She’d already dropped 36kg, but Heather Albert was left in tears after her first trip to Lululemon.
The American mum, who had weight loss surgery last year, said she was “pretty proud of myself” after getting into shape and wanted to treat herself a pair of the brand’s fancy, expensive yoga pants.
“When my amazing fiancee heard I was going to Park City, Utah for a work trip this past week, she insisted I go to the retail store in PC and buy myself something,” Ms Albert wrote on Facebook.
“I dropped my co-workers off at our hotel and ran over to the store to see what they had.”
While perusing the sales rack, she said, a staff member could be heard whispering loudly to her colleague: “Do we even have anything in her size?” before bursting into laughter.
“I was the only customer in the store,” Ms Albert wrote. “I knew it was directed at me. I was mortified. I quickly bought the two things I had in my hand that I had found and left the store. I was so embarrassed! I had a work function to go to that night, when I got back to my hotel I cried in the shower.”
She said that while “not everyone fits into Lulu”, at a US size 10/12 I’m not even close to maxing out on size there!”
In a testament to the brand’s allure, rather than threatening to boycott Lululemon, Ms Albert said she would “stick to the outlets and online shopping from now on”.
A Lululemon representative apologized to Ms Albert for her experience and promised to “dig into this further and help to make things right”.
The incident comes as the global activewear company ploughs millions of dollars into its local operation in a bid to steal market share from competitors like Lorna Jane, which has 200 stores — and is also known for its controversial stance on body size.
Lululemon was founded in 1998 by eccentric surfer-turned-businessman Chip Wilson, who resigned as chairman in 2015 after offending shoppers by blaming the brand’s see-through pants stuff-up on the size of women’s thighs.
“Quite frankly, some women’s bodies just don’t work for it,” Mr Wilson told Bloomberg at the time.
“Even our small sizes would fit an extra large, [but] It’s really about the rubbing through the thighs, how much pressure is there.”
The brand’s cult-like workplace culture includes group yoga, mornings lectures on willpower, videos on the importance of goal setting and the importance of refusing to settle for a “mediocre” life, underscored by the motto: “Good is the enemy of great!”
The aspirational message is embraced by Lululemon’s devoted customers, willing to fork out $130 for a pair of tights to sweat in — or wear out for coffee.
The US-listed company recently updated its guidance, thanks to growth in same-store sales and strong men’s wear and online sales.
“We had a strong holiday season in both our store and digital channels driven by our assortment, operational execution and guest experience,” chief executive Laurent Potdevin said.
“We look forward to 2017 as we continue to advance on our long-term goals.”
This article was originally publishes on news.com.au