LB Outlet is a Joke!
The other day I took my mother in law to the outlet mall nearby (she’d never been, lived here 30 years). I was desperately wanting to hit up the Lane Bryant (LB) outlet so I could get a steal on some bras or whatever! Funny thing, we walked into the entrance right next to the LB outlet! Woo! We were both pretty excited to see what deals were in store for us as we’re both pro bargain huntresses!
This particular LB outlet had one side entirely Cacique. Sweet! We dove right in…only it was more expensive than even their website! What?! We asked the sales person and she basically agreed that it was weird, but left it at that. So we headed over to the LB outlet side and began our hunting. Only, the bargains were nil! Seriously! Everything was around $50 and their sales only gave you about $5 off of that. I was surprised at some of the styles there, but it is an outlet so I let that go fairly quickly. But the prices? Let’s put it this way, I walked out empty handed. I went in fully intending to blow quite a wad of cash, but just wasn’t inspired and was downright offended at some of the pricing on that stuff ($30 for a cami?! In an outlet?!).
And I think this latest experience sealed the deal for me. I no longer want to give my money to Lane Bryant. They don’t understand their customers and don’t even try to! Their prices go up, quality goes way down (enough with the fucking polyester! WE DON’T WANT IT!!!) and their “sales” suck! And don’t get me started on their damned coupons and “real women” dollars. UGH!!! *HeadDesk5,000*
Look, Lane Bryant, I get it! You have a huge share of this “niche” market (pishaw!) and you wanna take advantage of that. Go for it! But don’t expect your longtime and formerly loyal customers to stick around while you screw ’em over at every turn! Why would you even consider keeping your normal pricing in an outlet with rejected goods/styles? Did you not know we were in some sort of apocalipto-economy right now? Oh you didn’t? You were too busy counting your millions? Oh, I’ll just leave you to that then…NOT!!! Your wares suck! The fit of your clothing is all wongo now. I used to be able to just walk in and buy whatever in a size 26/28 and know it would fit. Now? That is a joke! Now I have to try on every single damned thing and hope it fits because sometimes it does and more often it doesn’t and it’s never in the same ways!
So, Lane Bryant, as I am about to re-enter the workforce and have money to spend on clothing again, guess who isn’t going to spend it in your shops or on your websites? Moi! I will gladly seek out indie designers, thrift store options or even try my hand at sewing my own garments before setting foot inside one of your stores again! Got it?! Good! Now buck up or fuck off!
Thanks.
oh man, LB changed their pants cut; and I have never worn pants SINCE! I went 100 percent dresses….and then started making my own…because even in dresses I need more hip room than they allow. I dont blame you for banning them. I noticed the outlet here only cut prices 10 to 15 percent. Not worth it the gas to get there….I dont like their styling either…..
@Psycho Sue: It just seems like a scam to me! =0)
WORD. i used to walk out of LB with some cute stuff, and I’d say about 1/4 of my work wardrobe came from there. Now? I only buy their unds and bras (their bras are the only ones I’ve been able to find that fit me well) and if it weren’t for those, i would follow your lead and stop going there forever!
Sorry you had a crappy time there, that doesn’t sound fun at all.
@sabrina: Yeah, I used to spend so much money there! Now I’d be hard pressed to even find something I liked, let alone could afford. I just bought four LB bras on eBay…so that’ll do me fine for now.
You are so right, and I hope someone from the company manages to learn of your blog entry.
It’s like they bend over backwards to make ugly, ill fitting, anti-stylish clothing…as punishment? I’ve often thought so.
They don’t seem to know who their real customer is.
Note to LB: enough!!!!!1!!! with the insane prices, stop the completely stupid “real woman $$” put things on sale at prices we notice are discounted, and stop—-please please please stop with the plastic clothing/polyester….please. Cotton. Wool. Silk. No poly, and personally, you can keep all the cr@ptastic rayon as well.
And you can stop trying to force us to buy multiples of things just to get 5 bucks off the 3rd item. Seriously? That sucks.
Is that really asking too much of you? Do you really think you have no competition? Your stores are mostly empty most of the time.
Due to all of this, I have not been in a LB for probably 3 years, possibly 4.
@Elizabeth: Yes! I agree with all you’ve said. Ha-ha! I honestly don’t think LB would care about my post even if it was sent to the CEO!
