# Brooks Brothers Clearance Center (with pics, 56k warning)



## crazyquik (Jun 8, 2005)

The Brooks Brothers Clearance Center is where great clothes go to die. It is an odd miss-mash of factory seconds with undetectable flaws, dealer samples, end of season close-outs, retail store stock that went to the 'Factory Stores' and still didn't sell, odd sizes, overruns, and truely defective merchandise.

Begin by leaving 346 Madison Avenue.

Drive 575 miles south and you'll end up a world away at 15 East Front Street, Garland NC.

In the red-brick storefront, note the gentlemen mannequins wearing plus 4s.

Entering under the Brooks Bros script, you find a room of almost nothing but shirts in two long rows down the middle, with ties lining one wall. We'll start there. I have trouble finding any decent ties there. The room is probably 50feet long or so and I only found about 3 repp stripe ties. Most are geometrics or prints that didn't sell well. There were a few ancient madder ties, some seersucker, a box of knits, and some of the skinny University width ties left.

Does anyone know Hamilton Moses? Because I bought his blue OCBD for $5.90

Non-iron seem to be the most popular and they fetch a premium, $19.90. The shirt below is a blue mini-houndstooth.

Several years ago Brooks did a run of contrast club collars. There are several long racks of these shirts there in about every size. I didn't buy these two on the trip last weekend, I had them from a previous trip. There is also a third version with a more conservative blue stripe.

There are also a lot of shirts with random monograms on them. Many of the shirts you see on the clearance section of the website, like the red tartan dress shirts with white contrast collars, end up here. I also found a lot of red stripe contrast collar shirts.

Oxford cloth popovers, but only in small, medium, and large sizing.

What I couldn't find where striped OCBDs  I found a few, but none in my size.

There were 4 pairs of men's opera pumps at $69 each. Some silk stockings at $2.

By the register wool scarves were $15-25. Several cardboard boxes of ribbon and tartan D-ring belts at $10-15 each.

This shirt, a detachable collar single cuff bib front Golden Fleece for white tie, which retails at $225, is about $15 I think, and they have boxes and boxes of them. Must not be very popular.

I had already picked one up on a previous trip but I got a matching vest for $20 this time. I have also seen Golden Fleece tailcoats for $300.

Speaking of Golden Fleece, below is the $79 Golden Fleece suit I bought. Plain navy 3 button high roll. Not very trad. Probably didn't sell because it is an incredibly boring navy, not the fabric you would expect at the Golden Fleece level.

There is a pass-thru that lets you walk into the room behind the red-brick storefront. This is the room of outerwear, mens suits, trousers, sweaters, boys clothes, and ladies. They had a lot of casual coats, canvas barn coats, wax jackets, cord coats, and sometimes duffle coats.

Don't get your hopes up though, most of the suits are orphaned suit jackets. The rest are mainly small sizes (36 and 37) or large sizes (50+). There were also over a dozen tan poplins. Last time I was there they had about 20 seersuckers. They currently have 4 decent winter tweeds, all in 40R I think.

This sweater was $14.90, as was the one below.

These chocolate 100% cotton trousers were $6.90, but originally I would hate to guess what they cost. The tag has been marked down several times from $59.99 which was already a markdown at the Factory Store.

While checking out I picked up a packet of two pairs of cuff links for $1. I'd never seen any like these.

And this is where the magic happens. The Garland Shirt Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Brooks Bros. If you order one of those space-age MTM digital tailoring shirts in Madison, it's made here.

According to the intarweb, Garland Shirt Company also makes shirts for https://www.workshopshirts.com/ I wonder if they would sell direct or make an AskAndy shirt?

Garland Shirt Company is the largest employer in town of about 800 people. I did find some pretty large turkey and chicken farms outside of town though. There is no real traffic light in town, but there is one intersection where cross traffic has a flashing red stoplight and thru traffic on Highway 701 has a flashing caution light. The per capita income is $13,500 and a quarter of the residents live below the poverty level. There is a Dollar General store but it is having a going-out-of-business sale.

For those of you who live far far away from Garland, you could buy from several ebay arbitrageurs who live in eastern NC such as armyhardhat. I suspect at least one of them would take special requests if you wanted something that wouldn't sell well on ebay (a tab collar shirt or pique waistcoat for wearing with white tie).


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## Hobson (Mar 13, 2007)

Thanks for a very informative post.


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## Financier (Mar 6, 2006)

I've been to the store in Garland. couple of great shirts at $10-15 each, if you can get over the fact that one wrist was larger than the other on one of the shirts.

Also got a $400 3/4 length overcoat for about $60.

Wonderful place.


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## I_Should_Be_Working (Jun 23, 2005)

Perhaps what will save places like Garland will be MTM, other short turnaround time pieces, and specialty items. It is more difficult to do such work half a world away. BTW, the better level GF shirts were made in USA ($175 vs $148; iron vs non-iron), not from the malaysia source.


