[Dettweiler]

Hi - new member here. Does anyone order from Lands End anymore? I haven't in years but did just lately. Two garments came in with no tags but in a plastic bag. Does Lands End clothing have no clothing tags anymore? I was going to give one as a gift, but not having a tag on it makes it look, uh, not new? What gives? I'vve never bought new garments that have no "new tags" on them.

 

[smmrfld]

Why would you need a tag on an item ordered online?

 

[eagle2250]

^^Because if you receive a garment delivered to your front stoop and it has no tags attached, it seems natural that one would conclude that perhaps a garment returned by a previous customer or a used garment had been delivered to you...reasonable cause for concern, methinks!

 

[Dettweiler]

Yes,, precisely my concern, though Lands End, after phoning them, assures me *some* of their products come without tags. Still, I've never heard of this practice. Although I suspect companies could "re-tag" returned items very easily, as well, as I think about it.

 

[mkrgk]

I've been ordering from them for 30 years and never once have I felt that they are pawning off a returned item. Not sure where all those returns end up, though.

 

[eagle2250]

^^
I've purchased a fair number of items from Lands End over quite a number of years and I have yet to feel taken advantage of by them, but my wife and I have returned items that were purchased and did not fit properly, resulting in those items being returned after we had tried them on. Any thoughts on what is done with such returns? :icon_scratch:

 

[Fading Fast]

^^
I've purchased a fair number of items from Lands End over quite a number of years and I have yet to feel taken advantage of by them, but my wife and I have returned items that were purchased and did not fit properly, resulting in those items being returned after we had tried them on. Any thoughts on what is done with such returns? :icon_scratch:

Ignorant me, I just assumed most companies inspect returned items and, if all is okay - i.e., they aren't damage or show any signs of wear - they just sell them as new again. Is this not standard procedure for most retailers?

Many years ago, when I worked retail in college, that's what was done with returns. They were inspected and either retagged when undamaged or put in a not-to-be-put-back-on-the-floor area. This was back in the '80s and my understanding then was they were sold to some sort of discounter, but that's relying on a very old memory. However, I absolutely remember that if they didn't stand up as new, they weren't put back on the floor for sale as new.

 

[Dettweiler]

Perhaps some do, but I had a student do a case study on Victoria's Secret for a proposal [she worked there as well], and she discoverd VS throws out all returns. She then made her proposal and investigated why the store couldn't even donate the returns to women's shelters but was usheredf away from that conversation, and I don't think she found anything deeper in her proposal information though she probably should have].

All that said, I assumed returns went--via auction, etc--to the likes of TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Gabriel Bros. and the like in lot purchases. Still doesn't answer why LE wouldn't even put tags on to begin with...

 

[UteLawyer]

Victoria's Secret probably has to be stricter on returns because their business is primarily lingerie. Rightly or wrongly, there are those who believe diseases can be transmitted from other's underwear.

 

[Jgarner197]

I’ve never purchased anything from Lands End before but thought I would check out their website after reading this thread. I am low on summer tailored clothes and am considering their Sky blue pincord suit because they do separates (13” drop). Is the quality of their product for a summer suit pretty decent? My apologies if this is highjacking a little but I figured it would be a good place to ask it.

 

[eagle2250]

^^I have never purchased their summer suits, but several years back s few members of this forum had commented favorably on LE's sport coats and I ended up buying a corduroy and a wool blend sport coat(s) to check them out. I was not happy with them, as they felt a bit like card board and did not hang well on me. Both were donated to the local Goodwill Store within a years time. However, a lot of time has passed since those purchases and things may have improved significantly(?). Good luck in your hunt!

 

[Jgarner197]

^^I have never purchased their summer suits, but several years back s few members of this forum had commented favorably on LE's sport coats and I ended up buying a corduroy and a wool blend sport coat(s) to check them out. I was not happy with them, as they felt a bit like card board and did not hang well on me. Both were donated to the local Goodwill Store within a years time. However, a lot of time has passed since those purchases and things may have improved significantly(?). Good luck in your hunt!

Thanks Eagle! For the price after discounts of $150 and considering it's a summer suit I think I might give it a whirl. Worst case scenario I return it I guess. I appreciate the tips

 

[eagle2250]

^^Indeed there was a time when I swore by Land's End's Hyde Park OCBDs....At the price quoted and should you find the summer suits to be to your liking, I sure think it to be well worth a shot!

 

[Dettweiler]

Urk! {lassos the thread back...}

Guess I'm still having issues as to how sending out items in a plastic bag, which doesn't seem sustainable, even, so that argument's out, is better than simply appending a tag to the clothing? Really a bizarre business practice that seems to encourage returns, but perhaps that's what LE is going for. I wonder if their peer companies--LL BEan, Gap, Crew--are doing something similar.

 

[blue suede shoes]

I have ordered five pairs of pants from Lands End last year and two pairs so far this year and all items came in plastic bags and with little to no tags. LL Bean is the same; items are delivered in plastic bags with few if any tags. I don't understand the problem with delivery in plastic bags and no tags as it is more environmentally friendly. If one is giving a gift, I would think that the company would provide something (gift card, tag, etc.) so that the receiver would not think that one shoplifted the item or bought it used at a flea market. I don't know what the Gap and JCrew are doing, but Brooks Brothers and JosABanks sent their online orders to me in boxes with plenty of tags.

As for returns, I always thought they went back into stock if they were in new condition. About twenty years ago, LL Bean opened an outlet store in an outlet mall (where else?) just off I-95 in Maryland, between Baltimore and Philly. That store sold everything that didn't sell at all of their retail stores and their outlet stores nationwide, plus items that had been returned and couldn't be sold again (new shirts monogrammed with someone's initials). About ten years ago, that store closed along with that outlet mall. I have no idea where they get rid of such merchandise today.

 

[eagle2250]

Just received an order for three of LL Beans mesh woven collared polo shirts (they make great workout shirts), clad in plastic wrappings and bedecked with multiple tags on each shirt. :icon_scratch:

 

[Dettweiler]

Hmmm so that really kind of makes me feel my orders were returns/returned/possibly worn?

Thanks for letting me know...