What v said. When the tag looks like the one on the right its a Rack item. When its like the one on the left, a colored bar is also a sign because it dictates what season its from, with the multiple pricing its typically from the Nordstrom store. Also look for the red tags like this.
Here's a pretty decent breakdown from a blogger. link
Post by pinkdutchtulips on Sept 28, 2014 19:59:25 GMT -5
i only go there for handbags simply bc at 6' NONE of the clothes are going to fit me.
i once walked out of a TJ MAXX w/ a Dooney & Burke bucket tote i had eyed on their website. i turned the bad inside out JUST to make sure it was a legit bag w/ the all of the id tags in the right spot/condition (ie none of the ID tags were ripped or cut) and it was .. it went home w/ me for 1/3 of the price on the website.
The gap i mentioned is a factory store, and they have all 3 gap brands. I think that's how you can tell the difference. That's also where 2nd runs will go. So you have to look clothing over carefully to make sure the defects are ones you can live with.
Sometimes the defects work in my favor, like the pants were too long sometimes it's as minor as a missing button. Sometimes it's a big rip or permanent stain.
Also, how often do people go to Casper wy?
my brother .. weekly ... but he's the deputy bridge design engineer for the state lol
Just don't tell me the Essie nail polish is a lie. I DON'T WANT TO KNOW!
But really, I'm with Sou in that I don't like rummaging through that shit. I do go if there is something I need but won't find at walmart. Like when I needed workout clothes. Places like Ross, TJ Maxx, and such are good for birthday presents.
Casper was an oil boom town wasn't it? Or at least at one point I thought it was.
Sort of. They have an intl airport which is why i was working there for a week, to train their 10 employees (only a slight under exaggeration). It's for the Canadian oil people to fly into. But they only chose that because it's the closest "city" with a pop of 50k. The oil is still pretty far away.
Yes, callie - please share! I have a GC to the Rack and I'm heading over there tomorrow.
It's easy to tell.
Stuff from Nordstrom has a Nordstrom tag with a colored strip on it. Straight-to-Rack items have white Rack tags.
At other stores, you can often tell by the language on the tag. Straight-to-outlet stuff will often have a "valued at" or "comparable value" indication rather than "was" because the item was never actually offered for sale at the higher price. Like look at sales items on the JCrew website as compared to the items on the JCrew Factory website -- regular Crew says "Was $39.50 Now $19.99." Factory says "valued at $44.50 your price $34.50."
Lol. I was expecting some big secret, but this is pretty obvious. I don't think I've ever really noticed before, though.
Casper was an oil boom town wasn't it? Or at least at one point I thought it was.
Sort of. They have an intl airport which is why i was working there for a week, to train their 10 employees (only a slight under exaggeration). It's for the Canadian oil people to fly into. But they only chose that because it's the closest "city" with a pop of 50k. The oil is still pretty far away.
Gotcha. The last time I was in that area I don't think I was even in jr. high yet so the memory is a bit fuzzy.
Honestly, there isn't much of a difference in quality between JCrew and JCrew Outlet. That's not to say that the outlet's stuff is super well made, but that JCrew isn't exactly what it used to be.
Sadly a lot of brands seem to have declining quality. It's frustrating and also seems to be a bad business strategy. Sometimes I'll need a replacement of something and I will wonder if the brand I bought before will still has the same quality now. If I was happy with the item and could be assured I would get a similar one, I would just replace the item with something from the same brand. Since I don't trust many brands to maintain quality over the years, I often end up doing research and going with another. It seems to defeat the point of having brands in the first place.
I haven't noticed Gap outlets being worse quality than their regular stores. The outlet stuff just seemed less current. Maybe their stuff isn't cut the same way, I don't know. I just haven't noticed it falling apart faster, or being more see-through than the regular stuff, which has really gone downhill IMO.
I shop at these stores when I'm bored and looking for nothing specific. I didn't know how to recognize the difference in tags so I'll start using that tip. This whole thread was a great read.
Is this news? I thought we (the world) knew this already.
Whatevs, TJ Maxx 4 LYFE. I like the thrill of the hunt.
But holy man does Kohl's blow. I was stunned how frumpy and polyester everything was (women's clothes). I hadn't been there in years and was legit grossed out (by the products, not the store).
Honestly, there isn't much of a difference in quality between JCrew and JCrew Outlet. That's not to say that the outlet's stuff is super well made, but that JCrew isn't exactly what it used to be.
Sadly a lot of brands seem to have declining quality.
Yes they do. It's sad to see some of the stores I used to rely upon for my professional clothing, such as Talbots, drop in quality. I recently bought some items from The Limited for the first time in years and was really disappointed. That stuff started falling apart almost immediately.
If I ever decide that Brooks Brothers has reduced the quality of its clothing, I will give up on life.
Post by Velar Fricative on Sept 29, 2014 5:52:13 GMT -5
Re: poor quality of clothes these days - is it because of people demanding lower-priced clothing or is it just clothing companies caring solely about the bottom line? They've always cared about the bottom line and people have always wanted affordable clothes, so I am wondering if the advent of H&M, etc. is just a convenient scapegoat.
