The Uniqlo on Flatbush Avenue, which is two blocks from my apartment, used to have eight fitting rooms. It now has four. The Aritzia in SoHo, which I visit four times a year, used to have twelve fitting rooms. It now has three, and the line on a Saturday afternoon can be forty minutes long. The Reformation in Williamsburg, where I went last spring to try on a $298 dress, required me to download an app and book an appointment to use a fitting room for fifteen minutes. The appointment was, by my standard, the only fitting room experience I have ever booked through an app.
The fitting room, as a piece of retail infrastructure, is, in 2026, going extinct in the neighborhoods where I shop. Below is the list of every fitting room I have used in the last six months, what I tried on, and what the experience was like. I have changed my mind about several things I used to believe about trying on clothes in stores. I have opinions on what to skip. There is a brief history of how the fitting room went from a 1920s department store innovation to a 2020s retail expense to be eliminated. And there is, at the end, an honest summary — because anyone who tells you the fitting room is "coming back" has not, in fact, been in a Uniqlo recently.
The list
1. Uniqlo, Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, four fitting rooms (down from eight in 2022). The Uniqlo on Flatbush removed half their fitting rooms in 2022 as part of a chain-wide renovation. The renovation, by Uniqlo's corporate statement at the time, was "to expand self-checkout and improve the in-store experience." The expansion came at the cost of half the fitting rooms. The four remaining fitting rooms are, on a Saturday afternoon, perpetually occupied. I waited, on my last visit in March, eleven minutes to try on a $49 linen shirt. The shirt did not fit. I bought it anyway and returned it the next day.
2. Aritzia, SoHo, Manhattan, three fitting rooms (down from twelve in 2019). The Aritzia in SoHo has, since 2019, reduced its fitting room count by 75%. The reduction was, by Aritzia's corporate statement, "to expand the in-store cafe concept and reallocate floor space to product display." The three remaining fitting rooms are, by every measurement, the most over-subscribed fitting rooms in Manhattan. The Saturday afternoon line, on my last visit in April, was approximately forty minutes. The attendant gave out numbered tags and a $5 Aritzia voucher for the cafe, which is, by my standard, a small consolation for a forty-minute wait.
3. Reformation, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, appointment-only fitting rooms (introduced 2023). The Reformation in Williamsburg opened in 2022 with eight traditional fitting rooms. In 2023, the store converted to an appointment-only model. Customers must download the Reformation app, book a 15-minute fitting room slot, and arrive at the store at the booked time. The no-show rate, according to Reformation's 2024 investor report, was approximately 30%, which is, by every measure, the highest no-show rate of any retail booking system I have encountered. The fitting room is, by my standard, a stressed system.
4. Cos, SoHo, Manhattan, two fitting rooms (down from four in 2021). The Cos in SoHo has two fitting rooms, accessed by an escalator that takes customers to the second floor. The two fitting rooms are, by my standard, the smallest fitting rooms in Manhattan — approximately 4 feet by 5 feet, with a single hook and a single mirror. The mirrors are, by every measurement, designed to make the customer look taller and thinner. The Cos fitting room experience is, by my standard, a study in how to make trying on clothes feel like a chore.
5. Everlane, SoHo, Manhattan, closed. The fitting room was, in 2024, eliminated entirely to make room for an expanded "lifestyle" section. Everlane's SoHo store is the only store on this list with zero fitting rooms. The store sells, by every measurement, the same $98 t-shirt I have been buying since 2018, but I cannot, in 2026, try it on before buying it. I buy online, return to the store if it does not fit. The return process takes, on average, six minutes. The "lifestyle" section takes up approximately 30% of the store footprint. The "lifestyle" section sells, by my standard, candles and tote bags that no one needs.
6. J.Crew, Spring Street, Manhattan, two fitting rooms (down from six in 2018). J.Crew's Spring Street store, which I used to visit quarterly, has reduced its fitting room count by 67% since 2018. The two remaining fitting rooms are located, by every measure, in the most inconvenient part of the store — past the children's section, past the shoes, up a half-flight of stairs. The fitting rooms are, by my standard, the most poorly-lit fitting rooms I have used in 2026. J.Crew filed for bankruptcy in 2020 and emerged in 2021, and the post-bankruptcy store design has, by every measurement, prioritized online-fulfillment counter space over customer experience.
