Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Size 14 and an 8 or 9 shoe are huge! Yikes! (Consider wearing men's clothes. They start at XL and go to XXXXL, and pants have true inseams no shorter than 32" which 33" inseam is by definition Klinefelter's Syndrome). Things are pretty unisex these days so it shouldn't be a problem.
PHBBBT!
A size 8 or 9 shoe for women is equal to a size 6 or 7 shoe in mens. My 13 yr old boy was wearing that size when he was in the 3rd grade; NOT huge.
And any woman reporting needing a petite size is likely under 5'3". Which in men's pants would actually be a 25-27" inseam. Do they even sell a 25" inseam in mens? That would be found in childrens, I believe. Again; not huge.
And as far as girth is concerned? Basic rule to convert womens sizes to mens is to add "21" to the size a woman wears. So; a size 10 woman would wear a 31" waist. A size 14 woman would wear a 35" waist.
Since a mans size XL starts at a 38" waist? None of the women posting here so far would have any use for that size at all, not to mention a mens 4XL which starts at a 45" waist! So a size 14 ...is not ... huge.
As far as shopping goes; I just have 3 kids left at home, ages 13 & 15 yr old twin girls. The girls started needing womens sizes by the time they were 13 & my 13 yr old son has been wearing exclusively mens sizes since the age of 9.
My daughters are about a size 5 or 7 depending on brand & I never have a hard time shopping for them. Move down to my size on the rack at a 12? Nothing. Maybe for tops it's a bit easier but for pants? Forget it. Especially clearance items, when there is nothing "in the back" that you could send a salesperson after.
IF I find something I will be paying full price; by the time they do markdowns my size will be long gone.
I used to wonder if this was because either: My size is an uncommon size so they order less quantity of it? Or: My size is so common they can't order enough of it?
Based on having 7 boys & my youngest being so large for his age? I'm thinking the latter is correct; they are just not stocking enough to accomodate their actual customers. My boys range in heights from 5'11" to 6'4" & their builds are from lanky to average, none of them are obese or even overweight. And the oldest is 31; wearing mens vs boys since about age 13: So I've been shopping for both womens & mens sizes for quite a while. Basically I'm looking for waist size 32-34 with inseam 32-34. Very average, I think?
Those sizes are always hard to find in the popular styles. Now; if they were say a 29" waist with a 30" inseam? I'd be in & out of those stores in a split second. Same with if they were 42" X 30".
My 13yr old wears a 34-36" waist & needs a 32-34" inseam & it's slim pickings for him. His dad wears a 38" X 38" & those must be ordered; very few stores stock those but that's more understandable because that's not a common size.
If it were not for the fact that I have had to shop for clothing for now 10 teenagers plus myself over the years I'd wonder if it were just a "grass is greener" sort of thing I was experiencing; where it would only just SEEM that it was always MY size they were out of but I don't think so ... I'm tired of seeing cute items only to find out that "Well; I guess this would be great on the girls ..." because they only have sizes 1-9 available.
It's annoying because especially with teenagers they can grow out of everything they own literally overnight; I don't have time to wait for shipping ... That's usually when I buy for myself; when I'm shopping for them. If I can't find it in one store I just move on to the next & you would think that retail would find it in their best interest to stock for who's actually spending money vs what image they want to portray.
Last edited by coschristi; 09-05-2017 at 10:08 AM..
Perhaps, given that the size of many women is large, the size 12, 14, 16 and up are sold out? I'm not so sure it's the manufacturer that doesn't want to cater. They know the larger sizes will sell. It's likely that they sell MORE of the larger sizes.
If we could get them to understand that Petite is a size not an age. Appropriate clothing for small, older women is hard to find. At 82, I prefer that my a$$ not show when I put on a dress or skirt.
Women's fashion makes zero sense. It seems like the best looking, most widely available clothes are in smaller sizes yet the average woman is a 14/16, and I'd bet there are more size 18/20's than 4/6's.
It would be like Nike over producing male sneakers in size 7 but limiting the offerings for sizes 10-13. Larger clothes can be more expensive to make and require significant adjustments in design, but it doesn't make sense to throw that much money away and ignore such a sizable customer base.
Women's fashion makes zero sense. It seems like the best looking, most widely available clothes are in smaller sizes yet the average woman is a 14/16, and I'd bet there are more size 18/20's than 4/6's.
It would be like Nike over producing male sneakers in size 7 but limiting the offerings for sizes 10-13. Larger clothes can be more expensive to make and require significant adjustments in design, but it doesn't make sense to throw that much money away and ignore such a sizable customer base.
I'm a size 6 and can't always find my size either. This is why I've just been ordering clothes online in the brands/sizes I know fit me. Most of the time they have what I need that I can't find in the store. plus I like that I can apply coupon codes/discounts without a problem.
