Woman slams Kmart for “disgusting” customer service email
23-year-old Sydney woman Georgia Rochelle was simply looking to give feedback on Kmart’s apparel offerings, but the department store’s response has left her reeling.
Rochelle told news.com.au that she had been searching for plus size clothes in her local branch only to find “half a rack of ugly clothes” hidden behind rows of smaller-sized clothing. She also found that the activewear section had nothing that would fit her size 24 body, even though the store is supposed to stock up to size 26 for its women’s plus size range.
She went on to message Kmart’s Facebook page to share her experience. While the initial response was friendly, the follow-up email she received on Monday horrified her.
“While we try to cater for as many people as possible please understand people come in all shapes and sizes and we can’t cater for absolutely everyone,” the customer service representative wrote.
“It is not entirely our job to make you feel good about yourself.”
Rochelle said the email “shocked” her and “made me feel like I was in high school again.”
However, Rochelle said she was more angered than embarrassed by the shaming response. “It’s so insulting I can say something about there being a limited range for plus-sized people, and they equate that with feeling bad about my body, which isn’t the case at all,” she said.
“I don’t think your size is something to be embarrassed about. All it shows is that prejudice (against fat people) doesn’t go away – even when you’re supposed to be professional.”
Other customers have joined Rochelle in lambasting the retailer for their “appalling” message. “Do you train your staff to be unprofessional and disrespectful to relevant and honestly needed feedback?” a shopper wrote on Kmart’s Facebook page.
“Let's face it, your plus size section is completely awful,” said another.
“Why are you not listening to your customers who are obviously willing to spend the money if only there was decents clothing to select from … There is a massive market for our size range and big shop names are not taking advantage of this.”
Kmart has apologised for the mishap in a statement issued to news.com.au. “We are truly sorry for these comments and have spoken directly to this customer to apologise,” the statement said.
“This does not reflect Kmart’s views at all. We want every customer that interacts with Kmart to have a pleasurable shopping experience, and on this occasion, we have not lived up to this commitment.”
Rochelle said she has been invited by the retail giant to join a special focus group to improve the brand’s plus-size range, which she intends to accept.
However, Janine Mison, director of plus size fashion agency United Curves is sceptical about the initiative.
“I've tried for years to work with Kmart Australia on this issue and spent quite some time and effort, attended meetings with their team, their CEO and provided feedback and suggestions from my extensive customer base,” Mison shared on her social media page.
“They listen, they say all the right things, yet actions speak louder than words. ZERO change, ZERO improvement and if anything, a backwards slide.”
Have you had any difficulties finding plus sized clothing at Kmart? Share with us in the comments.