With the economy shriveling up day by day, we’re faced with many bad things and a a few good (lower cost of gasoline, but that can’t last forever).  You can tell things are kinda rough right now, even Knicks player Eddy Curry is being sued by Casual Male Retail Group for neglecting to pay his bill… Ouch!

Being Big & Tall presents some challenges when things get economically tough, as specialty stores with thin margins tend to get hit hardest of all retail outlets.  In times like these, it’s pretty common for some outlets and small shops that carry a limited but necessary supply of apparel and shoes to see a drop in business as people tighten up the purse strings for the tough days ahead.

I employ several gnomes to scour the internets for information on all things Big & Tall, and some of the articles we come across are downright depressing.  News article after news article from hometown newspapers around the country mentioning shops with big and tall sections are closing thanks to the current economic climate.  Some places seem to be thriving, though…  (Even Casual Male posted a Q1 profit)  and I’m very happy to see that.

The drawbacks of being Big and Tall are such that finding good clothes that last can be fairly difficult.  I’ve tried spending less money on clothes shopping at places like Wal*Mart, Kmart and the like…  nothing I get there seems to work after the first or second washing, and that’s only IF I find anything at all.

With less local shops and retailers around to support us, only larger retailers like Casual Male, Rochester Big & Tall, etc. will have an actual brick and mortar presence for us to try on clothes and find the perfect fit.  The closest big and tall store to me is a Casual Male XL, and it’s about an hour and a half away.

Some unfortunate business tactics are also taking a lot of choice out of the market…  I recently spoke to a friend, Scott, who happens to be new to the world of Big & Tall shops.  Scott commented about his first ever visit to Dahle’s, a local Big and Tall shop in Osh Kosh, Wisconsin near where he resides…  Dahle’s is closing.  They didn’t really appear to be in financial distress, but apparently Casual Male (who have a store about 15 miles away) has made an offer that the owner of Dahle’s couldn’t refuse.  Casual Male Retail Group purchased the business and is closing out the store with no plans to reopen, forcing locals to travel to their store that is a good distance away.

What truly suffers when shops like this close is that we lose choice.  Choice that is already limited to begin with.  Supporting local shops and stores with Big & Tall sections may make all the difference in having future availability and choice.  A lot of companies are going the mail-order route, but most big guys I speak to agree that they have to try on EVERYTHING before they buy…  paying for shipping back and forth only to try things on can be wasteful and time consuming.

Perhaps small shops offer less selection than online retailers, however that allows for a narrow focus and makes it easy to find things that fit properly and look good.

Categories: Big & Tall Lifestyle
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