I know what length of pants I need
 

I hate it when I go into stores and sales people try to tell me that I don't need petite length slacks. I'm 5'5" and I have shorter legs and arms proportionally.

If I wear average length slacks, they come down over my shoes. This would not be safe to go to work in because I climb ladders. I actually had a sales lady tell me today "you don't need petite length". It's my preference to have my slacks come to my ankles, not covering my entire foot in the first place. I think it looks tacky to have slacks go down that far and cover my shoes. On top of that, it would be a serious safety hazard for me to climb ladders with pants that long. I told her I knew what length I was but she just told me I didn't need them probably because she didn't have any petite lengths.

It's so difficult to go into store after store and not be able to find anything in the length I need and then on top of that to have some snooty salesperson not listen to me when I tell her what size and length I need.

It's difficult for me to find the size pants I need now. When I was larger, I used to be able to buy the larger sizes, and I'm not small enough yet to get into the regular women's sizes, so I still have to shop in the plus section or plus stores, but I'm on the smaller end of plus now and it's much harder to find clothes.

I have the same but opposite problem. I like to buy pants in long length but they are very hard to find in discunt clothing stores and I never shop at regular clothing stores for the simple fact that my clothes don't fit me long enough to be worn out right now so I don't like to pay more than $10 for a shirt or pants/jeans. When I was a 26/28 it seemed nothing was in my size. Now that I am a 16 all I see are 24/26/28's. Is America getting larger as we get smaller?

I read an article one time that the most common size of an American woman is a size 12, but that it's very difficult sometimes to actually find size 12 clothes because a lot of women don't want to admit they're a size 12 and squeeze into smaller sizes, and other women try to wear baggy clothes to hide their weight.

To me size 12 seems pretty small for average, but then again I live in an area where a lot of people are fat so I think a size 14 would be closer to the average size here.

Compounded by the fact that a size 12 in one store is not the same, necessarily, as size 12 in another.

I don't know a single woman (of any size) who can walk into a store, buy something, and have it fit perfectly right off the rack, with respect to length, waist, etc. If one part fits, another part is too big/small. I know we're all different sizes and shapes, but I think they could do a better job.

Edit: Ruby, I probably would have said something like, "Oh, so your selection and your customer service are both poor, then" and left. I don't like salespeople "helping" me shop. If I have a question, I'll come find you, is my approach.

Ruby,

Do you know how to sew or do you know someone who has a sewing machine? I am right in-between petite and regular length pants, so I am constantly rolling my pants up or wearing them a little too short. So I got a machine a few years ago and I just hem them. Now if something is super inexpensive on the clearance rack, but far too long, I can just boop boop boop, hem it right up! The cleaners or alterations shops usually charge about 12 dollars to hem pants.

My neighbors all know I have a machine and they all show up to have me hem their pants too. I usually get some nice garden produce out of the deal... :)

That's a sweet trade off!

I don't really know how to sew but hemming something doesn't sound very difficult to learn. I've never gotten anything altered either. How do they know how short to make the hem? Do they actually measure your leg and ask you how far down you want them to go? I've considered having this done but I don't know what to ask them.

When I've had things altered, they've had me put them on and asked what type of shoes (heels, flats) I'd be wearing them with, and how far down I wanted them to come, then they fold them up to that so I could see how it looked.

Oh ok well hopefully that's easy. I hate the idea of adding extra cost to an item just because it doesn't come in the correct length at the store though. I'd rather buy it off the rack and have it fit that way. It is frustrating when most clothing comes in average length though.

I agree! And even so, isn't the average woman about 5'4"? Why do they make stuff to be long on even that height (sorry, April :o)?

I wish I could sew. That is one thing I never did get the hang of. In junior high, for home ec, I used to sneak my stuff home and have my grandmother fix it after I botched it in class. That being said, I have hemmed and sewn on buttons. With the little ability I have with that, I wouldn't hem dress pants, but if the material is such that my stitches wouldn't be too visible, I'll do it myself. I think they also make a double-sided fabric tape that you can use to just fold up the excess inside the pant leg and have it stay...check Walmart, Target, Joann's.

If you find a pair that fits you well, you can try to find the same kind via catalog on the internet...much better selection and no snooty salespeople. And no dressing room lighting and mirrors :D. My rule is to only order stuff if there's free shipping.