Thanks for the comparison! Darn, I really wish I hadn't missed menthol. I prefer that over mint moment. Mint moment looks too light for me...I'll look washedo ut
My store try on report: I had bought a few items over the holidays that had gone to WMTM, so I bought them again on sale and had returns of the full price item. I tried to find something I liked, but there just isn't that much good stuff right now.
The Pump it Up Jacket- liked how the bottom fit,zippered pockets, didn't mind the big funnel collar, especially with the collar cinched. Dind't care for the extra material under the armpits, tho, and for $128 I have to really really like it. Also, no thumbholes or cuffins. Bring back the Define and Stride, please.
Right Round pants: sized down from a 6 to a 4 and they fit well. Perhaps a tad long and I didn't have athletic shoes with me to check. They have a decorative finish on the bottom that you would lose if you hemmed. The lining inside made them nice and heavy (and I presume warm), but it was also slick and shiny feeling. Total tuxedo look with the wide ribbon down the sides. Nice, but not $118 nice.
Saw the silver WUs and was looking inside to see what the silver threads looked like inside before trying on my size and let's just say that what I saw on the inside gusset made it clear that someone had tried on the pants without underwear. Yuck. Back they went to the display. Come on people :( SO I have no idea if they fit TTS size or are a size up item.
Tried on the mint moment swiftly, didn't like the black edging. The color was ok, maybe a bit too washed out. I prefer dark rich colors in the swiftly. Saw the hideous striped leg warmers in mint and flash. No words.
So, after all that, I ended up returning it all and got a St. Moritz sweater from markdown. On a funny side note, I was returning my items and the Ed asked if it was the wrong size and I told her no, I had bought them again when they came on sale so was returning the original purchases (I had given her all of the receipts). She stopped the return and said 'Oh, well, sale items are final sale and you can't return them'. No, I explained, these were the original full price items (as the receipts show) but I had bought them again on markdown because they don't do price adjustments, and am returning the full price purchases. Oh. She immediately got very cold and unfriendly and got out the red 'final sale' stamp and stamped all over the tag of the sweater. Sheesh. Why is it such a drag to shop in store? :(
Oh,I forgot, I also tried on the Not So Basic tees. The short sleeved version was a size down item for me and the long sleeve was TTS. I liked the long sleeve, but am not paying $78 for a cropped thin top.
Saw the laceoflage unders today. Full print on pants but it stretched the print when you put them on/ bend your knees(verses the striped which is in the fabric). All were cute, tough time deciding the size, I wear a 4 or 6 - went with 6 for the see through factor. Hope I made the right decision, I am sure these will go quickly!
Would like to see the three colors posted + aquamarine + toothpaste + aruba. Aruba was my fave of this color family but I wouldn't really put Angel in here.
I received my order today from Monday night's upload. I ordered the mint swiftly LS and the polar haze/black Technicool LS. I really like both pieces and will keep both. The swiftly is gorgeous - a pale mint that is a good transition color from winter to spring. I also really liked the Techni Cool LS as well. I'm petite so the shorter length doesn't bother me. I will probably layer with a CRB underneath. It is definitely roomy. If you don't plan on layering underneath or like your tops more fitted, I would say size down in this item. Hope that helps.
@ 8:42 AM, on your last paragraph and the sales clerk's failure to listen, the presumption that you'd bought the items on sale: it's a drag because they make it a drag. LLL is antiquated and their customer service sucks, plain and simple.
I actually don't have access to a an Athleta retail store, but I've started looked at the on-line one and will be shopping there. LLL is definitely losing most of my loyalty, if not completely. This is due to the awful new clothes and the vision of what's to come (more trendy and/or just ugly crap), and the beyond awful customer service. The additional Boxing Day price drops 2 days later were the final straw for me, I think. I didn't call for price adjustments and I/we shouldn't have to (they should automatically credit regardless of BS 'final sale'). Like many others, I've bought for years and have spent quite a bit of money there! Now it's going elsewhere.
I'm with anon @ 12:23 pm regarding a comparison request that incorporates Aruba & Aquamarine.
