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AIBU?

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Original poster

To think high street clothing retailers should stock larger sized in store?

109 replies

PandoraMole · 05/12/2016 16:45

Just back from a lovely Christmas shopping break in a nearby UK city, but ended up cross, frustrated and disappointed with several clothes stores who cater for larger women online where they are happy to take our money, but won't stock bigger sizes in their high street stores.

Dorothy Perkins had something of an excuse as their branch is quite small, not so New Look whose enormous store doesn't stock anything - really disappointing as their online range is great.

H&M had a small range, tucked out of the way round the furthest corner at the back of their stores with next to signposting. Just a shame it comprised little more than oversized shirts and shapeless jumpers in Sixty Shades of Sludge.

It's not an unknown that lots of us come in a size beyond 16 for many reasons and we all feel differently about our bodies.

While some people prefer to shop online, I imagine that lots of women, like me, would like to buy clothes in pretty designs and colours that flatter our curves and we'd like to be able to go out shopping for them on the high street with our 'normal' sized friends, daughters, mums, sisters etc and be able to enjoy choosing clothes and trying them on in Real Life.

Not only are many retailers not giving us that choice, those that do tuck 'our' range out of the way with little signage which is a pain in the arse and not much fun for the less forthcoming types who would feel uncomfortable asking where to look for them (I'm a mouthy so and so and I didn't particularly enjoy it tbh).

Why should we have to be hidden away in discreet corners and on the internet? It has an undercurrent of body shaming to me and surely in 2016 this should be a complete non-issue?

OP posts:
Original poster
PandoraMole · 05/12/2016 23:25

Jorah

Hear hear!

Especially re the fabric - some manufacturers/retailers use really hopping material for larger clothes.

OP posts:
Original poster
PandoraMole · 05/12/2016 23:26

gopping material

OP posts:
MissVictoria · 05/12/2016 23:29

Sometimes they DO sell those size 16/18/20. but they tend to sell out faster than the 8 10 and 12's because the average dress size now is a 16.

itsawonderfulworld · 05/12/2016 23:40

I run an online clothing shop and while our suppliers make clothes up to size 18 and sometimes 20, we only order in up to size 16, very rarely 18, but only a handful if so, We ALWAYS end up stuck with the tiny and large sizes, so now we just stick with the middle ones that sell at full price. We're not a charity.

FrankAndBeans · 05/12/2016 23:43

I think as well, despite the size statistics I think a lot of the larger sizes would prefer to try on and shop for clothes in the comfort of their own home. Just because there's a large amount of plus size people doesn't mean they are the ones buying lots.

manicinsomniac · 05/12/2016 23:50

Agree with others that the shops aren't trying to moralise or to shame you. They only care about money.

I'm a size 4 and 5ft 1. Most people aren't. I can't buy adult clothes in the vast, vast majority of shops and have to either shop online or buy children's stuff. I prefer online anyway and rarely buy anything new (addicted to ebay!) so it doesn't bother me.

My size is no more healthy than yours is (probably less healthy tbh) but I don't think shops are trying to protect people from being underweight or shame me into gaining it. I think they simply know they wouldn't sell enough clothes in a 4 so don't bother wasting the space. Fair enough.

Catlady1976 · 06/12/2016 00:00

My problem is that I am between a 16 and 20 but I am also short. Petite fitting is hard to come by in larger sized and regular clothes seem to be longer as the size increases. Getting maternity clothes was the hardest. I saw some lovely things in matalan but the length was crazy in a size 20.

Bloodybridget · 06/12/2016 00:01

I'm surprised that people here are saying there isn't much demand for sizes above 16. Apparently in 2013 the average size was 16, so plenty were bigger than that, and even more now.

FrankAndBeans · 06/12/2016 00:03

I literally have one person in my life who is a size 16. It has really astonished me that a 16 is the national average! But again, businesses think with their pockets and with footfall, not just national statistics.

lalalalyra · 06/12/2016 00:04

Even New Look staff can't understand the decision to move their bigger range to online and a few selected massive shops. The manager in our local one told my friend and I last week she can see that branch going. They sold more bigger stuff than teen stuff (the layout of the shops means the teens have various other shops better than new look) and yet they've had no choice/say in the nationwide decision to change the way they do the curves range.

MikeUniformMike · 06/12/2016 15:29

I'm definitely not under 30 (or 40 despite having been 38 for quite a while)and I love Topshop and H&M. Zara is OK. Mango - went in there once and picked something up and the stitching was so poor I went out and haven't been back. I have ordered a few things from Boden - a favourite with the yummy mummies I know - and wasn't impressed. Like Per Una - just too recognisable.

I am roughly the same size as when I was a teenager - a bit saggier that's all. Either that or size 8 has got much bigger.

