If You Can’t Afford Inclusivity, Say That. Stop Blaming “Supply and Demand.”

Hey y’all, I want to talk about something I keep seeing when people discuss plus size clothing and “supply and demand.” Why is the customer being blamed when a business doesn’t make the money it expected? If a brand chooses to enter the plus size market and advertise itself as inclusive, why does the conversation suddenly become “plus size women aren’t buying enough” when those sizes don’t sell as quickly as expected? 😭 Yes, we understand that larger sizes can require more fabric and can cost more to produce. But that is something a business should consider BEFORE deciding to offer those sizes. Plus size women didn’t walk into the warehouse and steal your profit. 😂 I also keep hearing, “We had 3Xs sitting there collecting dust.” Okay? I would rather have a 3X sitting on the rack than have a plus size customer walk into my store, find nothing, and leave. Because now you didn’t just lose one sale, you may have lost a repeat customer. If you spent $1,000 on inventory and only made $300 back, that is something the BUSINESS needs to evaluate. Maybe you bought too much. Maybe the marketing wasn’t working. Maybe the clothes weren’t what your customers wanted. Either way, that’s not something the customer should be blamed for.

I understand that businesses need to make a profit to survive. If they don’t, they can lose the entire business. I get that. But that is exactly why these risks and costs have to be considered BEFORE entering a market. If you can’t afford to offer the sizes, then don’t offer them. That’s the risk you’re taking as a business. I’m not a fashion or business guru, so maybe there’s something I’m missing, and I’m genuinely open to hearing other perspectives. But I don’t understand how the solution becomes blaming plus size customers or removing us completely when the business made those decisions in the first place. What am I missing?