Victoria's Secret review: say bye-bye xl panties and large bras.. 55

I'm upset that they've stopped carrying XL in store. It's not like they don't already make the sizes, and it's not like there isn't people wanting to buy the product in store at that size. Walk into a semi annual clearance sale last year and you would see a wall of XS and a tiny section of a rack for XL. Obviously people are buying the product in XL.
I'm mad because ordering online here in Canada means paying an extra 40-50 usd in duties/shipping. It's ridiculous, and I'm so angry. If I knew how to sew, I'd start a plus size lingerie business that was actually sexy.

Victorias Secret has the worst customer service, I have ever experienced. The changed my mailing address because they got mail forwarded back to them from usps. Then send me to collections for $10.83 & they called me 3 months later to tell me that my account was past due and went up to $34.83. My credit was affected due to this matter. The supervisor I spoke to which didnt seem to care what was going on was extremely rude. In fact everybody who I spoke to was rude I ended up calling them 10 times in 1 hour. They treated me like a criminal, the only thing they wanted to know was when I was going to pay like I am trying to avoid $10.83 please.

I am only 15 and today I visited VS. It was very discouraging that I was unable to find ANY VS PINK clothing item in XL. I am definitely not the most skinniest girl but I never have a problem finding XL in anyother store. I want to be able to wear the cute style of VS PINK but going into the store today made me feel insecure and fat.

Try Sears. VS has a certain demographic that they want to keep appealing to, and if larger people started wearing the brand, the younger smaller crowd would walk away and it would just become another Lane Bryant. It's not like VS has a monopoly on underpants, you can shop anywhere else. You choose to pick a fight knowing that they appeal to the thinner crowd.

My favorite bras were the Biofit and I was measured at VS and she told me I was a 42c. I just loved the way the Biofit fit my bust. I don't want a bra to smash my bust and the Biofit used to lift and support. I was disappointed when I went online to purchase another Biofit and they don't sell anything over 40. I went onto the Cacique website and found a few bras that were pretty, sexy and my size. Though, I still wish I could find a 42c biofit. Personally, in my area the L and XL sizes in shirts and shorts fly off the shelves. I find it hard to believe that they were not selling any sizes over 40c.

I witnessed the manager embarrass and employee for laughs. The comments she made to the employee was horrid. I'm sure there is probably some abuse in that environment. I was so disgusted I stopped shopping and left.

The first time i washed a pair of pants i bought online, the letters melted and stuck together. Made of Cheap lettering.

I can agree with what she is saying. I am even more disturbed to see they no longer off er clothing! I loved their skinny corduroy pants and their shorts as well as many of their sweaters. I can not believe how juvenile some of these postings are on here. I am a size 2 and glad XL shouldn't even exist! Are you kidding me? Missy...I can't wait to hear from you in 10 years or so and see how perfect that BMI is. Get a life and quit bashing women out there that really do find it hard to shop. Ideally we all would love to be thin...reality? Life happens. VS has already dropped most of the XL in their lingerie lines as well. No wonder after seeing their mother company L Brand who also owned Abercrombie & Fitch. We all know how they felt about larger clothing!

I can related in soon many ways. I went into my near by store. I was told they down sized, and are no longer carrying anything bigger than a D. (And that's only in select styles, others are smaller.) I go to another VS store, that is 25 minutes from me, & I'm told the same, except they only go up to a C! I am a 38ddd & some bras I can wear a 38dd. My fiance, asked me why I don't shop there. apparently if u have boobs, they don't cater to u!
Christina- Phillipsburg, NJ

I'm regularly a 38dd and an XL pantie, but recently in the past year, found I fit better into a 40dd. Is it true VS doesn't carry 40dd and XL? That's inhumane and unfair. I have nothing against Lane Bryant but I don't honestly think they would have a cute eye candy bra of my taste but I guess I will have to go check it out.

Hey Marebear615
I just received $75 in VS gift cards and have the same problem. I where 1x or XXL and a bra size 42B but VS does not carry anything in this size. So foes that mean I have to spend $75 on unnecessary pregimes and bags when I'd rather purchase cute pajamas or bras. Sometimes I feel like it's total discrimination!

I always got treated like crap by the women who worked there anyways. I guess they just lost another customer.