Sizes vary a lot from shop to shop. I find underwear a nightmare because they tend to be in sizes 34A - 38D or if I go to M&S they only stock tiny sizes (like 28AA or 30E) and not what I want (32C/D). And they tend to have padded cups - I need scaffolding not padding - or flimsy straps. Fortunately I found F&F do my size and was lucky in the sale.

Sirzy · 06/12/2016 15:41

I'm a 28E for bras - that's a nightmare shopping trip!

IonaNE · 06/12/2016 20:53

Just a bit of inspiration - I love how confident she is! :)
www.xloveleahx.co.uk/

Itchyclit · 06/12/2016 21:22

Eat less pies & doughnuts, exercise and after a while you won't find it a problem.

Original poster
PandoraMole · 06/12/2016 21:30

...but you will still be rude and ignorant Itchy

OP posts:
HelenaDove · 06/12/2016 21:31

I used to be a size 28 but am now a 12/14 (unless i buy a blouse which has to be an 18 due to being an HH cup. )

I bought a Christmas jumper from New Look today in a size 10 It fit me with some room to spare. I could have got into the 8.

Its madness Im not an 8.

I was looking all over for a Christmas jumper but they all looked huge. Are they suppossed to be big I wanted something that nipped in at the waist like some of my other tops do. The ones in F and F look massive.

HelenaDove · 06/12/2016 21:49

Im 43 and ive never shopped in Topshop I find them too expensive now and when i was younger.

And i have a gorgeous red and black lace dress from Per Una at M and S I dont find them frumpy.

Main clothes shops in our town are New Look Dorothy Perkins Peacocks and F and F at Tesco. I find DP a bit expensive now. My Christmas jumper cost me £15 at New Look. DP were charging £28 Sometimes some of us have to go with the brand we can afford rather than what age we are.

HelenaDove · 06/12/2016 21:50

My mum gave me the Per Una dress.

Original poster
PandoraMole · 06/12/2016 22:14

Some M&S stuff is lovely. I think what's available where I am is probably tailored to the somewhat elderly demographic where we are!

OP posts:
BabyGanoush · 06/12/2016 23:32

I have a lovely silk blouse from M&S, really beautiful

hungryhippo90 · 06/12/2016 23:51

Here here, you are exactly right.
At a size 12-20 (obviously not at the same time but through these sizes) I felt too fat and insecure about my size to go out shopping, I quite literally bought only things that I really needed. Shopping would be quite depressing for me.
A few years ago I reached about a size 22, but found some confidence in myself, and started to buy myself clothes that actually fitted and I honestly felt quite good about myself. I started to love shopping for myself.

I actually found new looks inspire range to be great. I bought a lot of their stuff. They took it out of most of their stores, which upset me, as a fat woman I feel it's so important to try clothes on before buying. I find after about a size 16 our body shape changes quite drastically! Maybe it's just me, being short and a generally odd shape. My arms are quite slim for my size, as are my legs, my tummy is large though!

Anyway. New look has lost my custom now. I will just use yours now

Thefitfatty · 07/12/2016 06:04

Gosh, I get quite opinionated after a couple of glasses of wine! LOL. Sorry ladies who shop at Top Shop, Zara and H&M.

I guess living in the Middle East I have a larger variety to choose from. Gap, American Eagle, Debenhams, M&S occasionally (especially for work clothes because I need to be quite conservative), and a few others I can't remember are my go to's. But I live in jeans and tee's.

I can't understand stores not stocking about a 16. I'm considered slimish, but here I generally take a 14, and there seems to be a lot of women much larger than me around. I often wonder if the Middle East gets clothes made for the Asian rather than Western market though? I remember when I was living in South Korea I could only fit in men's clothes because the women's were made so petite (and I was a size 6 then! but had hips and boobs). I find the sizing here very similar to there.

Thefitfatty · 07/12/2016 06:08

Actually I remember when I went to a Gap in Japan I went to buy a pair of jeans that said US size 6 on them. They wouldn't go on my arm much less my legs. I ended up a size 12 I think. Then less than a year later I went to a Gap in Edinburgh and the same cut jeans were hanging off me at a UK size 4 (which was the smallest in the shop).

TheNaze73 · 07/12/2016 06:12

They are retailers out to make money, not a registered charity.

YABU

Itisnoteasybeingdifferent · 07/12/2016 06:13

OP,
You have the choice about being fat and obese. You can choose to loose weight, but it appears you have decided to allow yourself to be overweight with all the assoicated health problems it bings, (there was a report yesterday saying how much disability is associated with obesity).

Other people are short, as in 4'10". . At that size they experience the same problems you describe regarding choice of clothes. But they cannot grow an extra 6". If anyone is in need of sympathy it is them, not you.