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A simple pair of socks: REI, what's up?
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edit to add: In 2017 REI launched "Force of Nature: Putting Women Front & Center Outdoors at REI" All I wanted was a pair of mountaineering socks... Backstory (skip at will): I will be trying out ice climbing for the first time this winter, if it comes in here and my ice loving best friend can make the trip. To that end, I need to be in serious layers. He is advising me on what to buy, and it is very specific. A very kind MPer has made it his mission to track down mountaineering boots for me, shaking down his friends in New York. Those boots will arrive the end of October. To make sure they fit properly, I need to have the socks I will be wearing. Off work early, I go sock shopping. I know exactly what to buy, thanks to my mountaineering friend. The Problem: I go to my great local outdoors store first, to give them the business. Yay! There they are. Smartwool extra thick mountaineering crew socks. Great! Wait. Not great. "Unisex". Sigh. In M, L, and XL. Based on men's sizes, unisex clearly extra numbers on a chart, letting women know which size to order. Okay, I'm good with that. However. It means Sasquatch is set. Many women (and yes, smaller dudes and young people) are....not. Yes, I can special order. With shipping charges. Why bother? They will be passing this on to the managers, they said. The salesperson is not happy about it either. Out to REI: Ditto. Really? A nice salesperson comes over, checks in back. Nope. That's what they carry. "Would I like to special order?" No. If I'm ordering, I'll order direct. "I'm sure there are some small sizes in the ski socks." Not what I'm after, but what the hey. Over we go. "Well, aren't all these colors and stripes nice", yeah, I'm sarcastic now and then. The salesperson is smiling in agreement with the sarcasm. We agree I should stick with the plan of unfrozen feet versus fashionable when the frostbite is treated at the ER. I ask, "isn't this the 'year of the woman', something like that?" "Force of Nature thing?" Salesperson and I are smiling at each other. They will pass on the difficulty. Clearly it is not the first time this irony has been thrust on them. As I exit, "please also let them know I am not. Buying. A Single. Thing. Today. Thanks so much!" To REI: What's the rest of the story? I'm truly curious why this is still happening. Every size offered but the one many women would wear. I freely grant there may not be many sales of this size, but now? Zero possibility. Why should I come to the store if zero is the offering? I attended one of the Force of Nature talks. It sure sounded like REI was going to be trying to work with suppliers to not make it difficult for women to gear up. This gear exists now. What's the deal? Thanks! Best, OLH The Socks The socks were ordered online last night. The extra cost for being born me? Only $5.95. Nothing at all. Until you multiply it over a 60 year lifetime. |
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Don't even bother trying to find shoes to go with them. |
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Didn't you post a previous thread/complaint about harness sizing? And wasn't it discussed, in that thread, that the sizes available are based on what sells? (aka: "the market") Edit: Here it is: |
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"Unisex" is a bullshit term for "we only carry men's sizes but we're hoping you don't notice". It is frustrating, esp. since smartwool absolutely sells women's sizes and I doubt it would strain REI's shelf space to carry them. It's not like they'll go bad. If they really don't sell that well then hey, they don't have to stock often. Next time, ask the store to go ahead and order them. If they "ship to store" it won't cost you anything extra, and if this happens enough they may get the message to start carrying more sizes. Now, can we talk about the bullshit, teeny tiny, non-functional pockets women get stuck with? ;) |
Consider how much it would cost the manufacturers and retailers to constantly produce, ship, store, and ultimately dispose of thousands and thousands of items that never sell. It's not personal, just business. |
Dave Kos wrote: It could also be "toxic masculinity." Oh, wait, different thread. |
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I had this exact same thing happen to me the other day in Lululemon. I wanted a nice pair of high rise crops in size 10, and all they had was size 6. Gawd damnit, I have hips. Seriously though, being of average size aka commonly stocked isn't always all its cracked up to be. I don't even bother looking at sales racks anymore, I know all that shit is size 36, 38, and 44. |
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My problem is I can't find spandex in men's sizes. |
ViperScale wrote: |
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Your local REI just must be garbage ... I get smart wool socks for mom at Christmas just about every year and the REIs here in Vegas ( and Virginia when we lived there) always had plenty of woman's smart wool socks in various cuts and thicknesses |
FrankPS wrote: Frank, you're getting slow, two others got posts in ahead of you! :-) Thanks for popping that up, I actually expected you would. There are differences however. 1. "S" is a size smart wool sells. It exists, unlike a big gun harness in a small or even medium in women's sizing (my earlier beef that Frank popped up). 2. All the other sizes this sock is available in are on the rack, including XL, which, on the size chart is men's shoe size 12-14.5, women's N/A. 3. "S" on the size chart is women's shoe size 4-6.5, men's 3-5.5. 6.5 in women's shoes is not an unusual size. Small, yes. A wild outlier? No. 4. No, I have no idea what the "market" for the small size sock in a retail store is, but perhaps it is a number larger than zero? Best, Helen |
Dylan B. wrote: Obvious sexism, huh? REI is trying to keep women in their place. Definitely a conspiracy. Rise up, SJW's! Can we get eight pages of beating this to death? I sure hope so. |
FrankPS wrote: Frank, get off your high horse and leave Short Jewish Women alone, would ya??? Sheesh. Best, OLH |
Old lady H wrote: Shucks, I was just trying to help. |
Dylan B. wrote: "Mens" rea? Why isn't it "womens' rea"? Sexism. :) |
FrankPS wrote: Or YOU (U) Rea |
Squeak wrote: That joke stinks. |
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REI doesn't carry women's approach shoes*. At all. Any size. They carry a half dozen or so men's styles. *Denver store, last year. |
Old lady H wrote: Drink more water |
Dave Kos wrote: Ok, let's consider. Smartwool already does manufacture socks in women's sizes, so that's taken care of. Since it sounds like they're already shipping and storing many pairs of socks, adding a few women's sizes to the shipment and shelves I'm gonna say will cost virtually nothing. And "eventually dispose of"? Why, when the socks pass their "best by" date? They can stay on the shelf indefinitely, until OLH or someone else takes them off their hands. Definitely would not be more costly than special ordering them individually. And my local REI carries plenty of women's socks, so it's not like it's a crazy new untested business model. |
