I can accept that you don't carry my sizes in Japan, because the people aren't, though I do wonder why you don't just sell un-hemmed pants so I could pay someone an hour's wages to make them fit me, rather than no option but not to buy shit too short.
But no, it does puzzle me that you don't carry 'medium-tall' and pants with a 32" waist and 34" inseam in Japan, because though you might not want to keep them in each store, it shouldn't be any trouble to keep them in stock to be sent from your online store. Then again, Canada's branch doesn't, and why should a Japanese operation take into account a million gaijin when even tall natives have to order their clothing from abroad, as some have told me. As for the Canadian operation, I don't see why people the same height as Americans, but somewhat thinner on average, have even less access to thinner sizes, or waist measurements less than the inseams, than what you can get in the States.
In order to get clothing that, I don't know... actually fits someone without 'metabolic syndrome', I have ordered from the States. Of course it was a PITA*, because due to your relationships/licensing with your overseas branches, you won't ship outside of the States, even though the Canadian and Japanese branches don't carry my fucking size!
I know I am silly. You cannot be concerned with the availability to, or perception by, overseas customers, since I can go online and see that you charge more in Canada, and far more in Japan, than you do in the States, for the same items. Don't give me any shit about different costs: each item's made for $5 by some Chinese slave, and shipped for another dollar.
*Had a friend in the States forward it.
I think you have your calculations confused. It's more like $1 to the Chinese slave and $5 for shipping. Shipping is huge in fashion because they want the shit in the store asap (before it goes out of fashion).
ReplyDeleteYeah there are work-arounds and they are a PITA. I could get it if we lived in 1990 or something but nowadays it is just annoying. I had trouble finding ... well anything but particularly shoes in Japan. Every time I mentioned that to a Japanese person, either they or someone they knew had the same problem. So it's not just me that wears size 10, it's a whole Japanese denial thing.
Oh, and huge import taxes on leather goods -- that you can't buy in the country! That shits me. I found out recently that it apparently relates to the whole ETA class thing. In return for total stigmatisation, they got protection of the leather trade. The protection (and a lot of the stigma) still goes on today.
Ok, I've got ranty and totally off-topic. Hope you get your pants.
Good points all. 'Japanese denial'... there are no words, and before some troll calls 'Orientalism', yeah Anglo culture's got its own denials: Japan's are still stupid. Stow the 'ad hominem'. I think it is the cursed 'oyaji' again, muttering 'ware-ware nihonjin' wincing over their prostrate pains as usual, and not listing shoes, clothing, bicycles, futons, you-name-it in adult sizes.
DeleteSpeaking of shoes, does anyone know why:
- everyone wears them far too large here
- shuffles (due to above?)
- nobody teaches their daughters to walk in heels... or even flats (E.Asian women walk fine in Canada)
Because it's cute!
DeleteI've never worked out the too big shoe thing. It seems strange since you'd think having small and dainty feet would be more desirable. I have seen girls lose a shoe down the gap getting off the train. And laughed. A lot.
As for clothing sizes, it's so screwy. I worked for a fashion company for a while last year. They use some crazy algorithm for working out selling/stock. No size 14 or 16 garments (Aus 14 = US 10) ever got sent to China (which is WTF in itself... the clothes are made in, shipped out and shipped back).
They didn't sell in Japan but I'm sure the same thing goes on with companies who do. I lived in Shitamachi, so you can't tell me there are NO size 14 or 16 girls in Japan and I've seen some quite solid Chinese girls too.
Companies say over and over that the larger sizes don't sell so they don't want to make or sell them. But you go to any end of season sale and it's all the size 4 and 6's left on the racks!
The truth is that no organization knows its ass from its elbow. I have worked in private international schools, Canadian public elementary schools, in a 'veal fattening pen' in a Canadian bank, as a JET in a public junior high school, on a road crew, a kitchen, and a tree planting crew, and in every case: management had no fucking clue, half the grunts didn't do their job, half did ruefully from some sense of duty, and the nobs couldn't tell one from another. This is more the reason I am on the left than my sociopolitical beliefs: public or private, high or low, most people suck, so maybe we should just focus on everyone getting a living wage.
DeleteAnd shoes in Canada? I wear a 10, which is sold out by mid season, which means they can't keep the main size in stock either.
One more thing. Has nobody taught Japanese men that brown shoes cannot be worn with black or navy?
Have you considered wearing short pants like Angus Young? Though this probably won't be comfortable during cold months, it should solve some of the problem. Or you can just make your problem everyone elses by going no pants. I encourage my hubs to do that but he says it would not be appreciated by all. If I knew you I would help ship you some normal human pants.
ReplyDeleteIf I could wail like Angus, I could dress any damn way I like, eh? Alas, I am just a forty-something breeder with male-pattern baldness.
DeleteThanks for the qualified offer.
Rakuten on line shopping - it can take some time searching but sooner or later they'll link you to a Japanese store that has imported non-standard Japanese sizes. Prices are low and shipping reasonable & quick
DeleteRakuten frustrated me no end. If it works for you, great though.
DeleteRakuten is evil. You never, ever, ever escape their mailing list. What's with all the godzilla movies? they should be making rakuten spam-zilla... the monster that never dies.
DeleteHasn't anyone suggested ordering online from Korea (South)?
ReplyDeleteNot crossed my mind, but I have never been there. Do you mean ordering for me or for the tall J-man? S.Korean men average taller than Japanese, I think, and I am not sure if it would kill the average Japanese xenophobe more to hear that than it would for him to order from there. I would if they had my size, a website in English, and clothes of my style. Tall order?
Delete