Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Money matters

Find financial and money-saving discussions including debt and pension chat on our Money forum. If you're looking for ways to make your money to go further, sign up to our Moneysaver emails here.

Original poster

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

120 replies

Ioana97 · 28/01/2022 23:11

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?

OP posts:
Svara · 29/01/2022 10:29

@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?
They often do it for children's clothes. It would be a similar level of work put in across sizes but more fabric, they take up more space in transportation and storage and so on.
Svara · 29/01/2022 10:32

It's not fair to expect one shopper to subsidise another if bigger sizes drive a single price up across all sizes, so I would say it's more ethical for people to pay for what they need.

RamonaFlowers1 · 29/01/2022 11:09

Didn't M&S have to cut the prices of their bigger bras by £2 to match the smaller sizes a few years ago because so many people complained? As someone who is cursed blessed with a 34J size I hate only being able to order bras online and having to pay so much more for them, when it's not my fault they're this size. I'd love to be able to buy bras from Primark!

inheritancetrack · 29/01/2022 11:12

If it's n actual plus size range, then I think you would get away with that. As a customer I would feel judged and resentful if I had to may more for a larger size, and I am a 10/12. I'd work out the difference and spread over the ranges.

Cheekypeach · 29/01/2022 11:14

Fine in my opinion. A size 8 items only uses around half the material of a size 20, so why charge the same?

JessicaJacket · 29/01/2022 11:15

The other thing to remember is that MN has a reputation for being very 'fatphobic', so the answers you get here might not be representative of the general population

gogohm · 29/01/2022 11:16

@SportsMother

Yes at the very cheapest end of the market pennies could be the profit but on a £50 retail dress let's say, a size 20 may cost £1 more to manufacture and ship than a size 10. If they added £1 nobody would mind (with full transparency) but of course we all know that won't happen, it would be £10 extra, same with shoes, are you prepared to pay more than me for shoes (I'm a size 4)?

Kids are different because there's a huge difference between a newborn baby and a 12 year old

gogohm · 29/01/2022 11:17

Remember fixed overheads don't change too

DietrichandDiMaggio · 29/01/2022 11:21

@CeeceeBloomingdale

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?
Well I've always felt a bit aggrieved that I can't go slightly over my baggage allowance, but could weigh twice what I do and nobody would care.
Cheekypeach · 29/01/2022 11:50

[quote gogohm]@SportsMother

Yes at the very cheapest end of the market pennies could be the profit but on a £50 retail dress let's say, a size 20 may cost £1 more to manufacture and ship than a size 10. If they added £1 nobody would mind (with full transparency) but of course we all know that won't happen, it would be £10 extra, same with shoes, are you prepared to pay more than me for shoes (I'm a size 4)?

Kids are different because there's a huge difference between a newborn baby and a 12 year old [/quote]
But if they priced according to how much items are to make, then the dress wouldn’t cost £50 to start with, would it?

Original poster
Ioana97 · 30/01/2022 10:17

I am only working in fashion bussines for a well known brand, my opinion is not too important for them.
If any one of us we say our opinion at random times in random places our opinion dosen't change anything, but if we make a little comunity where we can discus ideas and show support to this idea the old rules might change, evrybody can contribute with simple presence , ideas, maybe little correction , English is not my native languange so please forgive me for writing mistakes,
Anybody wanna join?

OP posts:
AgentCarterRocks · 30/01/2022 10:20

You've mentioned shoes. Is it reasonable to penalise someone with big feet over someone with small feet? It's not like they can do anything about their shoe size.

Original poster
Ioana97 · 30/01/2022 10:31

@AgentCarterRocks

You've mentioned shoes. Is it reasonable to penalise someone with big feet over someone with small feet? It's not like they can do anything about their shoe size.
it's not penalizing it's only the mathematics of production and logistics, when you put data in the system , the system can calculate the correct price till the last penny it's not somebody there thinking . At the moment we penalize the small people by passing the extra of some bigger products to them, is that correct? i don't want to offend anybody, i honeslty respect evrybody no matter how they look, or background.
OP posts:
GizmosEveningBath · 30/01/2022 10:32

Oh I am really on the fence with this one. When I was slim I really resented paying the same amount for half the material, I know that paying more would probably motivate me to lose weight.

That being said obesity and poverty are linked so it seems counter productive to charge people most at risk of poverty more for thier clothes. Also size is not always the individual's fault. I hate that I often have to pay more for DS's clothes because he is tall for his age.

Svara · 30/01/2022 10:35

@AgentCarterRocks

You've mentioned shoes. Is it reasonable to penalise someone with big feet over someone with small feet? It's not like they can do anything about their shoe size.
I'm a UK 6.5, if I was a 5 I could just buy children's and pay less. So it's already a thing anyway.
sashh · 30/01/2022 10:45

Ridiculous idea.

The cloth and thread are the cheapest parts of manufacturing, it is more difficult to make smaller clothes.

If you wanted to do it surely you would also have to cut the price on things like trouser length, I often have to take trousers up by a significant amount, I'd prefer being able to buy them the right length but that's not often possible.

And that also shows the flaw in the original premise, if the couple of inches between a size 14 and a 20 makes a difference then why don't manufacturers make women's trousers in different legnths?

BonkMyPop · 30/01/2022 11:15

Well it would cost more fabric for the larger sizes and I’ve been both ends of the size spectrum in my time.

It’s the brand values though, you’d alienate and risk the way your customers view you, not even those who are on the bigger scale either.

Having worked for a fashion retail HQ, I’d generally cost up per line rather than size per line.

SportsMother · 30/01/2022 11:26

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
Ioana97 · 30/01/2022 12:31

I just bought from ikea NORDRUTA bed linen king size for £17 same thing for single bed was only £12
and on that you don't have so manny stitches , and paterns to thing about like on chloting
Is that wrong?

So if anybody feel that we need to change something about the way ccmpanyes are making the prices let me know on pm, we can make something online , i can provide anything that is required to make a forum or anything that we agree togheter were we can say or opinion and show how manny we are, if each other invite 1-2 friends we will be enough to make our opinion matter for big brands,
you can write me here or pm

OP posts:
RavenclawDiadem · 30/01/2022 17:16

Can totally see the logic and yes it happens with kids' clothes.

Wouldn't like to be a shop assistant in a store which implements the policy though.

Crimeismymiddlename · 30/01/2022 17:36

In principle I would not mind, businesses do have costs and it makes sense for bigger clothes to be more expensive. You would get massive negative publicity for it, lots of big bopo accounts would latch on to it.

Crimeismymiddlename · 30/01/2022 17:40

Though adding to that, as am absolutely sick of not being able to by jeans/trousers in my perfectly normal leg length and all shirts/jumpers and coats having freakishly long arms I would gladly pay a little extra for stuff that actually fits.

LethargicActress · 30/01/2022 17:46

This is a good idea that makes a lot of sense. As long as the price for the larger sizes does only reflect the extra material needed, the I can’t see how anyone could reasonably claim that it’s unfair.

Zazdar · 30/01/2022 17:47

Well I've always felt a bit aggrieved that I can't go slightly over my baggage allowance, but could weigh twice what I do and nobody would care.

You might be asked to pay for two seats.

EmpressCixi · 30/01/2022 17:51

I think it is logical and ethical. Unfortunately, the majority of people are overweight/bigger sized and they will argue against anything that involves a cost increase to them. So it is going to be a unpopular move. Probably one that your brand will be vocally shamed into reversing. Not worth the bad publicity imho.