L L Bean these days...

I have one of their old brown canvas duffle bags that has got to be pushing 30 years old. Can't bring myself to htrow it away as it still works (but is beat up beyond ugly). Used to wear nothing but their dress shirts with the flap front pocket but the quality fell off so bad that I quit years ago. Have ot ordered anything from Bean in many years. My tobagging days are long since past and the adirondack chairs sink into the mud so I guess I'm done :D
 
Over the years the only things I have ever purchased from L.L. Bean are three pairs of their Maine Hunting Shoe. They are still well made but are now called Bean Boots by L.L. Bean (more PC sounding).

I was looking at the wrong page, they still carry the Maine Hunting Shoe (pg. 51 in their Fall Preview 2014 L.L. Bean Hunting) :o
 
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Went into an L L Bean store earlier today.

My understanding is that it outfitted hunters and fishermen and became a 24/7 store to provide licenses to sportsmen very early in the morning.

Well, the yuppy magnet that it was...only a few fishing poles, items that were overpriced at 50% off, and a sanitized view of the world, no doubt corporate mandated, that, despite their heritage, you would never know that firearms, ammunition, or component parts thereof ever existed on this planet.....plus good that are not made in this country, for the most part.

Needless to say, I did not exactly open my wallet today in this yuppy emporium.
Any time I see the word "Corporate"or "Corporate Mandated"I pretty much see a long downhill ride with little to no brakes,at least in my experience.Not usually good for anyone involved except for those at the top telling those at the bottom what's good for them.
 
My friends aunt has worked there for many years. I think sales have been down a lot and their corporate strategy has changed. As a result they aren't the same. Its a shame, but I think overall I'd be more upset if they disappeared entirely.

Plus, as mentioned, KTP is another alternative for whatever LL Bean lacks.

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My Game Warden Parka is the warmest winter coat I've ever owned. Actually, I've owned three of them over the years. One of the best Bean features is their lifetime no questions asked guarantee. The first coat I had a pocket liner tear after about five years. They gave me a new coat. The second one, someone with a cigarette got to close to me and burned a hole in it. The gave me a refund because they were out of my size and style in Freeport. I took the refund and went to the outlet store in Portland where they had one my size. That one is starting to have a zipper problem. I'll send it back and they'll either fix it or offer me a new one.

There firearms are very high end, much more expensive than I can afford or even want to. But, there are still a lot of other things that they sell that I like.



Back in my dog-walking days I purchased a Bean "Maine Warden's Parka," or something like that, for my winter walks in the worst weather. It was a disappointment. After a couple winters of freezing in the thing, I ended up buying a better parka from Cabela's for less than half the price. Can't say for sure but I believe they were both imports - maybe not the Bean. I don't remember any more. Unfortunately, the Bean just didn't cut the mustard. I've never been close to their store, but the merchandise in their catalogs seems to have "deteriorated" over the years to where I see little of interest and can hardly stand to browse through one. I guess they have found their market - and it doesn't include me. :)
 
If L L Bean were like it was...or still should be, it would make a trip to the mall (in this case, an outdoor shopping mall in Saucon Valley, Pennsylvania) at least somewhat bearable!!! The wife can go clothes shopping, and I could handle a few side by sides, maybe an old Smith & Wesson, pick up some primers and a pound of gunpowder. No such luck now. The way L L Bean is these days, my wife is far more likely to go want to hang out there than I.
 
I used to get quite a few items of clothing from them. Online, of course. I like their L.L. Bean brand casual Dockers-style pants better than actual Dockers, and far, far better than what you might get from Sears, JC Penney, Target or Walmart. They fit me much better. I found them all to be of good quality and long-lasting. I was also impressed that the one time I had to call with a question I got a human being who was helpful, polite, answered my question and was easy to understand.

That said, I haven't bought anything from them in about 4 years - I just haven't had the need. So it's entirely possible things have changed.
 
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I ordered from their catalog in the the 60's, before I was 20, looked forward to receiving their catalog in the mail. They were a mainstay of New England life, where I was raised. Now it's junk mail. Their gear was legendary, they fixed anything you bought for life, it seemed, they weren't just a company, they were a companion in the field. I'm old, guess those days are gone, but it makes me feel good to remember them.
 