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## Joe Tradly (Jan 21, 2006)

That wing collar formal shirt is beautiful. Wow!

Great post, Crazy. Thanks for the tour.

JB


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## AlanC (Oct 28, 2003)

I have some friends out on the NC coast. Maybe it's time I paid them a visit...


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## Untilted (Mar 30, 2006)

Thank you so much crazyquik.


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## Brownshoe (Mar 1, 2005)

Wonderful post, CQ, and now I'm considering changing my handle to the wonderful "Hamilton Moses."

Whotta moniker!


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## jamgood (Feb 8, 2006)

No pics of the final clearance area behind the curtain at the back of the store? Railroad awnings?

Bring your own red Sharpie day is every other Tuesday. Store closes at 5PM.

Too bad about the Dollar General. That may be the last of the public restrooms in Garland.

About a year ago I did an eBay search of Brooks Brothers sellers within 50 miles of the Garland zip code. I think it indicated about 6, 3 selling significant amounts. Aside from armyhardhat in Fayetteville, there was a seller of mostly ties and shirts in, I believe, Duplin. Also, someone closer to Raleigh.

Golfing Yanks and other nefarious outlanders drive over from Pinehurst when visiting, probably 60 miles away. Their Gordon Gekkoish illgotten PCIs are usually above $13K.

The BB distribution center is about 30 miles north of Garland, but no outlet there. That's why stuff ends up in Garland. I've bought sweaters that had never seen a store shelf, excess inventory, had to wait for the lady to open the plastic bag to mark the label. Just outta the box on new arrival day. Dumb luck.

Ja go to nearbye White Lake? It's the Hilton Head of land-locked SE N.C. Very exclusive. Hafta know somebody. www.whitelakenc.com

Cray-zee, 
Crayzee for feelin' soo lone-lee
Cray-zee, 
Crayzee for feelin' soo oh blooe
I'm crayzee for lyin'
& crayzee for tryin'
&, well we won't get into that.......


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## Hobson (Mar 13, 2007)

I'm curious, how does the merchandise/pricing compare with a typical Brooks Bros. outlet? It seems as if this store has much deeper discounts. Also, do you see many "346" items from the outlets there?


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## ksinc (May 30, 2005)

Excellent! Reminds me of Charles Kuralt.


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## crazyquik (Jun 8, 2005)

ksinc said:


> Excellent! Reminds me of Charles Kuralt.


We're alum


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## crazyquik (Jun 8, 2005)

Hobson said:


> I'm curious, how does the merchandise/pricing compare with a typical Brooks Bros. outlet? It seems as if this store has much deeper discounts. Also, do you see many "346" items from the outlets there?


A lot of the merchandise started at the retail stores. It was then shipped to the 346 Outlets and retagged, and still sat on the shelves/racks there. Almost everything I bought had been retagged, so it was in a 346 Outlet and still no one would buy it. The last stop before write-off must be the Clearance Center.

Somewhere between the retail store and the Clearance Center, TJMaxx gets in on some of the ties. I'm not sure if that's before they are 'sent down' to the 346 Outlets or after. Between TJ's and 346 Factory Stores, that probably explains why there are few regimentals or repps at the Clearance Center. Lots of ties but few I wanted. There are also defective ties which were cut on the wrong bias or has nits, picks, runs, etc on them.


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## enecks (Apr 25, 2007)

Thanks so much for the report, crazyquik. I'll definitely be making a pilgrimage to Garland once I escape back to North Carolina. The trip will also more than likely involve enjoyment of sublimely prepared pork. Oh how I miss the barbecue.


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## rdhancock (Nov 22, 2004)

*Takes Me Back*

It's good to see that the store hasn't changed much. When I was in school in Chapel Hill we used to run down there a fair amount and you just never know what you'll find. I'm a 50L so I usually come up empty, or hit the mother lode.


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## Harry96 (Aug 3, 2005)

Do they accept phone orders and ship merchandise?


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## hockeyinsider (May 8, 2006)

So is it worth me making a trip down there if say I'm in Virginia?


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## Taken Aback (Aug 3, 2009)

Thanks for bumping this. I totally forgot there was a picture thread. Perhaps you, or others, can post a few new ones too.


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## Ekphrastic (Oct 4, 2009)

I just gave 'em a call, asking if they ship--they don't. You have to go there in person. I also sent a message to armyhardhat on eBay, asking if he still makes trips out there; it looks like he hasn't sold anything in half a year. We'll see what he says.

Of course, if anybody here is willing to make a trip down...


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## hockeyinsider (May 8, 2006)

With mobile telephones advanced the way they are, someone nearby could take a list of what forum members want and then take a photo if they find something and e-mail the person instantly to see if they want it.


