As a cynical consumer I am pleasantly surprised when I occasionally discover a retailer that offers products with exceptional quality. So I eagerly offer to you my strong recommendation to seriously consider the clothing sold online by Lands' End. There simply is no question that the company only sells items with much higher quality than you will find anywhere else, even at much higher prices. The quality of the clothing is far superior to goods sold, for example, at Target, Costco, Walmart and even places like Macys.
So far, however, being very price conscious, I have only purchased a number of things that have been on sale or part of the company's considerable overstock offerings with reductions of up to 75 percent. Moreover, for my first purchase I requested by email free shipping, which the company provided. Thereafter, I have taken advantage of sales with free shipping. That first overstock item was a pair of pants for just $10 that was originally around $40. The company made an instant hit with me.
The Lands' End website is very, very user friendly and signing up for email notices of special sales is well worth the trouble. Trust me; you will be greatly enticed by extremely low prices for wonderfully styled, high quality goods mostly in the casual category. For some sale items you may not have the full range of sizes available, but there usually are so many variations of a particular type of item that you are likely to find something in your size and desired color.
The company boasts of its unequivocal ironclad guarantee. "Guaranteed. Period" is their trademarked slogan. "If you're not satisfied with any item, return it at any time for an exchange or refund of its purchase price." Apparently, they really live up to this guarantee and there are many stories about people becoming disenchanted with an item after using it for a substantial time and still returning it for a full refund.
Shopping online always has posed issues regarding returns, especially for clothing. Lands' End always includes a return form that clearly spells out three options. One is to use the attached return label accepted by the US Postal Service and the original packaging, but $6.50 is reduced from your credit refund. Instead, you can bring your return to any Sears store and avoid that charge. Of course, you can use some other shipping method and incur that cost.
Though it first had established itself through catalog sales, for good reasons, Landsend.com is recognized as the world's largest volume apparel website. It has also been recognized as a leader in developing new e-commerce ways to enhance the shopping experience and to foster one-on-one relationships with its customers. In June 2002, Lands' End was acquired by Sears, Roebuck and Co.
But the history of the company is quite a story. It was created in 1963 in a basement along the river in 's old tannery district by people that were selling and sometimes making racing sailboat equipment, duffle bags, rain suits and some sweaters and other clothing. Interestingly, the apostrophe in Lands' End is in the wrong place, because it was originally a mistake: a typo in the first printed piece, which the founders couldn't afford to reprint with a correction. It moved to rural farmland in where it established its strong and unique business, based on a set of business principles that are truly impressive.
To show you why this is the kind of company you want to spend your money at, here are the first three of the eight principles: Principle 1. We do everything we can to make our products better. We improve material, and add back features and construction details that others have taken out over the years. We never reduce the quality of a product to make it cheaper. Principle 2. We price our products fairly and honestly. We do not, have not, and will not participate in the common retailing practice of inflating mark-ups to set up a future phony "sale." Principle 3. We accept any return for any reason, at any time. Our products are guaranteed. No fine print. No arguments.
If you want to purchase goods from a company that has a long and credible history of socially responsible practices, including embracing sustainability, environmental protection, recycling, charitable contributions and many other noble principles, then Lands' End is definitely your company. In this regard, the company has just become the first mail order company signed up in the for the Royal Mail's Sustainable Mail Service because it has met various environmental standards, including improved sustainability, minimized waste and increased recyclability. This gives the company lower mailing costs.
I never thought I would be singing the praises of a retail clothing company, but I have been mightily impressed by the combination of high quality, sharp design and low prices obtainable at Lands' End. Odds are so will you, once you try it.
Joel S. Hirschhorn has succeeded as: a full professor, University of Wisconsin, Madison; a senior staffer, U.S. Congress (Office of Technology Assessment); head of an environmental consulting company; Director of Environment, Energy and Natural Resources, National Governors Association; now an author and consultant. Recent books are: Sprawl Kills - How Blandburbs Steal Your Time, Health and Money, and Delusional Democracy - Fixing the Republic Without Overthrowing the Government. He has published hundreds of articles in newspapers, magazines, journals and on many web magazine sites. He has given hundreds of talks at a wide range of conferences worldwide. He focuses on American culture, politics and government, and health issues.
Where are their items produced? Are they made in the USA or are they made in other countries at slave labor prices? That's the main thing I care about these days. I will wear no clothing made by the sweat of low-wage slaves in poorer countries.
» left by Joel Hirschhorn (153 days 12 hours ago.)
Your position is extreme; not all manufacturing in third world countries uses slave labor and I speak from experience as I have worked in several such countries and visited many manufacturing facilities. You need to distinguish among companies and their policies; I am convinced from all my research that Lands' End is surely one of the highest integrity companies that would not be taking advantage of "slave labor." While we Americans may bemoan the loss of manufacturing jobs to low labor cost countries, we cannot ignore the reality that such countries have a comparative advantage. For some years now I have not seen any clothes that I was interested in made in the USA, though I'm sure if you try hard enough and are willing to pay higher prices you might be able to satisfy your needs with American made clothing.
Disclaimer: All information on this site is provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice provided to you by any health care or other professional
or organization.
tweet this!
