I will be the first to say that I choose to pay FP. I could wait, take my chances at the outlets etc. etc. I think what bothers me is that I think Coach is full of bull. They have been talking about positioning Coach as a luxury brand for 18 months and other than raising the prices and a different design direction, they are not sincere about taking basic steps towards doing that. I still love Coach, but they have no credibility anymore as far as I am concerned.
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I will be the first to say that I choose to pay FP. I could wait, take my chances at the outlets etc. etc. I think what bothers me is that I think Coach is full of bull. They have been talking about positioning Coach as a luxury brand for 18 months and other than raising the prices and a different design direction, they are not sincere about taking basic steps towards doing that. I still love Coach, but they have no credibility anymore as far as I am concerned.
My local Macy's has gone just the opposite.
Coach has all new cabinets, etc and MK has been pushed to an odd corner near costume jewelry.
Well I was actually under the impression from the beginning that they were supposed to do exactly that in target areas. Maybe the stores I see are not target areas and areas that do better for other brands, so they are responding accordingly. I also don't know that I have noticed the Macy's stores that I go to changing as much as Lord and Taylor stores, and for sure, all the Nordstrom stores I go to. However, even with Lord and Taylor, my local store was upgraded at least a couple of years ago now, I think, and that hasn't changed either at this point other than there are more and more bags on clearance as compared to the past. However, I do see MK pushing Coach out of dept stores in some areas, and SAs have commented on it. One Nordstrom SA told me the problem was they couldn't sell the type of stock that Coach sends, so they gave up on it. I don't know if that's due to their buyer (if they have a choice) or otherwise. I went back later to that same store only to discover several shelves of Coach bags and remarked that wow, they are carrying Coach again! However, I was told that wasn't the case and all the bags were returns from online orders. It was quite a few bags and current ones, so I was a little surprised!
Every business analysis I have heard or read about Coach has mentioned that one of their main problems is the outlets. Those comments are from Marketplace on NPR to web sites to business pages. No, the outlet policy makes little sense.
While I love outlets, I think they need to differentiate a little more between FP and MFF.
I would never buy a FP Coach simply because it will go on sale in 3 to 4 weeks.
Nor would I pay for a department store "exclusive". They are never made as well and go on sale just as quickly.
It's funny that now that I am at a place where I can spend more on a bag, quality takes a nose dive in many of the brands I always coveted.
I would never buy a FP Coach simply because it will go on sale in 3 to 4 weeks.
Nor would I pay for a department store "exclusive". They are never made as well and go on sale just as quickly.
It's funny that now that I am at a place where I can spend more on a bag, quality takes a nose dive in many of the brands I always coveted.
I agree. I've been on tpf for years and have also seen a dramatic drop in threads/posts here. Today I went to a boutique to return a Swagger as it was way too heavy and they had 2 style of bags in the store and this is a "swanky" mall. I remember going to the Coach store and having a challenging time picking just one bag because there were so many choices. I would love to go back to the days of the gathered Sophias, the patent Poppys and the excitement of so many new and colorful bags.....
This last year I felt like I needed to downsize to make room for the new bags I knew I wouldn't be able to resist. It just hit me that maybe I should hang on to my collection since there isn't anything new I want.
I agree that their outlet strategy is their main problem.
They over manufacture because they know the overage will sell at the outlets.
But many people who buy Coach now wait a couple of months for the new bags to go to the outlets so they can get them at half price.
And I can't understand why they are making so many replicas of FP bags to sell at the outlets. What they really need to do is the opposite, keep FP and outlet bags separate, so when a customer decides to buy a FP bag she knows she is getting her money's worth and not overpaying for that bag.
agreed. I love the look of the swagger...however, when I brought it home and put my stuff into it, it was just way too heavy...additionally, there are some gorgeous colors in the mini size swagger, but not in the medium or large....I asked about it at the FP store and they said "we know, we're giving feedback to upper management"...the pea green (what a name...) is my favorite color, however, the only size it came in was the mini which after a lipstick and cell phone there's not a lot of room in it....I think it's sad...I've been using coach since 1982 and have always loved the diversity of the bags, heavy leather, lighter leather, colorful, poppy, new lines, etc....however, right now I'm just kind of hoping that things change for them and they go back to creating bags with many different viewpoints in mind....