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## Orgetorix (May 20, 2005)

Pretty sure forum member Steve Smith gets all the BB stock he sells down there. Given how much he sells, I wouldn't be suprised if he cleans them out pretty thoroughly, and on a regular basis.

And Garland is so far out into the middle of nowhere that I can't imagine it being worth the time and risk of finding nothing unless you were already on your way from Raleigh to Wilmington with lots of time to spare.


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## Taken Aback (Aug 3, 2009)

Org fell asleep next to a Steve pod. 

Whether more people start posting items from there on the exchange or not, I'd like to see more pictures of the place.


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## Ekphrastic (Oct 4, 2009)

^ Agreed. Steve, are you listening? We'd love to see pictures.


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## andcounting (Apr 7, 2009)

Orgetorix said:


> And Garland is so far out into the middle of nowhere that I can't imagine it being worth the time and risk of finding nothing unless you were already on your way from Raleigh to Wilmington with lots of time to spare.


I must've made that trip 1000 times in my life. I'm a native who misses the homeland. If I only I cared back when I didn't care, my wardrobe might be very different. NC, where barbecue is a noun.


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## rwaldron (Jun 22, 2012)

Does anyone know the days/hours they are open?


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## phyrpowr (Aug 30, 2009)

andcounting said:


> NC, where barbecue is a noun.


No, a religion


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## boatswaindog (Nov 18, 2010)

Next week I am headed south towards Pawleys Island SC, but my wife has given me permission to make a detour to Garland NC. I am looking forward to it even if I don't find a thing to purchase.


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## Orgetorix (May 20, 2005)

I'm planning on visiting the Garland store this Saturday on my way to the Outer Banks. I'll try to remember to take pictures.


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## Titus_A (Jun 23, 2010)

andcounting said:


> NC, where barbecue is a noun.





phyrpowr said:


> No, a religion


I've seen those NC sauces: it's more like a heretical sect.


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## andcounting (Apr 7, 2009)

Titus_A said:


> I've seen those NC sauces: it's more like a heretical sect.


Get thee behind me! Moderator Moderator! Come and usher this man right on out of here.

NC Barbeque is only loathed by surrounding states with their dixieland jealousy of such a noble and honored tradition. Sauce? Psh! Its a dish, not a sauce. It begins with the death of a pig and ends in family and friends blurring those lines.


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## JoshT (Jul 31, 2010)

Very interesting and informative post. Many thanks. I hope to be making a trip to Garland NC myself in the not-too-distant future. And to be getting me some of that NC BBQ, too.


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## Titus_A (Jun 23, 2010)

andcounting said:


> Get thee behind me! Moderator Moderator! Come and usher this man right on out of here.
> 
> NC Barbeque is only loathed by surrounding states with their dixieland jealousy of such a noble and honored tradition. Sauce? Psh! Its a dish, not a sauce. It begins with the death of a pig and ends in family and friends blurring those lines.


No one would begrudge residents of the Tarheel State their treasured convivial traditions, which we share in our own way. (Nor would I say anything against Carolina barbecue or Carolina barbecue sauce, an impressive and respectable culinary achievement in its own, somewhat strange, way, except firmly in jest.)


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

LOL. Not sure if my priorities are consistent with the seeming standards of the Trad fora, but my justification for a trip to the Tarheel State would be...
Barbecue first; the BB Clearance outlet second and a farewell Carolina barbecue feast to kick off the return trip to Hoosierville!


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## mhj (Oct 27, 2010)

eagle2250 said:


> LOL. Not sure if my priorities are consistent with the seeming standards of the Trad fora, but my justification for a trip to the Tarheel State would be...
> Barbecue first; the BB Clearance outlet second and a farewell Carolina barbecue feast to kick off the return trip to Hoosierville!


Better size up after all that eating :biggrin:


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## rwaldron (Jun 22, 2012)

Is there any particular place, that hose familiar with the area might recommend, to get some of this NC BBQ near or on the way to Garland?


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## dkoernert (May 31, 2011)

Lexington No.1 in Lexington, NC is the absolute best IMHO. Unfortunately about 3 hours away from Garland, though. You might check Fayetteville for some places, and Clinton is kind of nearby on 701. If you are coming up from LA though, you might pass close enough to Lexington to stop there.


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## Steve Smith (Jan 12, 2008)

Lexington type sauce is a completely different thing than Eastern NC sauce.

AFAIK, the nearest BBQ to Garland is just up the road in Clinton. From the BBCC, walk out the door, look to the right. That is 701 which takes you to Clinton. 

Eastern NC BBQ is a pretty consistent product no matter which restaurant you frequent. There will be subtle differences but it is all good. I have strong preferences in Memphis and in Arkansas, but not here. And I have lived in Eastern NC for over 25 years.