Thanks so much for fit reviews, anon @ 8:42 pm. I too have experienced that passive aggressive attitude from "educators" before. As bad as it sounds, I always bring to my returns to the one store where the attitude is the worst just to give them the proverbial middle finger (with a smile of course:).
love the comment about the returns - i've done the same thing with all the holiday stuff i bought. to avoid confusion, i just said they were gifts that had been the wrong size and that i had already bought the correct size.
i've been a regular shopper at several stores with stupid return policies (like price adjustments for 14 days, returns after 30 days, won't give "price adjustment" between 15 and 30 days) so now i know that saying less is usually less painful!
Ha! Anon 5:40, I love it and do the same thing. I had an educator say "that's an awful lot of stuff you're returning" and I wanted to say yeah because your company forces me to buy as soon as I see it or it might be gone! God forbid you could actually call another store for me or even (gasp!) order in store and ad it shipped to me directly like every other store I shop at. My husband always asks me why I continue to shop at lulu and the answer is getting harder to come up with. Honestly I think it is an addiction!
I feel the same. Like it's an addiction. But with the old Lulu. Not a fan of the new stuff, especially since they're changing the symbol to stick-on rubber in discreet places. I will still pick up key pieces but boy has it all changed so much and NOT for the better. I do a lot of returns too and deal with snotty customer service. I feel like the sales associates that work there don't know the product like I do. When they give me attitude I want to tell them: I love ordering online so I can try it all on in my own home without pressure. If I want to return it because the material has changed and now feels scratchy or is see-through, that's my prerogative.
FYI, if you call for a price adjustment, they will mail you a gift card with the difference. I called immediately after the Boxing Day fiasco and they told me they couldn't do anything for me. I tried again a week after and they said they're now rectifying the issue.
Speaking of customer service, the store I frequent most often has a few great "educators" and a few snotty ones. The one I am thinking of in particular (who also had a stint as one of their models for the fall line-up) really needs to get off her pedalstool and act more like a person than a ...I don't know what to call her. I'm sure she's a sweet girl when we get down to it but her customer service aura sucks.
This is very true of LLL eds. My regular store, no problems whatsoever. It's when I go to another city then they try me. All I do is to own the situation, keep a business only face and get it done. Also when an ed attempts to educate me and follow me around, I just ignore (yes, like not answer any of their questions or make eye contact- lol) and wait until they are at the register and return. Then you know they don't expect much conversation or verbal exchange. They try to think they are up there because of their brand but I only know very few people who work not because they need the money but because they really love what they do and will do it for free. Not these kids! I refuse to be treated this way.
@anon 8:33 PM. Too funny! They are training us to be Lulu combatants here. You should have said "you should see how much stuff I kept so hurry up, quit wasting my time." I love my eds but the ones who have never crossed me do try but fail. I don't fool around these kids. I can pay the price for their merchandise. I educate myself when it comes to the technical facts so I need little from them. Only if they just get out of the way I'll be set for the new year.
I can't stand the snotty attitude - anywhere! As for LLL, one store the educators know I'm a regular, no issues (unless it's a new staff). Other stores, I hate it when they jump on me and start to tell me all about the technical blah blah as if I have no knowledge. They REALLY make an assumption that you are new to the brand. I'm also very fit, visibly so, so draw that conclusion why don't you (educator) before you assume I need education. One guy (not my regular store), I was so annoyed when he pounced on me just after I walked in to look at a specific item, that I actually said (and I'm never like this): "no need to educate me, I'm here to do an exchange." His face dropped dramatically as he tried to recover, asking me about my day etc.
They would do much better to simply say: "let me know if you need any assistance" or "do you have any questions about the item(s)?" and if I say "no thanks", then leave me alone. Just because I'm looking at a shirt or jacket, I don't need its bio! And really, leave me alone in general.
