Shoppers notice more plus-sized Old Navy clothes in the clearance section, fueling suspicions that the clothing retailer will get rid of extended sizes completely.
Is Old Navy phasing out plus-sized items?
In a video with over 725,000 views, one shopper who goes by @junk_mom says they noticed Old Navy “pulling” plus-sized clothing off the racks and putting them in clearance.
“They’re labelled as ‘defective’ articles of clothing,” they say.
The TikToker claims that Old Navy retail and corporate workers have shared that the store plans to stop carrying plus-size clothing. “Meaning any clothing from size 16 and up will not be carried in stores anymore,” they continue.
@junk_mom If you guys don’t want to see our bodies why do you get rid off all of our clothes #oldnavy #plussize #clothes #opinion ♬ original sound – Pumpkin Head
The TikToker laments that Old Navy was once a popular destination for plus-sized shoppers, as the store offered extended sizes and flattering designs. Their caption reads, “If you guys don’t want to see our bodies, why do you get rid [of] all of our clothes?”
Meanwhile, on the r/OldNavy subreddit, another shopper listed a number of changes they’ve noticed in the past six months when shopping at Old Navy.
The gripes include, “You can no longer select to see clothing on different model sizes (used to be able to choose XL)” and “Some of their newer items coming out do not go up to the full extended size 30.”
However, it’s not the first time shoppers have noticed Old Navy going back and forth on its plus-sized availability. The Daily Dot reported in 2022 that some shoppers noticed the retailer phasing out plus-sized clothing.
Old Navy has not issued an official statement confirming any changes to its plus-sized clothing availability amid rumors on social media. The Daily Dot reached out to Old Navy via email for further clarification.
What do shoppers think of recent changes?
In the comments of the r/OldNavy thread and on TikTok, shoppers lament that they will have fewer options that work for them if the retailer truly phases out plus-sized clothing.
A commenter writes, “This is so upsetting. I am actively trying to lose weight, but am still plus-size. I’ve shopped at Old Navy for years, and it’s one of the only stores I could go to for shopping for clothes in my size in-store.”
“Old Navy was literally one of the last places I could actually try on clothing in stores…. This has gotta be a recession indicator,” one shopper says.
“Cool, so I guess I just won’t have any basic clothes anymore,” another writes.
“They’re just going to lock us inside Torrid and Lane Bryant at this point,” one imagines.
Others are questioning why Old Navy is ditching its previous size inclusivity right now and offering their theories.
“I blame the Ozempic pandemic in celebrity culture,” one suggests.
“Yeah, I’ve noticed it too. The size range is smaller, and the plus models are gone. It’s frustrating after all the progress that was made,” another says.
“This is a culture warning sign,” one commenter bluntly put it.
“It’s because the old CEO introduced plus sizes and sales plummeted, and the stock price dropped to $8 a share. She lost her job because the PLUS SIZE campaign didn’t work. Unfortunately, plus-size, petite, and tall did not show enough purchasing behaviors,” one suggests.
A second writes, “It’s not just Old Navy. Nike is doing that again, too. They advertise online only now. In stores aren’t much anymore. I asked someone who works for them. Says it’s marketing and not enough ppl shopping in the store for them.”
“Oh early 2000s are so back,” says another.
“I can’t imagine how that’s gonna help their margins based on the size of Americans LOL,” writes one commenter.
One viewer, who is also an employee at the retail store, adds, “They are not getting rid of plus size,” clarifying that “Some smaller stores are downsizing their inventory and unfortunately that includes some of the larger sizing.”
“However, they’re still all available for order. If you are in the store, you can place an order directly at the register with free shipping,” they continued.
Another Old Navy defender chimes in to say, “everyone complaining about not being able to try on…If you’ve been shopping at Old Navy all this time, you should know your size and can shop online.”
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