Allen Edmonds Appreciation Thread 2020 - News, Pictures, Clothing, Accessories, etc.

[jet-stream]

Liverpools (or whatever the Harry Rosen name is), from Charleston, naturally:

 

[jet-stream]

Hey. I realized earlier today that we have an important date coming up this week — January 1. As in, 2021, and this thread is done.

There needs to be a new thread started up for 2021. Also, the 2020 thread needs a final comment directing people to the new location before being locked down for any further comments. This needs to be done to avoid having performance issues on the site due to an excessively large thread with lots of data.

Who wants to do it this year?

My first thought was also @ae_ashley , but I wonder about whether that is compatible with SF rules. My instinct is that it's better if a non-AE employee initiates it.

IIRC, @suuteebird was the biggest TS weasel. @Shoenut has been single-handedly keeping a retail store afloat, apparently. @AEfaninTampa literally has "AE Fan" in his username. I don't have quite the list of arguments that I presented last year at this time, but I do think that the new thread captain should do what @BFT9000 did and start the thread off with AE goodness from AEAT regulars.

 

[jet-stream]

My first thought was also @ae_ashley , but I wonder about whether that is compatible with SF rules. My instinct is that it's better if a non-AE employee initiates it.

IIRC, @suuteebird was the biggest TS weasel. @Shoenut has been single-handedly keeping a retail store afloat, apparently. @AEfaninTampa literally has "AE Fan" in his username. I don't have quite the list of arguments that I presented last year at this time, but I do think that the new thread captain should do what @BFT9000 did and start the thread off with AE goodness from AEAT regulars.

Or, if @donkeyhoatie starts the thread off with one of his anecdotes/rants/musings, that would be awesome too. Loosely AE related would be bonus points.

 

[audog]

My first thought was also @ae_ashley , but I wonder about whether that is compatible with SF rules. My instinct is that it's better if a non-AE employee initiates it.

IIRC, @suuteebird was the biggest TS weasel. @Shoenut has been single-handedly keeping a retail store afloat, apparently. @AEfaninTampa literally has "AE Fan" in his username. I don't have quite the list of arguments that I presented last year at this time, but I do think that the new thread captain should do what @BFT9000 did and start the thread off with AE goodness from AEAT regulars.

Bring back @St Hubbins !!!

 

[Count de Monet]

This has been the retail debacle for at least 25 years. There are only two types of retail stores worth working in retail. First is flagship. These stores will stock more top end and new styles more fully. Or the second is the Outlet. These stores just have a ton of shoes that are either seconds, or buy backs, or just plain fill ins. The stock is there to sell. The rest of the stores live on a sell it before we stock it attitude. One you strip a store to just D and 3E, you tend to sell more of those sizes. Very few customers are dumb like me. I walk into my AE store knowing that my shoe will have to be ordered. What most companies do not realize is that more store level stock will pump up the areas online sales. If you know going in to a store that there will be at least some styles that you can try on, then you will be more apt to visit. One other thing, pay the in store associate for creating value for the customer. In my AE store, they get more online customers returning items than customers looking to buy. The online shoppers are usually a little disgruntled to begin with. Yet there is no pay for saving the sale. The wrong shoe was sent or some other issue that regular customer service cannot take care of. It takes a mentally tough person to deal with 60% negativity and still be positive and upbeat. My AE SA’s are happy to see me walk in because they know that even if I don’t buy anything that I am a customer that can be worked with. By the way, I do buy something about 90% of the time when I visit. Even if it just some socks or a belt. So many visits were just to get some small item and they somehow turn into a shoe purchase.

Preach, brother, preach. It’s hard to sell shoes if you don’t stock shoes. I used to always drop in the Plano store when visiting in-laws in the Dallas area. Two dudes working there had been there a while and were good to work with.

Then they got rid of all their E widths & shipped them to in the central warehouse, probably due to some dude at corporate who has never sold a pair of shoes. I don’t think I’ve been back in since. Why should I?

I even asked one of the SA’s - and I knew it wasn’t his call and he likely agreed it was a bad idea - but I asked him “if I have to guess on fit based on internet information, order on line or over the phone, then wait three days to get them, what’s the difference between AE and Carmina or CJ?” He deadpanned “well, we have ice skating down on the first floor next to Santa.”

I mean, he wouldn’t bad mouth AE but I think he agreed it was poor policy.

 

[RMB35]

Hey. I realized earlier today that we have an important date coming up this week — January 1. As in, 2021, and this thread is done.

