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Nordstrom Rack = marginal quality...

EBTX66

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I used to be able to find better stuff when they only had one store out in the suburbs but once they opened one next to the biggest mall here everyone discovered them and now there pretty much cleaned out. Like people are saying, I've seen Armani, Canali, etc. there and sometimes even on deeper clearance but just like Off 5th and Last Call I now usually see stuff that I can tell was specifically bought for the Rack. Still, they are probably the cheapest of the department store outlets if you're not looking for the absolute top of the heap brands.
Personally, I like them for shoes and they often have killer deals on socks, ties, and shirts. Example: they have an ongoing deal on Best of Class Talbott ties for $24.99. You have to check often because they go through dry spells. However, there are a few times a year when new stuff comes in all at once and there's often a sale in conjunction with it - but those days are an absolute madhouse.
 

rjmaiorano

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Rack stores used to be far better for mens clothing because the ratio of full-line stores to Rack stores was different. It used to be that Nordstrom full-line stores far out-numbered Rack locations. As a result the clearance items from a lot of full-line stores made there way to the few Rack stores that existed at the time. Keeping merchandise on the floor wasn't hard and not much merchandise had to be special purchased.

In the last 3-4 years or so Nordstrom realized that high volume, low margin = greater profit. Couple that with a terrible economy and a name people trust and you get a booming Rack division of Nordstrom. A lot of regular Nordstrom customers simply dropped down to become Rack customers. Up until about 9 months ago, Nordstrom almost completely pulled the rug from under full-line inventories (like most other high end retailers) and focused on their Rack business. As the impressive buoyancy of the stock price shows, Nordstrom's business model for this recession was pretty solid.

Unfortunately that makes finding steals that much harder in Rack stores now. Especially when 'the best' merchandise is shipped to Rack locations in wealthier areas... Should be noted that Rack stores can contract out to other retailers for their clearance merch, as an example, the Rack by gets the end of season Tumi luggage from the local Tumi store.
 

usctrojans31

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I'll echo others' statements. I've seen great shoes there, and some marginally good shoes. While I, like many other SFers despise Kenneth Cole, I got a nice pair of KC boots there for $20. Allen Edmonds are often anywhere from $85-$145, and Donald Pliner often ranges from $100-$200.

Their suit selection, for the most part, blows. $900 for a Versace summer weight suit? The pricing there is also very brand forward, oftentimes with Canali being considerably less than Burberry.
 

Jr Mouse

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Yup, 95% of it is junk with some good deals if you are lucky. I am never that impressed with the shoes I have seen.
 

Osprey Guy

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From what I've heard (and seen) a lot depends on the store. The Rack near us is one of the top performing stores in the chain, and as such the store is "rewarded" with better stock. The store is just minutes from my house and I'm in there a lot. More often than not I'll find a gem or two (It helps if you enjoy the "hunt"....I do, very much, and I also seem to have a knack for spotting the hidden treasures). By contrast, a few weeks ago I was at The Rack at Sawgrass Mills in S. Florida... I couldn't believe what a difference,...just awful!!! I've never had such a totally wasted visit to a Rack. The Rack at Potomac Mills (south of DC) is only fair. But a couple of months ago I was in a Chicago suburbs store and I spotted some nice things. D-
 

SpooPoker

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The Rack just sucks. I love the hunt more than anyone, and I dont have the patience to dig through all that garbage. Whomever up there said its like a TJ Maxx was 100% spot on.
 

razl

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Originally Posted by SpooPoker
The Rack just sucks. I love the hunt more than anyone, and I dont have the patience to dig through all that garbage. Whomever up there said its like a TJ Maxx was 100% spot on.
Ditto. Here in Orlando, we've had a proper Nordstroms for about 6 years now but no Rack. Having seen a number of posts on SF about excellent suit deals scored at their local Rack's, I was quite envious. We got one about 6 months ago and, ... ugh. Nothing like Nordstroms hand-me-downs, more like a totally different store filled with Marshalls/Ross/TJMaxx crap and a Nordstroms name slapped on. In fact, we had zero blazers or suits for about 5 months, I was starting to think we wouldn't ever have any, period. They started trickling in some about 4 weeks ago. Most are garbage, but I saw a few high end stragglers so I'm hoping the occasional gem shows up, but given the rest of the stuff on the floor, I am not holding out hope... My usual bottom feeding crawl includes our Rack less and less. I mean, there's so little if any decent stuff, it just isn't even productive to stop by for 10 minutes. That said, the store is never wanting for it's share of middle class label whores. I'll add one other thing - I've always very much liked Nordstroms (and touted stores of their service in many a post). But, I do think the sour taste in my mouth over the rack has rubbed off on my Nordstrom perspective for no other reason other than name association. As time goes on, I find my enthusiasm for visiting the main store diminished by proxy of my disappointing experience at the rack. I mean, if I was scoring decent stuff at the Rack, I'd be more inclined to visit the store - something like "geez, if that's showing up here, what have they got at the main store???". But when I come away empty handed at the rack, I somehow feel there can't be anything at the main store either...
 

kmdsimpson

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These places are all going to crap with the proliferation of "direct to outlet stores" merchandise. I still see the best stuff at Last Call; Off 5th has either outlet brands or racks and racks of the same stuff over and over; I've just about given up on Nordstrom Rack.

I remember about 5 years ago you could still find good suits at the Rack. It is all **** now.
 

SpooPoker

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I got my first pair of Ferragamos there years ago, I remember the Ferragamo selection was awesome. Now when I crawl the shoe aisles, its only crap Adidas and Geox. Not worth my time. Id rather dig at NMLC or Saks for an hour then spend 10 minutes in there.
 

Osprey Guy

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I got my first pair of Ferragamos there years ago, I remember the Ferragamo selection was awesome. Now when I crawl the shoe aisles, its only crap Adidas and Geox.
This was exactly what I found at the Sawgrass Mills store. And that's why I was so stunned. Not only was it all crap...but the department was just a fraction of our men's shoe dept!! We've obviously got one of the (few remaining) good stores in the chain. While we certainly get our share of the Chinese junk at our store, it's very rare that I don't see at least a few pairs of better shoes (Canali, Santoni, Ferragamo, always a lot of AE's, etc). While they may not necessarily be in my size, just knowing that the good stuff is still showing up at our store on a fairly regular basis is always an encouraging reason to come back again.
 

jabreal00

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The place is a zoo. Cloths are heaped on top of each other. I cannot shop in conditions like that. It feels almost like a frenzy looking for that one gem. It's just not worth the hassle. I'll pass.
 

The Shoe Snob

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the rack is simply crap leftover from the half-yearly sales, returned stuff from nordstrom that can't sell at full price anymore, and special purchases for their store specifically. The reason why it is hard to find good stuff is because it's all the bottom barrel of the sales from nordstrom main line stores. To make the most out of the rack, you have to know when to go and that is 2 weeks after any half yearly sale, it will be most stocked then and you will have more luck finding "nice" stuff. I once bought a pair of churches, brand new, for $150. I don't know anywhere else i could have found that deal. You just have to be persistent and wade through all of the crap!
 

Chips

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I've found a few decent things there over the years, but it's getting to where it's not worth the wait in the long lines to check out. They cater to the younger fashion trends and the decent quality classic menswear is not well represented anymore.

I was happy to score a nice pair of Sperry Topsiders for for $30. But I never find those amazing deals on 100% cashmere socks for $2 or whatever crazy finds, some people seem to stumble across.
 

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