MFF markings/grading on 'FP deletes'?

TPF may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, and others

#31
momtok said:
Yeah, that stinks about losing your good SAs at the boutique. That really does stink. :sad: I hate ordering online, and I hate worrying about stuffing being shipped. So I really lucked out with the SAs at our store, because theyr'e so good about ordering for me, getting it into the store, and then I just have one trip to pick it up.

Regarding Vevers and Krakoff, do we really think they're the ones making these decisions? Because I actually think it's the business execs doing it, because they're always watching the bottom money line. I don't think it's the actual 'designers'. And the Coach execs .... hahahahaha .... I neither trust nor believe them half the time. I mean like I said -- bottom money line to them.

As for your thought of mentioning it on facebook ....... you know, I guess I just have a very jaded opinion of the higher ups, and even the media/PR people within the company 'Coach' itself. Did you ever hear about the debacle I went through when I actually *bought* something from one of Coach's "execs"?? It was frustrating at the time, and hilarious in hindsight. She was an IDIOT, and I don't use that word lightly. It turns out that the bag I bought from her (I mean that actual bag itself) was featured in publicity shots at a gallery in NYC. Really nifty, right? But it was a NIGHTMARE getting her to actually send the dang thing. If SHE was any example of a typical Coach exec, then we are all in real trouble.

Here, I just tracked down my thread from when it happened. You'll love this. Like I said, if she's typical of the people running and managing that company at the higher tiers, well then we've all lost.
https://forum.purseblog.com/threads...ch-exec-boy-do-i-have-a-story-for-you.878317/
Click to expand...


Yeah. For years I was a “Friends don’t let friends by Factory” and a “Everything goes to the outlet type”. I was actually proud of it. I couldn’t believe I bought my 1941 Saddle Bag at full price, but they had me convinced it was a limited run. It’s dumb too because I remember the Numbered Embroidered Audrey and Maggie fiasco. Even if it’s numbered, there is no limited edition with Coach. Lol I’ve learned my lesson, I love that Saddle Bag, don’t get me wrong, it’s just tainted a bit with the fact that it wasn’t special like I thought it was.

That story with the exec is special lol. I’m surprised she didn’t like have someone sell it for her lol.

With Reed, nothing surprises me. Remember when Coach was selling the Tanner which was basically a cheap version of Krakoff bags? No wonder the brand didn’t do well. I honestly do fear a bit for Tiffany. It’s just another one of those things. I remember in one of the stockholder things where they talked about recognizing the Outlet situation and how it would have to change to go up-market and rebuild with Vevers. They were supposed to be going classy lol. I remember The whole striving to be the American Louis Vuitton (which I laughed at to be honest), but I was willing to give them the chance. My studded Tatum Tall Tote is a show stopper and no one believes it’s Coach. It’s huge and amazing.


shillinggirl88 said:
I've got an interesting one for you.

Maybe it serves me for trying to play Coach's games with pricing etc. But this is really putting a bad taste in my mouth.

Last week I posted 6pm had the Cooper Carryall in saddle deeply discounted when Coach had been claiming essentially sold out. I couldn't help myself and had to see if it was too good to be true.

Arrived today...picked up quickly before work. First, it was shipped in plastic shipping bag! What??? It was fine inside. But.... 1941 price tag has F in front of style number....the creed does not. I had to go to work but felt something was different besides that. Well... the one I got at Coach had brass hardware on most and black copper on the corner clips etc. The one from 6pm is reversed. Is this super odd??? Making differences to other retailer versions?
Click to expand...

momtok said:
Well the price tag being switched to an F price tag (but no F on creed) makes it sound like they were being pro-active and "prepping" the bag for shipment to the outlets. (Yes, I know, I'm stating the obvious.) But you're saying the hardware colors are switched? That *is* odd.
Maybe the factory that produced it made a goof and made some with switched hardware, and they were deemed as "goofs" and channeled to 6pm or for outlet??? It's a guess at least?

Another thing I've noticed this last year or so, is that some items, that were supposed to be Macy's/Bloomie's/etc exclusives, have ended up on the online outlet sale later in the season. As if they either never made it to Macy's/Bloomie's/etc, or those dept. stores actually sent them back to Coach and Coach then funneled them through the outlet system (online and/or brick and mortar). I don't remember that happening much in the past either. Although I don't regularly go to outlets, so maybe I just never noticed.
Click to expand...

I wonder if this is like what Oakley calls a MPH or Mister Potato Head? At the end of the manufacturing run they take whatever spare parts are left of the colors and just mix them together and sell them through their outlets and discounters as a <stylename> MPH. I do love a MPH, if only because I get to say Mister Potato Head lol
 
  • Like
Reactions: momtok
#32
Sol Ryan said:
Yeah. For years I was a “Friends don’t let friends by Factory” and a “Everything goes to the outlet type”. I was actually proud of it. I couldn’t believe I bought my 1941 Saddle Bag at full price, but they had me convinced it was a limited run. It’s dumb too because I remember the Numbered Embroidered Audrey and Maggie fiasco. Even if it’s numbered, there is no limited edition with Coach. Lol I’ve learned my lesson, I love that Saddle Bag, don’t get me wrong, it’s just tainted a bit with the fact that it wasn’t special like I thought it was.

