LLBean a and Eddie Bauer

[Tussiemussies]

I buy my clothing at end of year clearance sales at these stores. Although this year they are claiming great markdowns, when you look at what they have available there are hardly any clothing with the usual markdowns I would see every year. I am so disappointed!

Has anyone else noticed this?

[Florence]

I buy the majority of my clothes from LLBean. I have noticed that when they have a sale, more often than not, they are out of whatever it was that I wanted to buy. Very annoying!

[Tradd]

Florence, I've noticed the same thing! So, I just buy whatever I want, at full price. I prefer to have a few nicer things clothes-wise, rather than a ton of cheapo stuff, so it works out in the end.

[rosarugosa]

I do get a lot of things from LL Bean. I have an LL Bean visa, so I occasionally earn $10. certificates. I also try to plan my purchases for when they are offering a deal - usually 15% off entire purchase, Veteran's Day and Thanksgiving weekends. Maybe not total steals, but some savings from full price. They have some really great buys at their outlet stores, but they only have a couple of these outlets near their home base in Maine. The deep clearance deals after xmas usually sell out of what I would want almost immediately.

[artist]

I shop the local LL Bean outlet (5 mins from my house) so I'm usually looking at a deal.

[Miss Cellane]

I've noticed for the past several years that the catalog retailers often sell out of the color/size I need in clothing, long before the end-fo-season sales. Sometimes shortly after the start of the season. I've tried to order something a month after receiving a catalog, and it's been gone. Whereas in the past, you could pretty much expect something to be available for three months or so.

My guess is that they are simply ordering less inventory than they used to. They'd rather sell out of something than get caught with a lot of inventory at the end of the season and have to put it on sale.

I'm also finding that what they do have on sale at the end of the season is the weird colors, or the clothes that just don't fit right, if you check the reviews.

[ctg492]

Very true.
My next gripe is "imported", from where???

[Florence]

Last October we took a fall foliage trip to Maine. We spent a morning in Freeport, Maine at the LLBean "mother ship." It really was something to behold! Bought some cords and a coat for DH and some mugs for DD.

Tradd, I do too. I much prefer a few well made things that I can combine in various ways.

[larknm]

tg492, I'm with you on "imported" from where? It really changed what I could buy, in a good way, when I started calling companies to find out--so much stuff is made by kids in Haiti or China or many other places and for tiny amounts of pay. There's also that the fabric may be manufactured one place (sometimes harder to find out where) but then the product made in US, as if the latter is all that matters.

[pinkytoe]

My gripe with these companies is that you can order the same item in two different colors and each one fits differently. I guess it depends on which Chinese factory it is made in.
Someone at work said she routinely buys closeouts at these stores and resells on ebay so maybe that is one place the inventory is ending up.

[rosarugosa]

The new LL Bean Home catalog that I received this week has a surprising number of US made items in it.

[Glo]

I've been very disappointed in llbean in the last year or two. The fabrics are so cheap and will not hold up for years like in the past. This Fall I bought two shirts; fit perfectly, fabric was so soft and I loved those shirts. After one wash, they shrunk and looked terrible; I was so disapppinted! Bought two pair of pants in different collors; one pair fit perfectly, the other was way too big. I also tried Bauer this year; the shirts didn't fit well and the fabric was way too clingly. I don't mind spending more for clothes, but I want them to fit well and last more than a year.

[Tussiemussies]

My gripe with these companies is that you can order the same item in two different colors and each one fits differently. I guess it depends on which Chinese factory it is made in.
Someone at work said she routinely buys closeouts at these stores and resells on ebay so maybe that is one place the inventory is ending up.


Hi Glo I think I am going to try Woolrich, their quality is very good, made in the US but not as stylish as the others. The clothes are more expensive but as you you said at least they will last...