It hurts to admit it, but I used to purchase right from the L.L. Bean store in Freeport Maine way back when L.L. himself was still alive and kicking, and contributing to that hard cover red book that was then the Bean's catalog. All the products were not only good, but excellent, most, if not all, tested and used by ol' L.L. himself or one of the family.
Times have changed and now many of their items are no longer American made, but made in ,,,ugghh....China. Take the famous Wicked Good slippers for example. Always a bit on the expensive side, they cost about $40 on sale a few years ago, went up to $60 a bit ago and are now $80 on line. They sure used to be worth the price but now, I can't say they are. Maybe if they lasted ten years to keep you feet warm in the mornings, but if they lased three or four years, are they worth $80? For indoor slippers, now, remember. Not outdoor boots or outdoor anything.
I'm bummed that an American legend touts their product as the same as was made in the old days and when you get it, it has a :Made in China" label affixed. Then you find the insides fall apart in due time. Worse yet, you find when the slippers fail to give satisfaction, the guarantee is not to replace them with the same slippers that are now double the price, but to refund or credit the original price. So, if you want a new pair you pay the increased price for a new "Chinese" L.L. Bean product.
Utterly disgusted. But much smarter as I now see why the latest Bean shirts do not hold up like the older ones. After a few washings they start to look like rags, no longer crisp and solid. More like something I would expect from Wal-Mart. Oh wait, the Bean shirts are made in El Salvador and Bulgaria. What did I expect? American pricing on foreign goods.
Another sad story for American goods and labor and a company with a good story left far behind. Old L. L. Himself would be really sad at this turn of events. Even horrified to see his fishing creel with a "Made in China" stamp on the bottom probably.
12 comments:
I think this change came about in the early 1990's, about the time I stopped doing business with them because of the same thing your page is about.
1960's thru 1980's, there wasn't a better place to buy from.
Rock solid 'replacement' warranty, excellant tested products, so who could ask for more from a retailer??
No more. Well, since the early 1990's.
OTS, but the 100 anniversary "Harley-Davidson" jacket that I bought has a tag on the inside reading, "Harley-Davidson, An American Legend", right next to a tag that reads "Made In China"!!!
I agree totally. I am from maine and used to shop at beans when they had that long set of wooden stairs leading to the retail store in freeport. I recently got a pair of $50 slippers for xmas. I noticed that in less than 2 months of casual wear around the house that the stitching is coming out of one and the fabric under each heel is worn completely through! 2 months! I looked at the tag and yup... made in china. According to other stories on the internet, 97% of items carried by LL Beans are NOT made in the USA. Only 3 % of the items are made here. I am discusted. And they completely changed their 100% satisfaction garauntee! Now, you have to have a receipt or proof of purchase and yes, they only credit you what you paid, not what the newly inflate price is of the same item a few years later. Also, if you do not have the recipt, they will look up the absolute lowest price that they ever sold that item for (even if it was on clearance sale) and they'll send you a ridiculous electronic shopping card in that tiny amount. It doesn't matter that you paid $20 for it... if they sold it for $6.95 on sale, that's all you're getting! Seriously. It happened to me. Check out my story here http://rvtalk.blogspot.com/
L.L. Bean Infinity Jugs, Made in China
Big Agnes Sleep Bags, Made in China
Gunn Creek Sleeping Bags, Made in China
Summit Sleeping Bags, Made in China
Life Preservers, Men’s, Women’s and Child’s all Made in China
L.L. Bean Helix Fishing Waders, Made in China
L.L. Bean Fishing Shoes, Made in China
L.L. Bean Flannel Shirts, Made in Viet Nam
L.L. Bean Tassel Loafers, Made in El Salvador
L.L. Bean Men’s Chino Pants, Made in India, and China
L.L. Bean Logo Flip Flops, Made in China
L.L. Bean Dockers Shoes, Made in China
L.L. Bean Men’s Boxer Shorts, Made in Sri Lanka
Over 40 Different Men’s Style and Brands of Socks, All Made in the U.S.A.