I refuse to shop LB, even online. Their tops stop at a 3X and they only carry Cacique bras now and Cacique doesn’t believe in making bras for my rack of doom. I used to be able to buy tops, bras, and slacks at LB years ago but when they decided that they wanted the younger, hipper, not-so-fat demographic, that left me out in the cold (literally).
So I shop the clearance racks at Catherine’s, who used to be considered the old fat lady’s shop but they’ve got some really fashionable stuff for the younger crowd now (yeah, yeah, I’m not the younger crowd, but I don’t have to dress like my grandmother just because I am a grandmother). In fact, I was there this weekend and got 4 tops that were marked down at an additional 30% off, so I got $110 worth of tops for $62. If I had been willing to spend more money, I could have walked out with 4 or 5 more tops that I liked just as well as the 4 I got (I think DH might have drawn the line at me spending over $100 on tops when I don’t really need them, just want/like them). I haven’t even seen anything comparable at Roaman’s or Woman Within lately, although I did find a new-to-me website for blouses called Blouse House, that has tons of tops in all kinds of fabrics/styles/colors/prints and at reasonable prices (http://www.blousehouse.com/). Haven’t ordered anything from them yet, but I see that they’re having a back to school promotion where you can take an additional 10% off sale items (they also have pants, dresses, and loungers).
@vesta44: Oh! Thanks for the tip on blousehouse.com, never heard of it, will check it out. Yes, I’m with you on their sizing bullshit, too. I used to find some 28’s or even 30’s, now they don’t even have them online except for a couple of tees.
LLOLZ you had me rolling at
“enough with the fucking polyester! WE DON’T WANT IT!!”
WURD.
@Jenna: Yeah! Glad you got a kick outta that one. =0) How ya been?
The closest LB Outlet to me is in Lancaster, PA and I’m not sure if they’ve increased their prices or not. This one by me almost always has tops on sale for $15 and under and every weekend there’s a sale (the original prices are probably marked up though).
I always hit the clearance rack first because their regular pricing is way too high. $70 for a top is outrageous and many of the items, especially the tops, are either cut too short in length, too tight in the bust or the necklines are too low for my liking. And like Vesta, they no longer carry extended size bras in their stores—they’ve moved them online and half of the time there’s no stock. I did express to a sales clerk about the lack of larger bra sizes past DDD.
It seems LB no longer wants the middle aged to elderly fat customer anymore, only teens and twentysomethings who aren’t over 250 lbs. That’s all well and good, but by ignoring an older market that is still into looking stylish—as well as women of various ages who are sized out of 26/28, they’re doing themselves a total disservice.
I’ll be heading to my regular LB store Friday to see what they have now since I haven’t been in months. My last bout of shopping has been at Fashion Bug—they consistently offer $10 off $20 coupons, offer sizes 30-32 if I need to size up, and so far aren’t excluding older fats—I see many older women shopping there.
@Bree: I’m now wondering if the outlet pricing/sales are regional?! There were clearance racks at the outlet I went to, but even those prices (after the double markdown) were around $40! Ridiculous! Bummer, the closest Fashion Bug for me is nearly three hours drive. No thanks. Glad you’ve had good experiences there though. I’ll have to check out their website again.
I was told once that there is an entirely different line of clothing manufactured for the LB Outlet–that is why you see stuff there that you never saw in stores. I agree–the prices are ridiculous.
And God–amen on the fucking polyester!!!!! I am actually allergic to polyester (wool too, which is sadder), and it infuriates me how many of their tops are poly. Plus, I live in Texas, where it has regularly been 106 degrees lately, and polyester is sweaty. I also have the problem where every top and dress sold there assumes I have a huge ROD, so I get the saggy boob shirt thing going on. I also think they think we are all 7 feet tall–the cropped pants are just about the right length for pants on me.
That being said, they do still have the jeans and bras that fit…sigh.
I’m so ranty in your comments…I promise I say nice things too sometimes! 🙂
@Lady ATX: I’m allergic to wool as well, bane of my existence sometimes. And I’m with ya on the pants length. My MIL had to see for herself and laughed when the crops were as long as my touching-the-floor jeans! Ugh! I can’t wear their jeans, but the bras? Yeah, can’t yet find a replacement…one day! And no worries. Vent/rant all you want! That is why I love my readers!
