I just wanted to chime in that I agree with annagybe and Angie about how "quality" does not necessarily equal price point - I was quite pleased with a simple merino wool v-neck sweater from Target that I thought was quite good quality for the price.
In the meantime though - I do think that mainstream stores can sometimes have varying quality standards over the years. Although I've never really shopped much at Talbots (except trying to order a winter coat during the Black Friday sales) - I do have a lot of relatives that have liked shopping there over the years - and they are *not* pleased with how Talbots is trying to modernize themselves. It's so bad that my step-grandmother has vowed to never shop there again, and the weird thing is? Their look-books are much more appealing to me than they ever were in the past.
I think Angie's mantra of "leave no retail stone unturned" is important here. I also think that some of the mainstream stores experience differing styles and quality throughout the years. Maybe it just so happens that LOFT quality isn't quite as good as it used to be? That would be the same as my step-grandma complaining that Talbot's isn't what it used to be either.
In the meantime, last year - I bought a bunch of things from LOFT, and there is only one item that I'm keeping. It's a fairly basic sweater dress, and to be honest - the rest of the items I picked up on some sort of sale have been shoved to the 'donate' bin. And yet, at the same time - here I am - all delighted with a Target merino wool v-neck sweater.
I don't think that Angie's Best/Worst of the year was meant as some sort of negative on any one store, just that maybe LOFT's quality has slipped in recent years? It's not that this isn't a good store, just that people shopping there have noticed a difference. At least, this is my take on the situation.
I'm almost positive that other mainstream stores have also been on the 'bad quality' list in recent years - for instance, I'm fairly certain that two or three years ago, it was Banana Republic that people weren't all that happy with. It's not the store - it's what they are doing this year, or what's working/not working.
I am not particularly pleased with LOFT myself these days - and it's *not* because I don't like their styles, it's because I somehow expect a wee bit better quality from them. This doesn't mean there's something wrong with the whole chain/store - just that lately, I'm not all that impressed with their quality, for the price.