And reese121: calling skinny girls stupid is just as bad as calling fat girls stupid. Saying skinny girls aren't real women? Really? You should be fired for that because skinny women provide plenty of VS business! And many fat women or women who think they are fat consider AVERAGE weight women tk be skinny---and according to you--stupid? Grow up. I am a size 2 and my BMI is extremely healthy. I have curves in all the right olaces and I am NOT stick thin. Sizes 1, 0, and 00 are stick thin imo but those girls are still real women and should not be judged as stupid!

Your article is lame. Get down to a HEALTHY weight and stop blaming VS and any other stores for not enabling your obesity. It sickens me when people like you will not own up to their own problems instead of blaming everyone else. You are way too young to have destroyed your body with your gluttony and lack of self-respect. Get a grip. Ugh. I am so happy they do not support your grotesque gluttony and lack of self-respect and self-control. XL sizes should never exist ANYWHERE. You cannot look sexy no matter how much high end accessories and panties you put on. Obesity is disturbing and seriously unattractive. Again--get a grip instead of playing the victim. I have zero sympathy for you.

I wear big bras, and contrary to popular belief, I still like to look cute. That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard of! I guess if you don't fit a certain body type, might as well put a paper bag over your head and call it a day. The last time I was in victoria's secret was many years ago. I asked for my bra size, and was told to go to lane bryant. They haven't received so much as a dime from me since. Now i'm glad because all their stuff was over priced, and every time i'm walking behind someone with the word "pink" slapped across their ###, I get really confused because I don't know what their trying to say. The bottom line is; big girls, you need to find some place else to shop. Try some place that values you as a customer, and appreciates your loyalty. If you think victoria's secret wants your buisness; think again. Take a look at the supermodels that do their advertising. Different hair and different colors but practically the same woman.

I wear a large bra, and contrary to popular belief, I still like to look cute. The last time I went to victoria's secret, I asked for a bra in my size, and the ### told me to try lane bryant. That was several years ago, and they haven't received so much as a dime from me since. It's very obvious which specific people they're targeting; take a look at the models they're using for advertising. I guess they don't want my money. I'll buy from someone else who appreciates me as a customer.

I agree! If big booty's are so popular nowadays, then why on earth would they not carry XL underwear? It makes no sense!

This was so many years ago, but I will still try to weigh in. I used to be very thin in college and have lots of VS bras, then afterwards I gained LOTS of weight and my breasts were a 42DD. I could not wear my VS bras. I had to use extenders on my old VS bras to make it work. When buying new VS bras I would have to buy online and used extenders on those too. All that to say, if you REALLY want some VS bras, it is doable. Currently, I lost the weight and am a 38DD. My local VS seems to do well with carrying my size, even during the semi-annual I was able to get some great bras in my size for a great deal. I personally think that the VS stores are operating on a supply-demand basis in terms of these sizes. In my area (a large, southern city) there is a demand for large bras. I recently traveled to a small southern city and went to a VS store, their 38DD stock was limited. As for Panties, I think the days of VS selling XL panties are ending. I guess their demographic is xs-l, this doesn't make sense to me because online they have bras up to 40DDD. I can never buy full panties from them, that aren't XL or the one-size thong. I hope this helps someone other

Sounds like there is more going on then you are stating..

We do now take ipad orders for out online store, at least they do at my vs. And the shipping is free to your house and you should also check out our semi-annual sales. We only have so much space on the floor and during those sales, in December and either June or July, I forget, we have a lot of 38dd's. We don't ever have any 40's though.

I dont know if i was just shopping at an odd VS or what, but for the last 10 years I have been shopping there, I have never once noticed the XL panties. and I have looked. I have searched high and low, and always go with the Yoga size L panties. they fit amazing, but now it seems that the YOGA panties are going away too. I cant find them in store or on the website.

I am a curvy person, but all my curves are in the right place, but i feel we all have the right to feel sexy, and all retail stores should understand that, Also the last few times i have bought VS bra's with underwires guys what the underwires have snapped, within just a couple of months. I am a 38 DD and I really thought paying top dollar for my bras they would last longer than that.

individuals tend to enjoy watching a slinky fall down stairs as karl put it for fun...this is not fun and it is a not a good kind of critical it is mean and juvenile.

