A woman says she was left humiliated after being 'fat shamed' by a personal shopper at a department store in Manchester.
Ronnie, 44, had booked in for a wardrobe refresh at House of Fraser on Deansgate for her birthday on Tuesday, but was left in floods of tears after being contacted the day before.
An email, seen by the M.E.N, informed Ronnie that they were postponing her appointment as they didn't have any stock beyond a size 14, telling her she'd likely leave 'empty-handed.'
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Ronnie, who wears a size 18, said the email made her feel ashamed of her body image and said the response from the store had 'completely ruined' her birthday.
In the email, the personal shopper said: "I need to start by apologising for the short notice, but I think it's best if we postpone your appointment for a wardrobe refresh, until we have a better selection of stock to shop.
"From your responses I can see that you are looking for pieces in the fuller figure size range, and sadly in store, we currently have little or no stock beyond a size 14.
"It would be of little benefit to you to go through the process at the moment, because you would probably go home empty handed!"
Ronnie, who had earmarked two hours of her birthday to attend the appointment with her partner, branded the email "unprofessional" and said she's been left "upset" and "disappointed."
"I was in floods of tears yesterday when I received that email," she said. "It completely ruined my birthday as I had planned my whole day round that experience.
"The email just left me feeling fat shamed. I think it's shocking that a shop that size doesn't cater for women with a broad range of body shapes."
Ronnie had booked the appointment on Tuesday (November 15) for a full wardrobe refresh, as she said she'd fallen out of touch with current trends and wanted a confidence boost.
According to House of Fraser's website, the store offers a unique, tailored service where an experienced team of stylists will 'help find the perfect outfit for a special event or to build an entire new-season wardrobe.'
After complaining about the response she received from personal shopping, Ronnie said she received an apologetic email from a manager offering her free coffee and cake.
"They said they had been ordering stuff in bigger sizes but that they are just not arriving, but I thought they could have at least given me notice," she said.
"I just don't want anyone else to experience what I have. Nobody should be made to feel the way I was, especially on my birthday. I definitely won't be going back there.
"The humiliation was the main thing for me. I just don't think it's fair. The average woman's size is between 16 and 18 so if they can't cater for that something is seriously wrong."
The Fraser Group have been approached for comment.
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