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Hmm... I buy my kids Gap Kids clothes and they seem to last a long time. I'm saddened by this news. Always loved their stuff (as far as kids clothing anyway)
Hmm... I buy my kids Gap Kids clothes and they seem to last a long time. I'm saddened by this news. Always loved their stuff (as far as kids clothing anyway)
Gap Kids will not be affected. The article just says Gap store closures.
I stopped shopping there long ago after everything they sold looked drab and dull. Im not that into grey sweaters in Florida thank you! lol
LOL That is the truth. I haven't even seen a Gap store down here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kings Gambit
That is a LOT of stores closing. Im surprised. I'd think that their Old Navy brand would be the first to go because that store has nothing but crap. Banana Republic has nice, well made quality clothes so I'd expect them to be good, but Gap is kinda your average, everyday regular dude summer casual wear. Not fancy, but just "nice". Guess people either want more than just "nice" (Banana Republic) or they want cheap crap (Old Navy).
I just went to Old Navy today. I haven't been there in at least 3 years and just went in because they were advertising a big sale and I wanted to walk around on my lunch hour. I do like their jeans and found a couple of pairs on sale. It was pretty busy in there at lunchtime.
But yeah, there is a lot of cheap crap in there. It's good for teenagers because they only want to wear things for one season anyway. I am thinking that's where they get most of their business.
I worked for the Gap (yes, I still say "the" Gap) in high school, in college, and a little after college because entry level mental health jobs require one to have a second job. This was about 1986-1994. I was right there when SNL had the Gap girls, and when Jeanine Garafalo worked in the Gap in Reality Bites.
During that time, it was a great company I felt good about working for, and the products were things I was happy to wear and sell. I even had a 401(k) with them when I was about 20, and got my health insurance through them when I worked full time on college breaks. Back then, the Gap sold mostly "classics," styles that would not go out of style, and that were good quality and would last forever. I still have tons of Gap clothes from that time period that I still wear and that still look good. They always had a few trendy pieces sprinkled in, but it was mostly classics.
Then early in the 21st century, they went all trendy, at least in the women's section. The men's stuff stayed pretty much classic for a little while longer. Then around 2002-2003, they lost their two biggest leaders, CEO Mickey Drexler and Founder Don Fisher. (The old executive leadership were known to even the low-level staff in the stores, and we all knew that they could walk in our store and surprise us at any time.) Then the people who took over made the store more trendy, and with cheaper materials and construction. About that time, I stopped shopping there, even though I had been a loyal customer, telling people "I didn't leave the Gap, the Gap left me." Even the men's clothes became more "trendy" with tight and slim fitting tops and bottoms. And like the other poster mentioned, the color palette went bad. It was either very drab, or way too many colors in a single item. Back in my day, each season had a palette of 7-10 colors, and everything coordinated.
The sweaters and shirts I have from the early 90s are well constructed, and still in excellent shape. People still compliment me on these pieces and laugh when I tell them they're like 20 years old.
In recent years, I went into my last store a few times, and it was a mess. Clothes tossed all over, not folded well (I used to fold like a Nazi with OCD, and the stores always looked good). The only thing the company still has going for it for a while was having lots of irregular denim sizes online, like odd lengths. Now I see they don't even have that anymore.
I used to shop there in middle school and high school. Prices are the same and yet quality is worse. I went into one of their stores a few years ago to get some new jeans. Two pairs of the same jeans fit completely different (same size and style). When I asked the sales person why there was such a difference, all she could tell me was it's probably because they were made in different factories.
I have one pair of jeans that is straight to flare convertable that I bought years ago. I love them, but they don't make anything like them anymore.
Old Navy quality is crap. Always has been. BR is alright, expensive and slightly better quality than GAP.
I think a lot of mid-level retailers are having problems these days, being squeezed between the high-end stuff at one end and the off-price, fast-fashion, and the low-end places like Wal-Mart or Old Navy (which does sell crappy, ill-fitting junk IMO) at the other end. Penney's, the Gap, and a lot of clothing retailers in the middle are finding it tough going it seems. FWIW, I like the Gap for everyday basics like their khakis and sweaters and will continue buying those things there.
I think a lot of mid-level retailers are having problems these days, being squeezed between the high-end stuff at one end and the off-price, fast-fashion, and the low-end places like Wal-Mart or Old Navy (which does sell crappy, ill-fitting junk IMO) at the other end. Penney's, the Gap, and a lot of clothing retailers in the middle are finding it tough going it seems.
They're not struggling at all. Gap's net income for 2014 was $1.2 billion. Their CEO earned $1.5 million in 2014. This looks like a move motivated by greed at the top. Put some workers out of a job, watch the stock price go up, and rake in more profits for upper management.
There are 93,000,000 people not working in our country. Lots of retail outfits are closing stores. Wait til October. Buy your favorite stuff now. Buy good hiking shoes and good socks now.
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