I so agree, my hubby asked me to get something sexy from victoria secret and show case it for him but I am an Xl in panties and a 40 c in bras and I can't find my size come to find out when I went to the store out by 34th st the lady tells me they don't sell plus size then she reffers me to lane bryant and ashley stewart I felt disrespected I just walked away. I feel as if victoria secret is being very unfair I give that store 12 thumbs down

I suppose I'd be more irate if stores ever actually carried my size (32C- I'm talking an actual built-for-32C bra, not a downsized 34B), but be careful before making it an issue of size ladies- despite what the anorexic commercials portray, being of genuine smaller sizes 0-2 (XS) presents issues also. Just 2 days ago I visited VS looking to try on a 32C (I called ahead & they said they had it) in a particular style & found that not only did they not have the bra, very few if any bras in-store are now 32Cs period. VS has never carried a panty that could fit my 32-33" hip measurements (properly w/o slipping), but I understand that it's an issue of production & inventory. I don't take it personally that apparently VS thinks all petite individuals have 34.5" hips. Stores stock what sells. Really big and really small just don't sell in volume; it's just the way the ball bounces.

I have worked for VS for a few years and I understand where you ladies are coming from. I often work in the fitting rooms and I meet customers of all shapes and sizes. I know we can not accommodate every customer, but I sure as heck try. As soon as VS discontinued the 40 band size, they started selling bra extenders (although they are not highly advertised by associates and most customers don't even know they exist). I have made a 38DD bra fit a girl who was easily a 44 band size by using some creativity. I know not all of the associates care as much as I do, but maybe that's because most of them didn't grow up with a mom who wore a 40 and I don't know how many of the girls struggle with sudden weight gain like I have. I know what it's like to feel like having an emotional breakdown in a fitting room, but I try to create an atmosphere where my customers never feel like that. I want them all to love their bodies and realize that I will do what I can to help them feel beautiful, even if it is making suggestions for them to shop at another company who can provide them with the products they need.

As far as the panties go, it sucks that we discontinued XL, but we also altered a lot of the panties so they have more "give"... especially the cotton panties. As soon as they discontinued XL, they redesigned the panties to include a small percentage of spandex so they can accommodate larger sizes. We also have a few one size fits all panties that have extreme stretch in them.

I hope you will all give this company another chance. VS is not full of stupid skinny girls... There are real women who work there that would love to make you feel good about your body.

I am with you guys. I had been buying my bras a VS for quite a few years. I am over 50 and not the same size that I was when I was 20, but I don't consider myself fat. As a business woman, I'd like to have clothes that fit well and the bras really improved the way my clothes fit. I am not out shopping to find someone who makes size 40 bras that are similar. I haven't had any luck. I think that this is a niche market that VS didn't market to properly. They are too busy trying to attract the teenagers into their store. They should be more concerned about we older gals that are bringing home the six figure paychecks. We can actually buy the stuff!

The larger sizes offered at VS are IDENTICAL to the smaller ones in style, color and pattern. I've spent many a pre-SAS-sale overnight sorting them into bins... the big bras are just as colorful, lacy and sparkly as the smaller bras. Also, we always have fewer push-ups in larger sizes for just the reason you mention. Interestingly, the most commonly sold bra color in ANY size is nude... followed by white, and then black, even in the itty-bitty sizes. They aren't selling because people aren't buying them. Women with large breasts need more support but they also want their bras to look tiny and delicate. When you enlarge a bra, EVERYTHING has to get bigger. You cannot hold up DD breasts with tiny straps- they dig into the shoulders like cables and yet we think somehow Victoria's Secret has some special magic to counter this.

Victoria's Secret isn't prowling this site for ideas- if you have complaints, you should send them to Victoria's Secret. Nothing's worse than complaining to someone who can't do a thing to help you or to make changes.

VSWoman

I could discuss many issues with VS. One of the biggest ones, and most relevant to me, was touched upon here in this complaint.

MareBear615:

Totally agree with you. I am a 40D, size XL for underwear. 40D, 38D, XL, that is a normal woman in the U.S. now. It makes no sense that they are excluding a major demographic that is only going to increase.

Stealth Pilot:

Women "should" learn something from "the fact that stores are going away from those sizes"?

Oh yes, clearly! That argument makes sense. Because the messages private corporations send about women's health and well being are THE standards by which all women should abide and live their lives by!

