was to BreakOutTheKaraoke.

It really can't all be down to seasonal rotation and long lead times. Why can't I buy a single long-sleeved cotton top for DS at this time of year? It would have to be an astoundingly good summer for him to want nothing but T-shirts from here to September!

lol we tried to buy gloves for the DC today but they have to order months in advance and so assumed a warm summer [buconfused]

I like the way retailers think they have our shopping habits sussed but they don't. I want a coat for a 13 year old now as he has outgrown his. He also needs the next age up school trousers and they don't exist either. Growth spurts in children. Who'd have though it?

I realise that it's all down to Head Office, lead times etc etc, but honestly, it's the UK and it's March - who on earth buys flip flops and sunhats in March???? It's not holiday season for a few months yet, why do we always have to buy a season in advance??

People going on holiday Sir. In August.

Sparkling, you're spot on with the Internet shopping. That's what more and more people will do if shops don't stock what they want when they want it. If shops refuse to listen and blame suppliers, the weather and lead times then don't blame your customers when you start losing profit to online shops. [shrugs]

Yes Curly and you don't have to click on bikinis/maxi dresses/flipflops if that's not what you want. The High Street is not geared up for customers it seems.

What needs to happen is that shops get so far ahead of themselves that they are stocking the shops now for autumn 2013. Voila - weather appropriate clothes!!!

Genius Curly.

Seeing as we don't actually get summer weather anymore, not since 2003 IIRC, then I wish the high street wouldn't stock so many flimsy, sleeveless clothes . Our office is frozen with air-con in the spring / summer, so there's no point buying summery clothes as we'll get frostbite.

Retailers don't care about that Meglet. Silly. They know what people want you see. It was ordered 9 months ago remember.

I prefer to buy in a shop.

But if they haven't got what I want on the shelves, I go online. As I did the week for a replacement plain navy jumper suitable for school for a boy. If I'd wanted a girls cardigan, with a frill, there were plenty of sizes and colours available. Only royal blue plain jumpers. There aren't any schools here that have a royal blue uniform.

I know, Sparkling - when I plan my July/Aug holiday I start buying shorts and t shirts in March. We're in Scotland, we don't get summer until at least the 23rd of August, and even then....!

I'm buying more and more stuff online, which is a PITA as I like to see/feel things in the shop, try on a whole batch of stuff, and then discard what I don't like. I can't be bothered with having to trail to the post depot to collect the stuff and pay to return the items I don't want, but it's becoming more and more necessary to buy clothes this way. DS2 had the temerity to outgrow his school trousers recently, and it was impossible to buy any from the high street.

OP YANBU.

I had a baby girl in Feb, and have struggled to dress her warmly. She spends all her time in her grobags and woollen blankets because the clothes available are all summer dresses.

Based on last year, I can't imagine her wearing these dresses in the summer, let alone in March.

Retailers need to look at the real pattern of British summers (as Meglet said = cold and wet) and introduce warmer 'summer' clothes, i.e. long sleeve tops, rain macs, summer weight cardigans.

The current stock looks suitable only for an imaginary fantasy summer.

downandout H&M have long sleeve boys T-shirts that can be layered with short sleeve ones for a bit of warmth. They also have nice bright boys summer weight jumpers.

Longfufu and Khaleese have never seen any posters in my line of business on here before!

hellooo!

Can I just add a few more points?

People in the industry managing the stock are threatened encouraged to sell through by the end of the season. You never realistically fully sell out in season unless something is an absolute best seller.

The remaining terminal stock you clear in the end of season sale. If you haven't liquidated the stock there is pressure from finance for you to mark it down and clear it by a specific date. A company's health is measured on the season age of the stock. If you have a load of out of date winter then a lot of money is tied up that you cannot spend on future trends. You will also not have the space in stores and distribution centers to store all this stock. So you have to make way for your new stock. So you have to put the money where the least risk is I.e. the season ahead.

Although you try and phase it in, you are dealing with congested ports, and blocked factories, Chinese New Year, queuing containers in Bangalore (I am long in the tooth ladies - I've seen it all [pirates stole my velvet, toy trains fell into the docks! ], so the only way to guarantee you get your stock in before Walmart is to book it earlier and earlier.

I work for a global company, but even I had to queue my production in so early that my SS13 flip flops came in at the beginning of November! If I didn't get them in then, they would have arrived by July due to prebooked capacity.

Yes seasons have always been the same, but factory production in the Far East now has to provide product to a lot of emerging markets with new found wealth now gaining speed in retail - the Middle East, India, Russia, China and many eastern Eutopean countries have growing demands in Consumerism.

God I've written an essay, and I'm supposed to be on holiday!

Incidentally - out of season stock tends to stay on the shop floor longer in Outlet stores

Our outlets still have winter down jackets and gloves and sales have actually dropped off a cliff, regardless of the cold snap. I can't afford to have 48 items of clothing on a fixture when I am selling less than one a week! My tee shirt sales have risen by 165% on last week, they need the space.

our little Tescos has mittens.

But, I know the problem I had small mid winter babies, they both spent the first two years of their lives wanting bigger Winter clothes in March and bigger Summer clothes in July, just as the seasons changed.

Dear shops this is Britain, little girls need 2 summer dresses, they need at 5 long sleeved tops and leggings, a posh winter dress and tights.

Oh and older DDs grow out of and make holes in tights after Christmas!

My two just ended up in trousers for school, tights were just imposible to get.

YANBU. DS has gone through a ridiculous growth spurt over the last few weeks and we're desperate for warm clothes for him. Looked in Asda tonight and all they have is fluorescent shorts I've just had to go on eBay to get some thermals.

What really bugs me is children's clothes. Children grow continuously, they don't conveniently stop growing in the middle of February and then have a little spurt at the end of April ready to go into the next size up of summer clothes. Nor do they do the same in the middle of August.

You should be able to buy slippers, wellies, trainers, waterproofs, gloves, hats and swimwear all year round.
Well actually you can, if you use a specialist online supplier and pay a bit more - which I would rather do.

I bought DS1 a hat/scarf/glove combo from Asda this winter to use for school rather than using his lovely ones that my Mum knitted for him. They have all fallen apart, and because of this infernally long winter he still needs them. But I can't find anything.

I hardly ever buy anything for the DSs in town because it is all 6 months ahead, by which time they may or may not have grown. The high street needs to get its act together or more and more places are going to go under. It is all very well saying 'this is just how it is', but until people in the industry actually accept that the current model isn't working for consumers then nothing is going to change.
Perhaps when everyone felt more flush a few years ago people didn't mind buying in advance and wasting some cash on things that eventually didn't get used, but not any longer.

As for not being able to buy Easter Eggs at Easter, don't get me started.

Wally will no doubt know more than me on this but I think one of the problems is January Sales. Why are clothing retailers clearing their winter stock, slap bang in the middle of winter?

Surely, Easter Sales would be more appropriate, clear winter stock for spring, give 6 months for Spring/Summer collections to sell through before September/Autumn sales?

As it stands, A/W stock starts appearing July-ish time, giving a max of 5 months to sell the clothes we all wear for at least 7 months of the year. So 7 months of the year, the new stock on offer is 'summer', hardly a reliable proposition in the British climate.