5 Warnings to Shoppers From Ex-Ann Taylor Employees

1 | Sizes don't stay the same.

It can be tempting to purchase items online if you think you know your size, but you might want to visit your local mall to try the clothing on if you need it in a pinch (or don't want to deal with the hassle of returns).

In a fashion advice Reddit thread, shoppers questioned how Ann Taylor's clothing fits. "Tops still run the same but in recent seasons the pants have been running smaller than usual, dresses too," responded former employee Susccmmp. "I was mostly true to size in tops but look at the length because a lot of styles were really short."

Likewise, a separate Reddit thread is devoted to petite sizes running very large. "YESSSSS a few years ago I could fit tons of their clothes. This year I had to return EVERYTHING!" wrote user mystend.

So, don't assume that you'll be the same size as the outfit you purchased several years ago. Ann Taylor sizes also differ from LOFT, so even if you know your size in one brand, it doesn't mean it will be consistent.

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2 | You're probably missing out on sales.

Unlike other popular women’s stores, Ann Taylor doesn’t have constant sales (unfortunately). But you can get more expensive options on sale if you’re vigilant and ask an employee to give you a heads-up.

Reddit user Heyhobabyoh explains that suits only go on sale once or twice a year for 15 percent off. "Most stores will have a list in the back when, if suits go on sale, they don't mind calling to let you know." You can also employ this strategy for other pricey pieces that you're eying.

3 | You're probably shopping for suits all wrong.

If you know you’re going to be wearing suits for years to come, it makes the most sense to invest in pieces you can update easily and mix and match.

"The 'all season suiting' or 'seasonless' is the line to look for because it's the same fabric in every store all year round (so you can build a suit set over time without risking losing homogeny of fabrics and colors)," Heyhobabyoh adds on Reddit. This is also a good way to take advantage of sales and expand your suit collection gradually.

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4 | Your careless shopping is ruining merchandise.

We've all been there—you walk into a fitting room at a clothing store and there is a mess of tried-on items that haven't been hung back up and taken out. It's important to remember that an actual person has to clean that up, and other people will then be buying those clothes.

In a Glassdoor review, a current employee wrote that one of the cons of the job is "having to stay to clean up the whole store after customers threw everything on the ground." Former employee Susccmmp shared on Reddit that "no matter the quality of the item if people are pulling it off hangers all day and shoving it on overstuffed racks and leaving it on dressing room floors and snagging their jewelry on it... there will be items in the store that will already have holes or stains."

5 | Make sure you know what store you're returning items to.

It can be extremely easy to confuse Ann Taylor, Ann Taylor Factory, and LOFT, but all are technically different stores, even though the same company owns them. If you pick up an item you need to return, make sure you know which store it came from. 

On Twitter, user @melodic_marie joked that many times, customers came in to make returns for the wrong store, quipping she was confused when "I used to work at Ann Taylor FACTORY and customers would try to return Ann Taylor-Loft items."