There needs to be a new thread started up for 2021. Also, the 2020 thread needs a final comment directing people to the new location before being locked down for any further comments. This needs to be done to avoid having performance issues on the site due to an excessively large thread with lots of data.

Who wants to do it this year?

I believe Roy would be a great choice.

 

[Aenonymous]

Bring back @St Hubbins !!!

I was thinking the same thing! Where did @St Hubbins go? Probably busy in the lab.

 

[Aenonymous]

I believe Roy would be a great choice.

I agree - @Roycru would also be a great choice.

 

[Ogglodyte]

Although relatively new to this group, as a lover of food pictures in shoe threads I'll also throw my lot in for @Roycru.

 

[ProfilaBinding]

I was thinking the same thing! Where did @St Hubbins go? Probably busy in the lab.

He's still on instagram. I wonder if he avoids this place because of the effects it has on the wallet. Can't blame him if that's the case. I miss him around here too.

I'm fine with whoever is chosen, as any of those people above would make fine choices. I just hope that whoever it is, is still posting a year from now. It does seem like the people disappear (TexasTexter, Hubbins, and we see less of Strand King these day).

 

[BackInTheJox]

He's still on instagram. I wonder if he avoids this place because of the effects it has on the wallet. Can't blame him if that's the case. I miss him around here too.

I'm fine with whoever is chosen, as any of those people above would make fine choices. I just hope that whoever it is, is still posting a year from now. It does seem like the people disappear (TexasTexter, Hubbins, and we see less of Strand King these day).

I fear TexasTexter is stuck/lost somewhere under a pile of shoes. His collection was insane.

 

[JFWR]

This has been the retail debacle for at least 25 years. There are only two types of retail stores worth working in retail. First is flagship. These stores will stock more top end and new styles more fully. Or the second is the Outlet. These stores just have a ton of shoes that are either seconds, or buy backs, or just plain fill ins. The stock is there to sell. The rest of the stores live on a sell it before we stock it attitude. One you strip a store to just D and 3E, you tend to sell more of those sizes. Very few customers are dumb like me. I walk into my AE store knowing that my shoe will have to be ordered. What most companies do not realize is that more store level stock will pump up the areas online sales. If you know going in to a store that there will be at least some styles that you can try on, then you will be more apt to visit. One other thing, pay the in store associate for creating value for the customer. In my AE store, they get more online customers returning items than customers looking to buy. The online shoppers are usually a little disgruntled to begin with. Yet there is no pay for saving the sale. The wrong shoe was sent or some other issue that regular customer service cannot take care of. It takes a mentally tough person to deal with 60% negativity and still be positive and upbeat. My AE SA’s are happy to see me walk in because they know that even if I don’t buy anything that I am a customer that can be worked with. By the way, I do buy something about 90% of the time when I visit. Even if it just some socks or a belt. So many visits were just to get some small item and they somehow turn into a shoe purchase.

Yeah, the entire reason to go to a store (and there are a lot of Allen Edmonds stores in the NY area) is to get fitted. If I can't get fitted, what's the purpose, and indeed, why waste the time?

Allen Edmonds has a really high concentration of stores in some really upscale locations. Nevertheless, these stores don't stock a wonderful selection from what I can see, because when I go into them, they don't have much to offer.

 

[JFWR]

In my opinion, most men do not care that much about nice looking quality shoes and there is a pricing obstacle to get past.

I am new to quality footwear. Visiting various NYC stores to see and touch things, the quality differences between, Aldo, Rockport, Johnston Murphy, Thursday and AE are obvious. I don't really need a salesperson explain it to me. Seeing and touching the leather was enough for me to understand why AE is more expensive than the others.

The question I have is AE list pricing and the sale pricing. I've heard of AE for a long time, but never gave them much consideration because their list prices were out of my range at the time. I wonder how many people were like me and never knew they did so many sales.

I agree with you that the sale pricing situation is awful, because why would anyone ever buy a non-trunk show full priced item, given that the full priced item INEVITABLY comes on sale in a few months?

All I can imagine is that AE loses sales on people who wait on a sale and then forget/lose interest/find something else, when they could just offer a good price to begin with, and have only small sales once a year, or put sales only on shoes that are going away.

If you're willing to sell these shoes for 240 constantly, why not just make 299 the new, year-round cost of your shoes?

 

[Shoenut]

I am stuck wearing the same shoes.

 

[James1051]

Good morning ?