More reasons to love boutiques :)

I thought of a few more reasons I'm on Team Boutique!

1. Department stores and other chains are trying to be in the banking business. They can be very agressive about their credit cards and "rewards". If I need to put it on credit, I have no business buying it. If they have nice products, I'll return. It's just that simple.

2. They do not spam me with several emails a week, nor ask for my email as soon as I click their website. I may get a couple emails a year from the local shops (and that's the way uh huh, I like it). More emails will not make me buy more often.

3. They don't play games with sales. End of the season they mark things down, or maybe a few little sales here and there. Regular retail constantly has some different offer, which is always The Biggest Sale Of The Season (and they'll remind you 8× a day). If I want the thing, and I think the price is acceptable, I'll buy it. If I don't want it, it could be free and it's not coming home with me.

4. The inventory is small so there's not a lot of waste at the end of the season. They add new things occasionally, but it's not the constant churn. With that, they're better at monitoring the condition of the things than a big store.

5. Not only are you keeping your money in the community, but the shop owners sometimes buy local too. Local books, jewelry, scarves, artwork/photography, etc can be found in our little shops.

I'm sure there are other reasons too!

3 years ago

April

Veteran

Yes. Thank you for articulating this.

Anonymous

I agree with your comments. Also one finds more variety in boutiques than big chain stores. If you sketch friends with the owner, she will often keep your needs in mind and find perfect pieces for you. This has happened with my need for pull on bottoms and lack of back zippers on dresses..

Jaime

(website)

Yes, I hear you. My boutique experience is primarily second hand boutiques, but a lot of the same considerations apply.

Sal

This applies here too!

The emails are relentless sometimes....

rachylou

You’ve reminded me how at the beginning of the pandemic, everything was closed. A local boutique was still doing a store window. They put a mask in it that I liked. I emailed, bought it, and the owner’s daughter walked it over to my house!

RobinF

Great points! I hate giving out my email address!

Indigoprint

I live in a small town and our department store closed. We have a Target but that is not quite the same as the kind of department store I grew up with. I miss the variety of the department store but I love the individual attention I get from the local boutiques. They know me, set aside items they think I might like, remember past purchases and how it could relate to what I am considering and let me know when new items are expected that could influence what I am considering. They also really know their merchandise and can offer little tips such as "some people want a cami under this" or "this item is a fav of our shoppers who are undergoing chemo".
I also appreciate that they are honest and objective in their feedback when I try on garments.

The email thing drives me nuts! I just click on a Find and they are asking for email- to Save (whatever) %!!!!!
I. DON'T. CARE. ABOUT. THE. SALE. I want to see if you have anything worth a space in my closet.

Zaeobi

I have a separate email address set up just for this purpose (well, that & any other service that tries to push junk mail on me - sadly there seem to be many these days!)

I literally don't check said email address unless I'm looking to buy something (& even then, I'll first filter according to the brands I think are most likely to have some iteration of said item, then check to see whether they have a current deal going).

Jules

Fully agree and also echo what others have said about the personalized styling and service aspects. Sadly my favourite local boutique closed before Covid and I haven't replaced it. However I am taking other steps to curate my purchases and have less return churn. Are the huge selections and more generous return/refund policies of the big brands really serving me if I impulse order and return 80% of purchases? It's just creating noise in my life that I don't want or need.

kkards

My boutique story
There is a very high end boutique in my neighborhood, their opening price point brands are at the tippy top of my spending limit. I generally shop there once a year, during the annual community sidewalk sale, ie at the end of July, when this store is running a huge sale to move on to the new season. But I window shop all the time. A couple of years ago one when i made my 1st purchase, one of the owners asked me if I had shopped there before. I was honest and said no because while I loved what they sold, I couldn’t really afford it. Fast forward a couple of years, and now every year when I go in, she greets me like a long lost friend. And this year when I bought a beautiful pair of boots at 70 % off, she told me she was glad I got them because it made her happy that they were going to someone who liked and appreciated nice things. It’s just nice to treated nicely even when the store isn’t making any money from me.

Style Fan

Good points. I shop at a boutique in the small city where I lived for 35 years. She has been in business for 25 years. I probably bought the majority of my work wardrobe there. The return policy is excellent. I have 14 days to return an item for a full refund. No questions asked.
Now, I shop online from her.

Stagiaire Fash

I agree with you about all the crap flying at you when you go to a shop online. It can chase me away.

As that poll went on, the economic reasons to patronize boutiques became clearer, even if they do carry international brands. It’s making me think….

Carla

Excellent argument in favour of boutiques.

Hmm this thread is making me wish I could frequent HK boutiques too, but sadly they don't carry anything close to my 2XL size lol..

Bijou

Suntiger, I agree with all of the above. The thing about sales really irks me with chain stores.... I just feel so ripped off when they reduce things the week after I bought them - so much that now I tend to only buy from chain stores when they are on sale.

I placed an order for a bunch of tops, to be delivered to the place I’m staying in the US. I haven’t even gotten there yet, but it all went on clearance, so I’ve placed a second, nearly identical order. The folks running the B&B are patient so far.

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