While I was “working” I bought some warm clothes for me and my daughter, as the New Zealand winter has finally shone its chilly side. Of course I began looking at the sale items as I am always trying to save.
I was at Kmart and there were many discounted clothes throughout the store. The racks were full of mismatched items of various sizes as one would expect since many customers put things back where they don’t belong.
So I browsed around the women’s clothing area looking for warm pants and sweaters. I found several items but was quite surprised at the size variation as I held the clothes up to measure against my body. I then took what I had found to the dressing room to make sure they fit.
I was shocked to find that all the clothes fit me just fine, even though they varied in size from 10 to 14. Normally I wear a size 8 or 10, which in American sizes would be equivalent to a size 2 or 4. I know sizing varies country to country and have even found that many Asian-made items are smaller than the tag says, but I have never bought a size 14 piece of clothing before.
While I was looking around I found several children’s size 6 pants that looked big enough to fit my 10 year old daughter. It was hard to believe that the clothes were sized so small. They were obviously too big for a normal 6 year old to wear. I wondered if my mind was playing tricks on me and that maybe I couldn’t remember how big my daughter was.
However one good thing about having two daughters is that if the clothes don’t fit the older one then they will eventually fit the younger one. So I decided to take the risk and buy the size 6 pants for her.
I wasn’t too concerned about fit as the price of the clothes is what I really look at. I got a fabulous deal on these items – one of my tops only cost $3.50 and it was originally priced at $30. Wow, what a savings! I ended up spending $114.50 for $240 worth of clothes. That’s a 48% discount!
When I got home I had my eldest try on the size 6 clothes and they fit her just fine. I was amazed. Normally she wears a children’s size 8 or 9 as the size for kids clothes usually coincides with their age (she just turned 10 a few weeks ago).
After she tried on her new clothes I showed her my new ones and then removed the price tags. As I was taking tags off the size 12 hooded top I discovered it had a “kidurable” tag which is Kmart’s guarantee for children’s clothing. I took a closer look at the label in the top and discovered it was a boy’s size 12!
I then found out that the two size 14 pants I had bought were girl’s sizes. That explains why they fit me – they weren’t adult sizes. However it made me concerned to think a 12 or 14 year old child would be wearing such large clothes.
I know I am small but I would never think I was the size of a teenager! What is the world coming to if kids are that big at that young an age? On the brighter side Kmart guarantees (kidurable) those clothes will not wear out before they are outgrown, otherwise they will replace them. I think the odds are in my favour on that one!
This photo shows me holding the adult size 10 pants next to my 10 year old daughter holding the girl’s size 14 pants. They are the same size. If my daughter is big enough to wear my pants in four years time I will be shocked.
Are the manufacturers getting the sizes wrong or are we growing bigger children? What do you think? Maybe the next time you go shopping you should look in the children’s department. You may find some good deals and more fashionable clothing as well!
