Big doings over at LL Bean

Who cares. They are probably going to make it look like a big Walmart ,which is all it is today. LL Bean used to have quality USA made gear but now it's all overpriced foreign made with a LL Bean logo on it. I used to frequent the store back in the day but in the last 20 years their quality is no better than any China made crap from Walmart or Target. They used to have quality made clothes now it's all made in Indonesia or Vietnam. Another old icon they should just let die.
 
Wife and I were up there last fall and they had been doing some remodelling as certain entracnces were closed and parts of the store were also closed off and had poly hanging to contain dust. They also were in the process of erecting some sore of steel structure in back in one of the parking lots. Had no idea they were going to do this much too it.
 
I'll agree with all the comments that LL Bean today isn't what it used to be. But what is now?

I also remember when you could call in an order and then go pick it up from a small window. They also used to have an actual factory outlet with some amazing prices.

My guess is that the new store will be like all the other "outdoor" store. Probably a big rock wall, pond/aquarium, and mostly clothes.
 
I have a good upland game hunting vest that's ll bean brand i bought about 15 years ago. It's good quality waxed canvas use the hell out of it. Not sure what the quality is on that stuff now.
 
I've mostly gotten shirts from LL Bean over the years. Nice chamois shirts for cooler weather wear. I need to get a new one since my current one has some holes made from weld spatter (MIG) on the arms. Plus it's starting to show wear on the collar. I'll probably do that sometime in the coming months. I believe I picked up (ordered I mean) some button up short sleeved shirts not that long ago (within the last two years). Pretty nicely done so far. I don't wear them that much, which probably helps.

I don't bother with their footwear anymore. I tried some for a while, but they're no better than others I found that cost a lot less.

I might go visit the store once it's finished. More to compare with what I saw when I was there the one time (before 2019).
 
EMTDAD said:
wife worked there for a while at their Mansfield store when the kids were young.. Personally, I think they lost their way with their target demographic... at one time they were a real good value for outdoors stuff.. then they went yuppie.
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Except, if old crumudgeons don't buy enough stuff, they either go out of business or adapt.

Now, I'm continually shocked at the # of 80's style takeovers that absollutely bankrupt companies that have occurred over the last 2 decades without a peep from anyone in the investing or journalism communities. For instance, ToysRUs was as much a story of a new owner who absolutely screwed it up than competition from Amazon and Walmart. Look at the restaurant chains that got decimated by greedy think-tankers who stripped the value for htemselves and then blamed "the marketplace" when the entity was a shell of it's former self.

That said, LL Bean was selling all their "yuppy" stuff. . . . . 40 years ago. Maybe they sell a lot more fleece than they used to - and I find their fleece overall incredibly unattractive. Otherwise, I'm not seeing a huge change in their product lines. Still have the same patterened dress shirts they had 40 years ago. MAybe a few extra styles of pants - different fits, per se. But again, if htey only made crumudgeon pants, they'd go bankrupt.

Of all of the changes in retail in the last 30-50 years, I think Bean did a decent job of staying true to their outdoor roots while trying to be a bigger fish in a gigantic lake - if only to not get put out of business.


Of course, someone will mention A&F. A&F was a hunting store 100 years ago. No one wants a hunting store in a mall. (Wait. What's a mall??). They made a MAJOR shift away from hunting items to hip clothing. And that worked for a long time to allow them to grow teh brand. Ownership decided over time to change the focus in order to increase sales. It's what's called OWNERSHIP. Sort of like, I think your house would look stupid with a garage, so we're not going to let you build it. Ummmm, what?

Want hunting stuff? Go to a hunting store. Want that store to be in every mall in America??? You don't represent the average consumer. That won't happen. The market for those items is just too small. And it would also put your local gun/hunting shop out of business and then eventually put the mall store out of business and now you're buying 100% of your hunting stuff from Amazon. :(


not new guy said:
Are they selling off that big boot? Maybe the old woman from Storyland can grab it and upgrade?
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I have a client who's son has somethign like 12 or 13 kids. I think they could use it and make their own nursery rhyme.

cmcgraw2 said:
I hope they bring the stairs back from my childhood memories.


View attachment 963998
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Yeah. Let's get a whole buncha people to sue them. LOL
 
Remember my brother getting the catalogs in the early 60’s. Fishing and hunting gear, Bean boots, and that was about it.

When I lived in Portsmouth NH and we had nothing to do on a winter weeknight, we’d see how fast we could drive to LL Bean. It was still the old building and you walked up a flight of stairs to the [one] store. Had quite a selection of flannel shirts.

Don’t blame them for changing the return policy: it was being abused by dishonest people. Not interested in paying more for those abuses.

Compared to Eddie Bauer and North Face they’re still true to school.
 

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