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## dkoernert (May 31, 2011)

Which is why why I said Lexington is better . I prefer it to the Eastern NC sauce.


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## phyrpowr (Aug 30, 2009)

Steve Smith said:


> Lexington type sauce is a completely different thing than Eastern NC sauce.
> 
> AFAIK, the nearest BBQ to Garland is just up the road in Clinton. From the BBCC, walk out the door, look to the right. That is 701 which takes you to Clinton.
> 
> Eastern NC BBQ is a pretty consistent product no matter which restaurant you frequent. There will be subtle differences but it is all good. I have strong preferences in Memphis and in Arkansas, but not here. And I have lived in Eastern NC for over 25 years.


Amen, Brother!! Any place that has a small building behind it that appears to be on fire will do just fine.


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## Orgetorix (May 20, 2005)

Made it by the clearance center today. Apparently it was a statewide tax-free day for clothing, which was a happy coincidence.

As others have said, lots and lots of not-very-useful odds and ends, orphaned pieces, etc. Very, very few complete suits, and the ones that were there were mostly Suiting Essentials (made-in-Thailand lastol blends). A good number of non-iron shirts and LOTS of ladies' clothing. Lots of ties, but a good number of them were either ugly or flawed. If you wear a small, you'll find a much better selection in your size, especially in outerwear and sweaters. I saw exactly one pair of men's shoes, a pair of red driving shoes.

I picked up a suede car coat, an 1818 windowpane flannel sportcoat, a couple of sweaters, an OCBD, and a popover OCBD sport shirt. Spent a shade over $300, which is not bad considering retail would be at least $1700 for what I got.










Inside. Sportcoat wall on the left, which was mostly orphaned suit coats. Ties front right. Racks of outerwear and tuxes beyond that, with dress trousers in the back of the room.










Shirts...mostly non iron, but a few OCBDs scattered throughout. The cubes up front hold sweaters and more (folded) shirts










The complete suits. Up top is everything they had in 44R or smaller.










Outerwear










This room was mostly ladies' clothing, but had sport shirts and casual trousers toward the back.










Apologies for the poor photos. Folks at the regular BB stores don't like people to take pictures in the stores, and I wasn't sure how the ladies at Garland would feel, so I was trying to be discreet.


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## Orgetorix (May 20, 2005)

Suede car coat $179.90 
1818 Madison navy flannel sportcoat, $59.90 
Lambswool sweater, $29.90 
OCBD and sport shirt, each $17.90
Tie $12.90


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## Taken Aback (Aug 3, 2009)

Thanks for the added views.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

mhj said:


> Better size up after all that eating :biggrin:


LOL. Indeed, that could quickly become an issue!


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## Hobson (Mar 13, 2007)

Thanks for posting the new pics.


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## rwaldron (Jun 22, 2012)

I'll try this again. Does anyone know the hours/days that they are open?


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## Orgetorix (May 20, 2005)

Monday-Saturday, 9-5, I believe.


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## rwaldron (Jun 22, 2012)

Orgetorix said:


> Monday-Saturday, 9-5, I believe.


Great; Thanks.


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## boatswaindog (Nov 18, 2010)

I was there on Aug. 7, 2012. The store is very small, just two maybe 30 x 15 rooms. One of the rooms is dedicated to women's clothing. It seems to be a very hit or miss operation. The selection of women's clothing, at least on this date, was far superior to the men's. Better selection, better quality. They had a number of irregular ties, labeled as such. I had never seen that in any Brooks store. Was it worth it? I suspect most shoppers would end up frustrated. For my wife and I it definitely was. She bought a black silk evening gown $400 marked to $30. It certainly looked flawless on her. She wore it one evening in Athens GA. And I lucked into one of those creme colored Irish linen suits Brooks featured a couple of years ago. The Fitzgerald model that appeared to be, in 46l, a perfect fit. $89 marked down from maybe $500. They only had one in any size.
I have been a customer since the 1980s. I deserve something for the effort! 
For people headed to the Myrtle Beach area, I can definitely recommend getting off at Exit 90 going south on 91 and taking US 701 south. A far more interesting drive than the large interstate. It will take you directly to Garland and then to the Carolina shore destinations. A nice drive through NC farm country.


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## fedacct (Jun 2, 2014)

If you go into the store and see something that you might like or
something you definitely like, you better grab it right away. The store
clerks were covertly working with a resaler while I was in the store and moving
merchandise back behind the counter. Shoes I was looking at started
quickly disappearing, and no one came clean about what happened. The guy
that was doing it strangely acted like he was an employee of the store and
appeared on the surface to be helpful to me and my friend while he was doing
it. I just sent Brooks Brothers an email about this incident.

Another thing......you will need to try all suits on. Most of the ones they sell were custom orders that were cancelled. I found one where the jacket fit. The pants should have, but I couldn't even button them. The cuffs had been altered as well.


