I take helping other higher-weight people seriously. I know how challenging it is to find something that fits well when shopping online, which many of us do because it’s often the best, and sometimes the only, option for finding the things we need.
This is why I've created a Plus Size Shopping Guide to assist you in making informed choices. I can't even count the number of times I've bought things based on product descriptions only to be extremely dissatisfied with what I ordered. My commitment to you is to remain honest and provide real evaluations of the products I suggest in my pages and on my blogs.
I'll be using a simple scoring system, based on ratings from one to ten, with ten being the best. There are 8 criteria that I evaluate, and then I create a percentage score for the entire product. When I score something less than 100%, I will identify the challenges I had with the product and share the final percentage with you. This is what my evaluation sheet looks like:
This is what I'm looking at when I evaluate each product:
VALUE TO PRICE RATIO
Did the cost feel appropriate to me? I will tell you that I am, and always have been, a very cost-conscious shopper with champagne tastes. It's very hard to tell you why I think something is pricey (unless it's really obvious!) or why it feels more affordable. I'm just going with my gut. Please check out the product I introduce and decide for yourself. Plus--there are often promotions which may show up unbeknownst to me!
STYLE
Did I like it? Is it stylish, or just serviceable? Listen, as a big person I am very familiar with just choosing something because it will fit, and sometimes that's what you've got to do. However, if it's got style, if it works well and looks good, it gets scored higher. And yes, I know that we all have different tastes, so again, please use your own judgment.
FIT & COMFORT
A big one!! Actually, a big two. First, does it fit?? That's obviously a must. And then you've got to think--will you actually be comfortable while wearing it? Over the years, I have bought many items that "fit" but I rarely wore, because I don't know, I wanted to breathe while wearing them. For products that aren't clothes, I will evaluate based on their fitting what it has been sold for. For example, if a King-size comforter barely covers the top of the mattress, it would definitely be marked lower.
EASY ON/OFF
Sometimes we choose something that seems ideal, but is a big of a nightmare to get on or off. It can be clothes, it can be household decorations, jewelry, kitchen equipment--you name it. If it's something I think is worth offering, but is not particularly easy to get on or off, I'll evaluate accordingly and let you know why. Again, that way you can choose.
FEEL
This one is pretty self-explanatory--how does it feel? Is it soft and silky, or warm and snuggly, or cool and breezy? Depending on what the product is, any one of these might be ideal. But if, for example, the sheets feel like sandpaper, which to me is definite downside, I'll let you know. And maybe you don't care--it's for a furniture cover and it makes no difference. You choose!
QUALITY
We all know when we're buying something of quality. The stitches are finer, the seams are finished, the wood is sanded smoothly--it's just the detail of construction that is obvious. I'll let you know how I assess it. I'm not promising that things will always be exactly YOUR version of quality, but I'll let you know what I think.
DURABILITY
It has happened that I have invested in products and been distressed by their short lifespans. Sometimes that's okay--that fancy dress was only bought for your moment as Mother of the Bride and it doesn't matter if it can't be worn again and again. Yet sometimes you think that the price of the item you purchase means that it should last a lot longer. You'll be able to know when I have doubts about the durability.
SAFETY
Safety to me means that will you be and feel okay while using the product. It doesn't usually apply to clothes, as that's more about fit and comfort, but for many products your personal safety is a real concern. The primary reason that we list weight capacity, when it's applicable, is so that you can know that the product can safely hold your weight or the weight it will need to support. This information will not be listed in the evaluation, but it will be in the description. If there's any other reason I question its safety, it will be marked lower and I'll let you know. Since many products don't really fall into this category, if there's no need for a safety number, I will just add a "10" as their score.
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