Last night I was wearing my old LL Bean bird's-eye wool cardigan. It was so comfy and warm that I looked online about ordering another one. I was surprised to see it now called a heritage item and it was $179. The sweater is nice but is not $179 nice.

I was also surprised to see that Bean boots are still on back order. They have been having supply issues with them for at least two years or more. Yes, something is definitely not right with the company.

And I wouldn't be surprised if the quality of your sweater is not what it once was either. I wanted to get the long dog lead and the three-prong stake that goes into the ground, but read in the reviews that, with one tug, the clip came off the lead and in two reviews that brackets on the stake broke when dogs jerked them. Who makes a dog lead where the hood can come of if a dog tugs on it and a ground stake that can break and possibly allow a dog to run off?

I know they had a big problem keeping up with demand for their duck boots @ Christmas.

Agree. My DD ordered 2 pair of the insulated boots around the first of Oct for herself and DGD. They were backordered until February this year! I knew about the big run on them last year, but you'd think they would have been prepared this year. She actually received her pair about a week before Christmas and then they were too big so she had to send them back and re-order. Who knows when the other pair will arrive.

I remember when Abercrombie and Fitch was an outfitter for the fishing/outdoorsy crowd (Orvis-style), and when RH presented more hardware store-like, and recently I noticed my young, trendy nieces wearing Eddie Bauer brand, which to me was always decidedly targeting the middle-aged. If LLBean is floundering, I wouldn't be surprised if in a year or two it reinvents itself as a trendsetter with cheaply made but expensive clothes, and targets the teen crowd, like Abercrombie.

i too have their cc and will shop them when they have their sales (like extra 10% right now) to spend the coupons...

i find much of their women's clothing to be a little boxy and frumpy... and their patterns often seem to be frumpy too... i also often find their sweaters to be a little too short- body length and sleeve length- they really should have a 'tall' size in tops too. they also have gotten too expensive for the quality/style of their clothes, imo. but, i every so often shop on line with them because i accumulate so many coupon $--

i like their dog beds. i love their shearling shoe liners! i like some of their knit and athletic pants. i love their slippers. i really like some of their towels! i have the long dog lead and have had no problems with it, tho i have read the reviews that you speak about... i don't ever use a stake, so don't know about that. i really like the slip leads- have a couple of them! i like their reflective leash- awesome at night... i didn't get it monogrammed tho because i remember negative reviews about that...

add-- i also have experienced a backorder a couple of times, but both times, the backordered item came WAY before they said it was backordered until...??

You can add me to the list of people not impressed. If I determine I like something, I figure I need to order it right away or it will not be available even a month later. On all but a few items, the quality in no way matches the prices they charge, especially considering that many of the clothes lack decent tailoring. Most of the time I will not even bother checking their website because everything seems to be "out of stock online" or on backorder. They seem to be just one of many companies coasting on their past reputation.

Hmm, my most recent order was a fleece lined sweatshirt for Ds. It was in stock and is the same quality as previous purchases in smaller sizes.

I was going to possibly order something in a catalog I just received only to find it's back ordered until April. April??? You've gotta' be kidding.

Lands' End gal here. LLBean never took off with me. Lands' End has stayed steady. I don't buy much, but I am usually happy with what I buy.

Lands End had been bought out by Sears a while ago. Does Sears still own them? I am not expecting Sears to survive much longer.

Ah, found it. Lands End split off from Sears in 2014.

I love Land's End style. They have begun skimping, too. DH compared a pair of wool dress pants with ones he bought from them about 10 years ago and the newer ones are much thinner and have less lining. I find their sizing can be inconsistent, too. It is a crap shoot whether or not I can get their nice boots to fit well. Fortunately, you can still return things to Sears so I am still willing to risk it with them. There is no LL Bean in the area for me to return things to if it does not work. I did find a wonderful wool jacket for DH at Land's End, herringbone style for an excellent price so we still shop there but our expectations are kept low.

