Fashion shops might have to shut changing rooms under post-lockdown plans

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Apr 27, 2020

With the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and shop workers union USDAW having issued guidelines for stores working out their eventual reopening plans, there are major concerns that physical fashion shops could be hampered by the need for customers to try on clothes.

The expected wave of discounts may not be enough if shops are forced to keep their changing rooms closed, or to limit access to them. This would means shoppers having to buy in-store before they've had a chance to even see whether the clothes fit them or suit them. 

Despite the rise of e-stores, most fashion shopping is still done in physical shops and one of the key advantages those shops have is the ability to try on items. Knowing that an item fits, feels right and looks good minimises the financial outlay for customers who might otherwise have to buy several items to find the right one. Being able to try on first also minimises customer inconvenience and, importantly, also reduces the number of likely returns that shops have to deal with.

With that major advantage removed, it's even questionable whether consumers would want to venture into physical shops, especially given the ongoing presence of the coronavirus. And if changing rooms remained open, it's also unclear how they would feel about trying on clothes that might have been tried on multiple times that day by strangers.

Other measures that could put shoppers off from visiting physical spaces include the potential need for security guards to manage access and to ensure social distancing.

The social aspect of shopping could also be harmed by ongoing calls to ask consumers to shop alone where possible.