Not.

Tammy Weyler:

You are correct in that you don't have to be a big woman to wear a bra that big. That's why this whole issue is causing so much frustration for me and other women.

FrustratedwithVS made this point well- we are primarily being offered grandmother bras.

VSWoman and J&Jplus 2 and anyone making the argument for low sales:

If VS is getting rid of these sizes due to "low sales, " it is not because there is a shortage of women with the need for larger sizes than VS stores now offer. Low sales are because the bras marketed and sold to women with bigger busts at VS are ugly designs.

Most of the big bras at the semi-annual sales go unsold not because they are big, but because the bras available by VS in big sizes are ugly. Nudes, pale colors, cotton bras, or push ups (which, news flash, most women with a size 40D bust don't need the extra inch of padding).

If they sold equally attractive bras for women with big busts as they do for women with small busts, it would not be an issue. That's why they aren't selling. So VS has bad business sense in that it is trying to sell a product that won't sell, not due to the size of the bra, but due to the unattractiveness of it.

VS IS in fact actively discriminating against women of larger sizes. Having your cold hard cash rejected because you are not a certain size is a very personal thing. It makes bad business sense, because all 40D customers, as this thread proves, will tell probably 10 other people about their horrible experience.

VS needs to work on this issue and a number of others, not least of which is the need to unify their website, catalog and stores. Their website, in particular, is a piece of crap.

@nessiewolfe: How would that create competition for Victoria's Secret? They aren't customers as it is, so they wouldn't be losing customers.

Sounds like to me that someone needs to create a store where bigger chested women can find good bras with a variety of types. Then vs would have some competition.

Generally women with DD breasts need more support than the "cute" bras can offer- so when VS was making them, they weren't selling. It's simple economics- they're in business to make money- if they're manufacturing bras that are just sitting on the drawers, they're wasting money. There wouldn't be a store to shop at if they did that for long.

I find this extremely overwhelming and frustrating! I am a 30 year old SINGLE woman who wears a natural 32 DD ( now 34 DD since they discontinued it) I'd always shop at VS because it was the only place I could find young, sexy and comfortable bras in my size. I had the same experience a month ago while shopping for a new bra. Just because I have big breasts, doesn't mean I have to wear a bra that looks like something my grandmother would wear 50 years ago or some trashy bra fit for budding adult film stars. I just want a normal bra and swim suit! If and when you find a place where you can find our sizes please let me know! Til then, I am boycotting VS and working towards getting all of my friends (even the smaller sized girls) to do so as welll!

Victoria's Secret Pink yoga pants will fit up to a Woman's size 16. I'm in an 18 and many still fit me. If you want "Torrid" plastered on your butt, go for it. =)

I agree with you i am not a 2-3 but not a huge nasty thing and i just wanted to be able to buy Victoria secrete yoga pants like all the other girls at my school. I guess im just not pretty/skinny enough for Victoria secrete but i am hot and curvy enough for torrid

Have your considered looking at other brands. VS lingerie is pretty, but the competition is huge, and there are plenty of other brands that are sexy. Also, the quality of the bra's are not very good, for what you pay for.

Victoria's Secret NOW takes catalog purchases back at the store. I'm employed at VS- when we have our semi-annual sale twice a year, guess what we had the most of? The big bras. We have a limited amount of space, and keeping a product that doesn't sell much doesn't make good business sense. I too wear a 40 and can no longer buy my size in the store-- and though we get an employee discount, it cannot be applied to catalog purchases. I think it's like anything else, if it sells, you will find it. If not, it's hit or miss. Sucks for us busty ladies, but is simply good business sense.

followed all the directions on tags and the lettering still got destroyed

This same thing happened to me this past weekend...XL panties no more... except for high leg brief...I agree unflattering. I have shopped there for years and this is frustrating. I haven't always been and XL either. Funny that the employee of VS said that the XL didn't sell...I had a hard time finding XL in thong on occasion...I find it hard to believe that they weren't selling. I "USE" to love to shop there...guess I will find some place else. I'm very disappointed!

the bras were taken off the shelves because not too many people buy that size bra. in todays economy even victorias secret is suffering, it was costing money to keep these bra's on the shelves. the company doesnt mean for people to take it so personally

im sure u wont die...u will live