To say this is such a dated thing to do?

[plumpylumpydumpy]

I work in charity retail.
My colleague wants to create a separate area for larger sizes for women.
I hate the idea.
My reasons:
It will have a sign saying 'curvy and voluptuous' or whatever! I'm overweight myself and wear a size 18 and don't think of myself as curvy or any other term which avoids saying I'm overweight.
It's only for women. There's no section for men. Whatever size they are, all clothes go in together.
We wouldn't separate out the size 6s and 8s and have a section for that so why always larger people?
Also, I can't really think of any high street store which does this now and after reading up a bit, high street retailers seem to go along the lines of size inclusive now, rather than separation, which leads me to think it's dated.
I know being overweight isn't a protected characteristic but people do have different reasons for being overweight and it could relate to illness, disability or mental health.
AIBU to think this is an out of date concept?

Who goes in thinking “right I need a green top today”

I do . I often take this approach if I'm trying to put together an outfit.

YANBU. All you need to do is arrange the stuff on the rails according to size.

@SquirryTheSquirrel

Who goes in thinking “right I need a green top today”

I do . I often take this approach if I'm trying to put together an outfit.

But how difficult is it realistically to pick out the green stuff when you look at the rail?

there's a charity shop I know where merchandise is organised by colour - they don't really have enough for it to make sense, would much prefer that size is top priority.
No particular thoughts on 'plus size' - suppose it depends on the cut off and volume. Currently a 16/18, probably would have preferred it when I needed larger sizes - wading through size 10/12 before you get to the tents is depressing.

@BikeRunSki

It seems pointless. Aren’t the clothes sorted by size, with size cubes on the hangers anyway?

Maybe separate out the vintage stuff. Those sizes are nothing like modern sizing!

Yes, you only have to move along to the end of the rail if it's in size order so not sure why the want a plus size section.

@Gwenhwyfar

"I think most charity shops these days organise their rails according to size"

That's stilly since the clothes come from totally different places. It wouldn't tell you the real size at all.
The shops I went to had tops, skirts, etc. and then you could use your eyes to judge the sizes as well as the label on them.

But surely it's more helpful if you only need to use your eyes on a couple of sections which you know are going to be roughly your size, rather than having to look at every item of stock? I can't judge the size of a top without taking it off the rail, so it would be a complete pain in the neck if there weren't at least some organisation into different sizes.

It would be greater if you could separate clothes by size, irrespective of petite or overweight

But how difficult is it realistically to pick out the green stuff when you look at the rail?

Oh, yes, I agree it's easy enough to look for the colour you want no matter how the shop is organised.

I always assumed the displaying-by-colour was for aesthetic reasons TBH.

My pet hate is CDs/books on those revolving stands. You can look at the spines on one side, fine, but not the other side meaning it takes ages to go through them one by one.

CDs/DVDs/books on proper shelves please - bonus point if they are in alphabetical order, but just being able to see the spines at a glance would be fine.

I work in a charity shop and I am plus size.

We have two plus size racks.

Clothes are sorted by type (tops, trousers, skirts, dresses etc) and then by colour (head office edict to make us look more boutique-y). We then have the plus size section and the other sizes section. We don’t separate the non-plus size clothes into sizes, they all get mixed up together according to colour.

As a shopper, I like it. As a shop worker, a number of customers have told me they like it. I assume for the same reason as me - I don’t pull out a gorgeous dress, realise it is a size six and feel shitty about myself. I like knowing exactly where to look for my size, because the vast majority of stuff in the shop doesn’t fit me.

It’s definitely a dated concept. I know stores used to have a ‘curves’ section, but I haven’t seen one in years. Most brands either put their larger sizes online only, or just offer their range in a wider variety of sizes, with all of them together. As a fat woman, I don’t really like the idea of having to stand in a section with a great big ‘curvy and voluptuous and rubenesque’ sign or whatever over my head.

I know what colours suit me and which don't so I avoid pinks, yellows, pastels, blacks etc. If you have several circular rails you can sort by clothing type, colours or size really.

I think it is completely unnecessary. I would have thought that space would be an issue to have a completely different section.

DD loves charity shop shopping, and likes to buy oversized clothes that she can amend with a sewing needle and thread. Just putting clothes on rails in size order is pretty sensible IMO.

I’d prefer it if everything was sorted by size! Right from size 6 up to size 26 or whatever. Then nobody is singled out.

Size is the one thing that is non-negotiable in clothes shopping. I like shopping in TK Max for this reason.

Sorting by colour is a nuisance, I can’t be bothered with charity shops that do this. Why do they do it?

In the bigger retail stores in Australia, clothes are organised this way, what’s the problem doing it in a charity shop too?

@TheFrogsAreDying

In the bigger retail stores in Australia, clothes are organised this way, what’s the problem doing it in a charity shop too?

Beacsue charity shops in the UK are usually very small and there isn't enough space.

Because!

@FoxgloveSummers

I’m torn because I agree with you OP that it’s a double standard etc. But on the other hand if you don’t get much stock in those sizes it might be nice for some customers to be able to see quickly what’s in. I have large boobs and some branches of M&S have a Big Tit Ghetto where the stock the ranges they actually do in sizes bigger than E (or whatever), I find it annoying to see all the pretty things I can’t have in the other sections but it does save time.

I'm sorry, what???? A Big Tit Ghetto?? Like, those who are large of nork are some sort of unclean underclass?

(I'm small-boobed, I don't have skin in this game, but my family escaped the Warsaw ghetto and this appalls me!)

there is a new Yours shop opened up near me,
i wouldnt go in there,
same as Evans, i wouldnt physically go in there

i dont agree with colour sorting,

"But surely it's more helpful if you only need to use your eyes on a couple of sections which you know are going to be roughly your size, rather than having to look at every item of stock?"

I'm a 10 to 12, but own clothes from 6 to 16 so I'd have to look at every rail really, which I wouldn't do of course.

@MrsLargeEmbodied

there is a new Yours shop opened up near me, i wouldnt go in there, same as Evans, i wouldnt physically go in there

Why not?

Well I'm only very averagely overweight, and I think it's ridiculous.
If it's not being suggested to male customers that their sensitivities around being overweight need to be minded with extra privacy then why is it being ''offered'' to women?

I went in am Evans shop and they were so nice.

shame @RampantIvy

If it's not being suggested to male customers that their sensitivities around being overweight need to be minded with extra privacy then why is it being ''offered'' to women?

One point re. men/women is that there are always far fewer men's clothes in charity shops. I am guessing because men don't need/buy as many clothes as women in the first place (can get away with same trousers/different top several days running), and they are more likely to keep clothes until they are worn out