Interesting. I have ordered a lot of kid clothes from lands end ove the years and I feel like their quality really has gone down.

Yes, LL Bean's quality has gone down, but not as much as Lands End, in my experience. I have returned almost everything I have bought from Lands End, but I'm running about 50/50 for LL Bean purchases.

I've never understood the allure of either company and I've gotten catalogs for years. The clothes are dowdy and over priced. I did get an ll bean more upscale clothing catalog a few times that wasn't bad but still pricey. I prefer Orvis for all my outdoor things and dog stuff. Still pricey but high quality.

Recently I bought from Orvis a quilted dog liner for the backseat of the car that is excellent.

I used to like Eddie Bauer but it seems like all outdoor athletic clothing now. It used to be pretty good quality casual clothing and athletic wear.

LL Bean used to be great. Not any more. I tried to buy summer trousers several years ago. Started with my normal size. Then, tried a smaller size. Then, tried a larger size. Different colors of the same style fit differently. Small sizes might fit more loosely than larger sizes. There was no consistency at all! I do wish we manufactured more goods here in the US.

busybee, the slip lead is one of the items I did order. Two of their bags (their canvas bags really are still great), one canvas and one nylon for grocery shopping - I use the canvas bags now for groceries - and the reading glasses. I just good not believe that, in that whole store, I had trouble spending $150 in coupons!

The few items I do love, like the flannel comforter covers, have gotten ridiculously expensive.

Surprised to read Ellendi's comment about Lands End. I think Lands End went screaming down hill long before Bean.

Weather it is Ll Bean, Talbot, Macy's (where I bought most shirts) all of the jerseys and shirts have gotten thin, cheap quality. Nothing like they were.

Why is it that companies used to be able to make really high quality products...and not go out of business? In fact, stay in business for decades?

It's all malarkey, looking for every dime of profit and making shareholders happy with huge returns.

Ugh. Greed. It never leads to any good. And, do they think we don't notice??

Update: To put me to shame...although I maintain what I've written here and the basis for this thread...my LLBean package arrived today, and I LOVE the two totes I bought and the reader glasses - although they are too strong, so I'll exchange them. The leash is on backorder...of course.

But, I did say their canvas bags are great, and they are. This one too. I got the waxed canvas bag and the nylon bag. The waxed canvas bag is particularly nice. The nylon bag will be great for grocery shopping.

When the LL Bean boots became "in" a few years ago the popularity overwhelmed their production capabilities. They are hand sewn in Maine. Boot article

I suspect that peeps buying the boots also ordered other items and overwhelmed production of those items. I too have noticed that items are frequently out of stock. It's tough for LL to know whether to ramp up to huge production levels on something that might be a passing fad for the general public. They don't want to have to hire, layoff, hire. I wanted to order a parka last winter but no stock even in colors I didn't like. So I ordered one in August. I got that and a fleece jacket. Both seem to be good quality at the price point.

The same size/different size thing is not new - I found that to be true of pants I ordered from them almost 15 years ago. It seems to be true of almost all mid-price range places. Drives me crazy. Which is why I won't order anything online that doesn't have free returns.

I agree that Lands End went downhill long ago. I could not believe the quality of some pants and tees I ordered from them a few years ago. At first they seemed "okay" but after like three washings they were crap. I sent them back.

Tibbrix wrote: Why is it that companies used to be able to make really high quality products...and not go out of business? In fact, stay in business for decades?

I think we know the answer to this and every university in this country is offering business courses that address this. The train has left the station.

Retail industry has been struggling lately:

LA Times: December Retail Sales Fall 0.1%

This puts a big pressure on retailers and manufacturers to keep prices low and, consequently, reduce their costs. As a result, product quality suffers.

However, the article fails to acknowledge that many average American consumers are pretty much tapped out. Not much free cash to spend. Many people struggle with payments on debts they've racked up over the past years - mortgages, car loans, credit cards, student loans, etc. Of course, a good share of those people ended up in this situation by not being able to resist the marketers' siren songs and trying to keep up with the Joneses.