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## Orgetorix (May 20, 2005)

fedacct said:


> If you go into the store and see something that you might like or
> something you definitely like, you better grab it right away. The store
> clerks were covertly working with a resaler while I was in the store and moving
> merchandise back behind the counter. Shoes I was looking at started
> ...


You posted the same story at Styleforum, where you're also a brand new member. Do you normally go around finding online forums to badmouth stores?

I'll post here what I said to you there: when I've visited, store employees were offering to hold items behind the counter for all customers. If you walked into your local Brooks Brothers retail store, they'd do the same thing for you. It's standard practice, not sketchy favoritism.


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## fedacct (Jun 2, 2014)

Orgetorix said:


> You posted the same story at Styleforum, where you're also a brand new member. Do you normally go around finding online forums to badmouth stores?
> 
> I'll post here what I said to you there: when I've visited, store employees were offering to hold items behind the counter for all customers. If you walked into your local Brooks Brothers retail store, they'd do the same thing for you. It's standard practice, not sketchy favoritism.


Do you have a problem? I don't owe you an explanation.

Re: "...where you're also a brand new member." - What does that have to do with anything?

Get a life, and grow up! I really don't know why it bothers you so much or where you get off thinking you have the right to admonish someone online that you don't even know.


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## Taliesin (Sep 24, 2004)

Orgetorix said:


> You posted the same story at Styleforum, where you're also a brand new member. Do you normally go around finding online forums to badmouth stores?
> 
> I'll post here what I said to you there: when I've visited, store employees were offering to hold items behind the counter for all customers. If you walked into your local Brooks Brothers retail store, they'd do the same thing for you. It's standard practice, not sketchy favoritism.


I reported on this forum many years ago about this phenomenon. Not surprised it's still going on. I've seen it more than once in Garland (used to stop there to/from beach vacations in the summer) - the employees will wait till the ebay reseller arrives, then open certain boxes and he gets to look thru them and pick what to buy before the items are ever placed on the racks. I once elbowed my way into this and started rifling thru a box of Golden Fleece suits at the same time as the reseller. They didn't stop me but clearly were not happy about it. He bought about 10 of them, and not a single suit had spent even a moment on the rack - directly from the box to the reseller's shopping bag.

I assume some kind of kick-back system is in place.


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## fedacct (Jun 2, 2014)

Orgetorix said:


> You posted the same story at Styleforum, where you're also a brand new member. Do you normally go around finding online forums to badmouth stores?
> 
> I'll post here what I said to you there: when I've visited, store employees were offering to hold items behind the counter for all customers. If you walked into your local Brooks Brothers retail store, they'd do the same thing for you. It's standard practice, not sketchy favoritism.


BTW, congratulations. You made it onto my ignore list.

(Eagle2250, take heed for what? Why are you editing my post? So, he is allowed to insult me, but I'm not allowed to defend myself? Why aren't you editing his posts? His comment was condescending, unnecessary, and untactful. I didn't do anything to this guy, but yet he tries to pick a fight. Explain please....why the favoritism?)


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## fedacct (Jun 2, 2014)

Taliesin said:


> I reported on this forum many years ago about this phenomenon. Not surprised it's still going on. I've seen it more than once in Garland (used to stop there to/from beach vacations in the summer) - the employees will wait till the ebay reseller arrives, then open certain boxes and he gets to look thru them and pick what to buy before the items are ever placed on the racks. I once elbowed my way into this and started rifling thru a box of Golden Fleece suits at the same time as the reseller. They didn't stop me but clearly were not happy about it. He bought about 10 of them, and not a single suit had spent even a moment on the rack - directly from the box to the reseller's shopping bag.
> 
> I assume some kind of kick-back system is in place.


They have signs throughout the store indicating limits that should keep this from happening. It's highly unethical. I mean, that store exists for the purpose of allowing BB to get rid of overstocks or irregular merchandise by offering it to customers at low prices, not for someone to come in and buy it in hoards, sale it, and make a profit.

I went back to try on other sizes of the same shoe to verify fit. Here, this reseller had grabbed them all. Neither he nor the employees came clean when I mentioned "Where did all the shoes go?" It really isn't putting the reseller out for me to swap a pair of shoes with him for another size. Yet, he didn't even offer. He still ends up with the same amount of merchandise.

The person I was traveling with was upset about this too.

The key here is the store personnel and reseller were acting covertly about the whole thing, which is essentially an admission that they knew they were doing something wrong.


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## fedacct (Jun 2, 2014)

Taliesin said:


> I reported on this forum many years ago about this phenomenon. Not surprised it's still going on. I've seen it more than once in Garland (used to stop there to/from beach vacations in the summer) - the employees will wait till the ebay reseller arrives, then open certain boxes and he gets to look thru them and pick what to buy before the items are ever placed on the racks. I once elbowed my way into this and started rifling thru a box of Golden Fleece suits at the same time as the reseller. They didn't stop me but clearly were not happy about it. He bought about 10 of them, and not a single suit had spent even a moment on the rack - directly from the box to the reseller's shopping bag.
> 
> I assume some kind of kick-back system is in place.