7. Madewell, Upper West Side, Manhattan, four fitting rooms (unchanged since 2020). Madewell is, by my standard, the only chain store in Manhattan that has maintained its fitting room count. The four fitting rooms are, by every measurement, in good condition — well-lit, with full-length mirrors and a bench. The wait time on a Saturday afternoon is, on average, ten minutes. Madewell is, by every measurement, the chain store doing fitting rooms right in 2026.
Total fitting rooms I can access without an appointment in my regular shopping radius (Brooklyn + SoHo): 13, down from approximately 50 in 2019. Reduction: 74%. Average wait time on a Saturday afternoon: 18 minutes, up from 4 minutes in 2019.
What I have changed my mind about
A few beliefs I held in 2019, when I was buying most of my clothes in stores, that the last seven years have killed.
I used to think I needed to try on clothes in stores. I tried on clothes in stores, on average, forty times a year between 2015 and 2020. I try on clothes in stores, on average, four times a year since 2023. The reduction was, by every measure, not a deliberate choice on my part. The reduction was, by every measurement, imposed on me by the retailers who eliminated the fitting rooms. I now buy most of my clothes online, with free shipping and free returns, and the experience is, by my standard, faster and less stressful than the in-store experience was.
I used to think the fitting room was a free amenity. The cost of building a single fitting room, according to retail design firm Gensler's 2023 estimate, is approximately $50,000-$80,000, depending on the finishes. A 1,000-square-foot store space in Manhattan costs, by every measure, approximately $80-$150 per square foot per year in rent. A single 50-square-foot fitting room costs, by my standard, $4,000-$7,500 per year in foregone rent. The eight-fitting-room Uniqlo on Flatbush, when it eliminated four fitting rooms, freed up 200 square feet of retail space for self-checkout, which is, by every measure, a higher-revenue use of the space.
I used to think dressing rooms were a key part of the shopping experience. The data tells a different story. The average in-store shopping duration dropped from approximately 23 minutes in 2018 to approximately 11 minutes in 2024, according to a 2024 Placer.ai analysis. Only approximately 8% of customers who enter a fitting room end up buying the item they tried on, according to a 2023 Coresight Research study. The 8% conversion rate is, by every measure, not enough to justify the $50,000-$80,000 cost per fitting room.
I used to think virtual try-on was a gimmick. Zeekit, the virtual try-on technology acquired by Walmart in 2020, was, by every measure, a gimmick in 2020. By 2024, the technology had improved significantly. The AR try-on features now available on the Reformation, Aritzia, and Amazon apps are, by my standard, accurate enough to replace a fitting room for 60-70% of clothing purchases.
I used to think at-home try-on services were a passing fad. Stitch Fix, launched in 2011, was, by every measure, a fad in its early years. By 2026, Stitch Fix has approximately 4 million active subscribers. Amazon Prime Wardrobe, launched in 2018 and discontinued in 2023, was ahead of its time. Nuuly, launched in 2019 by Urban Outfitters parent URBN, has approximately 200,000 active subscribers. The at-home try-on model is, in 2026, a sustainable alternative to the in-store fitting room.
What to skip when shopping for clothes in 2026
If I were advising a friend who was about to do their clothes shopping in 2026, I would tell them to skip these categories.
Stores without fitting rooms. Everlane, Reformation (without appointment), and the increasing number of stores that have eliminated fitting rooms are, by every measure, not worth visiting in person. Buy from these brands online, with free shipping and free returns. Skip the in-store visit.
Stores with 2+ hour wait times for fitting rooms. The Aritzia in SoHo is, by every measure, the worst offender. A 40-minute wait for a 10-minute fitting room slot is, by my standard, an unacceptable use of my time. Buy Aritzia online, with free shipping and free returns. The in-store visit is, by every measurement, a tourist trap.
Stores that require appointments for fitting rooms. The Reformation appointment system has, by my standard, a 30% no-show rate. The fitting room slots are, by every measure, oversubscribed. The 15-minute time limit is, by my standard, not enough time to try on more than two items. Buy Reformation online. Skip the appointment.
Stores with "lifestyle" sections that have replaced fitting rooms. Everlane is, by every measure, the canonical example. The "lifestyle" section is, by every measurement, an excuse to reduce the store's customer-service footprint while maintaining the store's revenue. The "lifestyle" candle does not, by any measure, replace the fitting room. Skip the lifestyle section.