That story with the exec is special lol. I’m surprised she didn’t like have someone sell it for her lol.

With Reed, nothing surprises me. Remember when Coach was selling the Tanner which was basically a cheap version of Krakoff bags? No wonder the brand didn’t do well. I honestly do fear a bit for Tiffany. It’s just another one of those things. I remember in one of the stockholder things where they talked about recognizing the Outlet situation and how it would have to change to go up-market and rebuild with Vevers. They were supposed to be going classy lol. I remember The whole striving to be the American Louis Vuitton (which I laughed at to be honest), but I was willing to give them the chance. My studded Tatum Tall Tote is a show stopper and no one believes it’s Coach. It’s huge and amazing.






I wonder if this is like what Oakley calls a MPH or Mister Potato Head? At the end of the manufacturing run they take whatever spare parts are left of the colors and just mix them together and sell them through their outlets and discounters as a <stylename> MPH. I do love a MPH, if only because I get to say Mister Potato Head lol
Click to expand...
Ha ha on MPH. But other than saying it I don't care for the idea. Sounds like seconds to me. This is the first I've encountered such a strange thing. I may go to a boutique later this week and show them and ask if they are aware of instances like this. Not to attack just because I'm curious if Store SAs know anything.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sol Ryan
#33
Yeah, I don’t like the idea from Coach, but I will admit to liking a pair of Oakley’s that I’m not worried about breaking... and getting to call them Mister Potato Heads :)

Oakley got me the same way with a limited edition pair of Ferrari Sunglasses a few years ago lol limited edition of 500, then they just made an unnumbered version that was identical...
 
#34
Sol Ryan said:
Yeah, I don’t like the idea from Coach, but I will admit to liking a pair of Oakley’s that I’m not worried about breaking... and getting to call them Mister Potato Heads :smile:

Oakley got me the same way with a limited edition pair of Ferrari Sunglasses a few years ago lol limited edition of 500, then they just made an unnumbered version that was identical...
Click to expand...

Ha! on the Mr. Potato Head ... I like that.

One thing did occur to me last night ... what the Dinky situation reminds me of, and your Mr. Potato Head scenario as well ... is what seemed to happen with both the Kristin line and the Madison line's first version of gathered leather. And I bet you'll remember these instances too.

I remember that when the Kristin line was cancelled from the boutiques, it must have been done rather abruptly behind the scenes. Then all of a sudden, a bunch of Kristin "boutique delets" landed in the outlets, but if i recall correctly, a few of the colors, particularly in the woven leather, had not even been in the boutiques. But all of those in the FIRST wave were creeded as boutique bags. No F after the dash.

Then, a month or two later, there was a SECOND wave of Kristins at the outlet, particularly a brown woven and a scarlet red woven. The style, the leather quality, the hardware, were identical to what had gone through the boutiques, but they were all creeded as F bags. Then after that, Kristin just disappeared from everywhere. The implication seemed to be that Coach had cancelled Kristin abruptly from the boutiques, but they still had a few other colors ordered at the factories. So by contract the factories produced those other colors, and Coach just had them F stamped for straight to outlet.

Then there was the time the boutique Madison line changed their gathered leather. Originally it was a folded style (remember? people would use their irons to "re-fold" the folds if they relaxed?). Then Coach abruptly changed the gathering style to a more "stitched down" chevron The boutiques switched to this "stitched down" gathered style.

Right after that, a bunch of folded-gathered Sophias and Lyndseys hit the outlets, with the that same soft, folded-gathered leather as had originally been in the boutique, but these were new colors and F stamped. I have some folded-gathered items from boutique , and a red, folded-gathered, F stamped Sophia from the outlet, and I swear that's the same glorious Madison leather.

It was as if Coach made the change in "gathering style" so abruptly, that the factories still had new colors in that old folded style coming through, so they finished up their contracts, but put F stamps on them, and straight to outlet. Meanwhile the boutique switched to the "stitched down" gathered style. (If there was one thing I loved, it was that soft Madison leather, and I swear my folded-gathered F-stamped Sophia from that weird wave, is the same leather.)

I have not seen these Dinky's in the outlets right now, but if the style, hardware, and leather **IS** the same, then it sounds like that all over again. To be honest, the conservationist in me applauds the idea of using up the materials. And further, I'm sure that Coach has contracts with their leather producers and factories that they can't get out of anyway ... the stuff has to be made one way or another, by contract alone. ....... Also one final thought on that; their return policy used to be lifetime return of new-with-tag. So if they wanted to make sure that people didn't buy one of those "just-using-up-the-leather" F bags, and try to return at boutique for boutique price, then the F stamp was a good, simple, preventative tool in those cases.

**IF** it's the same leather and same hardware, (like the silver Zoes; like that weird wave during Kristin's ending; and like what happened with the folded-gathered Madison leather), and **IF** the only difference is that F stamp/dot on the made in tag ....... well as someone pointed out before, no one is going to go rooting through your handbag to find that lone difference of an F stamp/dot.

