In my local Sainsbury's...

[Ekphrasis]

Small shop but trying to cram EVERYTHING in. Now selling children's clothes as well as women's.

Hadn't really been something I'd processed till today when I though "I'll just pick up some socks for DH."

I'd picked up socks for the baby. Myself. My five year old. But men's socks? Nada.

None in Boots either, buckets of ladies' socks, none for men.

Oh of course only women shop for groceries and nappies. Silly me.

Tesco and Asda are very good for male clothing. It's the only time I go into them.

To add. I have to shop for my son otherwise he wouldn't have a stitch to wear.

Our Sainsburys stocks a small range of women's clothes and children's up to about 8yo. They're all together at the front if the store. The men's socks - and only socks - are four aisles away, buried between the razors and the medications. Men shop for themselves alone, apparently.

It's the size of the shop, not huge but big enough to do the weekly shop. However, they've clearly deemed it only necessary to stock any basics for women. Just a small everyday sexism observation.

I went into a suinsburys once that sold mens linen suits. Three pieces in four colour options. They also did take away pizza.

These stores are planned to the finest detail and the lines they stock are based on many factors, sales value, seasonality and demographics being a few. High on that list is what generates the most sales, so they will always make sure that in a smaller store, the best selling lines are featured. Even in a larger store that stocks both men, women's and children's clothes, you will find the mens clothing further back and the women's front of store. Purely because women's clothes sells more. Supermarkets are trialling different layouts and shifting space around and giving more to successful categories and taking it away from less profitable ones all the time. They are businesses trying to make money. I don't think for a second the buyer is trying to be sexist. They are just trying to design the most profitable category.

I do get that Normandy however I do know the local demographic really well and many men shop there.

They're not even stocking the right school uniform colours (the trousers and pinafores) for the local schools, which is silly as the catchment areas are all within 10 min walk and the shop is in the heart of it.

I’m no expert but I would imagine they did a load of research on what sells best in the area and used the small amount of space to stock it.

I get you on the school uniform! I agree that they could better research that to ensure the right colours for the local area. The men's clothing thing though is down to the fact that women's clothing heavily outperforms mens clothing even in areas with a higher concentration of male shopper than usual. It's purely a revenue decision at the heart of it.

I've gotta say I'm surprised on the socks..

DP has often come home from a spur of the moment shop with stuff like that...

As like a pp socks are often with the men's toiletries.

I really can't read sexism into the fact the store doesn't stock men's socks.

If they sold aftershave but no feminine hygiene products, then yes, shaving isn't a necessity, but I think this is a stretch.

I can as there's a separate wall to the clothes area with socks and tights on near toiletries etc - including men's toiletries - but no men's socks. Same in boots - it just hadn't struck me as a bit odd before. There are more socks with the women's clothes and children's clothes.

Men would definitely pick up socks from there if they were for sale. I do get why they only stock the women's clothes but socks are one of those things you often need - my dh certainly gets through more pairs than me! It's a very residential and family area and I see as many dads and men as mums and women in there.

It just struck me as rather odd this morning.

Sexism as they assume only women out shopping/ target audience of store = women. I wouldn't usually buy dhs socks but I'd just bought some for me and he said he was running low so I offered to do so today as I was popping in.

I see as many dads and men as mums and women in there.

But they would see this too, and most likely have more detailed actual data on the shoppers. sorry but not seeing the sexism either. Huge businesses do not make decisions on assuming who their shoppers are.

OP I suggest you find out the contact details of your local Sainsbury’s and put all this in an email.
This is the feminist board, I’m not quite sure what you’re expecting.
If it’s any consolation I really struggle to find women’s clothes that I want to wear in any shop. They’re all too girly and pink and sparkly and low cut for my liking, and don’t even get me started on the pockets, barely big enough to fit a lighter in.

Sorry OP, didn’t RTFT and assumed you were a whingeing bloke.
Still a bit confused though. Maybe that email is a good idea.

Even with equal numbers of both men and women, catering equally with specific items to either isn't likely to be as profitable because of differences in overall spending habits as well as impulse buy rates. I'm speculating here but I would imagine that your perception of Sainsbury's as primarily a grocery vendor is broadly representative, meaning that people visiting will enter the shop with the intention to buy groceries. If that is the case, it would make sense for items outside of this group to mostly cater to women as they are more likely to make purchases outside of what they have planned.

www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1108/10610421211228793

I think you kinda have to be in that shop to get it.

They will have 1 tv, a couple of digital radios, gardening section , I've even seen a computer for sale in there - literally a tiny bit of everything but no fucking socks for men.

It doesn't really matter, I just found it a tad annoying and rather amusing.

I'm more pissed off they've stopped selling Darjeeling tea tbh.

Have Boots ever sold men's socks? Sainsburys maybe only sell them in the stores that have the men's clothes range.

I remember though when they used to have a Cooking department and sold electrical goods. Even random cd's. I still have my roll of greaseproof paper I got from there before going to uni a few many years back.

If it’s any consolation I really struggle to find women’s clothes that I want to wear in any shop. They’re all too girly and pink and sparkly and low cut for my liking

Where on earth do you live? Is there really a town somewhere whose only shop is TopShop?

I don't think I've ever bought socks for my husband.

Ours is the same and my boyfriend pointed out the other day to me this was the case. I do think it's ridiculous. And if it were the other way round in a major supermarket people would be furious.

I'm not sure I understand the complaint. Retail is about making what sells available. Women's fashion is an enormous slice of the pie, and recent trends have seen fast fashion become even more important to the supermarkets. If there's limited space, there will have been serious investment put into how best to use that space. Men's socks just won't have been high up the list of priorities. Although my local Sainsbury's has a men's section only slightly smaller than the women's.

Fwiw, my DP is ridiculously territorial about his socks. He doesn't like me buying them for him anyway.

Fwiw, my DP is ridiculously territorial about his socks. He doesn't like me buying them for him anyway

I wouldn't know where to begin.

I bought him Superman ones once. He was cheesed off because he's more of a Marvel than a DC man.