Despite being a self-proclaimed professional shopper, I’d never set foot in an Eddie Bauer until this week.
I’d always assumed the retailer specialized in outdoor gear and menswear — two categories I’m not particularly interested in.
As it turns out, I was only half right. The mid-range brand is known for its outdoor products, but it also sells casual clothes like jeans and sweaters, with plenty of offerings for women.
However, I’m late to the game. Business Insider reported on Monday that nearly 200 Eddie Bauer locations in the US and Canada are expected to close after the operating entity behind the stores failed to find a buyer during its Chapter 11 restructuring.
With little time left to shop in-store — US locations are expected to close before April 30, though you’ll still be able to shop online — I went to my local mall on Tuesday and browsed the store for the first time.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t too impressed.
A retail ghost town
As I approached Eddie Bauer, I noticed fellow shoppers pausing their strolls to read the giant “store closing” signs covering the glass windows.
When I entered, though, the store was a ghost town. Besides myself, I only encountered one employee, who told me the store had been closing “for a while,” and a handful of mannequins, all of which were for sale, as I shopped.
Granted, I was there at 4 p.m. on a Tuesday — not exactly a prime shopping hour. Still, the mall was busy. I’d even passed another going-out-of-business sale at Francesca’s on my way inside, and that store was full of frenzied shoppers.
The scene at Eddie Bauer was the exact opposite. I hung out outside the store for about 20 minutes, waiting to see if anything changed. It didn’t.
Basics, basics, and more basics
Eddie Bauer might have been quiet during my visit for any number of reasons. As I browsed clothing racks and tables, I couldn’t help wonder whether its products were, at least in part, to blame.
Every item I saw could be described as basic. There were T-shirts, denim jeans, coats, and simple accessories like sunglasses.
Being basic, of course, isn’t inherently a bad thing. The problem is that there was essentially no variety in the store. There were no interesting prints, colors, materials, or designs that caught my eye.
I know that most outdoor clothes are meant to be functional, not fashionable. However, many brands, like Patagonia, L.L. Bean, and Arc’teryx, manage to do both.
There was also no signature Eddie Bauer item. If I go to Gap, I know there will be logo sweatshirts. At Lululemon, I’ll find its staple leggings. Nothing at Eddie Bauer seemed representative of its brand or unique to its store.
These simple clothes were also priced relatively high. I picked up one long-sleeve shirt that regularly costs $30. Its $12 sale price felt like a bargain until I checked its tag. The shirt was made from 60% cotton and 40% polyester, and it didn’t feel very soft. It would’ve made more sense if it had cost $12 from the start.
Eddie Bauer is actively working toward improving its product range as it shifts its focus to e-commerce and wholesale distribution, a source familiar with the situation said.
As part of that effort, the brand announced in January that it was working with a new licensing partner, Outdoor 5, to handle e-commerce, wholesale, design, and product development operations across North America, which could improve product quality for customers.
The brand also announced in early February that it would bring back its First Ascent line, featuring high-quality outdoor clothing originally tested on Mount Everest.
The move signals a return to the brand’s roots. Founded in 1920, Eddie Bauer has been a major name in outdoor apparel. It outfitted the first American team to reach the summit of Mount Everest and patented the first quilted goose-down jacket in the US. It’s also survived two previous bankruptcies.
I can’t say I’m surprised that Eddie Bauer stores are closing
When I visited my local store, there was plenty of product available. If there hadn’t been sale signs at every turn, I wouldn’t have known the location was closing.
Still, nothing really caught my eye, or seemed worth the high prices they were marked. After all, I can buy basics at just about any other store in the mall or an online clothing retailer.
In its heyday, Eddie Bauer seemed like the place to shop for outdoor pieces. I’m sorry I missed it.
I also have hope that the brand’s newly implemented changes will improve the overall quality and offerings of Eddie Bauer.
As it stands now, though, I can understand why the brick-and-mortar side of the operation failed to stay afloat.
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