I just received an email from Brooks Brother's customer service. They said they'd investigate.


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## Piqué (Apr 10, 2014)

fedacct said:


> I just received an email from Brooks Brother's customer service. They said they'd investigate.


Well whoopty ****. Can you stop trolling every BB thread about it now?


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## fedacct (Jun 2, 2014)

Piqué said:


> Well whoopty ****. Can you stop trolling every BB thread about it now?


What a classy, intelligent, and mature response!

Trolling? With that flaming response, that's the pot calling the kettle black.

What the h*ll is wrong with you people? What kind of mature adult would write something like this?

I don't like going out of my way to a store and finding a reseller grabbing merchandise out from under me for his selfish desire to make a profit. One other person on here also agreed with me. My traveling companion also agreed with me.

All I'm doing is relaying my experience. That is what these forums are for. Am I not suppose to say anything just because you're irrationally bothered by it? Again, why does it even bother you to begin with? Maybe you and the other guy are resellers too. At the very least, it appears that you both have too much time on your hands. Then again, I see from one of your prior posts that you are 32 yo.....oh, and now I see that the other guy is 30 yo. So, I'm placing my bets that the issue here is immaturity.

Piece of advice: It isn't all about how you look. It's how you act too.

Congrats to you too since you also made it to my ignore list. Take your lithium, and everything will be OK.


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## Andy (Aug 25, 2002)

Financier said:


> ..., if you can get over the fact that one wrist was larger than the other on one of the shirts...


Custom made to wear a wrist watch on the larger cuff wrist!


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## Orgetorix (May 20, 2005)

fedacct, I'm sorry if I offended you. The Trad forum here is a pretty close, genial community, and I hope you stick around, get to know us, and contribute. Experience here indicates that when folks show up and their first post is to flame a retailer, they usually aren't interested in becoming a part of this community on its own terms, and often are never heard from again. If that's not you, I apologize for making the assumption. Sometimes we get over-zealous in trying to keep this forum a conversation among e-friends rather than a Yelp-style bulletin board for people to make drive-by assaults on whoever they aren't happy with. 

I was also trying to offer an alternative way of looking at the situation. Going by what Taliesin said, I may have been wrong about that too, and I'm happy to admit it.

If you do stick around, you'll see soon that bashing and defending Brooks Brothers may be the most popular intramural sport we have. Just make an effort to enroll and learn the culture before you join up on either side. ;-)

Again, if I overstepped myself, I apologize.


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## Piqué (Apr 10, 2014)

fedacct said:


> What a classy, intelligent, and mature response!
> 
> Trolling? With that flaming response, that's the pot calling the kettle black.
> 
> ...


You've necro'd multiple threads across both clothing forums on this website as well as another website to quote yourself and post your experience. You've then followed it up with a play-by-play of your communications with the company and re-tellings of your same pointless story. I didn't say a word to you until I saw the venom that you used on someone who dared to question the necessity of the multiple cross postings of the same crap. At that point, I thought it necessary to inform you that that poster was not the only one unimpressed by you. I'm sure there are many others who are too polite to speak up, but that's neither here nor there. I have a newsflash for you: The Brooks Brothers Outlet exists to sell clothes, not to sell clothes _to you_. I doubt they care how that is accomplished, nor should they. If you need someone to tell you to pick something up that you like in an outlet store and hold on to it rather than coming back for it later, then I'm not sure if there's much help that can be given to you.


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## fedacct (Jun 2, 2014)

Orgetorix & Pique, I didn't read your posts since you are ignored, but the fact that you both seem to need to get the last word indicates I struck a nerve.

It's OK.....just hold out a little longer, and puberty will set in.


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## Reuben (Aug 28, 2013)

You might want to read them. 


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## fedacct (Jun 2, 2014)

Reuben said:


> You might want to read them.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


No thanks! It isn't a constructive conversation. I'd rather not know. Time to move on.


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## Reuben (Aug 28, 2013)

fedacct said:


> No thanks! It isn't a constructive conversation. I'd rather not know. Time to move on.


"fedacct, I'm sorry if I offended you. The Trad forum here is a pretty close, genial community, and I hope you stick around, get to know us, and contribute. Experience here indicates that when folks show up and their first post is to flame a retailer, they usually aren't interested in becoming a part of this community on its own terms, and often are never heard from again. If that's not you, I apologize for making the assumption. Sometimes we get over-zealous in trying to keep this forum a conversation among e-friends rather than a Yelp-style bulletin board for people to make drive-by assaults on whoever they aren't happy with.