On the other hand, despite a "low" unemployment rate, there aren't enough decent full-time middle-class jobs. Many people work part-time jobs and have to hold more than one job just to make ends meet.

U.S. Household Incomes - a 47-Year Perspective

Take note of the chart down the page that shows the real (inflation-adjusted) mean household income by quintile and the top 5%.

To make the matters worse, a good portion of the prices we pay for consumer goods in the U.S. goes not to American workers but toward the foreign labor since almost all manufacturing is done overseas.

Glad I am not the only one who has noticed this. After returning almost everything in the past couple of years, have pretty much stopped ordering from LL Bean, Lands End and Eddie Bauer. Quality often seems no better than Walmart and sizing is very inconsistent. The good news, due to the poor quality, is I am buying far less clothing than I did in the past.

for me, my problem with them isn't quality, but style- too many of their clothes just aren't that flattering! i used to love to get their fleece-- but now you can find fleece EVERYWHERE with more style selection and better prices... overall, i still am very happy with the quality of their items... and, from my experience, their customer service is still excellent.

i stopped shopping lands end yrs ago- always preferred bean.

didn't even know they sold readers... another thing to search for in the future! :)

bb, they have just the one pair of readers, but they're very comfortable.

I used to love LL Bean and I still want to. I've had good quality (in terms of fabric, construction, lasting after a million washes) items from them in recent years and the sweater MIL got DH for Christmas last year was really nice for the price.

But....and it's a big but... WHEN will they figure out that a woman who is a size 16 or 18 does not want above-the-hip shirts and tops? I am not that tall and I'm not all torso, either. If their T shirts came down another three inches, I'd wear one to work every day. Right now I can only wear a Bean T on the days I want coworkers to see my underpants. i.e. never.

DD was part of the wait-for-duck boots crowd last fall. Bean did send her a cute mini-duck boot keychain to make up for her long wait. That was smart of them, because she really loved the keychain and didn't get mad at them. Sher ordered her backpack from them when she went away to college. When it arrived I thought it looked flimsy and thin. It tore the first semester :(

I wish they'd go back to higher quality even if I had to pay more. I want that ragg-wool sweater-wearing, sit by the fire with my golden retriever and my carefully curated logs lifestyle even though I live in the south, have mutts and my fireplace doesn't work!

The thing that bothers me most about LL Bean is the colors they offer women. I hate pink, peach, powder blue, lilac, celery, etc. Girly colors I can't wear. I love the men's colors, rich red, rust, navy, gray. I send more things back than I keep. At least they still have a generous return policy.

My theory is that manufacturers know that the generation that remembers how things used to be (all us baby boomers) will soon be gone, and new generations, who have no memory of it once being a better product, will never know what they're missing. So cut back and put more money into the pockets of the shareholders. It's all about greed.

I'm like mdln in that I hardly ever buy clothing now. Too disgusted. I'd been buying a basic T for years and the last one I bought no longer had that little piece of fabric covering the neck seam. What did they save, five cents? There's some food items that have changed so much that I'll never buy them again. Where did the cheese in Cheetos go? I have to eat almost the whole bag to get my salty cheesy fix. They ruined Hellman's/Best Food's mayonnaise by cutting back on the eggs. Younger generations don't know what it used to taste like. I have eaten Mary Jane candies since I was a kid and still see them now and then, but the last ones I bought had hardly any peanut butter in them. That candy is probably close to 100 years old, but I guess somebody needed to make an extra penny or two.

I agree that most of their prices are ridiculous. I had a gift voucher that I had to use or lose by the middle of this month. It was only for $15, but I hated to see it lost. I hadn't been on their website for quite a while and I was really surprised to see the high prices on even their most basic items. I wasn't opposed to spending more money for something that I really liked, but I was, frankly, disgusted with what I found. I finally ordered a double pair of women's cotton ragg socks for $19.95. I'm wearing the dark pair now. I love ragg socks, so this was ok for me, but unless something changes with their clothing selection and prices, I won't be shopping there again any time soon.