I don't have any problem with the offers of help, I mean, I prefer to look around by myself, but it's their job and I can simply say that I prefer to look around. My problem is whenever I try to ask about product availability or express my views that I would like the old designs to return (old scuba with longer length and lined hood, jackets with thumbholes), some of them just want to argue and say that the new things are better in a way that implies I am stupid to think so. They must think we are dumb to not notice the downgrade in staple features and fabric. I run 10-12 half marathons a year, 200 mile relays, work out at the gym, cycle, practice yoga, have extra money to spend on nice looking and functional workout clothes. You'd like I'd be their ideal demographic. I just don't want to be treated snottily if I have a return. Any other retailer would have cheerfully given me a price adjustment. It's their policy that forces so many store returns. I just find their customer service so lacking compared to any other place I shop. You would think from their attitude that they worked at Tiffany's. But even the folks at Tiffany's are probably cheerier. The only thing I can conclude is that it must be a sucky back stabby no support from above place to work because so many of them act like they don't much like their customers. Shrug.
The "education" annoys me to no end. I dont need to be told EVERY TIME I look to see if any ta ta tamers are there that the bras are arranged in order of support. The canned phrases are totally annoying. I also dont feel like being asked what my sport is every time I walk in. And lastly, since they are so inconsistent with sizing and quality these days, and I since they wont look up items to tell you if they are in other stores, I no longer feel bad AT ALL for ordering tons and tons of duplicates online and taking it all back to a store to save me time, running around, and not having to deal with being "educated" when I already know more. Snottiness doesn't bother me, but the rote canned chit chat does!
A lot of the people who work at LLL are just doing their job, that is the way the stores are set up. The sales people are supposed to interact and try to get you to try things on and buy them. I understand that it could be annoying to have someone explain to you bout the wicking fabrics etc. but the truth is they don't know that we may already know all this. be polite.
28 comments:
Thanks for the comparison! How does mint moment compare to toothpaste?
Thanks for the comparison! Darn, I really wish I hadn't missed menthol. I prefer that over mint moment. Mint moment looks too light for me...I'll look washedo ut
Would be interesting to see mint moment next to aquamarine. I LOVE menthol- have the scoop neck, CRB, and power y.
Tooth paste is between menthol and mint stripe. Closer to menthol.
Crazy idea. Is mint moment the very pale green we saw in discovery stripe a year ago? (Navy/light blue/light green)
Ugh pastels are awful for my skin tone. I have $200 in giftcards and nothing I want
I'd really like to see it compared to Aquamarine.
Thank you Ms. S! Still want to see it in person, but this is a great reference point.
mint moment doesn't photograph well. it is closer to aquamarine. it is really pretty in person.
M
mint moment looks almost identical to river rock from summer 2010! or aquamarine from winter 2011
Agreed! Mint moment is a little too light. When did menthol come out? So sad I missed it!
My store try on report: I had bought a few items over the holidays that had gone to WMTM, so I bought them again on sale and had returns of the full price item. I tried to find something I liked, but there just isn't that much good stuff right now.
The Pump it Up Jacket- liked how the bottom fit,zippered pockets, didn't mind the big funnel collar, especially with the collar cinched. Dind't care for the extra material under the armpits, tho, and for $128 I have to really really like it. Also, no thumbholes or cuffins. Bring back the Define and Stride, please.
Right Round pants: sized down from a 6 to a 4 and they fit well. Perhaps a tad long and I didn't have athletic shoes with me to check. They have a decorative finish on the bottom that you would lose if you hemmed. The lining inside made them nice and heavy (and I presume warm), but it was also slick and shiny feeling. Total tuxedo look with the wide ribbon down the sides. Nice, but not $118 nice.
Saw the silver WUs and was looking inside to see what the silver threads looked like inside before trying on my size and let's just say that what I saw on the inside gusset made it clear that someone had tried on the pants without underwear. Yuck. Back they went to the display. Come on people :( SO I have no idea if they fit TTS size or are a size up item.
Tried on the mint moment swiftly, didn't like the black edging. The color was ok, maybe a bit too washed out. I prefer dark rich colors in the swiftly. Saw the hideous striped leg warmers in mint and flash. No words.
