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Hi guys!
My closest vans outlet barred me yesterday. They approached me with a tough attitude and a you have to leave message but I was able to soften it and was able to buy the 12 pair I already had selected. They have the best prices and it’s a very profitable location for me but I am no longer welcome.
I have a trip planned to Europe at the end of the month so I’m going to skip this store until I get back and see if they will remember me and or let me shop.
It was a major bummer but I was friendly and compliant so I think I sort of saved some sort of face but we will have to see in about a month when I revisit. The good news is there are still dozens of stores within driving distance but this was the most convenient.
Happy flipping!
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I’ve had that problem too in CA at Lacoste & True Religion a few years ago. Didn’t actually get banned but got the third degree on the clothes that I was buying etc. Told if I was buying for resale, they would ban me. That mindset I don’t get. I’m there to buy stuff, they’re selling stuff so what’s the problem? It’s not like I was buying out the store. I stopped going as often, didn’t buy if the clerks giving me a hard time were working. Now they don’t hassle me.
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They idea is to protect their brand. They want their items displayed, merchandised, and prices they way they want to represent their brand. I totally understand this argument. Having a successful clothing brand that endures is very tough. For instance I remember when true religion jeans were the jeans to get. Not so much anymore. Where I live vans and bikes have been cool since I was a kid. Very few clothing brands have that sort of cache that is so enduring. However, while I get their side, NikeGuy is out here trying to get that paper! So they are going to have take a bigger step if they want to actually stop me.
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Why did they ban you? We don’t have any outlets around here, but I wish we did.
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It was very obvious I was a reseller and I didn’t deny it. Many stores have policies in place about purchasing for resell.
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What tipped them off? Just the number of shoes you buy on a regular basis? It is weird that if you pay the price they ask for that there would be a limit to what they sell you.
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The amount I buy is way more than even the largest family could use. I debated lying but didn’t think it was worth it. I played a little koi but buying 30 pairs a week in random sizes was pretty blatant.
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You got to set up a business like this kid did for Supreme clothes:
https://www.complex.com/style/2017/04/meet-the-teen-making-thousands-of-dollars-waiting-on-line-at-supremeJust send in a group of kids to buy several pairs each. Organize it all in the parking lot 🙂
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I will never understand why people have a problem with someone buying their items. I mean if you were clearing shelves or making a mess, that I can understand. It would be just the same if you bought 15 pairs of shoes or 15 people buying one pair of shoes. If it’s because you are making more money than them, they can do the same thing. Besides it’s highly unlikely the other 14 people would leave without buying anything, they just wouldn’t buy the same thing so it’s even more profit.
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I saw a great documentary on a card counter gambler who used disguises to work around bans. I bet the outlet store doesn’t have facial recognition software.
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Was it holy rollers? It’s funny you bring it up because I have been 86d from multiple casinos for the same thing. I’ve never bothered with disguises as I never give my ID and have enough of a rotation that I don’t have to visit one place too often. My closest casino has walked me out at least 10 times. When she approached me it felt exactly like the casinos but much nicer.
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I think the documentary was called Inside The Edge: A Professional Blackjack Adventure… I know a math teacher who used to fly to Vegas and do the same thing back in the day. They didn’t have facial recognition technology back then but he was still banned from playing blackjack at his favorite casino. The casino caught on to him when he started helping the other players at his table beat the house.
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If you find yourself in this situation again – tell them you are a wardrobe buyer for a movie. Wardrobe buyers’ purchasing habits are very similar to those of resellers.
If you don’t live in an area where movies are filmed, mention that you will ship the purchases to your boss in a film production city (i.e. Atlanta, New Orleans, or Albuquerque– Don’t say Hollywood; there is no need to send clothing there).
The only time retailers get pissy with movie folk is when they fear there will be a ton of returns. So if they are concerned about returns, tell them that whatever isn’t selected for the cast will be held for background stock (aka clothing for extras).
If they ask why you need so many of the same thing, tell them you need multiples for a stunt sequence.
Finally, if they ask too many questions about the specifics of the film, “It’s for one of the major studios, I think (insert actor here) is the star, but my Non-disclosure agreement forbids me from saying too much. Besides, they never tell me anything – I am just the shopper.”
Enjoy the grift!
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It was interesting for me to put my view that we should be happy with the price we get to the test this week. I got an offer slightly above half for an item I had. When I checked the buyer (I check EVERY buyer who makes offer, look at their feedback left for others) I noticed he was a seller himself. He was selling my item for 4 to 5 times the price I had it up for. I debated his offer for a few hours, but eventually accepted. He obviously knows his stuff, I have no idea if it is worth more than I sold it for. If I didn’t see that he was selling similar items, it wouldn’t have bothered me. My thinking was; if I expect other sellers to sell to me at the advertised price, and then I sell it for more, I should understand that others will do the same to me. Kinda quid pro quo, you know? So I sold it for $27 on best offer. I’m going to check his store to see when it goes up, but I’m guessing he’s going to market it at about $100. But he knows the niche, I don’t. I need to respect that and allow the free market system to work. I just wish more stores would have the same viewpoint, instead of the grabby greed they so often display.
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Many stores see their clearance/discount merchandise as “chum”. Chum is bait thrown onto water to attract more fish. When the schools of fish arrive, attracted by the free lunch, then the bait with the hooks hits the water. If a pack of fish show up that are resistant to the hook, they are not welcome buyers.
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