Coach at Target stores?

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#121
Hi, I'm new :) I haven't even introduced myself yet, sorry!

I just wanted to say that it is mostly likely diverted product. I used to be the buyer for a company that did that. We took outrageously expensive medications and other such things that you could only get from *one* place and sold them at a discount. I clearly recall the happy days when I would score another account with a "diverter" :) I can totally understand Target not wanting to give up where they got it from. I wouldn't have under penalty of death, those kinds of sources are hard to find. If they give up the source, the source will deny future purchases (no matter the item) and the source will be in trouble. And if their source is anything like my sources, it was a hundred little sources, that's a lot of people to tick off. I'm still sort of doing that now, only for a different industry. On one hand, I completely agree with doing that but, for luxury items, they're luxury for a reason. If every Tom, Dick and Harry can get them, what's the point? I really hope that Coach doesn't pursue too hard, let Target keep their sources and just agree not to sell Coach in their stores. I'd be happy with that.

Also, I saw Coach at a Target near me. I can't say anything about the wallets I saw because I've never owned a Coach wallet but the last bag on the shelf was a small scribble tote and it looked and felt real to me. Good quality, heavy duty like usual Coach. All the usual tags and booklets.

:)

So, I'm Jamie and I recently started collecting Coach. Hello!
 
#122
My Coach loving addict friend went there and saw the bags and to her best knowledge, they're the real deal. It's still pricey though! The prices are more or less TJMaxx-ish so she thinks they're trying to do give the same aura/feel as shops like TJMaxx do.
 
#123
i know there's been debate over this for a while. i just wonder if there's been a resolution about whether these items or authentic or not? i told my friend about the coach suing target fiasco, and she just called me to tell me that they're selling premium denim there now (joe's, antik, true religion). she said she saw joe's and antik jeans for $17! i was like no way, they have to be fake for that cheap. but she said they were marked down for clearance for $70 and that the true religion joeys were $150 but would probably be marked down more later. hmm...i wonder...
 
#124
Haven't heard anything new on the lawsuite lately....my brand spanking new target opened last weekend...and it does NOT have any coach or dooney. I thought it did at first because I saw a 2005 holiday patchwork duffle in a ladies cart...and it looked BRAND NEW....but I ran back to the purses and didn't see any coach (or a place where they would have been) so I think it was hers already.
 
#125
jametaz said:
Hi, I'm new :) I haven't even introduced myself yet, sorry!

I just wanted to say that it is mostly likely diverted product. I used to be the buyer for a company that did that. We took outrageously expensive medications and other such things that you could only get from *one* place and sold them at a discount. I clearly recall the happy days when I would score another account with a "diverter" :) I can totally understand Target not wanting to give up where they got it from. I wouldn't have under penalty of death, those kinds of sources are hard to find. If they give up the source, the source will deny future purchases (no matter the item) and the source will be in trouble. And if their source is anything like my sources, it was a hundred little sources, that's a lot of people to tick off. I'm still sort of doing that now, only for a different industry. On one hand, I completely agree with doing that but, for luxury items, they're luxury for a reason. If every Tom, Dick and Harry can get them, what's the point? I really hope that Coach doesn't pursue too hard, let Target keep their sources and just agree not to sell Coach in their stores. I'd be happy with that.

Also, I saw Coach at a Target near me. I can't say anything about the wallets I saw because I've never owned a Coach wallet but the last bag on the shelf was a small scribble tote and it looked and felt real to me. Good quality, heavy duty like usual Coach. All the usual tags and booklets.

:)

So, I'm Jamie and I recently started collecting Coach. Hello!
Click to expand...

You learn something new everyday...Thanks for the very informative post!
 
#129
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...


Coach dropped the suit against Target. Gee, no front page headlines blaring that, were there??? Coach issued a statement saying that their objective was to have Target stop selling the bags. That may have been their objective, but that's NOT what they alleged. The bags ARE authentic. Coach wouldn't have dropped the suit if they were fakes.

IMO, Target could sue Coach for slander. To allege that Target was selling counterfeit goods is a huge black mark on their reputation, which of course was what Coach wanted. Target (or any other retailer) does not legally need to have Coach's authorization to sell the bags. As long as the bags a retailer claim to be authentic are the real deal, it's legal.

In other related news, Coach's quarterly profits were up. Such a coincidence....

http://www.fool.com/News/mft/2006/mft06102416.htm

Bloomberg.com: Worldwide
 
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