Coach at Target stores?

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#106
I remember reading something last year about how Coach actually wanted to scale back their presence in dept stores like Macy's and Nordstrom (they haven't) because they felt it was diluting their brand and because these stores were able to mark down their product so drastically, thus making Coach lose control of their price point.

I guess they realized that doing this would reduce their market visibility by too much (even though Coach owns 40% of the middle-high end handbag market share).
 
#108
Originally Posted by MarieG
I do not believe that a COACH rep would respond writing about all of these other brands included in "The Find" as though they are advertising "The Find".Especially here:

The Find offers previously unavailable, upscale, branded merchandise on main aisle endcaps and front row racks. The exact assortment varies by store, but brands planned for the launch include: Coach and Dooney & Bourke handbags, Tommy Hilfiger short sleeve shirts, Samsonite luggage, Cuisinart kitchen appliances, Go Smile whitening, Joe's Jeans and Antik Denim. The Find merchandise is all 100 percent authentic and The Find program will have limited replenishment.

I mean-are you kidding me?As if they would write about cuisinart kitchen appliances, go smile whitening, joe's jeans etc in an email reposne about a COACH inquiry!
They might write that COACH as well as other authentic brands bla bla.

But this response does not seem adequate at all to me- or COACH needs to fire this employee.
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Coach didn't send out that email -- Target did. I saw that same post on the Coach_Lovers Live Journal community last night. Somebody emailed Target from their website, and that's the email they got back from Target.

I hadn't thought about the whole "people returning fakes to Target" aspect of the issue, and agree that Target SAs would never be able to fully vet any returns to ensure they were authentic.

It's all just one big mess, isn't it? Geez.
 
#109
I remember reading something last year about how Coach actually wanted to scale back their presence in dept stores like Macy's and Nordstrom (they haven't) because they felt it was diluting their brand and because these stores were able to mark down their product so drastically, thus making Coach lose control of their price point.

I guess they realized that doing this would reduce their market visibility by too much (even though Coach owns 40% of the middle-high end handbag market share).
Click to expand...

Yeah, remember the (bad) old days when Coach never EVER went on sale? I think they are wise to keep the visibility in the dept stores (not Target, mind you) and the outlets. After all, if you can get someone hooked on the brand with a marked-down "bargain" purchase, they're all the more likely to upgrade to the full-price addiction (ahem, much like myself!) than if all if it was always out of their financial reach. But that's just IMHO, of course.
 
#110
Yes, I agree that Coach will and should win. I love Target, though, and hope that this misguided effort will not damage them too much (and that they will learn from it!)
 
#111
mharvey816 said:
Coach didn't send out that email -- Target did. I saw that same post on the Coach_Lovers Live Journal community last night. Somebody emailed Target from their website, and that's the email they got back from Target.

I hadn't thought about the whole "people returning fakes to Target" aspect of the issue, and agree that Target SAs would never be able to fully vet any returns to ensure they were authentic.

It's all just one big mess, isn't it? Geez.
Click to expand...
It makes more sense for that email to come from Target rather than Coach. I read that thread on an eBay board and I have a feeling that the person who posted it there stole it from the website you mentioned.
 
#112
not sure what to think of this one way or another

but i knew in my gut that it sounded a little shady to hear that target was selling certain brands without having seen like a blitzkreig of asdvertising.

as we've seen with some of the designers they bring in to do a line or whatever
 
#113
Can't say that I'm surprised by any of this, it didn't seem right to begin with. Why would Coach sell their product in the same store where people buy diapers and soda if they are trying to be thought of as a prestigious designer brand?
 
#114
A couple of us were talking at the store today when this came across in email and we wanna know one thing... what kind of idiot buyer at Target would buy Coach handbags from someone else but Coach? I have a feeling there is going to be some Target buyers out of a job when this is finished.
 
#115
The whole thing just sounded weird to me from the beginning. From what it sounds like, Target is in big trouble and Coach has every right to sue them. Even if the bags were legit Target never had permission from Coach to sell their merchandise.
 
#116
Target is claiming that they ARE authentic Coach. Whether they are or not remains to be seen.

They don't buy these or the haircare products on the black market; it's called the gray market. Many companies do this. For example with the Coach bags:
-Either Coach made too many bags and they didn't sell well b/c not that many people can afford them (likely scenario) or they made a normal amount of bags for a season.
-A broker/vendor (sort of like a ticket broker) buys them up and sells them to Target or Sam's Club or Cosco for a VERY steep discount. But, let's remember that Coach or whatever other designer bags are actually only worth an EXTREMELY small fraction of what they're sold for retail.
-Target then sells them at a lower price in certain stores as part of a test program.

I HIGHLY doubt that Target would have bought them without authenticating them or having a guarantee that they are authentic. Target is not Walmart or some sidewalk dealer; they are a good company that places huge importance on their reputation. Coach (and other designer companies that have sued for similar circumstances) may just be upset that their products were sold at a discount retailer. This would hurt their "exclusive" reputation. By suing Target, even if the bags are the real deal, Coach is getting PR that money can't buy - they're attempting to bolster their rep by sullying Target's reputation. In my opinion, Target does not deserve it!

I work in the retail industry (not at a store, but for a company's HQ).
 
#119
I was at the Target in Santa Fe, NM and the first thing you see by the purses is this endcap display of "Coach" bags and key fobs!!! I was floored. (Sorry if this is old news but I couldn't believe my eyes.) I am new to Coach (Hi everyone! :flowers: ) but I'll do my best to decribe what I saw. They had 2 kinds of bags- the duffle kind, I think is the name. One was in black with the "C" pattern and the other was also a duffle style with icky white fur on the top, beige/brown "C"'s, but they were at an angle. The little tags that say "Coach" were made of metal, not leather. They were all hanging on these secured, locking peg hooks. I think they sold for $144 and $238, respectivly. I couldn't tell you if they felt real or not, but they had the brown dust bag and the little booklets in them. The black one looked OK, but that diaginal "C" print just looked awful. Just thought I'd share that.

BTW, I had just come back from the Santa Fe outlet store and had scored my baby- the small burgendy suede hobo w/ the brass hardware...$79!!!!! Sweet!

Shannon
 
#120
fashionista7997 said:
Target is claiming that they ARE authentic Coach. Whether they are or not remains to be seen.

They don't buy these or the haircare products on the black market; it's called the gray market. Many companies do this. For example with the Coach bags:
-Either Coach made too many bags and they didn't sell well b/c not that many people can afford them (likely scenario) or they made a normal amount of bags for a season.
-A broker/vendor (sort of like a ticket broker) buys them up and sells them to Target or Sam's Club or Cosco for a VERY steep discount. But, let's remember that Coach or whatever other designer bags are actually only worth an EXTREMELY small fraction of what they're sold for retail.
-Target then sells them at a lower price in certain stores as part of a test program.

I HIGHLY doubt that Target would have bought them without authenticating them or having a guarantee that they are authentic. Target is not Walmart or some sidewalk dealer; they are a good company that places huge importance on their reputation. Coach (and other designer companies that have sued for similar circumstances) may just be upset that their products were sold at a discount retailer. This would hurt their "exclusive" reputation. By suing Target, even if the bags are the real deal, Coach is getting PR that money can't buy - they're attempting to bolster their rep by sullying Target's reputation. In my opinion, Target does not deserve it!

I work in the retail industry (not at a store, but for a company's HQ).
Click to expand...

Fashionista is right it is most likely that target is stocking diverted product. My husband works for one of the shampoo companies that regularly has diversion problems and the only way they can "legally" force a store to stop it from stocking its merchandise is to claim it is not authentic
 
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