Nordstrom Rack = marginal quality...

[Twotone]

I stopped into a local Rack over the weekend and was surprised to see the decline in men's suits. It looked less like a Nordstroms and more like a TJ Max. The Nordstroms across the street carries a few nice suit lines -- Hickey Freeman, Armani, Canali, etc. Not a single "high-end" suit at the rack. Same for ties. Is there any connection between brands at Nordstroms and the Rack these days or do the stores just share a name? Is this just Denver or are other Racks the same?

Thanks in advance!

Twotone

 

[Cary Grant]

I've always thought that true of the Rack. Occasionally something nice sneaks in. Keep in mind several brands do not allow themselves to be placed on clearance like that.

 

[StopPolloition]

There's a lot of stuff at the rack that is made or carried specifically for the rack. For suits you really just have to look for the hanging sleeve tag that says its from the regular Nordstrom store. Even then, most of that stuff isn't that amazing either. Sometimes you get some cool stuff at Nordstrom rack, but most of it is kind of lame stuff. I picked up a Spiewak jacket a couple weeks from there for about $60. Pretty cool casual jacket. I don't buy suits there.

 

[bananananana]

+1. It's basically a crapshoot, most of the stuff will be made for Rack stuff or lower end Hugo Boss, Robert Talbott, or Dirty English crap.

I did find a pair of AE Moras there last week, but it was very old, the buckles were messed up, and the shoes seemed uneven for some reason.

 

[acecow]

There were some Burberry navy blazers at a Rack near me. Also, a Versace sport coat, which fit me very well, but cost like 400 bucks. Other than that, I agree that it's mostly crap.

 

[deveandepot1]

95% of Nordstrom Rack is crap, but there are always some hidden gems. Example: Robert Talbott OTC socks for $6.

 

[cross22]

+1, It is mostly crap.

 

[mr monty]

QUOTE=deveandepot1;3214129]95% of Nordstrom Rack is crap, but there are always some hidden gems. Example: Robert Talbott OTC socks for $6.[/quote]

See any Robert Talbott OTC socks lately?

 

[Mannix]

I've lucked out with a few things that were from the main Nordstrom stores...but by and large it's just bullsh*t there. They do, however, have great deals on Persol sunglasses almost every time I go to the one near me.

 

[Bounder]

Originally Posted by StopPolloition

There's a lot of stuff at the rack that is made or carried specifically for the rack.

Exactly. The same is true for Off 5th though it is not quite as bad as Nordstrom's Rack. I'm not sure about Last Call. They seem to have a much higher concentration of better stuff, though it is also hard to find really excellent deals. I have found the occasional amazing deal at Off 5th.

But there are more Off 5th stores than there are Saks 5th Ave. stores.

Think about it.

 

[Spark]

I think the Rack is like most of the other places we bottom feed - 95% junk and 5% gems that the typical shopper doesn't even recognize. That just means that you need to swing through whenever you're in the area and check what's in stock without expectation but ready to drop some coin if opportunity strikes.

What I do like about them is that they have a pretty bombproof 30-day return policy, so it's always easy to buy something you might be on the fence about and just bring it back if it doesn't work out.

My experience is that the range and quality of the merch in each store can vary wildly. Although I have no confirmation of this, it would appear that stuff from the mainline store will often be dumped in a different market so that it doesn't dilute pricing structures.

For example, I've bought both Isaia and Zegna suits at deep discount (-$500) from "flash sales" where "a new shipment" arrives and the stuff is placed on racks right out on the floor instead of mixing it in with the other garments. Although clearly labeled from the regular store, I know that none of the mainline Nordies in the area carry anything remotely of that quality.

Deals like that might happen twice a year, so you just have to be on the lookout.

 

[Recoil]

The rack is good for undershirts and socks. I got a ShedRain umbrella at a decent discount. I see Allen Edmonds from time to time but they are always the big sizes and/or awful styles.

It's a disaster there.

 

[bearsfan172]

Like everyone else said... most of the stuff there is pretty much crap

Ocassionally there will be some pretty nice stuff to be had tho. Especially in shoes and jeans. The one by me constantly has Rock & Republic jeans for about $110

 

[westinghouse]

Buy some nice suits at Nordstrom and return them. They'll end up at the Rack in a few weeks where you can get them for half price.

 

[Astan]

It used to be pretty decent in my area but then it became "bro-central." Even the suits are not really that great anymore. Occassional HF, otherwise ******.