In past blog posts I’ve talked about things that some ways that fashion retailers can improve the brick and mortar clothes shopping experience.  For example, internally connected adjacent dressing rooms was one suggestion.  But now I have more to say!  I am calling this call to change our “Retail Revolution”, so let it begin.

Skinny Sizes to the Left

Don’t get me wrong I love my skinny shopping buddies.  I used to be a skinny shopper 20 years ago.  I could happily shop the sales racks and find all the great styles in sizes 2 or 4 that are left behind becausefewer peoplecould fit them.  At that time the body size bell curve was in my favor! 

However, the fact of the matter those who are size 0, 2 or 4 can only shop that tiny end section of the clearance rack.  And it is just an irritating kind of a bait-and-switch for the rest of us to spot cute stuff on the end of the rack only to find them only in the teensy sizes.  So stop torturing us medium and larger girls with the tiny sizes mixed in the racks.  Increase efficiency for everyone by putting 0’s through 4’s clearance stuff on their own separate racks. Then we can more easily see a rotten clearance rack for its true self without the false advertisement of the cute tiny stuff on the end.  [Note: Tiny or skinny sizes are different than petite sizes for shorter shoppers which already have their own section or area in a department store.]

Remove those “Rotten Racks”

Retailers you know when sales racks have gone rotten just like we all know when old food in the frig that has not moved for weeks is rotten; it all stinks!  Weed those racks!  Get rid of those items that have been hanging around just taking up space and forcing shoppers to dig past them to see if anything really good at a great price is left.  A shopper’s dream is that every rack, whether new and full-priced or the beloved sales racks, are all full of exciting items to shop.  I would love a store that promises not a single rotten rack.

A Store is Only as Great as Their Latest Clearance Racks

Okay so I’ve been harping about the quality of clearance sections because let’s be honest, the sales or clearance area is the most popular spot in any clothing store.  So if a store’s leftovers have a lot of good finds, then chances are the actual fresher inventory that sells at regular price must also be great.  A store with good full price stuff and mediocre and drab clearance may be a good store.  But a store you know has a great sales or clearance section usually means it is fashion heaven!

Get Tiny Shoes Out of My Big Foot Section

So like the tiny clothing size comment above, invariably when shopping the shoes sales racks you stumble upon those shoes that have wandered out of there area.  You spy those very cute size 5 or 6 shoes, look inside or on the sole to find not your wrong size.  I want to scream “What are you doing in my size 10 section, tiny cute shoe?!”  It is bad enough all the shoes in my shoe section look like little boats, but I am tricked into thinking someone had figured out a way to make a my large foot look small and feminine, until I see the actual size 5. Ugg!

Where’s the Salesperson?!

I don’t want finding help in the store to be like a Where’s Waldo riddle and I risk offending my fellow shoppers by mistaking them for employees out of my sheer desperation to find help.  Build an app so that if no physical sales person is available, I can connect with a virtual person via chat or FaceTime, something.  Sometimes I just want to know about upcoming sales or directions to find certain areas or a dressing room.  Other times, I need more involvement like actually retrieving inventory or ringing up my purchases.

So now that you know I am an unskinny, big foot, attention deprived shopper I have no more to say for now.  So even with my shopping “disabilities”, I’m off to shop for a little bit of happiness.  See you in the store!