I always love coming to this board, as there are way cool tips, and shopping reviews. Seeing as how it's 2011, I've been adjusting my budget a bit (more things have gone up in price), and so it got me thinking about our clothing budget.
We do spend a lot on clothes/shoes over here - 2 adults and 2 kids (3 and 7). I get pretty much everything on sale, but buying higher quality products cost money, but I believe in the long run, we save money on repairs and replacement. Plus, we donate away or recycle to friends/family most, if not all of our clothes, so it's imporant to buy good quality items.
That being said, over the past year, I've seen several brands go downhill in terms of quality, and so I have stopped purchasing from some of them. We have also noticed a smaller footprint on many clothes - shrinking sizes means less fabric, and thus must save manufacturers money, and for children's clothing, they will actually make money, as when you move up in size from toddler, you get a price increase. We are very loyal, and so it's hard when some of our favourite brands go downhill in quality. We have a new HE machine, and wash on delicate, so we are taking great care of our clothes, but unfortunately, cheap fabrics and poor workmanship, seem to be the name of the game with many manufacturers.
Here is my list, in the hopes that it will help those of you with your clothing budget over the coming year:
Columbia - Have noticed a great decline in ski coats. Cheap material, cold spots, and just all around not the high quality they used to be.
Roots - Used to be a staple in our home, when most of the items were still made in Canada. Since a U.S. company purchased, all items are now made in China. Most of the products are of horrible quality, and we no longer purchase any Roots products.
Gymboree - This is a hard one for me, as my kids are outfitted from head to toe in Gymboree. A few years ago, I noticed a difference between Canadian and U.S. clothing, so I no longer purchase any U.S. Gymboree. I was hoping this wouldn't make its way to our Canadian products, but sadly, it has. I have had to return coats for broken zippers, shirts that shrunk, leggings that lost their shape and dresses that just came apart at the seams. We are regular customers, so we get treated like royalty at our local store, and even the manager is starting to worry, as the quality of some of the products is going downhill. Still have great quality baby blankets, tights, metal hair accessories, flip flops and bathing suits.
Haggar - Hubby and I used to buy a lot of Haggar clothing, as it was good quality, but not anymore.
New Balance - Now that they are so mass produced, and many products are made in China (we try to buy made in U.S. shoes as much as possible), we notice slight quality issues such as loose stitches and trim.
Secret/Jockey/Hanes - Only hubby & I purchase, as kids wear Gymboree undergarments, but we have noticed huge quality issues: nylons that come out of package already ripped so can't be worn, socks that don't last past a few washings, etc.
Ending on a positive note, we still find great quality in: The North Face, Land's End, Kirkland/Costco jeans, Tommy Hilfiger, Merrell, Mark's Work Wearhouse (Canadian), Sorel/Kamik footwear and Carter's/Osh Kosh.
So, what does your list consist of? Tiger
We do spend a lot on clothes/shoes over here - 2 adults and 2 kids (3 and 7). I get pretty much everything on sale, but buying higher quality products cost money, but I believe in the long run, we save money on repairs and replacement. Plus, we donate away or recycle to friends/family most, if not all of our clothes, so it's imporant to buy good quality items.
That being said, over the past year, I've seen several brands go downhill in terms of quality, and so I have stopped purchasing from some of them. We have also noticed a smaller footprint on many clothes - shrinking sizes means less fabric, and thus must save manufacturers money, and for children's clothing, they will actually make money, as when you move up in size from toddler, you get a price increase. We are very loyal, and so it's hard when some of our favourite brands go downhill in quality. We have a new HE machine, and wash on delicate, so we are taking great care of our clothes, but unfortunately, cheap fabrics and poor workmanship, seem to be the name of the game with many manufacturers.
Here is my list, in the hopes that it will help those of you with your clothing budget over the coming year:
Columbia - Have noticed a great decline in ski coats. Cheap material, cold spots, and just all around not the high quality they used to be.
Roots - Used to be a staple in our home, when most of the items were still made in Canada. Since a U.S. company purchased, all items are now made in China. Most of the products are of horrible quality, and we no longer purchase any Roots products.
Gymboree - This is a hard one for me, as my kids are outfitted from head to toe in Gymboree. A few years ago, I noticed a difference between Canadian and U.S. clothing, so I no longer purchase any U.S. Gymboree. I was hoping this wouldn't make its way to our Canadian products, but sadly, it has. I have had to return coats for broken zippers, shirts that shrunk, leggings that lost their shape and dresses that just came apart at the seams. We are regular customers, so we get treated like royalty at our local store, and even the manager is starting to worry, as the quality of some of the products is going downhill. Still have great quality baby blankets, tights, metal hair accessories, flip flops and bathing suits.
Haggar - Hubby and I used to buy a lot of Haggar clothing, as it was good quality, but not anymore.
New Balance - Now that they are so mass produced, and many products are made in China (we try to buy made in U.S. shoes as much as possible), we notice slight quality issues such as loose stitches and trim.
Secret/Jockey/Hanes - Only hubby & I purchase, as kids wear Gymboree undergarments, but we have noticed huge quality issues: nylons that come out of package already ripped so can't be worn, socks that don't last past a few washings, etc.
Ending on a positive note, we still find great quality in: The North Face, Land's End, Kirkland/Costco jeans, Tommy Hilfiger, Merrell, Mark's Work Wearhouse (Canadian), Sorel/Kamik footwear and Carter's/Osh Kosh.
So, what does your list consist of? Tiger
