PSA:*Make sure to check out with EBATES online (referral commissions are earned). Don't forget the holiday return period is now in effect. You've got until January 8th to make returns.
I didn't like this Midnight Tulle print at first because I thought this type of swirly water print is pretty ubiquitous amongst other athletic apparel brands but this version is quite nice. The 'tulle' in the print really gives it a lot of depth. This is not at all a flat print in person, it's got a lot of dimension.
Speed Tight V Variagated Knit, Tie It Up Singlet
I'm liking the Ombré Swiftly more and more.
ReplyDeleteI really like her shoes in the Rest Less/City Trek pics. Does anyone know the brand?
Looks like Allbirds.
DeleteThanks!
ReplyDeleteDo not understand how LLL profits are up this quarter?? (headline today) Perhaps sales outside of North America?
ReplyDeleteWell, surprisingly, it seems people *are* still buying - even though there seems to be A LOT of complaining lately about the majority of the designs, the jacked up prices and downhill quality, etc. It may be that profits are up simply because of all the price hikes and everything being priced so high now, so even if there aren't as many people actually buying or people buying as much as they used to, they are making up for it with the increased prices on what they are selling perhaps?
DeleteCheck out Laurent Potdevin's instragram post from today. The caption reads 'Our @ivivva crew came to cheer me up right before our earnings call.' Their profits are solely based on increased margins and huge incentives (outside of the typical markdown analytics) to get customers into the stores to purchased 'full price' by incentivizing with across the board 20-25% off all merch. I'd be interested to know how many units they sold this year over previous years for that modest earnings increase.
DeleteI find it strange that so many people are complaining yet they continue to buy.
DeleteTo clarify what I mean about markdown analytics, the strategy they used to mark down items was very clever because they where un reportable markdowns (store events, gift card give aways, apple pay promotion, ebates etc. etc. etc.) this distances the markdown behaviour from the actual items being sold at discounted prices.
DeleteThat makes sense, Lulumum, thanks for the explanation. There sure seemed to be a lot of that kind of thing going on over the past few months. I've even read about people receiving randomly handed out surprise gift cards at yoga/pilates/barre studios, cross fit gyms, etc.. Not to belittle anyone who chooses to use them, but so glad I don't fall for this kind of thing. I don't think anything will ever change as long as people are still buying and they company is being rewarded from it obviously since their profits are up when things seem to be at their worst.
DeleteI think we're probably all in a bit of denial about exactly how high the margins are. I scooped up four CRBs on WMTM over the last three months since they're being discontinued. I don't think of this as buying a lot at Lulu lately, but of course, it is. When they're marked down from $42 to $29, we think we're getting a deal and the company's sales are hurting, but really, what do they cost to produce? $5? $8? Not more than that, surely. Now they have a lot more stores than they did 3-4 years ago, so even if all the sales were on markdown, they'd probably still make quite a bit of money.
DeleteAnd we should probably eat some humble pie and acknowledge that Potdevin and Co. were right; we old school fans are a small number. What sells in the mass market is the most generic stuff you can produce, massively overpriced and then somewhat discounted, with a desirable logo slapped on it. We supported the niche market, but our tastes don't work when you want to fit in with Nike, etc. We need to move on to more niche brands.
@4:04am, while I agree that Nike produces much that is mass market, it also produces niche items and plenty of designer collaborations with performance fabrics. It just depends on where you find your gear. The Nike at Macy's or a kohls or a sporting goods store will tend to be the mass market stuff. The stuff found in the Nike stores in NY or SanFran. will be higher end and more edgy. I have a ton of Nike that does NOT have a swoosh logo slapped on it. While I agree that much of what potvedin has come out with this past year has been dull,plain and lacking all of the details of past Lulu that many of us all loved, I don't think it's fair to paint a broad brush and slam Nike as the purveyor of all that is ugly and plain. At my Equinox gym women mix andwear everything from Nike and under armour to Lululemon to a few Carbon38 brands and some niche yoga brands. They usually are not dressed head to toe in one brand.
DeleteTotally agree with you anon 4:04. Well said and all very good points to mention. (from a previous commenter).
DeleteWell I certainly am not eating humble pie based on these quarterly reports. It's not surprising to see gross margins increase when they jacked up prices and gave us cheaply produced product. But why are people buying this stuff, well it's LLL and people are still wanting LLL whether they actually love the product or not. I know that I have been guilty this year of making a couple of purchases for the simple reason of just wanting to buy something, that is no longer the case. I have also returned more product this year than ever before. Their strategy of pricing product extremely high has worked for them because when they move it to WMTM it generates sales even if the markdown is slight. This is really quite a remarkable strategy in that consumers who wouldn't normally buy due to the high price or are on the fence as to whether they want it or not, are enticed by the idea of getting it at a marked down price however small that reduced price is. Hell I was so wanting a new rulu top that I ended up spending $60. on a marked down rulu top that I would have returned if given the option. Which takes me to their other genius strategy of putting more product on WMTM which becomes a final sale. Why not mark it down $20.00 knowing it can never be returned. With a lot of their less than desirable designs this year, how happy they must be to sell them even at a markdown because it can't be returned. However, I believe a lot of sales this year have been driven by consumers still hungry for LLL even if they are less than thrilled with the designs and quality. But I think this company can only ride on the coat-tails of past reputation for so long especially if they keep producing product that is so generic and basically lacking anything special about it. The logo can only take them so far then they will have to earn sales based solely on their look, quality and performance.
Delete10000% agree with you anon 7:42AM
DeleteDoes this quarter include Seawheeze store merchandise I wonder? Could be what pushed the profits up a bit? I know they weren't included in the last report as it was past the date or something.
ReplyDeleteOn CNBC this morning, they reported that a lot of the growth came from international sales - and pointed in particular to China. So I could see how a customer in Beijing would find the product compelling, given that they've never experienced what Lulu used to offer.
DeleteLulumum, athleta is doing 20 percent off now until December 12. You can call their customer service and they will adjust the price for you on your recent purchase. And it's a good time to buy anything else you were interested. Cozy karma items are definitely amazing. And I just bought their Downieville CYA jacket. The quality is great and it looks super nice too. Great deal with 20 percent off.
ReplyDeleteOh wow! I've never tried Athleta before but this blog is making me interested. :) Thanks for the heads up.
DeleteI can't see this offer on the Athleta site, is this in-store only?
DeleteThank you so much for giving me the heads up!!! I just got home from the gym and was able to call them and get $25 USD back. Makes such a huge difference for me since it was $178 CAD on my CC. Brought it down to a reasonable price for me. :) thanks!!!!
Deleteooh where did you see this? I'm looking online and can't find any mention of 20% off. Thank you!
DeleteI didn't see the 20% off either but apparently there is an email that went out. I fibbed when I called and said I didn't have my email handy for the coupon code so she gave me the discount 'as a courtesy'.
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