L.L. Bean Towels and Facecloths, Made in Turkey
L.L. Bean Large Duffel Bags, Made in China
Classic Maine Adirondack Double Wooden Rocker, Made in Viet Nam
L.L. Bean Women’s Coats, Made in Bangladesh
L.L. Bean Women’s Fleece Jackets, Made in El Salvador
L.L. Bean Women’s Raincoat, Made in China
L.L. Bean Men’s Blazer, Made in Viet Nam
L.L. Bean Women’s Jeans, Made in Mexico
L.L. Bean Infinity Jugs, Made in China
Big Agnes Sleep Bags, Made in China
Gunn Creek Sleeping Bags, Made in China
Summit Sleeping Bags, Made in China
Life Preservers, Men’s, Women’s and Child’s all Made in China
L.L. Bean Helix Fishing Waders, Made in China
L.L. Bean Fishing Shoes, Made in China
L.L. Bean Flannel Shirts, Made in Viet Nam
L.L. Bean Tassel Loafers, Made in El Salvador
L.L. Bean Men’s Chino Pants, Made in India, and China
L.L. Bean Logo Flip Flops, Made in China
L.L. Bean Dockers Shoes, Made in China
L.L. Bean Men’s Boxer Shorts, Made in Sri Lanka
Over 40 Different Men’s Style and Brands of Socks, All Made in the U.S.A.
L.L. Bean Towels and Facecloths, Made in Turkey
L.L. Bean Large Duffel Bags, Made in China
Classic Maine Adirondack Double Wooden Rocker, Made in Viet Nam
L.L. Bean Women’s Coats, Made in Bangladesh
L.L. Bean Women’s Fleece Jackets, Made in El Salvador
L.L. Bean Women’s Raincoat, Made in China
L.L. Bean Men’s Blazer, Made in Viet Nam
L.L. Bean Women’s Jeans, Made in Mexico
Their most famous hiking boots, the Cresta, is no longer made in Italy (the leather/fabric one still is) and the boot is not the one that so many of us loved from yesterday, but a cheap imitation with some production being okay, while others not so good. LL Bean has their hands full with overseeing the factory managers who compete, like crazy, with wild cost-cutting techniques such as "corrected leather" or down mixed with newspaper clippings, dog hair, etc.
Here is LL Bean statement: We aggressively investigate reports of code violations and require factories to make all changes necessary to achieve compliance with our code. A course of action is identified for any noncompliance concerns. Although monitoring hundreds of factories worldwide is an ongoing challenge, L.L.Bean has an effective program that has made a meaningful contribution to improving global sourcing practices.
I understand the complaints but this is still a great company. I'm from Maine and love Beans. It's incredibly hard to find any place that sells mostly American made products. Though they have made a shift their biggest seller and most famous product the Maine Hunting Shoe/Bean boots (which are everywhere right now) are still made in Maine. Some Kayaks come from Old Town, ME. Some come from Sweden. That's not Maine either. But still a really good product. So what if clothes and other products are made in China and elsewhere. Still a great store and company. Best boots in the world.
" Improve global sourcing"????
LL Bean isn't just on the wrong track, they aren't on the track at all. Greedy corps, the 1% and some economists may believe that globalization is a good thing and it is if you're one of the above and you don't care about food and product safety and America's internal and external sovereignty. Globalization has allowed corps to flood the economy with so many cheap shoddy products that turn citizens into mass consumers that end up consumed with costly repairs, frequent replacements, expensive warranties, etc.. and then don't have the time or money to afford a decent home-cooked meal at the dinner table with their families who are all busy texting their 'friends'. International trade agreements have betrayed the American people who must now compete with overseas workers (slaves) making 50 cents an hour or less. Americans are struggling much worse than anyone will admit and the media reports that we're doing great.
Before 2005, I loved shopping at Bean despite the Chinese-made goods because their prices were reasonable and their clothing still had a simple but classic range of style that looked like high end casual clothing. I go there today and it looks like the same cheap stuff inside Walmart and to be honest, Walmart's clothing isn't inferior to Bean's quality. It's all the same spandex-laden junk.
Remember when ' Free Shipping' became their mantra a few years ago? What's interesting is that Bean increased the price of most of their items by ten dollars and then offered free shipping. That's hardly free! For example, I could buy 10 shirts for 39.99 and have them delivered in a box in 3 days for a mere 9.00/12 at most in shipping but now I'm paying 100.00 to ship those same ten shirts to me in a green plastic bag. Even worse is that the quality and style were severely compromised despite free shipping increase and closing most of their retail shops so that customers couldn't return those big ticket defective items ( like their furniture) so easily. Frankly, I think Bean like many retailers today just float on cash flow that artificially inflates their quarterly earnings. I do purchase LL Bean vintage clothing from Ebay and I'm willing to pay more for it. Then again, I buy mostly vintage everything. The only modern stuff I have is computer and some other electronics.
