Shopping blues - YouLookFab Forum

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Shopping blues

Carol

(website)

Veteran

I don't like when high-end or cutting-edge places don't have their act together. If anyone should, it's the people who are the most in-demand. I think of the "Michelin-star" Latin restaurant I went to recently, with great barbacoa, who served my mother a cauliflower taco with chunks so large they were almost raw in the middle.

In retail, it does seem to be the Targets of the world who are the most reliable. Everyone else is wacky, operating on some kind of an idea that you'll wait for their giftedness.

Shopping/browsing at some newer websites lately, I have seen things like ALL prices listed at 10x the actual price, missing information, or completely different information--like an item will be listed as "crew sweater," when you are looking at a ribbed tank top.

So I had to call M&S about missing care instructions on a page, and then the agent assured me they would put them up, and they didn't.
Then I've been dealing with COS, and this skirt I really want. First it was unclear care instructions (again), then a couple days later I had to contact them again, because their size chart for that item only went up to a 29.9 inch waist, or like a size 8. Wasted so much time on chat with the woman trying to find out if something was wrong with the chart, or if COS was just an elitist institution that only catered to thin people.

In the end, the girl was understanding, but admitted she had no idea what the actual measurements were she had available for the item. Imagine just putting a great item on your web site, and people have no way to buy it? She said she would pass it on, and to check back in a few days.

But I am getting quite frustrated with COS.

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Shopping

18 replies

Latest reply was from Carol

Dee

Veteran

Yes, I hear you, everything in business is so fragmented and outsourced now. Often the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing when it comes to serving clients. Banking is another sector that is so heavily fragmented.
Very frustrating that you're not able to get the service and follow through that you're after.

merwoman

Veteran

Oh Carol I feel your frustration. And you would think with AI things might actually improve, instead, they seem to be getting worse. My dream is that retailers would post the actual garment measurements rather than relying on sizing charts. Or offer virtual try ons.

I do read the reviews/ratings to try to understand fit, but it can be a crap shoot. I’ve been burned a few times but chalk that up to lessons learned and if I’m not willing to gamble, make sure I’m happy with the return policy.

Sloper

Veteran

I agree, COS does not cater to the more “full” of figure. I also went to their site - yes, many of the skirts are 29.9” waist for a size 14. I’ve seen this with other brands - where an XL is considered a 10 or 12. I suppose my money isn’t green enough for them haha.

Style Fan

Veteran

I share your frustration. I look for garment measurements and ignore the size. Of course, not all retailers will display these measurements. I miss the days of shopping at B&M. I find I am sticking to the same retailers because I can trust them. No adventures.

cat2

Veteran

It’s hard when you are trying to find new brands that work. I think it’s really helpful to post here what size and shape you are and people can tell you if the brand you are considering is likely to fit. People have been really helpful about telling me which have wide or narrow shoulders, have enough junk in the trunk, etc. Also, if you are used to US sizing, UK and EU sizes can be confusing. I found Cos extremely useless with sizes all over the map, and haven’t tried shopping there since. Everlane is the same, no two pairs of pants fitting the same. Other brands like Boden have been super reliable. Some brands have a good range of sizes and others definitely don’t, So don’t give up, don’t order anything not returnable, and give yourself some time to get things sorted.

Carol

(website)

Veteran

I will try to get back later, thanks, everyone. But Sloper, you say that many of the skirts are this way. That's horrifying, to not offer basic items at more than a size 8 or 10 US. That is really awful, if that is how they do it.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

So interesting! I don't really shop retail sites but will say that on second hand sites, from TheRealReal to Ebay you will find the exact measurements of each garment. Sometimes there are mistakes but in principle it is almost always there. If a huge site like TRR can do it for thousands of unique garments you would think a retailer could do it for its own items that are repeated.

Sloper

Veteran

Well, I am happy that some brands are extending sizes (or getting real with their current sizing.) I’ve had success with Gap and Nike. J.Crew is also offering a better size range.

I also agree that actual garment measurements are much more helpful than body measurements. That way I can measure my favorite clothes for comparison, and truly KNOW what I’m ordering.

Also want to mention Tibi. Expensive, but they provide garment measurements. Also, one of their online stylists is very similar to my size and she tries on the garments on Instagram and YouTube.

Runcarla

Veteran

What Style Fan wrote. It leads to item repetition: 3 pair Levi 501’s, 3 pair Naturalizer low heeled pumps, Converse Chuck Taylors on repeat, duplicate shorts and sweaters in different colours.

The best customer service I had ordering was Lands’ End. I always ordered by phone after perusing the catalogue. They were the primary source of kids clothes and bedding, and later tall sizes for the menfolk from the late ‘80’s through to 2018. Always helpful if I had questions. Purchases dropped off when cross boarder shopping (Canada/US) became prohibitive. All our towels and a lot of our bedding is from Lands’ End, but I’ve had to restock bed linens and switched to Canadian retailers. It must be several years now, because I’m no longer getting their catalogue.

