The economics of clothing pricing
By TheRealDawn
@dawnald (85146)
Shingle Springs, California
October 18, 2010 10:53am CST
Yesterday I took Dearra to get jeans. Yep, that girl has outgrown almost all of her jeans yet again. And she told me she liked the black skinny jeans, not because they're popular, mind you, but just because she likes the way they look. So we head on over to Old Navy and look in the children's section, and end up with three pairs of blue jeans, and one pair of black skinny jeans with sequins. Then we look in the adult section and find another pair of black skinny jeans, no sequins.
So we're getting rung up, and I say to Dearra, here's a lesson in economics. Three pairs of children's jeans, twelve dollars each. One pair of black jeans with sequins, sixteen dollars. One pair of adult sized black jeans, exact same amount of material, no sequins, twenty nine dollars. Doesn't seem right, does it?
That's when I tell her to STOP GROWING.
That's when the cashier informs me they're having a sale. If I use my Old Navy card, since I bought an adult item, I get one children's item for free. So all's well that ends well, kind of.
But it does show what people are willing to pay for, doesn't it? Or what companies get away with with pricing. Or something...
PS sorry I'm so far behind on everybody's discussions, I'm trying to catch up!
8 people like this
28 responses
@vandana7 (100254)
• India
18 Oct 10
Dawny - I like coming to your discussions. You have a nice way of expressing the entire thing. Its so crystal clear - I feel as I was standing right beside you two. And the language is so simple!!! 
(There should be an emoticon for feeling jealous as well) :)
Dont worry about our discussions. If there is anything so dreadfully serious - I will knock your door through PMs. :)
I agree. We adults are penalized. May be the manufacturer expects us not to wear anything now that we are adults. 
(There should be an emoticon for feeling jealous as well) :)
Dont worry about our discussions. If there is anything so dreadfully serious - I will knock your door through PMs. :)
I agree. We adults are penalized. May be the manufacturer expects us not to wear anything now that we are adults. @dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
18 Oct 10
I just think a lot of parents aren't willing to pay as much for children's clothing.
@vandana7 (100254)
• India
18 Oct 10
May be the margin in lower in kids clothing because kids grow up faster, and by keeping margins lower, it is possible for the manufacturer to tempt the parent to buy two where only one would have been sufficient. Just a wild shot - if I were marketing something, I would do that. :)
1 person likes this
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
18 Oct 10
I thought Old Navy had better prices than $30 for a pair of jeans... but then again I don't typically shop at places like that for particular items. If I buy from Old Navy or any other name brand type store I buy things that are on sale or clearance. Anytime I go somewhere to buy something very specific I go to Walmart because that's what I can afford!
2 people like this
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
19 Oct 10
I am so far behind I have discussions to answer from 2008..I still have to get to them..I haven't deleted them..probably why I have almost 4000 in my inbox. But that is the truth. Doesn't seem fair. My sister in law bought her daughters clothes from Peebles..but they had the same name brand of clothes she purchased at Kmart and Walmart for lower prices for the same brands..You won't see me paying $49.99 for a t-shirt they have at Kmart for $6.49 Your basically just paying for the Store Name. I might appear stupid but not that stupid. My little sister has outgrown most the junior miss clothes and is wearing some petite women clothing and it does cost more..
My mom tells her to stop growing..lol..
My mom tells her to stop growing..lol..1 person likes this
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
19 Oct 10
Oh, she also wears woman's capri's/short pants as pants they fit her just right in length.
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
19 Oct 10
I don't mind paying a little extra once in a while, but only to a point. I'm not going to go to those expensive stores and buy a bunch of full wardrobes, not even on sale. That's just crazy!
@much2say (55562)
• Los Angeles, California
18 Oct 10
Lucky for me, I can still fit in some kids clothing - hee hee. Adult pants do me no good . . . the legs are ALWAYS way too long. But, I find that the adult waist does fit me better . . . kids pants have no waist so it's actually too big in that area for me (they keep falling down even with a belt). A free item for another item . . . FREE is always a good word these days. The Old Navy marketing team is pretty smart!
