Roaman's

Full review
As I sat in my office at my computer desk to write a review for Roamans.com Online Store, I noticed the catalog for Roamans that I just got in the mail today. I have to say that I am a fan of their clothing (for the most part) and my experiences with their website have been pretty good overall. I'd give them an 8 on a scale from 1 to 10 and here's why:

First, let's get the negatives out of the way:

- On almost every order I have ever placed with them over the last 5 years, I have always wound up having at least one of my items on backorder. I have nothing against "backordering" in general, but if you give me a date that the item will be in stock and available for shipment, please don't send me a notice the week I am supposed to recieve it telling me that it will be another 2 weeks. That really burns my biscuts.

- If you're going to do website maintainence, please don't do it in the middle of the day or in the evenings. It's like when Atlanta does road construction on I-285 in the middle of rush hour. It's totally the wrong time of day. Do they not realize that those are the hours when most people do their shopping? It's really inconveinient to go through the whole process of searching the website for the outfits you want, put them in your cart only to see that when you go to check out, the system is down and tehy can't process any orders. Uh, why don't you let us know that BEFORE we go through the whole shopping process? If you're not going to let us know, could they make it so we can at least keep the items in our cart and purchase them when the ordering system is back online?

Now for the positives about Roamans.com:

- Their website is completely compatible with their catalog. If you find something in their catalog, you can go online and type in the name or item number and easily locate it. I like to browse the catalog, but actually do the purchasing online. Why don't I just call in an order? If I purchase it online therough the weblink on the Upromise.com website, 3% of my purchase price is credited towards my daughters college savings plan. It's nice to get a rebate into a 529 plan for an item I would have bought anyway!

- Their clothes are nice and not expensive. Let's face it...If you're shopping with Roamans, you're not a size 2 and we all know how hard it is for us larger women to find nice clothes that fit AND look good without taking out a second mortgage. I have found some really cute outfits through Roamans and I haven't ever made a purchase feeling like I've been ripped off. I'd venture to say that out of all my purchases, I've been satisfied with 85% of what I have recieved. A few things did not meet my quality standards as the fabric was not what I expected or the cut was all wrong for me, but that's a risk you take with buying online.

- Their clothing isn't all just fat people, frumpy clothing. Yes, if I ever got up to a sz. 28 and wanted to buy a muu-muu, I could get them here, but I can also get a great pair of capris and a cute summer blouse to wear. Being fat does not mean you have to dress fat. It's all in how you carry yourself. The clothes they sell can appeal to both younger and older women. You just need to find what is right for your own body shape and personal style.

- They have a very liberal return policy. A couple of years ago, I purchased a great bathing suit wore it a few times. While on vacation in Hawaii the plastic hook on the back broke. Luckily I had another suit to wear, but when I got home, I called Roamans and they sent me a return label and I was able to exchange it for a new suit which has served me well over the last 2 years. Try doing that with Macy's!

I think Roamans and their sister online compaines, Lane Bryant Catalog and Jessica London, do a good job in keeping the larger women of the world in fashionable, yet affordable clothing. I'll continue to shop here until I am able to drop a few pounds and shop with their "regular" size sister company, Chadwicks of Boston!