It's not a new complaint. Female consumers have been saying for quite some time that the clothes found on store racks seem to be made for someone other than them.
Besides that issue, inconsistent sizing makes female shoppers have to work harder looking for clothes that are going to meet their needs. In short, shopping for clothes is becoming more like work and less like a playful diversion. More than half of all women surveyed by Retail Forward said that it is becoming more difficult to find clothes they find flattering.
Even finding clothes that are a close fit often do not end up in a happy customer experience. According to Retail Forward's research, nearly one-fifth of women own clothes they cannot wear because they've never been altered.
Past experience has tainted women's view of what's on offer at many retail stores and specialty shops. Many no longer even bother to shop at certain stores assuming their experience will be no more satisfying than those in the past.
"While consolidation among traditional department stores and the rollout of several new private brands at retailers brought about many changes in merchandise mix in 2006, shoppers' perceptions of positive changes in fit, as well as style, quality and value, are lower today than in prior years," said Kelly Tackett, senior consultant and apparel analyst with Retail Forward in a company press release. "In fact, Retail Forward's ShopperScape survey results indicate that with respect to fit issues, only Kohl's and Target were cited by a larger share of shoppers than in prior years as having made noticeable changes."
Discussion Questions: How can the sizing issue continue to be so prevalent in retail stores after years of customer complaints? How big an issue is the inconsistent sizing issue and is it time retailers demanded a single standard?