Old Navy called out for higher prices on women's plus-size line

SAN FRANCISCO -- Old Navy is taking heat over the price of its women's plus-sized clothes. The trouble started when a customer noticed the retailer was charging more for the women's plus-sized line but not doing the same for men.

Old Navy shoppers will find the same price tag on a pair of regular size two jeans and size 18 jeans. The Old Navy plus-size line is only available online, and that's where customers are noticing a double-digit price difference. Men's clothing is consistent regardless of the size.

The outcry against Old Navy pricing practices started with New York resident Renee Posey. While shopping online, she realized that plus-sized pants were $12 to $15 more.

According to her Change.org petition, Posey says she was fine paying the extra money because she figured it accounted for the additional fabric, until she looked at the large men's sizes and saw the price never changed.

The petition, which now has more than 34,000 signatures, questions why women are forced to pay more when men are not.

Old Navy's parent company, GAP Inc., attributes the increased cost to a separate design team dedicated to the plus-size line.

The company's statement reads in part: "While we don't make more money on our plus-size line, our plus-size clothes cost more because we invest more in them."

Many of the people who signed Posey's Change.org petition don't buy that reasoning. Time will tell whether they continue to buy clothes at Old Navy.