So, after all that, I ended up returning it all and got a St. Moritz sweater from markdown. On a funny side note, I was returning my items and the Ed asked if it was the wrong size and I told her no, I had bought them again when they came on sale so was returning the original purchases (I had given her all of the receipts). She stopped the return and said 'Oh, well, sale items are final sale and you can't return them'. No, I explained, these were the original full price items (as the receipts show) but I had bought them again on markdown because they don't do price adjustments, and am returning the full price purchases. Oh. She immediately got very cold and unfriendly and got out the red 'final sale' stamp and stamped all over the tag of the sweater. Sheesh. Why is it such a drag to shop in store? :(
Oh,I forgot, I also tried on the Not So Basic tees. The short sleeved version was a size down item for me and the long sleeve was TTS. I liked the long sleeve, but am not paying $78 for a cropped thin top.
Mint moment looks so much like toothpaste. I didn't have any on hand to compare, but it seemed very similar.
Saw the laceoflage unders today. Full print on pants but it stretched the print when you put them on/ bend your knees(verses the striped which is in the fabric). All were cute, tough time deciding the size, I wear a 4 or 6 - went with 6 for the see through factor. Hope I made the right decision, I am sure these will go quickly!
Would like to see the three colors posted + aquamarine + toothpaste + aruba. Aruba was my fave of this color family but I wouldn't really put Angel in here.
I received my order today from Monday night's upload. I ordered the mint swiftly LS and the polar haze/black Technicool LS. I really like both pieces and will keep both. The swiftly is gorgeous - a pale mint that is a good transition color from winter to spring. I also really liked the Techni Cool LS as well. I'm petite so the shorter length doesn't bother me. I will probably layer with a CRB underneath. It is definitely roomy. If you don't plan on layering underneath or like your tops more fitted, I would say size down in this item. Hope that helps.
@ 8:21 AM, Menthol was out mid-2012.
@ 8:42 AM, on your last paragraph and the sales clerk's failure to listen, the presumption that you'd bought the items on sale: it's a drag because they make it a drag. LLL is antiquated and their customer service sucks, plain and simple.
I actually don't have access to a an Athleta retail store, but I've started looked at the on-line one and will be shopping there. LLL is definitely losing most of my loyalty, if not completely. This is due to the awful new clothes and the vision of what's to come (more trendy and/or just ugly crap), and the beyond awful customer service. The additional Boxing Day price drops 2 days later were the final straw for me, I think. I didn't call for price adjustments and I/we shouldn't have to (they should automatically credit regardless of BS 'final sale'). Like many others, I've bought for years and have spent quite a bit of money there! Now it's going elsewhere.
I'm with anon @ 12:23 pm regarding a comparison request that incorporates Aruba & Aquamarine.
Thanks so much for fit reviews, anon @ 8:42 pm. I too have experienced that passive aggressive attitude from "educators" before. As bad as it sounds, I always bring to my returns to the one store where the attitude is the worst just to give them the proverbial middle finger (with a smile of course:).
love the comment about the returns - i've done the same thing with all the holiday stuff i bought. to avoid confusion, i just said they were gifts that had been the wrong size and that i had already bought the correct size.
i've been a regular shopper at several stores with stupid return policies (like price adjustments for 14 days, returns after 30 days, won't give "price adjustment" between 15 and 30 days) so now i know that saying less is usually less painful!
Ha! Anon 5:40, I love it and do the same thing. I had an educator say "that's an awful lot of stuff you're returning" and I wanted to say yeah because your company forces me to buy as soon as I see it or it might be gone! God forbid you could actually call another store for me or even (gasp!) order in store and ad it shipped to me directly like every other store I shop at. My husband always asks me why I continue to shop at lulu and the answer is getting harder to come up with. Honestly I think it is an addiction!
I feel the same. Like it's an addiction. But with the old Lulu. Not a fan of the new stuff, especially since they're changing the symbol to stick-on rubber in discreet places. I will still pick up key pieces but boy has it all changed so much and NOT for the better.
I do a lot of returns too and deal with snotty customer service. I feel like the sales associates that work there don't know the product like I do.
When they give me attitude I want to tell them: I love ordering online so I can try it all on in my own home without pressure. If I want to return it because the material has changed and now feels scratchy or is see-through, that's my prerogative.