I’m a smaller fat. I wear a size 14 on the top and size 10 on the bottom. I bought two bras from LB a couple of months ago that I have yet to wear. You don’t make me feel confident in their products. I hope they wear well. They look really nice. I’m afraid to wear them since I fear I will forget to handwash them and they’ll fall apart if machine washed and dried.
@Lillian: I machine wash and hang dry my LB bras. I used to machine wash and tumble dry but found they last longer this way. I don’t hand wash anything, but the bras I get are thick and not lacy at all. So it may depend on the fabric the bra is made of. I will say that most LB bras with under wires eventually do poke out the sides and into your armpits. That is until I went with the 5-way convertible seamless bras, magical things! They have silicone piping along the edges so everything stays in place. I love ’em! I just wish that there was consistency in their pricing and sizing!
I can’t find bras or “underpants” that are comfortable anywhere but LB. That being said, I try to take my business elsewhere for everything else. The clothing is overpriced and mostly awful. The button downs shrink, the colors fade, and last I checked I wasn’t dancing “in da club” enough to own a bedazzled top with a face on it. I do like their supima camis. They’re thick and have decent coverage….but they fade. I need to dye mine. If I could find camis, bras, and panties somewhere else I certainly would.
@Vambrances-Not-Included: I understand completely. While I think their underwear are awful, I have heard enough fats sing their praises to know it may just be my preference.
Sorry to hear you had a sucky shopping day. Those are no damn fun. I agree with your assessment 100%. I haven’t shopped LB in years. They’re almost as bad as Torrid for charging exorbitant prices for items that aren’t worth half the price. LB’s clothes are a little better quality than Torrid’s, imo, but not by much. ON, JCPenney, Kohl’s, Target and QVC get most of my money for work wear.
@thirtiesgirl: Oh man, I like Torrid, but the prices are what keep me from loving it. That and the wonky sizing. But yeah, LB sucks! Ha-ha! I have had very little luck at Kohl’s being a death fatty, but Target is somewhat reliable for simple things. Thanks.
The best deals I’ve seen at outlet malls are at the “non-brand-name” stores. The brand stores I’ve seen don’t seem to sell for less than their “non-outlet” stores – yes, that includes LB.
Consumer Reports and others state that outlet malls aren’t that useful:
http://www.komonews.com/news/archive/4185896.html
(This is not meant as a defense of LB per se.)
@Living400lbs: Thanks! I had a suspicion, now it’s confirmed! *TurnsOnBullhorn* Outlets are bullshit! Thanks!
I hate LB. Add that to the comment about Natalie (I think it was..) T-shirt, and just fuck them. I don’t even go in there. Catherine’s, Avenue and sometimes Fashion Bug are more afforadable for me. Things don’t always fit right, but at LB they never did. I’m on the tall side and still their cuts hung way too low for me. And on bras- FAR too expensive…It’s not justified to rack up the price 120% b/c I’m fat and my boobs are fat…
@E. Ai B.: Thank you, yes, I agree! I don’t have fashion bug or Catherine’s near me, but I do have several Avenue stores. Just wished my local one didn’t staff such miserable sales people. You walk out more depressed after overhearing their stories or even interacting with them. Ugh!
I’ve found Lane Bryant Outlets to be hit or miss. Some will have good deals, others are more like you’ve described. For the most part, outlet malls don’t seem to be a “deal” for anything.
I went shopping with someone who wanted to buy a present from the Disney outlet store. The selection wasn’t that great and the prices still seemed a little high, so we went to the Disney store in the mall. Better selection AND better prices. Wtf!?
Regular Lane Bryant clearance (with coupons, of course) is still a pretty good option. A lot of the time clearance is an extra 50-70% off and you can get some great deals! I’ve definitely had better scores in a normal store, than an at the outlet.
@Nicole: Yeah, too bad my local LB stores don’t really have clearance. I think they ship it elsewhere. Like I know Torrid in the Oakridge Mall (San Jose) gets most of the other stores’ clearance. Gotta do a bit of research I guess. =0)
It is so crappy when an outlet store is just the same as the stores themselves. Why would anyone want to travel the extra distance to outlet malls to buy the same stuff as their regular stores?
@Kath: Yes, I am still so disappointed!