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Shopping is coming back, but are the goods there?

Runcarla

Veteran

This weekend the family will be 2 weeks post second dose of the vaccine, and the province of Ontario will enter stage 3 of reopening. DH and I are considering a mid-week mall crawl for next week or the week after. We have lists!

For those who have already ventured into the shops and malls of ‘bigger’ towns and cities (our town is pop. 17,000 - so very modest retail opportunities) how are things looking? Selection? Sizes? Seasonality of items? Is it old stock from 2019/2020 or are supply chains catching up? Any ‘trends’ or colour themes? Are stores being conservative? Any brave vendors with innovative goods? We will be going into the ‘Big City’.

Shopping

22 replies

Latest reply was from Joy

cjh

(website)

Veteran

Oh my goodness. You are extremely fortunate if your city is only that big and you have a mall, and can even consider these influences and factors. My city has a population of around 135,000, and our stores mainly consist of Target, Old Navy, Kohl’s, a handful of smaller brand shops such as Loft, Talbots, Chico’s and I think we still have JJill, H&M, and one fairly upscale department store, VonMaur. And also TJMaxx, my first resort, and Ross, which has nothing of interest as everything seems pretty sad quality and dated (but I did find a nice Adidas zip hoodie there that is one of my favorite running items).

The places I’ve shopped do seem to have pretty full and current inventory. I will not testify as to whether they carry stylish options, because that is an individual assessment and I’m not the most stylish person, by most views.

The mall is basically empty. It used to, but no longer, have four large anchor stores and myriad smaller options like Christopher and Banks, Maurices, Dress Barn, The Limited, Aeropostale, American Eagle, and shoe stores, and a few import-boutique places. I will go into Kohl’s but don’t really go into the mall itself.

Glad to hear your vaccinations are done and you can plan a day of happy shopping!

ETA the mall closures happened way before the pandemic so things were already in decline a few years ago.

Runcarla

Veteran

@ cjh - oh! The plan is to drive towards the ‘Big City’ to visit a big mall in the suburbs! Our town only has a high street of tiny indi shops, antique stores, thrift shops, and places to eat (typical small, picturesque tourist town). Bigger retail is a Winners and Marks Work Wear House 10k east at the next small town of similar population. We will be heading west towards Toronto.

cjh

(website)

Veteran

Oops sorry for giving useless info. And probably won’t have the same stores in Canada anyway.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

I have no insight (stores have been open for a while and frankly it looks like the same old same old to me), but hope for a report after your adventure!

Runcarla

Veteran

@ cjh - no worries. Actually, you raised a good point, and I wonder if some stores might have folded and closed up during the pandemic?

rachylou

Veteran

When the stores reopened here, it took a good month for anything to come in. And it was old stock they brought back. Our Target is getting new things now… but I’ve never seen such a short-lived garden section.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I have not yet ventured.

I don't think I will have opportunities to do so until mid August/ September. But I will be watching this thread and wish you well.

One thing I will say is that this is typical the slump time in terms of fashion -- summer collections over, fall collections not yet in stores. I mean apart from NAS. You'll be seeing the dregs, would be my guess.

Irina

Veteran

I went to Nordstrom Rack on Bloor last weekend. The shoes section was poorly stocked and the designer clothes racks had only leftovers on sale. This particular store was extremely busy before malls opened up, not surprisingly they are sold out. A couple of stores where I usually shop also didn’t have much of current collections that are available online.

Roxanna

Veteran

@Carla - funnily enough I've had much more Luck with thrift stores like Value Village. They are packed to the brim since people were purging so much during lockdown, have tons of inventory that runs from old and dated to fresh and new, and I've found so many quality items there lately that I literally have to hold myself back. I've picked up lots of designer items too. Maybe put it on your list if you are coming to Toronto!

Anonymous

I’ve been in our premier mall a few times now , and while traffic is way down , stores seem to have their usual stock , current etc. The Anthro store is a little weak though . The Bay is its usual hot mess of departments being moved around etc and a ton of sale crap . Shoe department is far less interesting too . Browns is the same stuff they trot out every year . But yes , current stock is there in all stores . I’ve been doing 90% of my shopping on line , which is a massive change for me . Hope you have fun at Yorkdale !

Joy

Veteran

I feel most safe at a local consignment store where everyone wears masks and want customers to wear one too. Items tried on go into quarantine.
The Nordstrom’s at the nearest mall closed last year but had little before that in stock. The SAs told you to go on-line. Ha. I do better at the Rack, which is still open. I still, more than ever, prefer to be able to see items and to try on. NAS this year will have to be on-line if at all. I may just wait until items make it to the Rack, unless I see something I really need like pull on woolen pants, and maybe a winter version of Boho tops.

kkards

Veteran

I’ve not been to the mall (other than to slip into Nordstrom to return), but have done a quick pop in to The Gap and Athleta that are around the corner from my house. I’d say they are well stocked, but with much less merchandise than usual. At Athleta the “it” items are picked over or all sold out, but the basics seem to be in good shape. I will say that in my area, accept for a very short period early last year, the stores have been open and functioning so there has been flow of merchandise for some time, not sure if that’s been the case where you are.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I’ve seen a mixed bag in the retail in my area. Nordstrom seemed sparsely stocked — lots of empty floor space in both stores that are within an hour drive of me. Macy’s was a little better but nothing seemed very interesting. LOTS of athletic and loungewear and nothing terribly new or fresh to my eye. Zara was picked over but that’s typical of during a sale. Anthro has been looking a bit sad lately too — less than stellar quality, lots of distressing, weird shapes, and stuff best left to the young and trendy.

