I call B.S. on some Discount Stores

I recently read an article about how some discount stores that claim to have top designers at low, low prices are in fact selling sub-par apparel to the masses. "Hmmmmmmmm...." I thought to myself. Could this be true? So I did a little investigation at a Filene's Basement and Marshalls and have come to the conclusion that it is true. I tried on Kors by Michael Kors at one, and looked at Tahari suits at the other. The clothes were crap.

The same article mentioned that the only places that you can be sure to find the real deal for less are sample sales or Century 21. Shoot. I guess I believe it, but shopping those is a real nightmare pain in the ass.

I guess the lesson is to be very discerning when considering purchasing "designer" clothing for less - if you think about it, how could all of these discount chain stores that continue to pop up all over the country carry top-of-the-line apparel? It's just not rational. I'm not necessarily saying that these stores are selling false or counterfeit goods, it could be that the designers are licensing out their names to mass manufacturers who are creating select items using less expensive materials and designs.

Since so many of these labels are owned by publicly traded companies, they have to continue to figure out new ways to make more money year after year. So be a smart consumer and don't be "had!"

Gap Makes the Man

Have you seen this man around town? He glides through the streets and avenues like an urban myth, sometimes sporting a bass, other times a laptop.

He seems "nice" and "harmless," but don't let the friendly midwestern, aw-shucks exterior fool you. He is sly and cunning and takes no prisoners.

By putting forth a laid back, care-free style, thanks largely to The Gap (see shirt in photos) and Marshalls, this chap turns up when you least and most expect it, often wearing the 90s slacker's uniform - a short sleeved T-shirt over a long sleeved T-shirt. Offputting? Yes. Dangerous? Maybe.

What does most of this have to do with Guerilla shopping? Well, he promised to fix my computer and make my Guerilla Shopper NYC business cards, so I thought I'd give him 15 minutes of fame to encourage his timely response. Which is already overdue. But once it happens, a-look-out!