I think the overall quality of consumer goods has gone downhill.

This link on Walmart's role is interesting. I don't vouch for the source as I am unfamiliar with it. But I think the general proposition that most people buy on price, not quality has merit. Perhaps we have only ourselves to blame.

@ Linelle, agree about the colors. I have bought mens shirts because I liked the colors better (esp. blue colors). Interesting the mens shirts seem to be better quality and less expensive.

ROFL @maggiepatty's comment. Too funny.

Linen, I almost bought some of those socks with the coupons, but read they fray and get holes very quickly now, and with my distrust of the quality of so much of their merchandise now, I didn't want to waste coupons on ten dollar pairs of socks if I was going to get a hole in them right away. What do you think of their quality so far?

Btw, I think people used to also care about the product/service they put out, including the people actually doing the work. I think that has been displaced by greed by the executive/shareholder class and lousy, unlivable wages for the workers. Bad mix.

Have an earlier version of this and really like it, VERY light and strong nylon with comfy straps.

From the article on Walmart linked by Crl:

"Its hard bargaining pushed manufacturers offshore and drove them, year
after year, to cut more corners and make shoddier products. As
union-wage production jobs and family-owned businesses fell by the
wayside, many Americans could no longer afford anything but Walmart’s
cheap offerings."

My impression is that this has been more of a general trend, although Walmart was the one to become the epitome of it.

If there were more well-paying production jobs for the middle class, there would be more people who'd choose the quality over the price. I know quite a few people who have resigned to shopping second hand. They can't stand Walmart quality, but buying new at a "better" store is not in their budgets.

mdln, I also have that backpack and like it. Not sure it's worth $40, but it's not outrageously priced like some of their stuff either. There is still some good stuff at LLbean, but it's dwindling. I just couldn't believe I had such a hard time finding something to buy when I decided to use the coupons, either put off by the price or fear of shoddy quality (from reviews)....

A couple of years ago I bought a knee length red wool coat at LLBean. It's pretty, but it came with the cheapest, ugliest red plastic buttons ever. I changed them all out for antiqued pewter in a celtic design. It added $15-20 onto the cost, but what a difference.

Tibbie, regarding the socks, very comfy, thick , but halfway between knee socks and anklets. Why? I have no idea what their thinking was on that! I wear them with sweats and tennies , or in the evenings without shoes. They are NOT worth $10 a pair, though.

Linen, I'll "pay" (using my Bean coupons) that for a good pair of "thick, comfy" wool or cotton socks, but one of the reviews said they got a hole in them almost right away. The reviews indicated they don't hold up well. That's why I was leery.

I've been satisfied with most of my LLBean purchases - but perhaps that is because I have a store about 15 minutes from my home and I'm there a few times a month - it's conveniently located in a 'lifestyle' (gotta love the moniker) center along with an Orvis, Apple, Ann Taylor & Loft, J Jill (don't shop there since it all looks baggy - better suited for lounging or for meditation) and several good restaurants and my hair salon.

I recently bought a lightweight down jacket that I love. It's great for fall and spring and with a sweater you can even wear it on colder days.

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/85037?feat=504728-GN2&page=bean-s-puff-jacket

On frigid days when I take the dog for long walks I wear their traditional long, ultra warm down coat. I had to remove the silly fake fur around the hood since it looked like I skinned a coyote for the pelt.

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/42359?feat=610-GN1&page=ultrawarm-coat-long

But what has really disappointed me is the pima cotton shirts that are a staple of my wardrobe year round - they come in multiple styles - long sleeve, sleeveless, Polo etc. Sometimes the material is so thin I wouldn't dream of wearing them - those get returned.

Have you noticed that both Orvis and Pendleton are now featuring younger models, some of their offerings are slightly less traditional and their catalogs have a little more flair. I too think they're eyeing the next generation and trying to appeal to them. I think that many of those younger buyers are accustomed to buying trendier items and have no qualms about lower quality since they replace them more frequently.