Business Notes RETAILING

Many department stores have a double standard when it comes to alterations on clothing: women pay extra but men do not. Most shoppers accept this inequality, but not Muriel Mabry and Lori Anderson, two California businesswomen. When they bought dresses this summer at a Saks Fifth Avenue store in Costa Mesa, Calif., they were each charged about $40 for alterations. Meanwhile, the women claim, Anderson's husband bought a suit and tuxedo that the store tailored for free.

The women took their case to Feminist Attorney Gloria Allred, who filed a class-action suit on their behalf this month in a California state court, accusing Saks of illegal discrimination. The women ask for an injunction that would force the store to charge equally for alterations. The suit also seeks damages of at least $250 for every California woman who has been hurt by Saks' alleged bias during the past three years. Saks, which plans to fight the suit, says it sets alteration charges based solely on the work involved.