Why I avoid stores and shop online: a demoralising experience

Jess Bacon does all her clothes shopping online. As a plus-size woman she says the size ranges available in stores are unreliable. “The sizing in store is notoriously bad. I find it quite demoralising in store,” she says. “The average size woman in the UK is a size 14 or a size 16. I think a lot of people just don't feel seen or represented,” says the 29-year-old from Peterborough. Jess, a culture journalist and author, adds that shopping online is “much quicker than going into a store, paying for parking, trying things on.” She also notes that posting back items that do not fit is less hassle than returning them in store, and that frequent trips to her local post office give her “more of a community connection.”

Jess points out that Primark is one of the few High Street retailers where plus-size shoppers can find clothing. In her experience, Primark stores usually stock up to a size 22. Soon she will be able to stay home even for those purchases, because after years of holding out Primark now plans to launch a home delivery service in Britain. Even during the Covid-19 pandemic, when shops were closed, Primark did not offer online shopping. In 2022 it introduced a click-and-collect service, but customers still had to travel to collect their orders. The retailer has not announced a launch date for the home delivery option, though it has bought a warehouse in Sheffield to enable shipping to homes.

Analysts say the move reflects the pressure Primark faces from ultra-fast-fashion brands such as Shein. Online shopping had been growing even before the pandemic