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Clothing Sales are down - No surprise

207 replies

TheSuggestedAmendment · 16/02/2024 13:51

So the ONS data on retail is out. And sales of everything including food and leisure went up in December - except clothes.

Just a suggestion here but could it be because clothes have become wildly over priced at every level and consumers are just saying no?

Retail sales, Great Britain - Office for National Statistics

Retail sales rebound in January following record falls in December, according to a first estimate.

https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/retailindustry/bulletins/retailsales/january2024

OP posts:
Unexpectedlysinglemum · 16/02/2024 16:02

I think a lot of people work at home and no one can afford to go out as much so there is less social pressure to have new outfits

Also Vinted

Robotik · 16/02/2024 16:06

The shops are full of stuff that’s too short for me! I’m only five six but I think I have a long body and I wouldn’t want my tummy showing after three children. I’m only 36 and I find it hard to find anything I like. I’ve found a few casual tops on SHEIN and then I look on Vinted for lots of stuff. Marks and Spencer leggings are £29, I found a bundle of them on Vinted for £10. Why would I pay £30 for leggings when I can get a bunch for a third of the price? But mostly it’s because I hate current fashions. I love leggings and ankle grazer jeans and nice t shirts and I can’t find anything.

shielder · 16/02/2024 16:07

Wages have stagnated over the last 15 years but clothes are being sold for almost double what they were 10 years ago. In the end, that's going to cause sales problems.

Wages have stagnated but loads of things have gone up; houses, travel, clothes, food, transport

TheOGCCL · 16/02/2024 16:13

Agree with all of the comments above.

There's a bit of a paradox really where some clothes are far too cheap and some are far too expensive.

Putting aside the lack of parallel between item and price, cheap clothes don't last and with all the environmental pressure, the thriving 'preloved' market and the wfh phenomenon, even the fact people go out to socialise less, there's just less appetite.

Everything has just got totally out of whack. Retailers think they can just continue to sell us any old tat, badly made, poor fabrics as that seems to have worked in the past. But it doesn't when people don't have as much money, or as much reason. This applies to places like Next and Matalan where the quality has absolutely dive bombed, as well as it does to Shein.

If should be the case that you could save up and get something really nice and long lasting for your money, but it isn't. Spending more money doesn't guarantee you better fabrics or cuts. Many people talk about the expectation that clothing should not be dirt cheap now and how if costs really reflected how much a garment cost to make clothes would be much more expensive. I get that but where are the equivalent mid ranges like the St Michael of old?

I also agree with pp that the same fashions seem to hang around for years so that's no driver either. We see the same looks from influencers again and again. As long as you have baggier bottoms, a tighter or cropped top, long wool coat and trainers, you're pretty much sorted. Ideally in grey or beige.

AsTheyPulledYouOutOfTheOxygenTent · 16/02/2024 16:15

There's also been a steady news push for a few years on the environmental cost of fast fashion and the moral benefits of buying fewer superfluous clothes. It's possible that that drip drip drip effect across all areas of the media is starting to have an effect on people's behaviour.

F1ymetothetoon · 16/02/2024 16:54

I buy all my clothes on Vinted with the exception of underwear and socks. Can't be doing with the faff of trying on in shops (that's assuming they actually have decent changing rooms). I minimise mistakes on Vinted by sticking to a few decent quality brands that I know my sizes in and rarely receive a 'dud'.

Comedycook · 16/02/2024 17:04

Also the stigma has gone from second hand clothes now. Years ago, in the 1980/90s, my mother was utterly horrified at the thought of wearing second hand clothes...I still had that hangover for ages but I'm over it now!

shielder · 16/02/2024 17:54

Vintage was a thing in the 90s & people have been buying 2nd hand from thrift stores, charity shops, ebay etc way before Vinted came along.

MidnightMeltdown · 16/02/2024 18:04

TheDowagerDoughnut · 16/02/2024 15:57

Anyway, clothes should be expensive imo. Make people really think before buying

But this has to be matched with quality so that they last, in reasonable condition, for longer.

Yes that is true. I send a lot of stuff back these days when I don't feel that the quality is up to scratch.

Retailers are so variable on quality these days. Whistles is a prime example. They do some lovely pieces, but hidden amongst a load of poor quality tat. It makes online shopping a nightmare because you often can't tell until you see the item in person.

Readytoevolve · 16/02/2024 18:08

I’m saying no to overpriced polymade crap!
I’m saying no to fast fashion 80% of the time, (primark is just handy sometimes!)
I’m saying no to “fashion trends” which are just there to encourage consumerism.

My personal retail habits have changed drastically.

dayswithaY · 16/02/2024 18:10

I just think fashion has changed since lockdown. I went to a very fancy restaurant in London recently - on a Saturday night. I spent ages wondering what to wear but shouldn’t have bothered. Everyone was in jeans, long sleeved tops/jumpers, men in polo shirts, everyone in trainers. People just don’t dress up anymore.

