Chinese made crap has no sizing regs. I buy shoes on line, Clark’s or Fit Flops clogs, as they have orthotics built in, as they are the only place I can get a 5.5. Other than that I wear only T’s and Jeans, jeans come from Salvation Army with price tags still on them. Fraction of cost. I don’t wear 25 yr old street walker clothes, I’m 68. My dress clothes are approaching a decade old. I only buy classics.
These stores did themselves in with PC men in women’s bathrooms and carrying only clothes for the under 25 and to ethnic crowd. When you don’t carry for Church going 60 yr old’s you lose money. When you locate your stores in high crime areas you lose money.
Then come gov’t regs. When I moved to the country, a trip to the mall was then a 2 hr round trip issue, no real accommodations for handicapped. Add in the high cost of badly made products and you do your self in. I use to sew, I know badly made products when I see them. If you want holes in your jeans, get a razor blade, and a cheap pair, and slash them then wash them. Instead of paying 100 for a pair. Same goes for shoes. Don’t carry my size why should I shop your store. Why should a pair of Polo shorts cost $60 when it cost maybe $10 to make them? That’s at the Navy Exchange BTW. Cheap crap at high prices.
Christmas is another issue, It’s CHRISTMAS not happy holiday or season’s greetings. I boycott those stores.
A very large chunk of that is mall rents, which have grown far faster than inflation. Smaller retailers have zero chance to make it in a big mall - that's why they are all filled with the exact same national chain stores, no matter what city you visit.
Retail, like heavy manufacturing, has been well studied by governments and other rent-seekers - thus, there are now a hundred vultures between the manufacturers and the cash register, all waiting to pounce and grab their cut. They haven't completely figured out Amazon yet (or software makers at all) - but I expect they will eventually catch up.
It is the same thing with man’s clothing, if you don’t wear 34” inseam X 34” waist jeans/pants you are out of luck.
The problem with sizing being all over the place and what some called vanity sizing is simple. It is happening with men’s clothes now for nearly 10 years also. American retailers are pushing cheap dollar store goods with Asian sizing on Americans. If anyone has traveled in Japan or a similar place then one would realize how much smaller people are and that there is no shortage of inferior quality products made for cheap 10 dollar and under stores with stuff mostly from China. It is this kind of stuff that these companies are now offering Americans and the stores deserve to lose and even close down if they insist on such a tragically idiotic trajectory and business model.