All clothing items acquired this year so far are either thrifted or from local B&M.

Sal

Veteran

Online shopping makes me cautious too where I stick to essentials in known brands. I am lucky I am a size that is often stocked in store though - I know it’s not as easy for all.

There has been a spate of fake stores advertising in NZ with closing down sales. They are dropshipping Shein or similar products. The store does not exist despite the imagery and words.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Online shopping is so hard for this. No wonder I recently ordered three sizes of these jeans to try! And even though Rag & Bone is not the most inconsistent in sizing, I’m glad I did because the size I least expected to work — the smallest — was the best.

I’ve found that even measurement charts are unreliable. They’re usually for the whole brand, not a specific item. And I often fall in between sizes. Ugh.

Your experience with customer service is so disappointing too. I think all these companies have cut back on staff, and training is perhaps lacking.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Carol, it can be frustrating. We've all had our fair share of annoying and disappointing customer service, unfortunately. I agree with Dee and Janet. Staffing issues are real. Lots and lots of cutbacks.

Some retailers are just better at customer service than others. In my experience, Boden - (nodding along with cat2) - and Ralph Lauren are exceptional at customer service. They truly shine!

I echo everyone else: for online orders - garment measurements are very helpful. They are not flawless though - measurements can be off, and size charts can be off too.

I recently ordered a brand new bag with tags from Postmark. It was chips! A quarter of the retail price. The service was flawless, and I was impressed. The seller was very organized. I'm about to make another purchase from Poshmark - and the service is lacking. The seller is disorganized.

And so it goes.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Measurements on TRR drive me crazy. I have stalked a few pairs of Nili Lotan Shon pants because I like my green ones so much. One pair of pants will be listed as a size M and in the description they say size 8 and have a waist measurement of 30”. Another pair will be listed as a L and show up in the description as a size 6 and have a waist measurement of 32”. Say what??

Lisa

Veteran

Online shopping drives me batty for all the reasons others have stated. Measurements can be off or not even listed. Same for materials. It's also hard to figure out the true color of an item or know if a fabric will be comfortable to wear. I miss having more options in brick and mortar stores as well as more stores overall to shop in.

I know some find online shopping convenient but I actually find it the opposite. I am much more likely to overorder (3 sizes of the same item) and then over return (because only 1 item or simply none of them actually work). When in person I can touch, try on, and see colors better and I rarely return those purchases. And often when I do see an item in person after first seeing it online, I end up NOT liking it for some reason. And items I passed by while searching online in person I end up liking a lot and purchasing! I'm also much more likely to try a new to me brand when in person but less likely to experiment with a new brand when it's online because it's just too high a risk for more returns.

Carol

(website)

Veteran

If I were more careful with shopping, I would probably have all the same issues as everyone. As it is, I get much of my stuff cheap on Poshmark. And eyeballing my closet, the few things here and there that are brand new from online retailers are just not fussy things--elastic-waisted summer pants, roomy sweaters, etc. I do get nearly everything online, though.

I have not looked, but I am realizing that it probably is true that COS just doesn't make a lot of skirts past a 29.9" waist--basically a U.S. medium. Having a 31" waist that is upsetting, but even more upsetting is the idea that a big brand would not cater to bodies larger than medium!

cat2

Veteran

Carol: The average US woman is a size 12. A lot of southern European retailers stop a 8. I just checked on a skirt I thought was cute, and found the retailer labeled an 8-10 as Extra Large. So just know that there are some brands you should just skip entirely in favor of those with a wider size range. My experience is that UK brands are more likely to have a bigger range than of sizes.

karen23

I haven't shopped for anything really high-end, I can't see myself in it, but I do some shopping online. I mostly start by looking at brands I've seen in real life.

It seems that size charts are the least accurate when it comes to pants, and it's hard to interpret the waist measurement when the garment does not come up to the waist. With jackets, shirts, dresses, the part that's hard to figure out is the shoulders. (Mine are big.)

The Vermont Country Store (a useful source for old-fashioned kitchen items and Christmas presents for elderly relatives) has dropped the usual size charts and started giving the measurements of their clothing. But this does not work either, as a lot of their dresses are cotton knits and it is hard to tell if the fabric is stretchy or very stable.

Carol

(website)

Veteran

I'm off COS for a while. I never even began! I was so excited about that skirt!

I'm not going to check, but I trust Sloper when she says that many of the skirts don't go higher than 29.9", an American medium. I know Europeans are generally trimmer than us, but I also know there are plenty of overweight women there, too! This can't even be a "there is not demand for higher sizes thing," because if you look at BMI statistics, etc. there are PLENTY of women in Europe who are heavier. This would appear to be an exclusivity thing, like somehow we are standing next to a rack of clothes at Vogue, and the only way we'll fit them is with a juice fast.

Mindy Kaling, earlier in her career, had a photo shoot, and there were no size 8s on the rack. The wardrobe specialist was deeply shaming her, so she picked the dress that was his baby, and he was almost crying as he had to tear it apart to make it a size 8.

No krona for you!