FYI, if you call for a price adjustment, they will mail you a gift card with the difference. I called immediately after the Boxing Day fiasco and they told me they couldn't do anything for me. I tried again a week after and they said they're now rectifying the issue.
Speaking of customer service, the store I frequent most often has a few great "educators" and a few snotty ones. The one I am thinking of in particular (who also had a stint as one of their models for the fall line-up) really needs to get off her pedalstool and act more like a person than a ...I don't know what to call her. I'm sure she's a sweet girl when we get down to it but her customer service aura sucks.
This is very true of LLL eds. My regular store, no problems whatsoever. It's when I go to another city then they try me. All I do is to own the situation, keep a business only face and get it done. Also when an ed attempts to educate me and follow me around, I just ignore (yes, like not answer any of their questions or make eye contact- lol) and wait until they are at the register and return. Then you know they don't expect much conversation or verbal exchange. They try to think they are up there because of their brand but I only know very few people who work not because they need the money but because they really love what they do and will do it for free. Not these kids! I refuse to be treated this way.
@anon 8:33 PM. Too funny! They are training us to be Lulu combatants here. You should have said "you should see how much stuff I kept so hurry up, quit wasting my time." I love my eds but the ones who have never crossed me do try but fail.
I don't fool around these kids. I can pay the price for their merchandise. I educate myself when it comes to the technical facts so I need little from them. Only if they just get out of the way I'll be set for the new year.
I can't stand the snotty attitude - anywhere! As for LLL, one store the educators know I'm a regular, no issues (unless it's a new staff). Other stores, I hate it when they jump on me and start to tell me all about the technical blah blah as if I have no knowledge. They REALLY make an assumption that you are new to the brand. I'm also very fit, visibly so, so draw that conclusion why don't you (educator) before you assume I need education. One guy (not my regular store), I was so annoyed when he pounced on me just after I walked in to look at a specific item, that I actually said (and I'm never like this): "no need to educate me, I'm here to do an exchange." His face dropped dramatically as he tried to recover, asking me about my day etc.
They would do much better to simply say: "let me know if you need any assistance" or "do you have any questions about the item(s)?" and if I say "no thanks", then leave me alone. Just because I'm looking at a shirt or jacket, I don't need its bio! And really, leave me alone in general.
I don't have any problem with the offers of help, I mean, I prefer to look around by myself, but it's their job and I can simply say that I prefer to look around. My problem is whenever I try to ask about product availability or express my views that I would like the old designs to return (old scuba with longer length and lined hood, jackets with thumbholes), some of them just want to argue and say that the new things are better in a way that implies I am stupid to think so. They must think we are dumb to not notice the downgrade in staple features and fabric. I run 10-12 half marathons a year, 200 mile relays, work out at the gym, cycle, practice yoga, have extra money to spend on nice looking and functional workout clothes. You'd like I'd be their ideal demographic. I just don't want to be treated snottily if I have a return. Any other retailer would have cheerfully given me a price adjustment. It's their policy that forces so many store returns. I just find their customer service so lacking compared to any other place I shop. You would think from their attitude that they worked at Tiffany's. But even the folks at Tiffany's are probably cheerier. The only thing I can conclude is that it must be a sucky back stabby no support from above place to work because so many of them act like they don't much like their customers. Shrug.
The "education" annoys me to no end. I dont need to be told EVERY TIME I look to see if any ta ta tamers are there that the bras are arranged in order of support. The canned phrases are totally annoying. I also dont feel like being asked what my sport is every time I walk in. And lastly, since they are so inconsistent with sizing and quality these days, and I since they wont look up items to tell you if they are in other stores, I no longer feel bad AT ALL for ordering tons and tons of duplicates online and taking it all back to a store to save me time, running around, and not having to deal with being "educated" when I already know more. Snottiness doesn't bother me, but the rote canned chit chat does!
A lot of the people who work at LLL are just doing their job, that is the way the stores are set up. The sales people are supposed to interact and try to get you to try things on and buy them.
I understand that it could be annoying to have someone explain to you bout the wicking fabrics etc. but the truth is they don't know that we may already know all this. be polite.
M
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