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
18 Oct 10
Yeah, I like their sales. But still, almost twice the price for practically the same item. Grrrr...
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
25 Oct 10
sometimes it seems that way, but not always...
@much2say (55562)
• Los Angeles, California
18 Oct 10
But it seems like the adult ones are made better than the kids ones, don't you think? It may not have all the funky, flashy, fun stuff, but at least they last pretty long. I find that the kids stuff gets ratty faster - I suppose they don't use the best of fabrics for kids - maybe that's why they can make them cheaper?
1 person likes this
@fannitia (2167)
• Bulgaria
18 Oct 10
Jeans in the US are so cheap! Me and my daughter we use to buy jeans from second hand stores because here, in Bulgaria, good jeans are too expensive. As to the children's clothes - back in the socialist years they were normally cheaper than the adult's ones. Than "the wind of changes" and the market economics brought kid's clothes with huge prices. What kind of economics is this?
@BarBaraPrz (47274)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
18 Oct 10
Yeah, when I was younger and much thinner, I would buy boys jeans because they were so much cheaper...
1 person likes this
@BarBaraPrz (47274)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
18 Oct 10
Nope. And at that time there was no tax on children's clothing, either. Now there's tax on everything, including the tax!
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
20 Oct 10
I wish I could too, or at least smaller children's sizes....
@gdesjardin (1918)
• United States
19 Oct 10
I remember there was a time when I would go to Old Navy almost once a month because my boys were growing what seemed like daily. Both my boys are over 6 feet and they would go through jeans all the time. I was so sad when they got out of the boys department because obviously the price goes up in the men's department. My kids (thank goodness) don't mind going to thrift stores now, so we buy all the name brands for pennies on the dollar.
1 person likes this
@gdesjardin (1918)
• United States
19 Oct 10
Yeah, it is hard on the wallet when they do. My middle son I think has stopped growing, but my daughter still is and I hated the day she out grew the children's department. Buy, at least Old Navy is reasonably priced.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
21 Oct 10
I actually noticed this very same thing over the weekend, only where I saw it was between toddlers and boys clothes. Paul is now getting to the stage that he is able to wear either 4T in toddler's or a 4 (xs) in boys. Well, we were at Kohls and I was trying to find some new clothes for him because he outgrew everything that he had from last year. I pick out some pants for him in the toddler's department and they were $9 per pair. I then pick out a pair of jeans for him from the boy's department at $24 a pair (luckily there was a buy one get one free sale on the jeans which made them each $12 when I bought two pairs.) However, like you said, I don't understand why just because something is in a different department means that it has to cost so much more.
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
21 Oct 10
I saw that exact same thing when my kids were right on the line like that. I also noticed that when the girls moved from toddler sizes to girls sizes, the clothing was a lot more "sexy". Way too much for their age. What the heck is up with that?
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
18 Oct 10
At least jeans in the US seem to be more reasonably priced than in "rip-off Britain" lol. More to choose from although I must confess I've never bought any over there.
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
18 Oct 10
Funny though, a child's size 5 is the same as a child's size 16, which is half the price of an adult size 2 which is the same size as a child's size 16...
@hofferp (4734)
• United States
19 Oct 10
I still can wear kids shoes because my feet are small. Even so, the last time I bought shoes was 5 or 6 years ago... I love kids shoes prices. Unfortunately, I'm now wearing old ladies' clothes and they're not cheap... Glad I don't buy them very often either.
1 person likes this
@RebeccaScarlett (2532)
• Canada
25 Jan 11
It's true with everything.
Women's shampoo, $2 dollars more (or more!) than men's shampoo of the same brand. Even though the ingredients are identical. Same with women's anything vs. men's anything. Same brand, same size, same ingredients, 20% more expensive.
What about yeast infections? Diaper rashes on babies are yeast infections. Same cream that is perfectly safe to use on a "female" infection costs two or three times as much as the diaper rash cream. Check the ingredients next time you're at the pharmacy. Identical!