I saw a woman in sweatpants at the theatre, I’m all for comfort but this is like rolling off your sofa and into the West End.

Dress code at the restaurant was smart casual which seems to cover most things.

MidnightMeltdown · 16/02/2024 18:10

shielder · 16/02/2024 16:02

Maybe people have finally realised that they already have enough in their wardrobes

If that were true you wouldn’t have the likes of Shein etc

Shein is also in decline

Itsabeautifuldaytosavelives123 · 16/02/2024 18:17

People are more aware of what quality means, i.e. £100+ for a polyester skirt or jumper is a massive no-go. I saw some beautiful knitwear today priced between £115-145, which I discovered were 90% polyester, it wasn't so beautiful anymore when I realised what the fabric was (online, so couldn't see it in person).

LaCasaBuenita · 16/02/2024 18:22

I buy the majority of my clothes from Uniqlo now. Good quality, good prices and extremely practical things like thermal socks, comfy no show knickers and down jackets in every level of warmth.

shielder · 16/02/2024 18:26

Shein is also in decline

it’s explosive growth has stopped. I think their value has dropped from 100bn to 65bn so I wouldn’t say fast fashion is on the out just yet!

GettingStuffed · 16/02/2024 18:26

I also think that the fit of clothing bought online is a problem, you buy a 12 from three stores you'll get three different size items. I needed new trousers ,due to weight loss, but I've got longish legs and very few retailers gave leg length. This the same with a lot of companies, they don't give us enough information about sizing. And that leads to the faff about sending stuff bag and how bad some companies are about processing refunds

MidnightMeltdown · 16/02/2024 18:40

shielder · 16/02/2024 18:26

Shein is also in decline

it’s explosive growth has stopped. I think their value has dropped from 100bn to 65bn so I wouldn’t say fast fashion is on the out just yet!

No but it's a step in the right direction.

I think it's mainly teens and people in their early 20s (who are still experimenting and haven't yet figured out what suits them) who shop there.

BCBird · 16/02/2024 18:43

The cost of clothing has hone sky high and quality nosedived, even with premium ranges

MidnightMeltdown · 16/02/2024 18:48

GettingStuffed · 16/02/2024 18:26

I also think that the fit of clothing bought online is a problem, you buy a 12 from three stores you'll get three different size items. I needed new trousers ,due to weight loss, but I've got longish legs and very few retailers gave leg length. This the same with a lot of companies, they don't give us enough information about sizing. And that leads to the faff about sending stuff bag and how bad some companies are about processing refunds

YES! Some companies are awful when it comes to returns.

I ordered from The White Company for the first time recently. Not only did they charge me for the return, but it also took them about 2 weeks to process it. I will never bother ordering from them again.

At the same time I ordered from M&S who offered free returns and managed to process them within 3 days.

TheSuggestedAmendment · 16/02/2024 18:51

I am not a volume shopper, I tend to shop high end high street/accessible designer like Toast, Sandro, Margaret Howell, Joseph, Penelope Chilvers.

These brands have completely disregarded actual inflation and just raised prices with abandon. And I am now buying nothing rather than buying less.

Example, before I might spend £300 on two items at £150. But the same items are now £200. That seems too much and I don’t buy one item never mind two. So the brand loses out on a £300 opportunity.

OP posts:
AuntieStella · 16/02/2024 18:58

I think people are beginning to move away from fast fashion

So might spend a little more, but on a quality piece (not just paying more for the sort of stuff you'd got before)

And the industry is going to have to deal with that. Just like they had to deal with their inability to sell more jeans by trying - and conspicuously failing - to persuade people that skinnies were over.

Also if you don't like either weird sleeves or tiered skirts, there's sod all out there

ChanelNo19EDT · 16/02/2024 18:59

It might also be demographics. Not sure about the uk but in counties where most people are 40+ the fast fashion market shrinks

Lentilweaver · 16/02/2024 19:11

dayswithaY · 16/02/2024 18:10

I just think fashion has changed since lockdown. I went to a very fancy restaurant in London recently - on a Saturday night. I spent ages wondering what to wear but shouldn’t have bothered. Everyone was in jeans, long sleeved tops/jumpers, men in polo shirts, everyone in trainers. People just don’t dress up anymore.

I saw a woman in sweatpants at the theatre, I’m all for comfort but this is like rolling off your sofa and into the West End.

Dress code at the restaurant was smart casual which seems to cover most things.

Yes, I go to the theatre regularly, and there are several people in sweatpants. London has become really casual. There will always be the odd few who dress up, but most everybody is in jeans and athleisure.

Northerntype · 16/02/2024 19:15

i work from home since Covid so no need for a wardrobe full of lovely boden dresses. We don’t eat out or go out as much now because its so eye wateringly expensive so no need for going out clothes. Everywhere is casual now anyway, can’t remember the last time I wore heels. And the high street shops are totally uninspiring with zero effort and way overpriced for poor quality. I’m trying not to contribute to landfill with disposable fashion. I buy a few bits from my local corner boutique or vinted. Consumerism ate itself.