I think it depends on the store. Kohl's, Target, etc. have PLENTY of the larger "misses" sizes and not so much of the smaller sizes. The 6's, 8's, and 10's are MUCH harder to find. I think it is because many "size 12 and larger" women shop at those stores, so they buy more of those sizes, and although they buy a FEW 2's and 4's, they don't sell the majority of them. At my local Target and Kohl's, the combined total of 2's, 4's, 6's, and 8's is equal to the quantity of one size in 12, 14, or 16.
I think smaller sized women shop at more "designer-type" stores because if they care about being a "fashionable" size (or are just lucky in their genetics and/or metabolism), they will be more likely to shop at more fashionable stores.
I have also noticed in shopping clearance sites of Kohl's online, that they will usually have 2's, 4's, and 16's left in the clothing I want, but not so many of the in-between sizes. I wear between a 6 and a 10, inclusive, depending on fit and style, so this is very frustrating for me.
If you have never been a buyer for a store, you probably don't realize that you don't get to choose how many of a particular size you get to order. The mix is based upon size range for the particular item. If for example the minimum order is a dozen of a particular dress, the manufacturer sends you a pre established mix of sizes of that style - the manufacturer determines how many of each size the store will receive - not the buyer for the store. On top of that, the buyer has to place an order about 8 - 10 months before the season starts to insure delivery at the beginning of the season. Reorders of a popular item once the season starts is not possible.
Local retailers have a limited customer base and can't afford to order large quantities of one particular item due to how far their customers are willing to travel to their location. Since on line retailers are not limited by customer distance from their location - they can order more product with less associated risk. They still have to buy a pre established mix of sizes - but, because of the larger quantities it takes longer for them to run out of some sizes. The downside with on line stores is you can't try on the item before you buy and you can't always know the true color of the item until it is delivered. Returns can be costly with some online stores.
I am sure if local stores could order more of one particular size based upon the demand in their local area they would do so. Unfortunately manufacturers usually control the size mix the retailer will receive.
If you have never been a buyer for a store, you probably don't realize that you don't get to choose how many of a particular size you get to order. The mix is based upon size range for the particular item. If for example the minimum order is a dozen of a particular dress, the manufacturer sends you a pre established mix of sizes of that style - the manufacturer determines how many of each size the store will receive - not the buyer for the store. On top of that, the buyer has to place an order about 8 - 10 months before the season starts to insure delivery at the beginning of the season. Reorders of a popular item once the season starts is not possible.
Local retailers have a limited customer base and can't afford to order large quantities of one particular item due to how far their customers are willing to travel to their location. Since on line retailers are not limited by customer distance from their location - they can order more product with less associated risk. They still have to buy a pre established mix of sizes - but, because of the larger quantities it takes longer for them to run out of some sizes. The downside with on line stores is you can't try on the item before you buy and you can't always know the true color of the item until it is delivered. Returns can be costly with some online stores.
I am sure if local stores could order more of one particular size based upon the demand in their local area they would do so. Unfortunately manufacturers usually control the size mix the retailer will receive.
Thanks for an interesting post -- shows how times have changed! In 1977-80, I was first an assistant merchandiser for the Juniors department and then the buyer for the boys' department for our local department store, and back then, we COULD order according to what WE decided would best meet the needs of our customers in our particular store!
Just one more reason that retail was much better 40 years ago, imo -- and maybe one more reason why so many retailers are having such a hard time now?
Thanks for an interesting post -- shows how times have changed! In 1977-80, I was first an assistant merchandiser for the Juniors department and then the buyer for the boys' department for our local department store, and back then, we COULD order according to what WE decided would best meet the needs of our customers in our particular store!
Just one more reason that retail was much better 40 years ago, imo -- and maybe one more reason why so many retailers are having such a hard time now?
While there are still a few places (and a few items) where you can order by size (particularly if it is from a distribution point in the states) most manufacturers I have dealt with sell a pre established mix of sizes in a specified size range. They are packaged that way at the manufacturing point. It makes it tough on small retailers.
The stuff that looks good on a size 2 person may not be so flattering on a size 14 and vice-versa. I always assumed other small women were trying to buy the same styles I wanted, and those styles weren't appealing to larger women which was why those bigger sizes were always left on the rack. I would imagine that if a dress or blouse is flattering on size 14-16 women, those sizes will sell like hotcakes, but the 2s and 4s may remain untouched. Perhaps I should go to the store and pick out some things that are completely unflattering for my body, and see how often they have a bunch of my size in stock, just to test my theory.
Well I'm 5'10, with size 10.5 feet. I really don't give a ****, what am I supposed to do? footbind?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