I love Coach but have lost interest lately. This has to do with the lack of FP discounts as well as the current selection. I was proud of Coach for following through with their "no deletes" because towards the end of 2014 it seemed that my outlet was MFF only and never had deletes. I went up there a few weeks ago and they had TONS of deletes. It just seems like they are too afraid to follow through with their plans. I would pay FP for their items if the likelihood of anyone being able to get it at an outlet or FOS was very slim. But for now I know better.
I will admit that I'm not in a position to be able to buy FP from the stores, it just isn't in my budget. Especially for the bags I really like, such as the Dakotah line. I have to wait and see if they show up on the factory outlet online sales or get heavily discounted on the department store websites. I was able to buy my Tatum Tote in black from Bloomies during the holidays for $340.00. It was still in the FP Coach stores at that point for around $700!
I'm not sure why anyone would buy FP at this point unless money isn't an object or there's a bag that you HAVE to have and are worried will sell out. Because of the discounted department store prices and the outlets (which have watered down the general percieved value of the brand, regardless of quality), I feel Coach has permanently de-valued themselves. It is very hard to return from that, in my opinion.
It almost feels like a case of 'trying to please everyone and, in the end, pleasing no one' sort of scenario. Hopefully I am wrong
(also would like to add that, in general, I've had super lousy customer service from Coach over the past year, so that isn't helping them either!)
I'm not sure why anyone would buy FP at this point unless money isn't an object or there's a bag that you HAVE to have and are worried will sell out. Because of the discounted department store prices and the outlets (which have watered down the general percieved value of the brand, regardless of quality), I feel Coach has permanently de-valued themselves. It is very hard to return from that, in my opinion.
It almost feels like a case of 'trying to please everyone and, in the end, pleasing no one' sort of scenario. Hopefully I am wrong
(also would like to add that, in general, I've had super lousy customer service from Coach over the past year, so that isn't helping them either!)
IMO they have damaged the brand beyond repair. I have a closet full of Coach, but I won't be buying anymore. In my mind I can't get past the fact that they are a dime a dozen, sort a speak, as every school girl and her mom are/were carrying a Coach. When a new Coach bag FINALLY came along that I felt excited enough to actually considering buying, the black Rhyder , I thought twice-three times. the reason I like that bag so well is it reminds me quite a bit of the Balanciaga City bag which I have always wanted but of course was way out of my price range at close to $2K. But the more I thought about it-since I would not be getting my usual PCE like I normally would until Coach stopped that, I refused to spend $495+tax on a Coach. Had I got the PCE I would have bought the Rhyder. Instead- I broke down and bought a pre-loved black Balenciaga in great shape for $980. Yep rather then pay $495 for a "common" Coach I dished out almost double for a real designer name bag that I rarely see anyone in my area carrying. So Coach has lost me with their market flood and now their no PCE for loyal customers. Oh and I also two months ago bought a pre-loved-like new condition LV Cherry Speedy for $650. So its not that I refuse to pay big bucks for a bag, I just now refuse to pay it for Coach.
The factory stores/outlets have ruined Coach. Look, if you want to sell huge volumes of bags via factory bags, then lower your pricing and sell huge volumes of factory/outlet bags and close your FP stores, and do not market yourself as a quasi luxury line, because in doing that you are not. Had they not went all crazy with factory/outlet stores and strictly maintained FP stores/boutiques they could have kept their quality name and clientele/loyal customers. But...they got greedy and it has come back to bite them in the azz. The same thing is going to happen to Michael Kors, they are now a dime a dozen.
The factory stores/outlets have ruined Coach. Look, if you want to sell huge volumes of bags via factory bags, then lower your pricing and sell huge volumes of factory/outlet bags and close your FP stores, and do not market yourself as a quasi luxury line, because in doing that you are not. Had they not went all crazy with factory/outlet stores and strictly maintained FP stores/boutiques they could have kept their quality name and clientele/loyal customers. But...they got greedy and it has come back to bite them in the azz. The same thing is going to happen to Michael Kors, they are now a dime a dozen.
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