Dear Kohl's Department Store CEO ...

November 1, 2021

Ms. Michelle Gass Kohl's, Inc. N56 W17000 Ridgewood Drive Menomonee Falls, WI 53051

Dear Ms. Gass,

Good afternoon. My name is Jean Ferrante. I am a 55-year-old, plus-sized woman, but don’t let my age or my size fool you. Even as a young teenager, I have never let my dress size determine my self-worth.

Do you know that the two words “NORMAL SIZES” are displayed at the left-hand side of the plus-size section of the Koh’s website? Yes. It’s true.

Plus-size in the United States alone is growing at nearly twice the rate of the overall apparel market, suggests market research by NPR. And a growth rate of 4% is likely for the $24 billion US market. Globally, the plus-sized market is valued at over $178 billion, with projected 4.3% annual grown through 2028, according to Acute Market Research.

Do you really think in a world where 70% of all women are a size 14 and up, that we should be categorized in “ABNORMAL” sizes? At the very least, it is insulting. The plus-size industry is growing! In 2013, Forbes Magazine stated that it is a 16.2-billion-dollar industry.

Do you personally visit the departments in Kohl’s Department Stores, or do you have your Senior Management Team visit these departments? Either way, have they seen the plus-size section in your Monroeville store? Sadly, it has been moved to the smallest and the most poorly lit section of the store! In fact (full disclosure), that space is so small, you can’t even see the merchandise being displayed! As a plus-sized customer, what that poorly lit section of the store says to me is “Please don’t shop here! We don’t want people of your size in our store!”

I don’t expect to hear from you. It is unfortunate that I am noticing that brick and mortar stores just don’t want to be bothered with plus-sized clientele. In my opinion, they are really missing out on substantial revenue.

Extremely Dissatisfied in Monroeville and On the Internet,

Jean T. Ferrante

ferrantejean@gmail.com