Fat Man Tax

So after my first week in the office, I came to the realization that my business casual wardrobe was in dire need of an update.  For the most part it consisted of UCS shirts and white button-ups.  Clearly the UCS shirts were not going to cut the mustard at the new office, even if they were in good condition, which they were not.  The white button-ups are okay, but I have not seen anyone else wear one in two weeks, and the couple of times I have worn them with my dark slacks, I felt too dressed up.

This means it is time for a shopping trip.  I have a love/hate relationship with clothes shopping.  On the one hand I want to have a cool and varied wardrobe, but on the other hand I am a large man and therefore shopping can be difficult.  To be honest, shopping is often an exercise in embarrassment for me, particularly when I take someone with me.  None of the “cool” stores have clothes that would remotely fit me (I keep thinking about going into Abercrombie & Fitch and seeing if I can actually bust some buttons in protest) and regular stores are spotty at best.  For example, on my most recent shopping expedition I was only able to find two stores that had pants in my size.  This is not an uncommon occurrence.

I am somewhat resigned to having to shop at clearance outlets and the Big and Tall stores to find pants, shirts, however, are another kettle of fish.  I still have to find the “tall” shirts, which are more and more difficult to find outside of Target and Wal-Mart, but it can be done.  What really bugs me about this is that most places charge a $2 premium on what are euphemistically referred to as extended sizes.  I like to think of this premium at the “Fat Man Tax.”

Is it not humiliating enough that I am forced to frequent Wal-Mart and Target for clothing?  Must you force me to pay the tubby tariff?  I would understand if little people (I do not mean midgets and dwarves specifically, but rather people that wear small or extra small shirts) got a discount.  I understand that more material must be used when constructing coverings for my porky butt, but if that is why they were charging me more, shouldn’t people whose clothes require less resources be charged less?  At least then it wouldn’t just be hating on the fat man.

(Oh yeah, and would it kill you to make the somewhat goofy, yet cool t-shirts you sell in extended sizes?  I always see t-shirts I want, but can’t buy because the t-shirt factory in Bangladesh cannot comprehend the man of XXXL proportions.)