Suits Direct

There are very few times where men want… or need to go shopping. One of those times is when they need more clothes for work. I am flattered that Mr. Snarky wanted me to come along, even though he can barely get through the weekly grocery shop with me.
As we were down in Swindon for a couple days before heading back to Bolton, we decided to take advantage of the outlet. Parking has changed a bit since the last time I visited the outlet… not sure it is open very late (until the closing time of the restaurants), but it is open a bit later than before. This shop was the first one we stopped at. It looks like they have a large variety, including a Big & Tall section at the back and a tuxedo rental as well. The place does have a bit of a chaotic feel about it… it could have been the large party of groomsmen being fitted for tuxedoes causing that, but if not, I can’t put my finger on why it has that feel.
Unfortunately, Mr. Snarky didn’t know his waist size… we may have put on some weight together. Apparently this isn’t a rare event and many couples experience this?! Regardless, while we are working on losing the extra baggage, Mr. Snarky needed new trousers for work, so I worked on the idea that we will pick a size up from his last size. And he didn’t really know the pant length he needed either, but I am pretty good at guessing those things.
As we were having a look around and having trouble finding sizes in the colour of trousers he wanted, a staff member greeted us and asked us if we needed assistance. Mr. Snarky mentioned he didn’t know his pant size, so the staff member measured him. Although he didn’t measure for pant length, fortunately my guess was spot on. The staff member pulled a couple of pairs from the Big & Tall section and sent Mr. Snarky back to the changing rooms. When he came out, both the staff member and I looked at him and the staff member thought the trousers looked fine, but I noticed the pockets were pulling out… a sign that the trousers are not the right fit. I guess if he were wearing a suit jacket, he could get away with it, but he doesn’t wear a jacket so it would look a bit strange. I think that’s why I gave four stars instead of five… staff are mostly knowledgeable and friendly, but when it comes down to the details, they seem to miss those little things.
Because the staff member didn’t see anything wrong with the trousers, I went and found the next size up in the same cut and brand to see if it would make a difference. Of course they would be too large. I asked the staff member if he could pull a couple of different brands/​cuts in the same size. I believe all of the trousers we looked at are flat front… which I usually am a fan of, but sometimes a pleated trouser has its place… but you won’t find those here. We did find a pair that fit properly, so we went to that section of the store to see what other colours they had and of course, there were none in Mr. Snarky’s size… well except the Purple Plaid pattern. The staff member did humor me and check the stock in the back room to see if there were any more, but there weren’t. At least we managed to get one pair, for a reasonable price and since Mr. Snarky works in the area, he knows what he is looking for and can stop in when they get more.