Before we left for the Mediterranean cruise in October of last year, I ended up buying three Costco shorts (different colors) because they were such a good fit. Then I discovered that the buttons on the side of the leg were not the same. I wrote about it on my post titled Another Costco Flub. I got the shorts changed without a problem and was content.
Then we left for our Mediterranean cruise.
Well....
After returning I decided to wear one of the shorts to Zumba and discovered they were too big. I had to wear a belt with the shorts.
Good grief! I know I actually GAINED weight during this trip... not so much in the Mediterranean perhaps, but when we got to Chicago.
So could it be that just my tummy got smaller? OK. I know that's not true because well... let's not go into detail here.
It was a head scratcher.
This morning I decided to wear another of the Costco shorts and was surprised to find the shorts fit perfectly.
Hmmmm...
Did my tummy suddenly get bigger?
I decided to check.
The sizes on the label were the same. However, when I lined the pants up next to each other, the waist band was about a inch bigger on the olive shorts.
Oh aggravation!
My daughter, Tiffany tells me that Costco should take it back even though it's been worn. She said our purchases are in their computer system even if we don't have the receipts. Really?
Sigh....
We'll see.
POSTSCRIPT:
We were able to return the shorts without a problem. I'm going to have to be a lot more careful when I buy clothing from Costco.
Then we left for our Mediterranean cruise.
Well....
After returning I decided to wear one of the shorts to Zumba and discovered they were too big. I had to wear a belt with the shorts.
Good grief! I know I actually GAINED weight during this trip... not so much in the Mediterranean perhaps, but when we got to Chicago.
So could it be that just my tummy got smaller? OK. I know that's not true because well... let's not go into detail here.
It was a head scratcher.
Hmmmm...
Did my tummy suddenly get bigger?
I decided to check.
The sizes on the label were the same. However, when I lined the pants up next to each other, the waist band was about a inch bigger on the olive shorts.
Oh aggravation!
My daughter, Tiffany tells me that Costco should take it back even though it's been worn. She said our purchases are in their computer system even if we don't have the receipts. Really?
Sigh....
We'll see.
POSTSCRIPT:
We were able to return the shorts without a problem. I'm going to have to be a lot more careful when I buy clothing from Costco.
You wear a size 4? I wear a size 8! You are exactly twice as small as me, unless we're talking Costco sizes, it seems. :-)
ReplyDeleteI wear a 4-6. It really depends on the brand. I used to wear 8-10 until I became pre-diabetic.
DeleteKay that is an eye opener, really, and that is a designer label.
ReplyDeleteI don' like to buy things without trying they on first for exactly that reason.
ReplyDeleteI think because most items are made overseas in smaller countries there isn't the quality control...
ReplyDeleteI think big box stores by irregulars and sell them. These would have never made it to the department store. Depending on the cost of the shorts and the gas and time to return...maybe you can just take in the waist?
ReplyDeleteIt's really too hard to take in at the waist because of the style.
DeleteI agree with Tabor....the Coscos and WalMarts of the world are buying cheap to sell at low prices, so they probably turn a discerning eye the other way when accepting deliveries. I guess it's up to us to be cautious. I don't usually buy clothing there, but do take advantage of some of their bulk purchases of paper, vitamins, etc. Have a great day in whatever pair of shorts you are wearing! ;-)
ReplyDeleteWell,cry me a river with your size four problems, Kay! :))
ReplyDeleteI've had exactly the same thing happen with jeans from Target! I tried on one pair and they fit so I took another pair off the shelf home, assuming the same size would fit. Nope! The second pair was cut smaller than the first and I had to take them back. Now I don't buy anything without trying it on, even if it's two of the same thing. I'm glad Costco took them back for you.
ReplyDeleteYou should buy muumuus like me. Nice and loose fitting. I don't wear shorts anymore.
ReplyDeleteI can't wear muumuus to Zumba, I'm afraid.
DeleteI have found the sizing problem to be one found in many brands in many stores. You just can't count on the sizes to be true. We also take things back to Costco without the receipt. They will take them back by looking at your account record.
ReplyDeleteSize four shorts are not anything I have seen in my closet for 23 years. I gained thirty pounds when I married my hubby and I have yet to take them off.
I just would have taken them in. :)
ReplyDeleteIn the future, you can buy them, take them into the bathroom and try them on before heading home. If they don't fit or are miss marked, like those seem to be, you can exchange them right there. Those of us who wear the Costco Speedos do just that.
These shorts are a bit difficult to take it. I did consider taking it into the bathroom to try it on, but I'd be afraid to get it dirty or lose my balance or any number of things. Besides, since we go every week after our tai chi class, I can bring them in to exchange. This time I totally goofed and assumed they were OK and left them in the closet after washing them before leaving for the Mediterranean cruise. Hmmmm... I'll consider the bathroom next time though after this.
DeleteI'm with Olga!
