Bargain Shopping Reality

Every year I try to purchase a few items to put away for next year.  This is the time I try to pick up new winter coats for the girls.  I has an eye-opening experience while searching for a new coat for the brunette twin.
When the girls were little, there were lots of bargains to find at the stores.  It seems like the taller they get, the fewer bargains there are to be had.  I searched racks and racks of clothes before finding two winter coat options for the brunette twin.  The blond twin didn't have this problem.  She's a full size smaller than her sister so there are lots of options for her still.
I realized recently that the brunette twin now has to come with me when I buy her clothes.  It's not that I don't think she'll like what I choose.  It's that when you get into size 14 or 16, the sizes vary so much that she needs to try on the clothes. 
It's also the end of my Internet shopping for most things.  I think I'll still be able to buy clothes from a few sites, but for the most part it won't work anymore.  Even though the sites give measurements, they don't really tell me how the clothes will fit her.  I found that out the hard way recently when I bought something that should have fit and the rise was too low on the pants.  The brunette twin might be able to wear the pants this year, but she won't wear them in the fall.
It's going to be hard to break the habit of buying clothes one year to wear the next.  I think we'll turn shopping into a girls' day with lunch and whatever else hits us.  If I have to head out to the stores, I might as well make it enjoyable.