Tuxedo By Sarno

My not quite 2 year old was a ringbearer in a wedding, and we had to go to Sarno for a tux rental for him. The salesclerk told the bride to have him come in 3 weeks before the wedding to get fitted because kids grow so fast. So all three of us went over to get him fitted.
The place is nice — a little on the small side, but their displays are well done and there’s room to move around. The sales clerk brought out the smallest tux she had in the store and tried it on my son — it was too big, but she measured him and assured me the tux he’d be wearing for the wedding would fit. She also said he was too big to fit into their toddler sizes (2T is the largest they carry), even though most of his regular clothes are 2T, and that he’d have to wear the smallest boy’s size.
The real shocker came when they rang up the rental and it came to $ 138. That’s right, ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY EIGHT DOLLARS to rent a tux for a toddler. I was floored, but didn’t want to say anything in front of the bride — I figured she had enough stress and we knew being part of a wedding was going to be expensive. Later that afternoon, I talked with the bride and mentioned I was surprised it was that expensive for a small tux, and she said she was taken aback too, so she had asked around her circle of friends. Someone told her that we had actually purchased the tux, that they didn’t rent them that small. I checked our receipt and it was definitely listed as a rental, so the bride called the store to double check and they did confirm that it WAS a rental. Ouch, but oh well.
I went in with my son the day before the wedding to pick up the tux (we live out of town) and had him try it on before we would leave with it. As the sales clerk was taking the tux out of the bag, she asked if we brought socks for him. I said no it was never mentioned that we had to, and I assumed they were included in the rental. She replied, «Uh. no. But we can sell you a pair for $ 5.» $ 5? Really? Because you can’t throw a pair in for a $ 138 rental? I wasn’t about to argue about it, so I said, whatever, and she went back to dressing my son in the tux.
He was absolutely SWIMMING in it and I said, «he’s not wearing this. he looks ridiculous». The sales clerk implied that it would have fit if I brought him in for a fitting, and I informed her that I *did* and that not only was he was measured, they assured me it would fit. She started talking about rolling up the sleeves and tucking in the shirt, etc., and I flat out said no. Then she said, «Well let me see if I have a baby tux». Surprise, surprise, she did, and surprise again — it fit him PERFECTLY.
The thing is — sizes 2T and smaller are for sale, and larger sizes are rentals. The 2T sold for $ 65 and included the pants, jacket, vest, bow tie and shirt. I do give her credit for refunding the difference between the sale and the rental (and yes, she did charge me the $ 5 for the socks). She also let us take the shoes and the long tie that came with the rental, provided we return them, at no charge.
I think they were counting on the fact that most people are unfamiliar with formal wear sizing and rely on the sales clerks to guide them. I also think they were hoping my son would just fit into the more expensive rental when we came to pick it up, and she certainly tried to convince me it would work before offering up the 2T.
Even though we ended up with a less expensive tux, we now own something our son will never wear again, which means it will probably end up in a consignment shop. And had I known we’d end up buying a generic black baby tux, I would have bypassed the rental place completely and purchased on online or in a consignment shop, or even borrowed it from a friend who bought one for her son (he’s just a little younger than mine) for a wedding.