I've offered to take a survey for some MBA students at Kellogg Northwestern about plus size shopping. Any chance to give my 2 cents on this topic i must jump at. Don't know what they will ask, but I've got stories ....

One isn't really shopping for plus sizes but its about what larger woman go through. I had already found a dress to wear to a friends wedding, but needed a shawl to go with it. I look everywhere and this was before Megan so I was able to waste whole days in malls just looking for a shawl. I was at Stoneridge Mall near here, when I noticed a lovely scarf in the window on a display in a store called Chicos. Now i Knew going in chico's carried smaller sizes but a shawl is a ambiguous article of clothing and any size should have fit me. I went in and wondered around trying to find the scarf i'd seen. I made it all the way to the back of the store when a store clerk stopped me and said "We have nothing in your size in this store"

No-- Hello can I help you, no --excuse me are you looking for-something in particular - just a flat out you don't belong here. I replied as loudly as I dared, so all the patrons could hear that I was just looking for the scarf on display in the window, the clerk made no move to help me and i said well I guess you don't want my money - and left. I now loath the sight of any Chicos though I'm sure this was just one employee in one store, its enough to make me never shop there even if I lost weight or they started caring more realistic sizing.