Changing rooms branded ‘disgraceful’ as Australians slam state of retail stores

A fitting room in a women’s clothing store has disgusted some people and prompted others to criticise the “state of retail” in Australia.

Footage from a Sportsgirl locker room in Queensland shows a stained carpet and mounds of dust piled up on the sides. “This is the floor of the Sportsgirl locker room at 9:35am this morning. Disgusting,” the woman wrote alongside the video on Friday. “The state of retail stores today.”

Jana Bowden, a professor of marketing and consumer psychology at Macquarie University, told Yahoo News Australia the country was seeing a “decline” in the cleanliness of fitting rooms in retail stores. “You could argue whether this is due to a reduction in retail staff, a lack of attention to detail or just laziness and total disregard,” she said.

Since seeing the footage, others have shared their own experiences with “disgraceful” changing rooms. “Bundaberg Target is on top of this!! It’s disgusting from top to bottom,” one exclaimed.

“Then you have to do this awkward balancing exercise on your shoes while trying on pants,” added another, recalling similar locker rooms they had been in.

Some were horrified by the footage and said they would not set foot in the room. “Yuck. I wouldn’t take my clothes off in there,” said one. “It’s disgraceful,” added another.

Yahoo reached out to Sportsgirl for comment but did not receive a response.

Expert calls locker room condition ‘disaster’

Bowden explained how detrimental a lack of cleanliness in a store can be, saying that “from a brand management perspective, it’s a disaster.” “Fitting rooms are a critical part of branding and, by themselves, can make or break a customer’s purchasing decision,” she said.

“Shabby, cramped, poorly maintained dressing rooms give customers a negative feeling and change our psychology, causing us to rush out the door,” Bowden said. “Who wants to spend time trying on clothes in a dirty, stained room?”

“A lot of locker rooms are designed without the customer in mind, it’s mind-boggling.”

Many Australians continue to shop in person

Online shopping has seen growth since the pandemic and according to Finder, 3 in 4 Australians shop online (excluding groceries). Despite this, in-person shopping remains in the lead and as of November 2023, online sales accounted for just 12.7% of all retail spending in Australia.

Statista data paints a similar picture, showing that by 2023, total retail spending in Australia was around $360 billion, while online sales were just over $63 billion.

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