new to the outlet scene and a few questions

[NSesta1687]

Hi all,

I've been reading all your posts and am getting the drift there's MFF (?) and FP deletes, etc.

I'm in NJ and visited the Coach outlet at the Crossings in PA, not knowing there was a Coach outlet right here in NJ...but anyway, I had always wanted a Carly bag and asked the SA if they had any. She brought one out for me and with the 20 percent off plus the sale they were having for Labor Day I walked away with a Carly that was originally priced on the tag at $329.00 for $140. They also had some gorgeous wallets..no clue what the names of them are (I don't know how you guys do it knowing the names) but it was a beautiful red patent leather signature wallet.

So I come home and I'm reading this forum about the factory made bags and the deletes and came to realize that since there's an F before the numbers inside the bag it was a factory bag. No clue about the wallet at all..maybe someone knows?

Anyway, when you all go into an outlet how do you know which ones are deletes without having to check each and every label? Are the factory bags not "as genuine"? Why do people not want them? I am almost feeling what I thought was a great deal I'm walking around with a knock off "almost".

I understand a delete came from a boutique and are shipped to outlets if they don't sell, but if I go into the next outlet (I'm addicted) how do I know just by sight which are deletes?
Any help is appreciated!!

 

[Just 1 More]

Some bags were only FP & never MFF so folks who know which bag is which can tell just by looking at the bag.

And some bags, like Zoe for example, were re-released w/ different hardware & straps so it's easy to tell the diff just by looking (well, if one knows what the FP Zoe looks like).

I'd heard Carly was "re-released" as MFF but haven't seen her IRL.

I love my MFF bags - they are great quality & still look almost new after wearing for months on end every day! However, there are differences in the leather from an FP bag & a re-released version to MFF bag...I think that's where the "not liking" comes in......some bags may look the same but not "feel" the same, and others like Zoe have significant "visible" differences.

ETA: Dang - almost forgot my manners!! Nice to meet you, OP-- welcome to tPF!

 

[LuvsElvis]

Hi,
I think MFF bags may be a little different quality leather than FP Deletes. They are just as good (IMO) and the outlets have come out with a lot of cute styles. Most Coachies are in search of FP deletes as they are a better price (most of the time on clearance )
(50% off redlined price and then usually a coupon for another 20% off) Usually most FP deletes are in the clearance section or on another shelf that is separate and marked 30% off MSRP.
Zoe and Carly and some Legacy bags were made into MFF bags. Right now at the outlets are Kristins - Hobos and Satchels. If not sure - always look at creed that will tell you for sure!

Lynne

 

[lov]

Hi,
I think MFF bags may be a little different quality leather than FP Deletes. They are just as good (IMO) and the outlets have come out with a lot of cute styles. Most Coachies are in search of FP deletes as they are a better price (most of the time on clearance )
(50% off redlined price and then usually a coupon for another 20% off) Usually most FP deletes are in the clearance section or on another shelf that is separate and marked 30% off MSRP.
Zoe and Carly and some Legacy bags were made into MFF bags. Right now at the outlets are Kristins - Hobos and Satchels. If not sure - always look at creed that will tell you for sure!

Lynne

I agree. 30% off section is where they put the FP deletes but dont hesitate to look at the 50% off section because occasionally they will further reduce the fp deletes, as in the case of the kristin hobos.

Oh and some outlets never get FP deletes. For example, I was told by a SA that the outlet in Milpitas never get the FP deletes because they are so close to the FP stores.

 

[Mariquel]

LOL, that's what I was doing today at the outlet, checking each and every label. I only started seriously reading this forum about a month and a half ago, so I also just found out the difference between FP deletes and MFF.

It was sort of fun going through the tables, trying to guess which ones were FP deletes and then checking the tags. As previous posters have mentioned, most of the FP deletes are in the 50% or 30% off sections.