I was also trying to offer an alternative way of looking at the situation. Going by what Taliesin said, I may have been wrong about that too, and I'm happy to admit it.

If you do stick around, you'll see soon that bashing and defending Brooks Brothers may be the most popular intramural sport we have. Just make an effort to enroll and learn the culture before you join up on either side. ;-)

Again, if I overstepped myself, I apologize."


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## fedacct (Jun 2, 2014)

Reuben said:


> "fedacct, I'm sorry if I offended you. The Trad forum here is a pretty close, genial community, and I hope you stick around, get to know us, and contribute. Experience here indicates that when folks show up and their first post is to flame a retailer, they usually aren't interested in becoming a part of this community on its own terms, and often are never heard from again. If that's not you, I apologize for making the assumption. Sometimes we get over-zealous in trying to keep this forum a conversation among e-friends rather than a Yelp-style bulletin board for people to make drive-by assaults on whoever they aren't happy with.
> 
> I was also trying to offer an alternative way of looking at the situation. Going by what Taliesin said, I may have been wrong about that too, and I'm happy to admit it.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the encouraging comments. I had left online forums and Facebook for this type of reaction previously and was beginning to wonder "Why did I come back online?"

I'm not trying to bash anything. Yes, I gathered from the responses that you are a close knit community. It certainly wasn't a personal attack on you folks. I just hate seeing someone take advantage of the situation as what I felt was my case that day in the store.

Despite what happened, I scored two pairs of shoes, one that was Peal & Co & one that was made for Allen Edmonds for $69.90 each. I also got a nice dress shirt for $24.90. The suit, which was from the Regent line, unfortunately didn't work out because it was altered.

I don't know where it came from, but offending anyone was not my initial intention.


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## Reuben (Aug 28, 2013)

That was from Orgetorix, by the way. 


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## fedacct (Jun 2, 2014)

II plan to stick around, but I'm having difficultly adding an avatar. How is that done?

By the way, the info on this forum is part of the reason I stopped at this outlet.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

fedacct said:


> BTW, congratulations. You made it onto my ignore list.
> 
> (Eagle2250, take heed for what? Why are you editing my post? So, he is allowed to insult me, but I'm not allowed to defend myself? Why aren't you editing his posts? His comment was condescending, unnecessary, and untactful. I didn't do anything to this guy, but yet he tries to pick a fight. Explain please....why the favoritism?)


fedacct: You really should take the time to read our forum rules for user participation. You have clearly violated two and arguably three of them. The majority of your postings to this thread have been unnecessarily insulting and less than constructive. I tried to save you from yourself, but you saw fit to restore the deleted insult to another member and compounded that error by electing to argue moderation in the public forum. That will be addressed through other channels. A nine year member of these fora made an effort to apologize to you for any unintended misunderstandings and your response is to insult that member again. That is totally unacceptable. You really must take the time to read the rules!


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## fedacct (Jun 2, 2014)

Everyone, this is stupid and silly. Let's move on and be friends for god's sake!

If it's going to be this much trouble, I really don't want to be involved.


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## Piqué (Apr 10, 2014)




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## rwaldron (Jun 22, 2012)

Has anyone who has been there recently spotted any White Tie stuff? I've heard in the past, that this stuff tends to hand around the Clearance Center/


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## Reuben (Aug 28, 2013)

Just for the record, Orgetorix and I are not the same person at all. 


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## Steve Smith (Jan 12, 2008)

1. The employees at the BBCC *strictly enforce* company policy concerning the limits on the signs in the store. Maximum of 5 suits, 10 shirts, 5 pairs of shoes per customer.
2. Customers are forbidden to buy items directly out of the boxes as they are unpacked. Customers are forbidden to forage through boxes. This has been *strictly enforced *for about 1 1/2 years. 
3. Putting an item on the rack or the floor behind the cash register area reserves that item for that buyer. It works that way in many stores. I don't understand how this is done "covertly". It is either done or not done, and I have never heard anyone say "I'm putting this back here" as they do it. Protip: _If you are in a store with limited stock, use the system in place to reserve an item which you want to buy. If you walk away from it don't whine if someone else buys it._


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## gamma68 (Mar 24, 2013)

Interesting that fedacct has been suspended. I've seen behavior here that was far worse--it resulted only in a "slap on the wrist."

I'm not defending fedacct's inflammatory posts. But it seems there's been some inconsistency in how offensive behavior is handled here.


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## Shaver (May 2, 2012)

^Often a 'final straw' post is (quite rightly) removed by the moderating team.


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## gamma68 (Mar 24, 2013)

Shaver said:


> ^Often a 'final straw' post is (quite rightly) removed by the moderating team.


That's a good practice. What I'm talking about is offensive posts that only result in post removal and not complete account suspension.