The discount shops like TJMaxx and Marshall’s seem pretty much like always. I’m not finding a lot there these days, but sometimes do a sweep if I’m looking for something basic.

The Rack has been not great in person lately, with a few exceptions. Bag selection is not bad, and I’ve had a couple of shoe successes. But they seem full of second tier stock and a lot of loungewear. The designer racks have an occasional gem (hello Veronica Beard blue tweed blazer for $120!), but are mostly weird items in unusual sizes or unappealing colors).

The best experiences I have had lately are two small, locally-owned, higher end boutiques — they are well-stocked, with interesting, current items, and they offer great service. The downside is that since they carry higher end brands (Veronica Beard, MaxMara, AGL, L’Agence, Nili Lotan, etc), they tend to be pricey. But I’ve gotten some good sale items and a few full-price things that have become workhorses.

I’ve also oddly enough had great success this year with bottoms — pants, jeans and shorts — from Old Navy.

I will probably shop NAS online. I’m not sure it’s worth the 45-minute drive to look in person, unless I can combine the trip with some other errand in the area, which is a possibility.

nemosmom

Veteran

Shopping has been a mixed bag (pun?) here.

We have a strip center with a handful of discount stores (TJ Maxx, Rack, Marshalls, Old Navy, and Saks on 5th) - they were well-stocked, but I wasn't feeling the pieces... or, maybe I wasn't in the mood to hunt and poke through the racks...

The mall seemed to have a better selection of what I was looking for, but the sizes were much more limited.

I've had luck secondhand and online - but I am having trouble finding great essentials (especially tees and tanks) at online retail before they sell out in the color/size combos I want.

DonnaF

Veteran

Today I counted a good dozen container ships docked in SF Bay awaiting permission to unload. Not enough stevedores/longshoremen and long haul trucks. No doubt Janet’s sweater vest and much of our NAS items are on them.

rachylou

Veteran

Oh that is a serious point, Donna! Now that you say it, I remember every single supplier we have emailed to tell us to expect shortages for months! I’m talking even (esp?) the boxes everything gets shipped in.

Anonymous

I'm not in an urban area, but did a little shopping at the outlet mall today. Quite a few vacant stores and generally meh- though BR wasn't bad, lots of natural fibers. Little wine tasting room was gone which made me sad. Sat in the sun and enjoyed a slice of pizza and gelato though
ETA- props to Bali for some inclusive nude bras!!!

Greyscale

Veteran

Not in Canada but:

Our Nordstrom is sparse, but not barren. It's actually rather nice to feel less crowded by racks, but there's less available on the high end side. Stores like Zara are as crammed with merchandise as ever. I haven't been back to the big Banana Republic location yet but might stop in this weekend (and yes, Suntiger, their fabrics are a cut above, this year!). Aritzia seems to be gaining in popularity here and was very well stocked but with much more athleisure than before.

Our big flagship Uniqlo closed! I'm rather upset about this, because it was one of the few in the US that got all the designer collabs.

Two counties away, the fancy suburban mall is crowded with people and merchandise. I think SF was just particularly quiet this past year.

Jenni NZ

Veteran

( Sorry Carla for going OT…) Greyscale, is “the fancy suburban mall 2 counties away” Walnut Creek? My daughter and husband live near there and go there sometimes. They have tried a Vietnamese restaurant there since they were both fully vaccinated.

JAileen

Veteran

I haven’t shopped at stores in person. Online, Macy’s and Nordstrom seem fine. I feel responsible for keeping Macy’s afloat. I’ve bought a lot from them online. Returns are easy, with a staffed counter near one of the entrances. I’ve loved Macy’s casual summer clothes. I wear them everyday - sleeveless tops, shorts, crops, and skorts for dressy.

I’ve been volunteering at our thrift store weekly. When we first reopened we had a surge of customers who had a pent up need to shop. Luckily, people had cleaned out their homes and we had a ton of great stuff.

Re working at the store: even though I’m vaccinated, I wear a mask. It’s not required, but if feels prudent to me. My state has a low vaccination rate.

Greyscale

Veteran

Jenni: yes, Walnut Creek! I actually just went for the first time a few weeks ago because I'm taking a dance class out near there. (A 45 minute highway drive away, but my usual dance studio had a fire last year and the pandemic prevented repairs until this summer, so this is the temporary solution now that we're back to in person classes.)

It's an impressive mall. Retail in San Francisco was faltering even before the pandemic, but apparently not in the upscale suburbs. I might stop by again today after dance class to return a few things I bought online and try a few things on.

Case numbers are shooting up here despite high vaccination so I'll keep my mask for now. (Serious cases among unvaccinated people, but there was a cluster of mild cases among vaccinated people in my building at work, this week... nothing to worry about in terms of their health, but it spread much more than I would have expected.)

Joy

Veteran

Looked at offerings at TJMaxx and the Rack recently. The Rack especially has more throw- away fashion, less good stuff. They used to have a section dedicated to Eileen Fisher. Now what little there is is mixed in. TJ Maxx has cheap versions of some brands like Lucky. I see lots of blah colors and cool/cold colors at retail that I don’t want. The men’s departments were severely limited in sizes and selection. My husband only asked for woven cotton boxer shorts. Everything in his size was a knit.