ReplyDeleteEven in department stores, you must try on everything, even when buying multiples of the same item. Sizes vary because they are made by humans, and humans make mistakes.
I have a pair of Gloria Vanderbilt jeans I love. I have an identical pair an inch smaller. I guess they are not identical. I only wear them when desperate. But it makes me wonder which pair is the size 10.
ReplyDeletemy only child is a teeny tiny gal, she got some clothes from Costco as a gift and they were toooo big this was when she was in high school, she is still tiny, she took them back and got money from Costco and bought at the mall a lot of clothes, Never buy clothing you don't try on, they will not fit you at all, I thought you knew that as a teacher? ciao
ReplyDeleteThere are no dressing rooms at Costco. I could go to the bathroom and try them on, I suppose, but I'm not too comfortable doing that. Since we go to Costco once a week, it's not a problem. My mistake here was to assume that if I bought a size 4, the rest of the 4s would fit in the same way.
DeleteI see you are getting no sympathy with your size 4. You are getting none from me either:)) I always try on each article of clothing even though they are the same brand. Sad fact but true.
ReplyDeleteI like your shorts
ReplyDeleteThe only piece of clothing I got there was a college-team jacket
ReplyDeleteWhat a lot of people don't realize is that one retail clothing item, like your shorts, is often manufactured at several different factories in different locations. If you buy 2 pair of shorts at Costco, even though they are the same brand & size they can end up being cut from different patterns that vary in size.You would think this would be a quality control issue, but quality control doesn't seem to happen much anymore. Sometimes the fabric can differ as well as the dyes used. You really need to try each pair on to see if they fit you. When you can't try clothing on, like in Costco, then what I do is measure my waist, hips & inseam and carry a small tape measure in my purse to check what size most closely matches my measurements. I find that is the most accurate way I can buy clothes that I can't try on prior to purchasing. It doesn't mean you'll get a perfect fit, but it sure beats buying based on guessing it will fit. My sister works as a purchaser of clothing for a large dept. store & says you can have several different factories making the same clothing item, but the pattern, fabric & dyes can all be slightly different. Making the clothing inexpensively is more important than consistency in sizing apparently. That is why you can order/buy more than one of the same item & they never fit the same. It used to be that you could count on a line of clothing to be sized consistently. Now you have to try each piece of clothing on to know if it will fit correctly. Personally, I would rather pay a little more for clothing that was well made & the fabric was at least 80% cotton rather than finding most clothing with shoddy workmanship, buttons falling off & made out of horrible polyester. I thought the cotton shortage ended a few years ago and yet sheets are made of "microfiber" which is synthetic polyester & most clothing is also polyester or very poor quality cotton material that shrinks up & stretches out. If we paid a bit more & the workers were paid a little more for their labor. That way the laborers in India & Thailand would earn a livable wage & we would get higher quality retail clothing.
ReplyDeleteCostco has always had the most liberal of return policies. If you used a credit or debit card to purchase an item at Costco, they can pull up your purchase on their register. Even when I received an item as a gift or paid cash I got a refund with no problem. I was offered a Costco gift card in the amount of the refund or cash.
Thank goodness that Costco has a good return policy. Thank you so much for all the terrific information.
DeleteLove those shorts, adorable. I'll never buy clothing at COSTCO cuz I'm too big anyway. In fact even if I buy it in my size I no longer try on clothes, can't remember when I last did so. I guess when you're a big size they are looser so they accommodate a wider range and if it's too big (ha!) well I pretend I'm more slender (double ha!) Obviously I don't wear fitted anything and I love it. There are no standard sizes and each manufacturer/designer makes it different and depends on the cut. BTW COSTCO doesn't make clothing, it works with vendors who decide where they're gonna make it...the only exception is anything under the Kirkland label that are made to their specs. Watch a show on one of the news channels that repeats: The COSTCO Phenomenon (MSN? CNN?). It explains their entire purchasing strategy.
ReplyDeleteHello Anonymous! Thank you so much for your wonderful comment. I love learning from my readers. However, could you sign your name at the bottom of your comment (in the comment box) just so I know who you are when you write again? I will have to be a LOT more careful when I buy clothing from Costco. Thanks a bunch!
DeleteIt's not just Costco that has wrong sizes. You really have to watch what you're getting.
ReplyDeleteSuch crappy products. I try to buy local if I can. It's so hard to do, though. The Target stores in Canada are closing. Just another big box store mistake. sigh. OK, rant over!!!!
ReplyDeleteThis post has been very enlightening. I have not only learned from you but also from your commenters. We go to CostCo's at least once a month. Gregg likes to buy his clothes from there. I haven't yet but when I do I will certainly pay attention to the sizes.
ReplyDeleteCostco really has a good policy to allow returns even when the clothing has been worn.
ReplyDeleteIt is great that they would let you return the shorts. Were they interested in your story or did they just refund with no questions asked?
ReplyDelete