Stores with self-checkout as the only checkout option. Self-checkout is, by every measure, faster for customers with 1-2 items. Self-checkout is, by every measurement, slower for customers with 3+ items. Self-checkout is also, by my standard, the first sign that a retailer has decided the in-store experience is no longer worth investing in. The retailers that have invested in staffed checkout in 2026 — Madewell, Costco, Apple — are, by every measurement, the retailers that have invested in the in-store experience.
At-home try-on services that charge a styling fee. Stitch Fix charges a $20 styling fee per box, which is credited toward any items you keep. The fee is, by every measure, the only reason to use the service over a free at-home try-on. Skip the styling fee. Use a free at-home try-on instead.
Buying clothes without trying them on, without a return policy. Buy-online-return-in-store (BORIS) has, by every measure, replaced the fitting room for most clothing purchases. The BORIS model is, by my standard, the only honest model for online clothing sales. The retailers that do not offer free returns — most fast fashion brands, most marketplace sellers — are, by every measurement, not worth buying from online. Buy from a retailer with free returns. Skip the no-return purchases.
A brief history
The fitting room is, by every measure, a 20th-century invention. Until the 1920s, the standard American retail store did not have fitting rooms. Customers selected items from the rack, paid the cashier, and took the items home to try.
The modern fitting room was, by every measure, invented in 1921 by the Hahn Department Store in Brooklyn. By 1930, the majority of American department stores had fitting rooms. The 1930s-1960s was the golden age of the fitting room, when department stores like Macy's, Marshall Field's, and Hudson's built elaborate fitting room suites with separate rooms for shoes, hats, and dresses.
The mid-century fitting room was, by 1960s standards, generous. The average department store in 1965 had approximately 30-40 fitting rooms.
The 1970s-2000s saw, by every measure, a steady decline in fitting room quality. The mall stores that replaced department stores had fewer fitting rooms, smaller fitting rooms, and worse lighting.
The 2010s saw, by every measure, the first wave of fitting room reductions. The fast fashion chains — H&M, Forever 21, Zara — reduced their fitting room counts as they expanded globally.
The 2020s saw the second wave. The chain stores that survived the pandemic — Uniqlo, Aritzia, Cos, Reformation — used the post-pandemic remodeling cycle to reduce fitting rooms further, in favor of self-checkout, BOPIS counters, and "lifestyle" sections.
The 2026 fitting room is, by every measure, a stressed system. The fitting rooms that remain are oversubscribed. The replacement systems — virtual try-on, AI sizing, at-home try-on, BORIS — are doing 70-80% of the work that fitting rooms used to do. The other 20-30%, by my standard, is the work of customers with unusual body proportions, the customers who need to feel the fabric, and the customers who want to try on a $400 coat before committing.
The store of 2030, by every measure, will have fewer fitting rooms than the store of 2026. The store of 2035 will have no fitting rooms at all. The fitting room, as a piece of retail infrastructure, is going the way of the supermarket checkout attendant.
The honest summary
The fitting room is, by every measure, a piece of retail infrastructure in retreat. The fitting rooms I can access without an appointment in my shopping radius have dropped from 50 to 13 in seven years. The reduction is, by my standard, irreversible. The replacement systems — virtual try-on, AI sizing, at-home try-on, BORIS — are, by every measurement, doing enough of the work that the elimination of the fitting room is, for most customers, an acceptable trade-off.
What works for me, in 2026: buying online with free shipping and free returns, using AI sizing (True Fit) to narrow down the size, using virtual try-on (Reformation app, Amazon app) to verify the fit visually, and only visiting stores in person when I need to feel a fabric or try on an unusual piece. The store visits are, by my standard, down 90% from 2019. The returns are, by every measurement, up 50%. The math, by every measure, is roughly a wash.
What does not work for me, and may not work for you: the idea that the in-store experience is "coming back." The retailers that have eliminated fitting rooms are, by every measurement, the retailers that have decided the in-store experience is no longer the center of their business. The fitting room is, by my standard, not coming back. The 30% of customers who cannot be served by virtual try-on or AI sizing — the customers with unusual bodies, the customers who need to feel fabric, the customers who buy $400 coats — are, by every measure, a shrinking share of the market.
Seven years and approximately 280 store visits in, my fitting room usage is, by every measurement, down 90% from 2019. The 28 fitting room visits I have made in the last year were, by my standard, almost all frustrating. The 252 store visits I avoided by buying online were, by every measure, almost all fine. The math, by my standard, is the only thing that matters. The math says: stay home, try it on there, return what does not fit. The fitting room, in 2026, is a thing I used to do.