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I do better shopping online. I am tallish and there's not much available locally, so much more available online.
Generally you can write to customer service for actual measurements, I have to do that sometimes. Reading reviews can help too, especially when people say their measurements and what size they got.
My kids (as I did when I was their age) do love shopping at the thrift store, trying things on.
It's really weird how the size label on clothes has no real meaning.
I personally enjoy irl shopping in general. Online is fun too and gives you access to much more products but I don't think I'll ever stop wanting to go to a book store, cloth shop etc.
For clothes in particular, I wanna try on clothes to know how it feels and if they fit
I think you're just gonna have to double-down on returns if you want that in-person experience online without jumping through hoops. Just make sure to shop online at places that have a good policy, some clothing websites know this is how it works so their policy is setup to compliment that (free returns, awesome customer service, decent return time policy).
Think of the mail delivery as your personal entourage, they bring you clothing to try on at your leisure (which you've pre-selected the style/etc) and you just give them back if you're not satisfied. You can schedule pick-ups easily without needing to go to the post office every week if the company has a decent enough packaging system (some even send return slips/packages or are printable etc).
To make it easier, I would suggest getting into the measurements of your body. It's not like your body is going to dramatically change from day to day so it should be something you'll be able to monitor and get used to real quick (male centric video/female centric video). It's a little more work, but will last you a lifetime as a skill to better understand your body. It will probably help lower the number of returns as well since you'll be better informed.
If I ever buy any clothing online (so far I think it has been shoes that was very hard to find), I first go to physical shops that either have the same thing I want (probably at a higher price) or have the same model, but in a different color scheme and then go online to buy it :)
I hate shopping online. There are very few things I will order. I will absolutely never buy clothes or furniture online. I will happily pay a little bit more for the opportunity to buy in person. However, I am not a good consumer, rarely buying much of anything. So my support of local stores goes unnoticed as more and more stores close and shipping of return items grows.
Absolutely, you have the possibility of judging the garment quality by touching it, you can see exactly how large it is and, in most cases, you can try it on to make sure it fits you and that you are okay with how it fits. You can't do any of that online.
Not just do you get a better sense of the measurements but also the feel of the fabric. If I'm gonna buy something to wear, I really wanna be sure it's nice against my skin before I buy.
Sadly, I live in the arse end of nowhere though, and there's a lot of stuff I find without looking online.
The only things I would consider buying online.
Levi 505 jeans because they measure by the inches. Doesn't matter if you get in the store or online . An inch is an inch.
My socks. I always buy the same brand and the size doesn't change.
Same for underwear.
Other then that. Only in person. Every company measures differently. Some companies have multiple manufacturing plants who also measure differently.
I prefer clothes shopping in person, unless I know exactly what I'm getting and see a good deal. And exactly for the reasons you mentioned.
How do people get over that? How do they know it's the right size if they haven't seen it IRL?
If it doesn't fit then it's a lot harder to get a refund and + you now have the disappointment of waiting a few weeks or days just to find out they don't fit you.
That's the whole point of not ordering online unless I know exactly what I'm getting.
But that's the problem it's hard to know what your getting. For me all those measurements mean nothing to me.
I only order items that I have purchased previously and liked. Jeans are the main item I order online. I don't need to have a wide variety of pants and I'm ok getting the same thing repeatedly. Shirts vary too much for me. Even the same brand and size label can have drastically differing fits so those are in-person only.
If I don't know what I'm getting, I wouldn't order it online.
I don't buy clothes online but my wife does. This is how she works: She orders stuff all the time. Maybe every few days something will arrive and she'll try it on. It's like a constant production line so she's never actively waiting to try things on. They "just arrive" constantly.
And yes she returns a ton of stuff. She probably visited the post office twice a week to return the non fitting items. Or a lot of times they fit but don't quite look the same on her than she imagined or the quality wasn't great.
Also some places she has ordered enough times from that fitting isn't an issue any more. She knows their cuts and sizing very well.
I guess it also helps to be a standard size of traditional proportions. For myself I have to compensate for a more typical programmer physique haha.
She should be aware that likely almost 100% of those returned clothes are going to the dump. Unless this is a very reputable seller, with a trustworthy supply line, even if they say they recycle or resell, they likely don't.
Have you not shopped for clothes in person? Just curious, not trying to judge.
But yeah, as an old millennial, I used to have to go clothes shopping at Kmart, Target, Sears, etc. as a kid with my parents. It was annoying and kind of a pain. We could easily spend all day shopping around for clothes for all my sisters and I. Trying things on for size, checking the styles, looking for the deals, etc.
Online is kind of a mystery. Will the materials be any good? Will it fit right? Is one size L the same as another size L??
Especially shoes. Yeah, they look nice online, but they dont always fit nice once you put them on.
Sizing has got much worse in recent years, ever since the uprise of 'fast fashion'. Its in companies best (profit) interests to have less sizes that covers other similar sizes. What used to be a XS, S & M may now just be a "S" size, but made with slightly more room in some areas and stretchier fabric to allow for it to fit as a slightly larger size.
Why carry 7 sizes when you can carry 3 sizes?
Couple this with clothes & goods being made with lower cost manufacturing techniques and materials so they dont last as long, fit as well or resist as much wear & tear.
Profits, profits, profits.
