http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/walmart-plus-size-clothing-price-1.4796192
Walmart Canada is facing criticism for charging more for plus-size clothing, a policy some shoppers consider an unjust "fat tax."
"It's unacceptable," said Walmart shopper Shannon Mozak, of Edmonton, who sometimes buys plus sizes. "It's a form of shaming people."
Walmart and some other retailers mark up their plus-size clothing with the justification that bigger sizes cost more to produce.
They also charge a single lower price for a wide range of standard sizes — from extra small to extra large — leading many plus-size shoppers to question why only they must pay more.
"It's not right," said Michaela duChêne, who wasn't aware she was paying more for Walmart's plus sizes until an in-store sales sign revealed a price difference.
Posted this month at a Sydney, N.S., location where she shops, the sign advertised George brand women's T-shirts for $9.97, but stated 1X to 3X plus sizes cost $2 more — an increase of 20 per cent.
A check of Walmart Canada's website found that women's plus-size clothing items made by George — a brand exclusive to the chain — cost between 10 and 30 per cent more than the exact same items in regular sizes, which include extra-extra-large.
Walmart U.S. also charges more for George brand plus sizes.
But not all retailers follow that policy: Canadian clothing chains Joe Fresh and Reitmans charge the same price for both plus and regular sizes — a policy duChêne applauds.
An ad for Joe Fresh clothing promoting the fact it charges the same price for regular and plus sizes.
CBC News asked the retailer why it charges the same price for a woman's item in an extra small and an extra-extra-large but raises the price for the 1X plus size — which has similar measurements compared to the regular-sized XXL version.
Walmart replied that it generally prices its clothing based on the average cost of a series of sizes, such as XS to XL.
"A size XS and XL may not have the same production costs but will have the same retail price," Walmart spokesperson Anika Malik said in an email.
The same rule applies to the retailer's 1X to 4X plus sizes, which are grouped separately, she said.
Walmart is now exploring ways to reduce the extra costs involved in making plus-size clothing to lower their retail price, Malik added.
Professor of fashion Ben Barry said when manufacturers produce clothing on a mass scale, the cost difference for larger items is negligible.
"It really doesn't have a significant impact on your bottom line," he said, "because you're ordering material in such large quantities."
He also warns that retailers charging more for plus sizes could wind up paying a high price — if customers take offence.
"You're sending such a negative message to plus-size women that you're going to lose that consumer base," said Barry who chairs Ryerson University's school of fashion in Toronto.
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