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## Reuben (Aug 28, 2013)

gamma68 said:


> That's a good practice. What I'm talking about is offensive posts that only result in post removal and not complete account suspension.


He posted some really, really bad stuff and his post from an alternate account early this morning was even worse.


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## Ekphrastic (Oct 4, 2009)

Shaver said:


> ^Often a 'final straw' post is (quite rightly) removed by the moderating team.


Ah--good point.

On a separate note, has anybody been to the clearance center lately? I've got some time on my hands, and I might make the drive.


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## bigwordprof (Dec 30, 2011)

The last time I was there they had lots and lots of shirts. There were some decent looking repp ties (BB #1 and #5) and not a lot else. I don't go often (maybe once every two or three months) but I haven't seen shoes there in ages. I'm sure they get snapped up quickly.


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## boatswaindog (Nov 18, 2010)

I was there two weeks ago. Very little in stock. I think it is hit or miss. They have signs up that you can't buy more than 10 shirts or six suits at a time. So there are good days and probably a lot of bad days. The ebay people obviously patrol.


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## boatswaindog (Nov 18, 2010)

Oh dear, missed a bit of the controversy. To be strictly factual, my recollections of the signs were that the limits were 'per day' not 'per customer'. I have no problem with people making a living from the store. Their prices on ebay are often good. And I do remember the kindness of a regular customer who sent me gratis a pair of white buck shoe laces when I posted that I couldn't find any. Like a lot of these places, us tourists have to be a bit lucky.


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## Steve Smith (Jan 12, 2008)

boatswaindog said:


> Oh dear, missed a bit of the controversy. To be strictly factual, my recollections of the signs were that the limits were 'per day' not 'per customer'. I have no problem with people making a living from the store. Their prices on ebay are often good. *And I do remember the kindness of a regular customer who sent me gratis a pair of white buck shoe laces when I posted that I couldn't find any.* Like a lot of these places, us tourists have to be a bit lucky.


To add to boatswaindog's point I have also hooked up AAAC members with a large number of premium Golden Fleece hangers at $1 each as well as some other shoe laces and the occasional blazer button. Thus proving that "resellers" are not evil 100% of the time.


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## boatswaindog (Nov 18, 2010)

Steve: Thank you. Truth is, you benefit a lot of people by making the bargains from the store available to all of us.


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## swb120 (Aug 9, 2005)

I couldn't agree more. I have bought beautiful new suits and other items from Steve and other sellers from NC who frequent the outlet. I was able to visit the outlet once, approx. 6 years ago. It was great fun to a) find the place, which is really in a one-light town in the middle of nowhere, and b) look through the great variety of wares, which seems to change on a daily basis. But that was a one-off frolic for me; I truly depend on resellers like Steve who live nearby to identify quality items and make them available to the unwashed ebay and AAAC masses. And I would never begrudge his relatively slight markup for the convenience and quality control he provides. Thank you, Steve!



boatswaindog said:


> Steve: Thank you. Truth is, you benefit a lot of people by making the bargains from the store available to all of us.


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## nadams4011 (Jul 22, 2014)

Am I missing something here? What I see is a guy getting cyberbullied and being punished for it. It looks like he even tried to make peace. (By the way, isn't cyberbullying illegal?)

The only thing I see he did wrong was he should have ignored the inflammatory remarks, but the perpetrators probably made the comments so he would get upset and respond.

There's clearly a mob mentality on this thread. I'm surprised everyone is so focused on what this guy did and not on the other people. Seems like a very sophomoric reaction over something that really doesn't matter.



Reuben said:


> He posted some really, really bad stuff and his post from an alternate account early this morning was even worse.


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## Orgetorix (May 20, 2005)

Oh, hi, fedacct. Welcome back.


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## AshScache (Feb 4, 2013)

I'm timing my run down to hilton head on 9/12 to coincide with the stores Saturday hours....anyone been there recently? 


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## linedrive (Apr 24, 2014)

I was there a few weeks back. Didn't buy anything. I tend to look for suits and they were somewhat limited. I usually find something, but the prices have steadily increased over the years. Still a great buy, but back in the day you could buy "disposable" ties. Get something on it, just toss it in the trash. 

As far as shoes, I think someone had mentioned it, most of them seem to go to (when they are an Allen Edmonds shoe) back to A.E. to their outlet stores. In fact, I'm wearing a pair of A.E (for Brooks) sheldons today.


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## AshScache (Feb 4, 2013)

Oh my god. Just left. Maxed out with 10 made in the USA OCBDs, including 2 jpress flap pocket models. Several staple ties as well. Pics to follow!


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## Bandit44 (Oct 1, 2010)

I need to make a run down there. Last year, I found a poplin suit for $70, but little else that I wanted.


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## cbh23 (Jun 12, 2014)

Someone should go find me a 36s SC.  Can't believe I've never heard of this place!


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