Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Old Navy

Some of you may already have heard that Old Navy is pulling its plus-size line out of the stores where they had featured them (not all their stores, apparently, had it), and will only be offering it online. This has been all over the different blogs that I read like, Big Fat Blog and Big Fat Deal (also Too Fat for Fashion, but taht's not on my blogroll yet).

If anyone would like to e-mail to protest this, you can at custserv@oldnavy.com . I think they will be getting a lot of e-mail about this.

This is what I sent:

To Whom It May Concern:

I am a large woman. I have shopped at your store for
gifts for friends or family or the odd top for myself
(which runs an XL for me). But, often do not think to
shop in your store on a regular basis because your
pants, skirts and dresses often don't fit.

So I was pleased a year or so ago to learn that Old
Navy would begin offering a plus-size line of
clothing. I heard this word of mouth and not through
any advertising campaign. I went to a local store and
found that there really aren't plus sizes there, but
that your regular line, at the time, went up to my
size. Or so I thought. The clothing was not well
fitting, even a size larger than I am used to wearing
did not fit for me.

So while I did not continue shopping there for
bottoms, I told other friends who were plus-size
because sometimes different sizing works for different
people.

Now I learn that Old Navy is pulling their plus-size
line from whatever stores that they had been in and
will only be offering them to customers on-line.
While some may find it more convenient to shop on
line, when they have the choice, to not have the
choice and be required to pay for shipping for
something without the benefit of trying it on first is
something I find horribly inconvenient.

I have heard, again via word-of-mouth, that the
company has made this decision because the plus-size
line in store did not seem to be doing well. I have
seen many Old Navy commercials. Sometimes they seem
unavoidable. I'm wondering why it is that the
plus-size line was not better advertised. Is it that
the company is afraid that fat people will effect the
carefully crafted young, cheerful, campy image that
you are cultivating with your current ad campaigns?

I have also been told that many people have had a
similar experience of fit that I have had. This is
discouraging and I wonder if perhaps someone in your
design department needs to take a look at your size
models for larger sized women.

I am a professional woman with a secure job and no
kids. I have a good amount of disposable income and I
love to shop, but it seems that Old Navy does not have
space for me in its stores. I will be exercising my
capitalist prerogative to not shop Old Navy again,
until I can feel welcome to shop for clothes in my own
size in your stores.

2 comments:

mo pie said...

Dude, awesome. I love it.

Anonymous said...

Bastards!

"exercising my
capitalist prerogative"

Love it. I will email them too.