Nothing annoys me more than being discriminated against. Here is a new one that has me gnashing my teeth, and so should you if you like your occasional naughty sweet treat or have found that the old slim you has burgeoned a bit in certain areas.

Hello everyone, this is the Curmudgeon Gal coming to you today, October 7^th from beautiful Baja California, Mexico. It's beginning to feel like fall with a little nip in the air and promise of cooler weather. It's time to consider warmer clothes, put the summer flip-flops away and bring out the long sleeve tee shirts and turtlenecks.

When I came into my community a few minutes ago, the security guy at the guard shack wore a quilted jacket and gloves. I was in a light weight tee shirt and was still all right. But then, I'm a gringa from the North-East and he is Mexican. We might agree on lots of thing, but what's cold is not one of them.

So, in honor of the changing seasons, I decided to look through the stack of catalogues to see what I wanted and didn't need for fall. I say didn't need because, like most Americans, my closets are chock full of "Things." I could probably go for the rest of my life with the clothes I have in the house, but, styles change and, while no longer a Fashionista, I like to give at least a cursory nod to fashion.

Then, I realized I was the object of the new hate crime, the subject of prejudicial behavior and attitudes – sizeism! It's rampant and I don't like it!! Talk about overt discrimination, it's loud and clear and it's time to do something about it.

I like to shop, but I don't like to be taken advantage of. So, as I went through the most recent catalogues that clog my mailbox, I catalogued their discriminatory practices.

My favorite store, Coldwater Creek is one of the worst transgressors. Just looking at the last epistle they sent me, a boucle jacket was $69.95 in petite and Misses extra small through extra large, the Woman's price went up to $79.50 – Ten dollars more!! Notice though, the petites are the same price as the "normal" person's sizes.

I know they are on a financial wobble; they can't be otherwise with established mall competitors like Talbots biting the retail dust. But they don't get it.

Well, since I am an inveterate chain-puller, in case you haven't already figured it out, I wrote them a letter complaining about the difference in price. After all, if they are penalizing us "robust" ladies for our extra poundage, they should be charging less for the little gals – right? So, I got back a letter thanking me for my inquiry, hah! And the explanation that it costs more to make plus sizes.

Then I looked at the size measurement chart they include with their catalogue so you can figure out what size to order. Then it makes no sense at all because the Misses sizes go up to a double XL for measurements of 46 ½ inches for bust size while the Woman's 1X, at ten bucks more, starts at 43-45 inches, hips for XXL Misses are also 46 ½ inches and the 1X is the same 43-45 inches . Huh? How is that more expensive? And if it's more expensive because of fabric, I still maintain the tiny gals should get a break.

Because it pisses me off, I take revenge on them. I go into the stores, look around and try on everything. I make a mental note of what I want to own and I wait. Hell, I'm retired, I have nothing but time. About a month to six weeks later, the whole inventory of that season goes on sale. Then I check out the prices again, hmmmm, not there yet. So I hang out for another few weeks until I get a notice of final sale. That's what I've been waiting for. I know about 2 weeks after that, the whole kit and caboodle will end up in their Outlet, which I can shop on-line. And, since I am a regular customer, I get the catalogues and e-mails that always have discounts attached. This weekend I received an e-mail giving me 40% off the entire web site. Yummmm. I was licking my chops. I pounced and bought everything I had looked at before on sale, and on top got the 40% discount! Yeah, I got the skirt, two tops, dress, jacket, sweaters and two blouses that I had scoped out earlier for a total of $480 – yes, and if you add in the up-charges of $45 for the pleasure of being a 1X it totaled $525…and I paid… wait for it….wait for it… $178! And, when things end up in the Outlet, the size up-charges mysteriously go away. Last winter my best score was a beautiful faux fur jacket originally selling for $135 in my size; I ended up paying $44!

It's my way of getting even and it gives me great pleasure – and I'm not sorry Coldwater Creek. I'll bet there are a whole lot of well-endowed ladies out there doing the same thing, or just so angry they ditch the catalogue in the garbage.

Then, I checked out the other catalogues I received these last weeks. J.Jill is so in the toilet financially they closed their retail shops and went back to a catalogue vendor with a shop or two on the East Coast. In their brilliance, they also charge $10 more for sizes 1X to 4X but petite and regular are the same price.

I just picked up a catalogue from a company I'm not familiar with, Newport News, and a skirt caught my eye. Petite and sizes 2 through 18 cost $59 and Women's 14W through 24W cost $74! Wow! A $15 dollar difference – that's cheeky!

Silhouettes catalogue caters to us ample gals but they have a price break too. A coat was $179 in size XL through 3X but ladies from 4X to 6X had to pay $20 more or $199. Roman's does the same with the price increase of mostly five bucks coming between 24W and 26W. Since I fit the smaller range I felt lucky.

I am however, reminded of buying sheets. None of us ever mind paying the lowest price for twin sheets and accept the price going up by bed size. I think it made sense as it took more material for the larger sizes it and had logic to it.

Boston Proper, Garnet Hill and Casual Living don't much care about us large gals; Serengeti just makes a flat out statement to add either $5 or $10 for Women's sizes.

L.L. Bean infuriates my friend Bill by charging him $5 more because he wears a tall. I can always get him to fume if I bring the subject up. They also charge us ladies from $4 to $10 more for clothing, depending on the item. Land's End does the same, but they have another gimmick that's very smart and sneaky. If you ever order a plus size from them, they send you a "Woman's Clothing" catalogue and all sizes have the same price. However, if you go on-line, you see that Misses sizes are always cheaper for the same item. They have to get up much earlier in the morning to fool this gal!

It's not just the catalogue companies that do this. Kohls, Macys and Sears charge more in their stores for the same items in the Women's department than in the Misses. I don't remember if J.C. Penny does. If you find out, let me know.

Retailers are floundering around in this economy trying anything to lure the customer in. How many offers of $10 to $30 off, 20 to 40% discounts do you get every day in the snail or e-mail? At this time when Americans are getting larger, the plus size woman is more the norm than a Misses size. Don't they get the fact they are angering a huge, no pun intended, part of the population. How dumb is that?

These retailers don't seem smart enough to follow the lead of the success stories in marketing. HSN and QVC are knocking them all to pieces. They charge one price for all apparel, no matter what size. And, they have plus size models modeling their clothing. Well, duh! Doesn't that make sense? The only thing they charge more for according to size is better jewelry and we can all figure that one out since those prices generally go by weight.

And, even though I'm truly sick of the health care debate, if you are overweight, the insurance companies put a surcharge on your policy.

Talk about discrimination! If retailers put up-charges on because of color, race, age or ethnic origin, the ACLU would be at their throats in a heartbeat, but the world moves on and lets us bigger people be the object of overt discrimination. Well, here I am, calling for a movement. All you plus size or tall people who are sick of being taken advantage of, let's revolt and boycott all those stores who charge us more. Otherwise, we might find ourselves paying higher taxes because we take up more space or breathe more air! And you short and small people should join us, think of all the money they've been overcharging you according to their own reasoning – all those size 0 to 6 should have cost a lot less to make and you never saw the benefit.