I do not fit into children's clothing, but I'm short and have short legs even in proportion to my short body. So I saved over $100 last time I bought a bike -- by buying the kid's model of the same brand! It said the frame was good for people up to 5'4", and I'm only 5'2", so why not?!
I felt good about that purchase.
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
25 Jan 11
Yep, I guess it is true. They will charge what people will pay for stuff, basically!
@troysavary (1)
• Canada
19 Oct 10
As long as there are people willing to pay these prices, stores will continue to have massive mark-ups on items that cost them pennies to make in some third-world country. Adult clothing costs far more because adults (especially childless adults) will pay more to make sure they are trendy than what a parent who has to make their dollars stretch farther is willing to pay for all the kids.
Want to send a message about prices? Refuse to buy clothing from expensive designer labels. Preferably, buy no new clothing at all (with the exeption of socks and underwear). Everything else can be had far cheaper at used clothing stores. Not only are you saving a bundle, you are aiding in recycling, reducing the need to use resources to manufacture more clothing. You are also saying no to sweat-shop labour that way as well.
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
19 Oct 10
I rarely buy designer labels, and only on clearance sale. Actually, of late, not at all, actually. I don't buy used clothing too often, but I do buy off brand stuff at cheaper stores.
@GardenGerty (160626)
• United States
19 Oct 10
When I was in college a bazillion years ago my brother bought this really cool pair of plaid, cuffed bell bottom pants. I liked them so well I bought a pair while I was home on break. I got so many compliments on those pink plaid pants. I paid less for them because they were not made for girls and they were not adult pants.It is amazing what they get away with. Having been married to a tall, thin man, he always complained that one or two inches of fabric could cost you an extra ten dollars or so.
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
19 Oct 10
My favorite jeans growing up had lace up fronts. But they weren't boys jeans...
@sid556 (30960)
• United States
19 Oct 10
Hi Dawn,
In my area, it seems the opposite really. If my daughter buys her clothes in the Jr.teen dept, they are outrageous. Same thing in the women's section is quite a bit cheaper. The teens have the money to blow and they don't think twice about it. And the guys are cheapest of all.
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
19 Oct 10
yeah the Junior stuff is quite outrageous, at least some of it is!
@paula27661 (15811)
• Australia
19 Oct 10
Yes…I’ve noticed how much more expensive adult clothes are; it’s similar here. My sister’s little girl is only 12 days older than mine but she is so much bigger! Her shoes are bigger than mine now and of course her clothes have to come from the adult’s section because kid’s sizes don’t fit her anymore and she’s not nine years old yet! My little one is growing rapidly too but not quite so much and we can still get away with kid’s sizes although one of my tops almost fits her…That’s it…I’m not feeding her anymore!
1 person likes this
@blue65packer (11826)
• United States
19 Oct 10
What pisses me off when buying clotes is I have to buy women's size like 3 plus sizes. I love that I have to pay like $2.00 and $3.00 more for a piece of clothing! I know there is more material but come on! I should not be paying so much more then everyone else! It is crazy! Then I look at even bigger sizes and if I need to buy those sizes I would have to spend at least $2.00 more! It sucks and I hate clothes shopping! It just not have to be with the price of it, I get depressed doing it! I really do! So I shop only when I have to!
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
19 Oct 10
At least it's not double or triple though, that would be awful...
@katland05 (136)
• Guam
19 Oct 10
dawn hi...
I wish we had old navy here in my country because when I see their site online I love their prices (don't use credit cards, against my policies)... The stores here where I live the jeans are all above $30, very rare & have to be on sale for the prices to be affordable... My daughter maybe skinny but her length is 5 ft. 8 in. tall & have to go to women's size. Then have to do alterations on the waist which is extra charges because our big stores like Macy's or K mart do not do alterations... Have a great day mylot friends...
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
19 Oct 10
I like them because they have slim and husky and long and so on. That was such a problem when I was little and my pants were either too loose or too short.
