The Crazy Town train stops today at a popular retail store called Lululemon. If you’re not familiar, Lululemon sells workout clothes for exorbitant prices. I don’t know why you’d ever want to spend $98 on a pair of yoga pants, yet plenty of people do.
That’s not the crazy part, though, at least not in BFD land. Nope, that would be the company’s refusal to carry anything beyond a size 12 (which is considered an XL in their skewed world), because it’s not in line with their brand strategy. According to a former employee:
Most of the merchandise was presented out on the floor, hung on the walls, or folded neatly in cabinets for all the world to see. But the largest sizes — the 10s and the 12s — were relegated to a separate area at the back of the store, left clumped and unfolded under a table.
I know, totally disgusting to think a size 10 or 12 might want to buy your merchandise, isn’t it? Better make sure you hide those gargantuan sizes so the skinny people don’t have to see them and be mortified by them.
So, what does Lululemon have to say about this rather bizarre strategy?
Our product and design strategy is built around creating products for our target guest in our size range of 2-12. While we know that doesn’t work for everyone and recognize fitness and health come in all shapes and sizes, we’ve built our business, brand and relationship with our guests on this formula.
I guess they’re a little classier about it than Abercrombie & Fitch. And yes, Lululemon is totally welcome to have this as their business strategy. But I can’t believe that catering exclusively to skinny people is more important to Lululemon that making even more money by selling their overpriced workout clothes to a wider audience. But then again, as I said before, I don’t know why you’d want to pay almost $100 for a pair of pants you’re going to sweat all over.
Someday, a company is going to come along and make fashionable, attractive workout clothes for all sizes, and they are going to make a ton of money. I can’t wait to give them some of mine.