Shopping at Wal-Mart for example for clothes is one of the most underwhelming experiences I ever get. They did away with Fruit of the Loom shorts and even their cotton-branded shorts with AthleticWorks. Now there's too many jersey sports like shorts and that's all that they ever have. On top of that, all that they got for clothes is corporate branded shit and I don't want to be a walking billboard for corporate. As well as those shirts with dumb sayings on them to try and appeal with people.
Shopping online is obviously better.
Have you ever considered using any other store? Swift shops are really good for clothes.
While I prefer IRL clothes shopping, the range of clothes at my nearby stores sucks so badly that online is vastly superior for me. Once you have a list of shops that you trust it's easy to go shopping.
This is partly due to my body shape being an athletic build. Buying online from stores that list the actual clothing measurements means I can choose stuff that actually fits me properly. IRL near me just has generic sizing that is either too tight across the shoulders or far too long.
I spend above average on clothing, your generic brands even online don't offer actual clothing measurements, but then I would rather have a smaller number of items that are good quality and fit rather than be wasteful with disposable fast fashion thst doesn't last and doesn't fit.
I feel the opposite just because I rarely find clothes that fit me well in person, whereas online they can have a broader stock. The sizing is not necessarily an issue because I know what my size is, and I'm hesitant to buy from online stores without a size guide (though my guess is usually right). If it has a size guide I just measure myself to check it's in line with their sizing.
I don't shop for clothes online. In clothes shops they typically have changing rooms, and there would be nothing more disappointing than finding a dress or other article of clothing that I really like, only to try it on after it gets delivered and find out it's either too big or too small...
I really rely on those changing rooms. I know this may sound like a pity drag but as someone with shall we say "behind" it's super hard to find things that fit over my weste.
I would like to dedicate this post to all the amazing jeans and skirts that could have been worn. Your service who have been appreciated.
Def not the only one! Especially shoes are impossible
Online for brands Iโm familiar with, in-person for others.
Yes because you get what you pay for. No need to bring a ruler
Sizes feel like they're mostly made up, especially for stuff in the ladies section. The only success I've found with reliable online sizing is with stores that cater towards expensive selvedge denim (and similar clothing) - they usually go with the actual garment's dimensions so that it's easy to compare with a similar item from your wardrobe.
Don't even get me started on shoes lol
Pants and shoes I try and buy in-store.
I've got my go-to brands for shirts and underwear that I know fit well, so I usually just buy a shitload when my old ones are worn out.
Outerwear is 50/50%.
Most online retailers will let you try and return goods. In the EU you can return anything bought online within 2 weeks, no questions asked (by law).
A lot of fast fashion stores might just burn returns, others might sell them at an outlet. And it cuts into they already thin margins. I try to avoid returns.
Shoes and clothe are the kind of stuff where you loose a lot by buying online.
In person you can see the fabric texture and colour. Not a photo where light, camera and then your screen altered everything.
Check how well it fits. For shoes you can easily get one size less/more depending on brand/cut and even for clothe you are not a standard person so passing them in the shop tells you a lot.
You can even ask a sales person opinion to get a feedback of course they want to sell but can help you more than a chatbot
Well, in person has the availability of trying things on. Since even with taking good measurements, not every company uses sizes accurately (for example, you have a 20 inch neck, and shirts might say they're 20, but be up to an inch either direction, or you only have general sizes (sm, med, lg, etc) and not every company treats those exactly the same as all the others. Then you run into online shopping including things from overseas where the standards are completely different.
As an example, my thick-ass neck comes with a thick-ass chest, and in us sizes, I tend to prefer a 3x. A 3x from china or Thailand may be more of a single x, or xxl at best.
So, in person shopping is going to end up with less hassle overall, no matter how well you measure yourself.
I hate in person shopping though. Despise it with a passion, and always have. Giant fucking head, giant feet, giant hands, and until I stopped lifting nothing was ever cut right for my body. Even after I switched away from lifting big, it still isn't exactly a fun process finding things that fit every part of my body right.
If I shop online, I buy bigger than I need usually, because that's just my reality. If I don't, something is going to chafe.
If I shop in store, I at least can find things that fit me better. But the only thing I've ever owned that fit me perfectly is my suit. I sprang for it to be tailored, and made sure it was going to last, with room for alterations as my body changes over time.
But, damn. It's an uncomfortable experience. Doubly so in winter and summer, where either heating in stores gets me sweaty, or the heat from outside has me sweating before I go in, so I have to fuck around until I cool off.
I've looked online for advice for this problem and nothing has helped me more than this post. Thanks ๐
I generally buy almost everything online, but clothes are one exception to that. I generally have 1 or 2 brands of clothes I normally purchase, but even within those two brands, size can vary quite a bit, especially after they've been washed a few times.
I can buy two different size 36 pants from my favorite brand, and after washing, one fits comfortably, and the other only fits if I leave them unbuttoned. Being able to test them in-person at least gives me a general idea of if they're still going to fit after they go through the dryer.
"I generally buy almost everything online, but clothes are one exception to that"
I've been thinking. Should I open a clothes store? That's the one thing that isn't threatened by the internet. It's not like other things you don't know how something will fit you through a computer screen.
Clothes shops aren't threatened by the Internet but boutique shops are outcompeted by chain retailers. So if you really want a safe business, go for a franchise or whatever you call it where you manage the Reknown Brand shop but don't own the brand.