Is it okay for clothing companies to charge cheaper prices for smaller sizes?

[Ioana97]

I am working for a fashion brand , and i heard discusions that they are considering to make prices based by size of chloting since the cost of materials, labour, logistics are cheaper for smaller sizes.
They are talking about ranking the price on few levels based by size not like some shops that have avarage and plus size.
The question is that moral, ethic what do you think?

Honestly I think there is probably an argument for it.
Not to increase based on size alone but for those outside the most popular sizes to be more expensive (both smaller and bigger)
It's just common SNES that ther is les profit margin for them in producing garments at either he did the scale

yes ok

Common sense

Yes, more fabric, higher cost per unit.

A step too far for adults (although I don't mind it so much for childrens clothing).
What next? Weighing passengers on planes and charging excess baggage on their spare tyre?

How much of the cost has anything to do with the size (as a percentage)? many costs are fixed, of the variable costs, how much is the cost of the additional materials? How much extra time? How much extra weight for shipping? Is it 50p? £1, more? My suspicion is it's pennies

It makes sense / more fabric and materials used = higher cost. They do it with kids sizes so why is it suddenly considered bad for adults.

The cost of importing goods from china inrceased a lot in last year,
we have some plastic boxes that are around 50 cm long, if we get size 12 shoes we can put one or two pair of shoes in that box, if are smaller sizes we can put up to six pair of shoes depending on size and model, so a picker in the warehouse can handle maybe 15-30 pair of big shoes and if are small over 100 , same thing with delivery van, on one delivery we can put much more chlotes, shoes, if are smaller size.
We offer free delivery, the cost for betwen smaller sizes and bigger are one can be over 35% from smallest size to biggest, but we make the average and we charge a flat price, it's a difficult choicefor company but now the people with smaller sizes and sometimes kids pay full price only subsidize larger size

Children's clothing brands charge more for larger sizes.

I can't think of a reason why adult clothes wouldn't be the same. . The amount of material for a size 26 dress must be at least twice that of a size 10.

I suppose it depends if the garment is made of 30p per metre cheesecloth, or is a £30 per metre woven cashmere coat.

Tricky... I think that some companies onlu stock up to an 18 or sometimes below for this reason. My gut feeling is that, if you choose to sell bigger sizes, the additional costs to produce those garments should be split across all sizes. Because, the average dress size in the UK is quite big these days. If you decide to charge people buying those sizes more than other people, you are potentially risking alienating the sector of the market you probably want to keep. If you appear to be favouring size 6s for example over 16s, and you lose all your size 16 customers, but keep the size 6s, you will probably have lost a larger chunk of custom.

I think it’s fair enough, prices can increase with size on a lot of other things, e.g. curtains, bedding, table cloths.

I think it's fair enough. Surely the alternative is that you make all sizes the same price, so people buying smaller sizes that had a lower cost to make/transport etc are subsidising the people buying larger sizes?

As pp have said, an age 3-4 dress would be cheaper than an age 8-9 for example so how it is any different for adult clothes?

As a manufacturer, you either try to absorb that cost and don't make any money and you go out of business — or you have to pass that cost on, passing it people wearing smaller size if they don't complain.
If a plus-size garment uses 30 to 40 per cent more cloth — and fabric accounts for about 40 per cent of the price — you can see why the cost might be more to the retailer

You're a business and can charge as you see fit, but you'll piss off at least some of the people who need the more expensive sizes.

Yes, I think this is fine. We're charged more for larger children's sizes. And where else would you pay the same regardless of what size you're buying? You pay more for larger drinks, larger meals, larger cars. Let's stop pretending that being fat is no different to being slim.

Why should a size 10 person pay the same as a size 22 person but get half the product?

I’d be all for paying by size.

You’re not only paying for the fabric and time to sew it, and weight / volume cost to ship it.
You’re paying for the soap in the bathroom at head office. For the employer pension contribution for the staff. For the advertising space of Mumsnet… for so so so so many things that aren’t dependent on garment size.

So yes, it’s fair to charge more. But if it’s 2x as much fabric, then 2x the price is unfair.

Nothing to do with morals - everything to do with Total Delivered Cost, and a brand thinks their consumer base will accept.

*what a brand thinks

I think if you’re doing this with adults clothing it makes more sense to do multiple small price increases as the sizes get bigger, rather than just one or two. This way is increase each time are smaller, and you’re less likely to piss off the people who straddle point in the size continuum where the price increases occur. So if the same shirt in size 6&8 costs £50, £53 pounds for size 10&12, £56 for size 14&16, £59 for 18-20 and £62 for 22&24. Someone will not be too pissed off about the 3 pounds difference if it means getting a size that actually fits, and someone who is a size 24 can see that the prices clearly increase for everyone as the amount of fabric goes up.

If adding, say, a size 24 to the range, and keeping all prices the same increases cost per unit it may then decrease sales. Charging more for the size 24 may be the only way it makes financial sense to add it to the range.

Is have to buy tall, they are normally more expensive

@ClariceQuiff

You're a business and can charge as you see fit, but you'll piss off at least some of the people who need the more expensive sizes.

Yes, this is what I was saying, but a lot more concise! At least some bigger sizes will refuse to shop with you if you do this. It might seem right to you and others on here, but since you presumably don't want to lose custom, I wouldn't do this, UNLESS you specifically want to keep smaller sized shoppers only. So don't make the bigger sizes. Loads of shops do this. I think what you're proposing is actually more controversial, and will annoy more people. It's quite a big market to lose though for the sake of doing what you perceive to be morally right and ethical, but maybe that's a hit you have to take. Good luck!

I think it's fine since it happens with kids clothes. More material needed and weighs more for shipping.