Now, if the concern is that other people got that same-leather/same-hardware/same-style bag at "50% off the outlet's msrp". ...... well people probably also got it around the same price at the SAS. Again, this is assuming the only difference is the F stamp/dot, which I gather is also true in these new Dinky's? Do these new Dinky's indeed feel to be the same leather?

So if you don't have random people rooting through your personal handbag for the F stamp, and assuming these are the same leathers/hardware/style, bought at the same price (whether outlet, or same/comparable SAS), then the only things that F really effect are:
1) The person with the F can't return to boutique for boutique price.
2) Resale value (which I gather is not good for most Coach items in the first place, and I think the F stamps re-sell just about as well as the boutique anyway, don't they? I've never sold).
3) The person with the non-F bag can mentally say: "I have a non-F bag and you have an F bag." And quite honestly, the only solution for that is switching to a different brand, specifically a more expensive one.

But with all that said, what Coach CAN'T get out of, in my opinion, is the lying that "xyz will never go on sale and never go to outlet". The sheer idea of "this item will never change price." That's not a matter of simply using up leather resources, with an F stamp that no one else will see. That's a matter of out and out lying.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: vivianyan and Newpurselove
#35
I don’t want an outlet bag, period. They were vomited all over North America in the early 90s and were a huge barrier to me buying Coach in the first place.

For those who like the outlet signature bags and enjoy them, wear them in good health. :smile:

It’s like MacDonalds; not a thing wrong with grabbing a burger and fries. Just don’t try to tell me you’re a steak house and that I should drop $50 for a steak there.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Vidalita, Alexa5, Daisy22 and 1 other person
#36
Pagan said:
I don’t want an outlet bag, period. They were vomited all over North America in the early 90s and were a huge barrier to me buying Coach in the first place.

For those who like the outlet signature bags and enjoy them, wear them in good health. :smile:

It’s like MacDonalds; not a thing wrong with grabbing a burger and fries. Just don’t try to tell me you’re a steak house and that I should drop $50 for a steak there.
Click to expand...

Heh ... the irony is that I don't remember them pulling these same stunts, to this same degree, with the signature fabric, even when the boutiques stocked signature fabrics as well. The biggest targets of this seem to be the leathers ... at least in the "use up the materials and slap on an F" category.

But hey, I hear you. I get it. If you don't want sales and a guarantee of no outlet reproductions, then switch to Louis/Burberry/Gucci/etc. (I know Kors and Spade both do a lot of outlet bags as well, and I've heard Kors also does the "reproductions for the outlet" stunt.) The other thing with Louis is that the bags retain their boutique value for the most part. At least that's been true for mine over the years. Use depreciates them, but either the boutique prices rise and counteract that effect, or the item is discontinued and it's the rarity that buoyes the value. (Again, only what I've seen vicariously ... I've never sold any handbags myself personally, new or used, so I can't quote personal numbers.)

But yeah. Coach had an excellent chance to stop with the lies. They didn't. Shrug.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sol Ryan and Pagan
#37
Yeah, I’ve never bought Kate Spade or Michael Kors; not my style. Coach has some nice bags but I no longer view 1941 as a ‘premium contemporary’ line (if such a thing exists). I view the 50% SAS as the ‘real’ price of the item. Ok to spend $300-400 maybe but I just don’t they they can command a $1000 price tag and also create MFF versions. They can’t be all things to all people.

For future purposes, If I’m prepared to spend $1k I’ll go a little further up market. If I like a 1941 bag and it’s cheap enough, maybe. It’s a burger to me at that point. :smile:
 
  • Like
Reactions: Vidalita, Bagmedic, Suzanne B. and 3 others
#39
I'm really surprised by this. I just left my local Coach outlet and saw some Rogue bags that had the 'F' after the dash. There were being advertised as full price deletes. I was so confused so I came here. I can't believe Coach is doing this. There were only two style of bags in that sections that were actual boutique bags.
 
#40
faithbw said:
I'm really surprised by this. I just left my local Coach outlet and saw some Rogue bags that had the 'F' after the dash. There were being advertised as full price deletes. I was so confused so I came here. I can't believe Coach is doing this. There were only two style of bags in that sections that were actual boutique bags.
Click to expand...
They been doing it a long time. They are deletes just added the F so they can't be returned as a fp item. Yes. Ppl try to do that.
 
#41
crazyforcoach09 said:
They been doing it a long time. They are deletes just added the F so they can't be returned as a fp item. Yes. Ppl try to do that.
Click to expand...

Seems odd that people would try to do that. Mixing the bags up is confusing. I have to say that I was surprised to see Rogues in the outlet. They were nice but it was still surprising to see. *shrug* I ended up getting a tote from the Tory Burch outlet instead.
 
#42
faithbw said:
Seems odd that people would try to do that. Mixing the bags up is confusing. I have to say that I was surprised to see Rogues in the outlet. They were nice but it was still surprising to see. *shrug* I ended up getting a tote from the Tory Burch outlet instead.
Click to expand...
All fp bags go to the outlet at some point. 80% of my fp bags are from the outlet but way cheaper
Was the Troy B an fp or outlet bag? They do the same as well as do KS and MK
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top