Question on C4 Dispatches on Outlet Centres

InsideInsurance

tinkerbell28 wrote: »

I always thought that the goods they sold were end of line, end of season, poor selling lines, seconds and stock that wouldn't make into the main lines as they were "using" bits up.

That is what the adverts, for Bicester at least, claim however the programme was saying that in reality that isnt the case with the vast majority of stock and instead it is items specifically made for outlet sales using inferior materials/ techniques to enable it to be sold cheaper.

So as an example with a suit company they were looking at in the high street the canvas is stitched in place and they use a 13 oz fabric. The copy that is made for the outlet store has the canvas glued to the in place and the fabric was only 9 oz. So at a glance they look the same but one is much cheaper in both material cost and man hours to make. The Outlet one though has the high street version's RRP on the price ticket despite it not being the same product.

AnnieO1234

I think the point is to always be circumspect about outlet stores but also channel 4 documentaries as well. Did anyone else notice the jacket that they spoke to IIRC Nichole Farhi about? They made a big song and dance that it was marked as current season, but had a red sticker label on it which means it in the sale at TK Maxx! So it's a bit like me going to in January and buying a Christmas cake, it will probably be on sale but should I really assume that it's still christmas?

InsideInsurance

AnnieO1234 wrote: »

I think the point is to always be circumspect about outlet stores but also channel 4 documentaries as well. Did anyone else notice the jacket that they spoke to IIRC Nichole Farhi about? They made a big song and dance that it was marked as current season, but had a red sticker label on it which means it in the sale at TK Maxx! So it's a bit like me going to in January and buying a Christmas cake, it will probably be on sale but should I really assume that it's still christmas?

The "current season" was on the TK Maxx sticker not the Farhi label.

The official store advised that version of the label was several years old and so you could only exonerate TK Maxx if you believe it is old stock they had and had just forgotten to update the pricetag. In that case TK Maxx claimed it was a human error that it had been marked on their price tag as current season (as they did for most of the false advertising they were pulled up on)