You can typically find luxury goods from brands like Ralph Lauren, Gucci, Prada, and Coach at discounted prices at outlet shopping centers. You are probably under the impression those goods are from previous seasons or are overstock. However, Gigi (@@freckles_g) says she found out the hard way that’s not always the case.
TikTok user Gigi (@@freckles_g) kicks off her viral TikTok by sharing that she’s a “purse girl” who loves Coach. She says she bought a Coach purse from an outlet store. And then she took it into a regular Coach store to get it customized.
Coach offers a variety of customizations, such as monogramming, embellishments, and digital printing. “The Coach store told me, they don’t work on outlet purses because they are not the same purses as the actual Coach brand,” Gigi says.
Viewers feel bamboozled
The video has racked up 1.7 million views. Viewers were shocked to learn that the bags from the outlet store are different.
“I lowkey feel scammed learning this I haven’t bought anything from coach outlet but I always thought it was stuff that just didn’t sell,” one viewer said.
“That’s so misleading. I always thought the coach outlet was from outdated/last seasons stock that didn’t get sold,” another agreed.
Some workers weighed in.
“The outlet locations have their own bags that are made with lower quality leather, that’s why they’re less expensive,” one former Coach store manager said.
“Sometimes we got returns from the designer store. you could see and feel the difference in quality,” a former outlet store worker claimed.
Coach vs. Coach outlet bags
Although the brands are owned by the same company, there are some differences.
- While Coach outlet stores may carry some of the same merchandise that Coach offers, it also has its own special merchandise. USA Love Shoppe says that “you’ll find outlet-exclusive lines designed to appeal to a broader audience” at Coach outlet stores.
- Quality is another difference. According to Retail Boss, at Coach outlet stores, “the materials and construction might differ slightly to accommodate the lower price point.”
- Packaging is yet another difference. Coach purses from Coach stores are normally packaged with a dust bag. The outlet, on the other hand, may not do this. One customer recently found that out the hard way. She received her Coach outlet purchase in what she called a “garbage bag.”
@freckles_g Replying to @Flathub 7\ YEPPPPPPP #outletshopping #outlets #fashion #plannedobsolescence @Coach ♬ original sound – Gigi
The Daily Dot reached out to Gigi via TikTok comment and direct message as well as to Coach via press email.
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