I recently received an e-mail about the new Lane Collection by Lane Bryant. The e-mail effused about “Premium fabrics with fine details and trim, the runway-inspired Lane Collection is exclusively designed to fit and flatter you and your lifestyle.” Which would be great, except that it’s exclusively designed NOT to fit me or my lifestyle because it only goes to a size 24 and I’m a 26/28. I know that Lane Bryant knows women my size exist because they already carry clothes for us in the store. I couldn’t imagine why they would design a collection and purposefully exclude women they already know shop for their clothes, so I sent an e-mail to customer service asking why they had stopped at 24. Here is the conversation that followed:
Dear Ragen Chastain,
Thank you for taking the time to contact us.
I do apologize, at the current time the size availability for the Lane Collection are not intended to change. If you would like to send me your physical mailing address I would be happy to send you a gesture of goodwill.
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sheri A
Sheri,
While I appreciate the goodwill, I would also really appreciate it if you could answer my original question. Let me try to clarify, please let me know if I’m misunderstanding any of this: It seems to me that this is a line designed or at least commissioned by the Lane Bryant itself (since it bears your name). It seems that would allow you to choose the size range, especially since the clothes that you carry already go to at least a 26/28. You say on the website it is “runway-inspired and designed to fit and flatter you and your life style,” and yet you’ve chosen to make that line available only to your customers up to size 24 which makes me, as a 26/28 customer, feel like you aren’t interested in dressing me in runway-inspired fashion. Knowing, as you must, the dearth of fashionable clothing for plus-sized women – especially those in the larger sizes – I’m curious why you’ve chosen to create a high fashion line of clothing that intentionally excludes your customers (and those who are not yet your customers) who are so very under-served to begin with?
Thanks for your help.
~Ragen
Dear Ragen Chastain,
Thank you for taking the time to contact us.
Your thoughts and comments are essential if we are to provide the best possible service and merchandise to our customers. It’s always helpful when a valued customer provides us with feedback or suggestions.
Please know I am sending your comments to our merchandise team so they can take your feedback into consideration when making decisions about future product lines.
Sincerely,
Sheri A
Hi Sheri,
I’m extremely disappointed in this answer. I requested an explanation and what I got was a copy and paste platitude. Let me try one more time. Why are you excluding size 26/28 customers from your runway-inspired Lane Bryant branded clothing line? It seems to me that if you are comfortable excluding size 26/28 customers, you should also be comfortable explaining why. I look forward to receiving an answer to my question.
Thank you,
~Ragen
Dear Ragen Chastain,
Thank you for taking the time to contact us.
I sincerely apologize that you are not satisfied with the explanation provided. Please know that we received word that, at this time, there are no plans to offer the 26/28 option for this particular line, I sincerely apologize. Unfortunately, the reasoning was not included in the response we received and are unable to determine why this merchandise is not offered. Please know that the decision is subject the change at any time and that your comments have been forwarded to our Merchandising department.
If there is anything else I can help you with, please let me know.
Sincerely,
Shawn C
I’ve already been really struggling with Lane Bryant’s modeling fiasco, and their crappy reasoning for their modeling fiasco. Then there’s “tighter tummy technology” and the fact that I can’t seem to get any leggings from them that aren’t control top – which is a problem since my top is not out of control. I also noticed that there were less size 26/28 clothing options in the store. I asked the store clerk about it and was told that they were getting less large sizes in stores and that they go the fastest, but that I could shop online. LB isn’t the only store doing this and let’s be clear that they are saying: We want your money, but we would prefer that people not see you in our stores. Now LB is saying that their top of the line runway-inspired fashion isn’t for those customers at all, which doesn’t even cover the issue that there are women over size 26/28 who LB could cater to if they chose.
More frustrating is the fact that many of the major fat girl brands – Lane Bryant, Cacique, Catherine’s, and Sonsi, are all owned by the same company – Charming Shoppes – so often I feel trapped. I don’t particularly want to give Lane Bryant my money so that they can use it designing more lines of clothing that ignore me, but what else do you do?
I am fully aware that they are a business and they’re allowed to sell what they want. I’m interested in exercising my rights as a consumer. You all always have the best ideas, so my question to you is this: what are your favorite alternatives to these stores? Please feel free to leave suggestions in the comments.
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