Don't feel bad about not knowing which are which, I think gaining that kind of knowledge comes from repeated exposure to the different styles and colors, either through checking the website or seeing them in person. I was able to recognize a few FP's at the outlet only because I've seen them here through the reveals and descriptions in the various posts. Until I get better, I'll probably continue checking all the tags.

 

[cosmogrrl]

My advice is not to get too caught up in which is which and buy the things you like, first and foremost. I can easily be swayed by a bargain -- which is why I ended up with three Kristin hobos this weekend. I don't think hobo is my style, but they were $155 as compared to $400 in the boutique!

Now, there were a couple of MFF bags that I should have paid closer attention to.

Realize that most of the world has NO idea what your bag is, whether it is Coach or not. A smaller, but still huge part of the world doesn't know an MFF from an FP.


Basically, you should be buying the bag for you, not to impress TPFers. But I know it's HARD to walk away from a Coach bargain!!!

 

[crowfan21f]

Basically, you should be buying the bag for you, not to impress TPFers. But I know it's HARD to walk away from a Coach bargain!!!

Thank you so much for saying this. I struggled this weekend with my first MFF purchase, in fact I went back to the outlet the next day with all intent of returning it because it wasn't a FP delete. And then I realized, I bought it because I liked it and it was in my price range. And probably 60% of the other women in that outlet didn't know the difference. It was truthfully exactly what I was looking for, but I was letting that F on the tag bother me. Thank you for reassuring this new coachie!

 

[katierose]

I always check the creed inside to see whether or not there's an F before the last set of numbers. Coach has recently been releasing MFF bags that look a lot like the original, like the new MFF Brooke.

 

[momtok]

And some bags, like Zoe for example, were re-released w/ different hardware & straps so it's easy to tell the diff just by looking (well, if one knows what the FP Zoe looks like).

......some bags may look the same but not "feel" the same, and others like Zoe have significant "visible" differences.

Zoe is actually even more complicated than that. There are FP/FP-delete Zoes (ie. with the old hardware), there are MFF Zoes that are 'visibly' identical to the FP Zoes (ie. the same, exact old hardware), and then there are the new line of MFF Zoes from this past year (ie. the convertable style with the new hardware). I recall that it was a big topic of discussion when the first MFF Zoes came out, identical to the FPs. I once saw a pile of six patent petrol Zoes, five of which were MFF, one of which was FP, and all of which were 'visibly' identical and complete with the old style hardware.

As far as MFF vs. FP, the main reason I go for FP is because I primarily go for leather. MFF tends to skew toward siggy, so there are fewer MFF leather choices to begin with.

Now with that said, I did just get my first siggy bag a couple weeks ago, and it was indeed MFF. (Amusing story as to why .... I used to have a small, studded, red leather bag from Shaw Leather of England. I finally admitted it was too small for what I need, and gave it to my little girl. I also had an extra red shoulder strap that I'd been using on that bag, so once I gave it to daughter, I still had the extra strap, but no bag. Well now that can't be allowed! So in my search for a bag to work with the strap (yeah, that's an excuse), the MFF red signature stripe top handle worked perfectly. I actually love it.)

I also have a few MFF accessories, and I've had no quality problems thus far ... they're certainly holding up to use as well as my FP stuff. In what I have of those, it's the hardware that seems to be the biggest difference, but still minor. For example, the pull tabs on the mini skinnies. Certainly not a huge deal (shrug).

And yes, welcome to the OP.

 

[hrimaliv]

To me, it's all about what catches my eye. Yes, I do look for the FP bags first, but if I see a bag I'm drawn to I don't really care if it's MFF. I just bought a MFF Parker the other day and it's gorgeous. I agree that sometimes the leather is different between MFF and FP, but honestly I usually can't tell a difference.

 

[lkooyman1]

I actually like a lot of the prints that they come out with for MFF. They seem to be more colorful and less expensive than FP so I can get them for one season and pass them on to other happy homes!