Should I buy my sleepwear online or go to the store?
How can I make sure that my pajamas fit?
How can I find out what the material feels like?
Is it cheaper to buy pajamas online?
Where are pajamas made?
Those are all valid questions, and I will try to give you some answers, as I also have the same questions when I need to buy some clothes.
When I was working out of the house, I always bought my nightgowns or pajamas at a store. After work I stopped at a department store and took my time looking to get the perfect sleepwear. I have to admit that I never really paid attention to where the product was coming from. More important for me was the feel of the fabric and how the pajamas or nightgown fit.
Since I am working from home now, I don’t get to go out very much anymore. So, most of my clothes are bought online. All department stores have websites where you can place an order and there is always Amazon. Department stores carry more recognizable brands, but with all brands, 99% are not made entirely in the US. And I mean from let’s say the cotton plant to fabric to design and packaging. I have come across many so-called US made products, that are not really ‘made’ in the US, just assembled, or packaged, or even just shipped from. You still have third world countries producing a major part of that product.
With Amazon at least I know where the pajamas are coming from, as the Brand names are a telling sign.
Now price is another variable when buying online. If you buy brand pajamas at a department store website, you might pay quite a bit of money. On Amazon you can find many cheap pajamas that could be just as comfortable and nice.
I have no problem with paying for quality products, preferably made in the US and supporting our economy. There are several of those companies located in the US. But even those companies source their materials ‘worldwide’ and nobody can be sure if their claims of ethically sourced, fair trade, safe working conditions and fair payment and so on is real.
So, buying from one of those US companies is an option and hoping their claims are true. Department stores, well, do I want to buy pajamas that are made in India under a well-known brand name, where the people in India work under deplorable condition and minimal wage and I pay a higher price just for the brand name? Or I know what I am getting by buying from Amazon and I already know that that product is made in India, China, Thailand, etc. but there is no well-known brand that takes all the money.
The price question then goes hand in hand with the quality. There is no guaranty that pajamas bought at a department store have a better quality and last longer. I bought pajamas from JCPenney a few years ago. They lasted maybe 2 months and then they started coming apart on the seams. They were not cheap pajamas, and I was expecting them to last quite some time. Compared to the pajamas I bought from Walmart 10 years ago and which I still wear as they still look like new, it was a waste of money.
Now, besides all those ethical, durability and pricing questions, we have the question about fabric and sizing. When you go to the store you can feel the fabric and know if those are exactly the pajamas you want to sleep in. Online is a different story. You have to depend on other people’s reviews to tell you how the pajamas feels and if they are comfortable. That only works if people are truthful when they write their reviews, but is also subjective, as not all people like the same fabrics and feel the same way. What is comfortable for one person might feel scratchy for another.
And, as I found out just last week, the same pajamas I bought 10 months ago feel completely different than the pajamas I bought last week. The older ones were soft and cuddly, and the new ones feel stiffer, especially the pants.
And then there is the size. There are huge differences between countries. If I am in Europe or in the US, I know which size fits me best. When I order from Amazon, I have to take a guess and sometimes my guess is way off. So, reading reviews should be able to give me an idea how the pajamas are cut. Well, it would be nice if that works, but for the most part it is not accurate. Most Amazon ads provide measurements, but they are also hit and miss, so take your best guess and hope the pajamas fit.
Now, let’s get to the pajamas I bought – one in December 2022 and the same one in October 2023 – ENJOYNIGHT Womens Pajama Sets Cotton Pj Set Short Sleeve Top With Capri Pants Sleepwear 2 Piece Lounge Set. The price both times was $22.99, and they are currently available for that price. They are very cute pajamas with a grey top featuring a sleeping sheep and pink capri pants with different little sheep on them. As I read that they are cut pretty tight, I wanted something really comfortable, and I ordered a larger size.
The December pajamas fit nicely. They felt good to wear, were very soft and I wore them and another set of pajamas for the last 8 months. They held up beautifully to frequent washing and feel the same as they did on day one. There is no fading of colors and no peeling of the sheep design on the top. Overall, they are made very well, with no threads hanging off or uneven seams.
The October pajamas first of all came in their plastic sleeve open and visible to everyone. Amazon did not use any packaging, just threw a label on and sent them off. Anyone could have opened it, taken one piece, nobody would have known. I am all for the least packaging available, but no packaging is kind of ridiculous. Well, when I took them out of the bag, I could feel that they were not the same as the previous pajamas. The fabric was stiffer and felt thinner. They were not as soft, especially the pants. And even though I ordered the same size, these are much tighter than the other ones. I would say there is one size difference between the two pairs of pajamas. They are made very well, with clean seams and no threads hanging off. As for frequent washing I will report back after the pajamas have been washed a few times. Let’s hope they hold up as good as the first ones.
Tell me, have you bought any clothes online? How did it go? Let me know in the comments.