Hi, I found this blog by doing a search to try and find not just a Bean slipper but ANY slipper that is still made in the U.S. I had been aware for some time that Bean has been slowly turning into a Made in China company while aggressively expanding its customer base, but this Christmas season has really cut it for me. Twice now I have tried to replace a years old pair of "wicked good" slippers, only to have both pairs arrive so poorly constructed and woefully, unrealistically misshapen it nearly brought me to tears. A moccasin is not an overly complicated or new design to master, and when your reputation is all your company is relying on anymore, and when the price you are charging tests your middle class customers, some greater attempt should be made to achieve, at the very least, "decent". If wicked good is too high a bar to set for yourself anymore, the boys in marketing and brand strategy should consider a product relaunch. I really used to love L.L. Bean, then I started to really like them and gave them some slack for trying to compete in this global marketplace. But now, my brand loyalty has been tested one too many times. Bean is no different than a hundred other companies using the pillars of cheap labor and sentiment to prop themselves up. I will be returning this last pair of slippers, finding some way to spend the last random gift cards I have (accumulated from all my recent returns due to quality issues) and from now on when I sit by the wood stove reminiscing in some other, better, slipper, I only hope I am able to remember that day when L.L. Bean used to make decent products. Wicked sad.
It is ironic what happened. I had a friend working for Bean who said they made the list of top 5 stores who use sweatshops for production. Pretty much the exact opposite of the principal the whole store was built on. But he also informed me that when Bean made the return policy it is known for, they weren't selling much more than a dozen products. It's when they took on more items, people started abusing the system and the only way they could cope with the returns was to move productions overseas. It is so bad in Maine, that thrift stores are required to put a black permanent marker X through the tags so people won't try to return them for a rebate. I have returned many things there, but never from fault of product, more so from regular use. Which basically is abusing the system, but hey they say no questions asked. If they were to throw away the guarantee but bring all productions back to america and get rid of half of their products, would we still be interested?
On a side note, I thrifted a made in usa flannel 3 years ago that I wear 200 days out of the year and wash once every other month, the thing has yet to show any signs of wear. And it's definitely from the early 90s. Thats the guarantee I want.
It is that way everywhere. Bought a Sears microwave made in China. Did not make it to the warranty expiration date. Replacement did not either. Third try got just past the warranty so I gave up. My old microwave from years ago was not full featured but lasted for years. I wish I still had it.
And the comments about the Bean slippers, the reviews at the website, made me think I will just keep trying to repair my old ones. So disappointing.
If the people who don't want everything made in China or somewhere else in the world stop shopping at Walmart and all the other places, maybe we would get back our manufacturing sector. Since we all want to be paid more than sweatshop laborers in China, we will have to pay more and buy less stuff. I am ready for that.
This has been going on for a long time. I have some clothes made decades ago that I assumed were American made because they were good....not so. But something has happened since then and the foreign stuff has become junk. Like the shovel that looks just like the American one, but with differences that make it unusable. That is hard to do. No quality control.
Washington Post had a piece by a woman who complained the clothes in the stores were ugly. And they are. Acres of ugly clothes with ugly material. Women's stores are way down in sales for that reason. Hurts my eyes to walk into what used to be a good store and see twice as much stuff crammed in and none of it is worth buying. Hanging on to all of my old clothes!
I have now returned 5 pair of women’s wicked good slippers in the last 3 months. Sale and coupon prompted me to buy 3 pair. Big mistake. They literally sewed 2 left feet soles onto each slipper. Another pair was improperly sewed by the ankle and barely came up onto my foot. When I called to make return the sales rep told me they were made in China. The QC dept must be there too. I purchased some shirts back in the day and they literally lasted forever, did not fade, stretch etc. I grew out of it but it was THE best Henley shirt I’ve ever opened. Yup from LL bean not anymore ��
EVERYONE should care. The reason we no longer produce quality products in USA is because there are not enough people who care
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