This was so fascinating! I have long wondered about discount retailers because for so long I assumed that JCrew Factory was offloading excess inventory of JCrew (it did when I was growing up) but then when they launched on ecomm I realized that there are designed specific to Factory that are just lesser quality.
I think I’m better at spotting that quality difference now but I do find this most frustrating for the average shopper thinking they are going to Off 5th or Factory assuming they are getting the same quality as the mother brand!
I’ve found Off 5th’s website often has much better merchandise than the stores (which, to your point, seem to have lower-quality products overall)—I suspect it’s where Saks.com sends its overstock, leveraging the photos ,descriptions, and other back-end elements already created for the online market. Treasure-hunting is much more efficient online nowadays!
This was so fascinating! I have long wondered about discount retailers because for so long I assumed that JCrew Factory was offloading excess inventory of JCrew (it did when I was growing up) but then when they launched on ecomm I realized that there are designed specific to Factory that are just lesser quality.
I think I’m better at spotting that quality difference now but I do find this most frustrating for the average shopper thinking they are going to Off 5th or Factory assuming they are getting the same quality as the mother brand!
I love that you cN spot quality difference when shopping at an off-price retailers. Now that is what they call true investigative reporting 😊.
I’ve found Off 5th’s website often has much better merchandise than the stores (which, to your point, seem to have lower-quality products overall)—I suspect it’s where Saks.com sends its overstock, leveraging the photos ,descriptions, and other back-end elements already created for the online market. Treasure-hunting is much more efficient online nowadays!
I could not agree with you more, Cheryl. So many hidden gems offered online instead!
It’s such a shame that the in person experience is often lackluster. I’m hoping that in 2025, both experiences will shine 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
Especially liked the shout out!