I like and buy some of the products that LL Beans sells. Shoes, shorts and casual shirts.

Like everyone, I can choose where I shop or choose to bypass. Mostly I make the decision based on value, quality, convenience, and service.

Every once in a while I will choose not to shop a business that has gone out of its way to support a point of view that I oppose.

Reading this and other threads regarding one business or another... I find it odd that so many people have such hostile feelings and their reasons. It seems that almost no business is immune.

"Boycotting" a store that does not sell hand guns or sells products not made in the USA dramatically limits my shopping choices for clothing, food, electronics, tools, or just about any other kind of gear.

I figure the only loser in that would be me... But it's a free country (for now).
 
It is just a matter of the ebb and flow of capitalism. Look at the companies that are gone (Woolworth's, Kresge's, Venture), and the soon to be gone (J.C. Penny, Sears). Yet BassPro, Cabela's, and Sportsman's Warehouse are expanding. Business goes where the money flows. I'm willing to bet that if A&F thought they could compete with BP and Cabela's at selling guns they would still be selling them.
 
I've got 2 'Woolrich' shirts I bought 30 years ago from Bean which I still wear every Christmas Holiday. (yeah, they still fit, sized M)

Their merchandise and quality of service has lacked ever since the early 90's.

Back n da day, Bean replaced a pair of 'Ray-Ban' Aviator sunglasses no less than 4 times for me over the years.

But, I doubt a company which still does $1.5b in sales (2012 statistics) is hurting too much.
 
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Boycotts usually don't work because the people boycotting generally don't shop in them anyway. How many people who want to boycott Walmart actually shop there? How many of the protesters in front of Hobby Lobby last week have ever stepped foot in one?

On the other hand, buycotts work better. When people called for a boycott of Chik Fil A, supporters went there in droves. Sales went up.



I like and buy some of the products that LL Beans sells. Shoes, shorts and casual shirts.

Like everyone, I can choose where I shop or choose to bypass. Mostly I make the decision based on value, quality, convenience, and service.

Every once in a while I will choose not to shop a business that has gone out of its way to support a point of view that I oppose.

Reading this and other threads regarding one business or another... I find it odd that so many people have such hostile feelings and their reasons. It seems that almost no business is immune.

"Boycotting" a store that does not sell hand guns or sells products not made in the USA dramatically limits my shopping choices for clothing, food, electronics, tools, or just about any other kind of gear.

I figure the only loser in that would be me... But it's a free country (for now).
 
You guys oughta realize by now LL Bean's targeted demographic are not gun buyers. It'$ a clothing store who wants a younger, upscale customer who wants "casual Friday" and dressy weekend wear. Most of us on this forum are after more of an "Elmer Fudd" look, sounds like. :) Try Duluth Trading Post.
 
You guys oughta realize by now LL Bean's targeted demographic are not gun buyers. It'$ a clothing store who wants a younger, upscale customer who wants "casual Friday" and dressy weekend wear. Most of us on this forum are after more of an "Elmer Fudd" look, sounds like. :) Try Duluth Trading Post.

I still wear a red and black wool coat, I never did have a matching hat with ear flaps.:D
 
I used to buy a lot of mail-order stuff from Bean about 30-35 years ago. I bought a pair of shoes that were perfectly satisfactory. I bought many pairs of khaki pants, which had an easily expandable waistband, a nice feature for a guy whose clothes tended to, erm, shrink prematurely.

The one LL Bean product I still have is their Moose River hat, a silver-belly fedora that I still wear.

Other than that, they have pretty much dropped off my radar. Iy's been at least 20 years since I even looked at a catalog. I don't remember why I stopped buying their stuff, but at some point it no longer met my needs.
 
Some of the people in this thread sound like people who used to bash Rush Limbaugh. I'd ask them when they listened to him, and invariably the answer was "never".

My wife knows fashion design and textiles. She buys a fair amount of stuff from Bean because of the quality and the fact that they have a lifetime warranty. That's good enough for me.
 
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