Psa- the pb and j&j outlets in lancaster are real outlets
I went into the J&J outlet when we were there last year. It had literally nothing on sale and it was basically the same price as the one at the mall (but the one at the mall has a great sale rack!). It didn't feel like an outlet at all, just a regular store. The PB was amazing.
The gap i mentioned is a factory store, and they have all 3 gap brands. I think that's how you can tell the difference. That's also where 2nd runs will go. So you have to look clothing over carefully to make sure the defects are ones you can live with.
Sometimes the defects work in my favor, like the pants were too long sometimes it's as minor as a missing button. Sometimes it's a big rip or permanent stain.
Also, how often do people go to Casper wy?
Is it in an outlet mall? There is one in NKY too but it's not even in a shopping area. You have to drive around some warehouses to find it.
I rarely shop in these stores for clothes because it's all a jumble and I hate that kind of shopping where I have to go through each piece to see if it's something I might like that could fit. -- Sou D
THis is exactly why I never shop there…it actually stresses me out.
Post by tacosforlife on Sept 29, 2014 6:08:11 GMT -5
I don't think I realized the extent of this practice.
When I was shopping for a dress for a wedding, I know at least a couple of the dresses I tried on at Nordstrom Rack were legit former Nordstrom dresses because I tried on the exact dresses in different colors at Nordstrom across the street.
I pretty much stick with Lands End and Talbots these days because the quality is decent (not perfect) and they have clothes that will fit my giant ass.
Psa- the pb and j&j outlets in lancaster are real outlets
I went into the J&J outlet when we were there last year. It had literally nothing on sale and it was basically the same price as the one at the mall (but the one at the mall has a great sale rack!). It didn't feel like an outlet at all, just a regular store. The PB was amazing.
I've gotten some good deals at the J&J outlet, but only on their sale rack. And it's it or miss. Sometimes it's great, sometimes there's nothing.
I knew the stuff about outlets but had no idea about the licensing with brands and the store!
Ditto - outlets make outlet clothes - not just a surplus of their other clothes. That I knew. But I always thought that brand still produced those things, but now I know they are just knock-offs by someone else who bought the license to put their label on... hmmm.
Re: poor quality of clothes these days - is it because of people demanding lower-priced clothing or is it just clothing companies caring solely about the bottom line? They've always cared about the bottom line and people have always wanted affordable clothes, so I am wondering if the advent of H&M, etc. is just a convenient scapegoat.
My shoot-from-the-hip opinion is that it's a combination of recession hangover, when companies were forced to cut costs in order to keep moving product designed for folks not in the 1%, and general customer demands for low cost clothing in the face of extreme cost cutting by places like Target or JCP, where you can buy tops for $6 each.
It's possible these things are one and the same. People don't think about long term quality because they have less to spend now, so they buy the cheaper alternative.
All J&J outlets carry the same items as the regular stores. The outlets just get them 6 weeks later and they are immediately 25% off.
The outlets are good in specific circumstances - like if you want the current line and its 25% off or if the sale rack has some further markdowns. But you have to be careful because sometimes things are cheaper in the regular store.
Post by sunshine608 on Sept 29, 2014 8:20:09 GMT -5
I was just complaining about this. I went to the outlets this weekend ( its the closer to me than the mall) and was so disappointed by the stuff I bought at Loft Outlet that just felt inferior. A lot of it was similar to whats on the racks at Loft, so I was excited since there is no regular loft near me. Tried on the stuff and the fit is off, the fabric is shitty. Not that Loft stuff us really that much better.
I don't even want to talk about the outfit I bought from TJ Maxx for DS. It was cute Polo Romper, but upon trying it on I'm not sure what it is. Its short legs, but long sleeved.
So wait, I got a pair of Joe's jeans at Rak that fit.like.a.glove. They were only $80 and there was a whole rack of them. I wonder if they were like last season or something? They are dark skinny jeans. I love them so much.
They also were the perfect length for me, which never happens becaus I am short. I wonder if they were a shorter cut that just didn't sell.
I normally don't like discount places but shopping at NR made me a believer for ever and ever. I loved that place so much.
Just don't tell me the Essie nail polish is a lie. I DON'T WANT TO KNOW!
But really, I'm with Sou in that I don't like rummaging through that shit. I do go if there is something I need but won't find at walmart. Like when I needed workout clothes. Places like Ross, TJ Maxx, and such are good for birthday presents.
I have exactly one bottle of Essie because I heard it was amazing. I'm not sure if the actual polish brand is always like this or if I got a bad bottle but mine is really watery. Is this nor all?
"This prick is asking for someone here to bring him to task Somebody give me some dirt on this vacuous mass so we can at last unmask him I'll pull the trigger on it, someone load the gun and cock it While we were all watching, he got Washington in his pocket."
"This prick is asking for someone here to bring him to task Somebody give me some dirt on this vacuous mass so we can at last unmask him I'll pull the trigger on it, someone load the gun and cock it While we were all watching, he got Washington in his pocket."