Eddie Bauer On- Line Store: Clothing and Much More!
Written: Jan 18 '02 (Updated Jan 19 '02)
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I’ll admit, right from the start, that shopping for clothing is not something I do very often.
I think that many other men would say the same thing. It’s a rare occasion that we shop for clothes in the store, so it’s an even more unusual occasion when we turn to the internet to search for fashion.
But this past Christmas, I received some gift certificates and one of them was for eddiebauer.com, the on- line site for the popular clothing retailer that you often see in shopping malls.
So, it was time for my baptism into the world of on- line clothing stores. I took a deep breath, and then plunged into Eddiebauer.com, to spend my Christmas gift certificate.
What Does This Site Have to Offer?:
Clothing is the most sought after item that’s sold in Eddiebauer.com. When you logon to the site, the clothing page is the first one that pops up, and it’s divided into six categories: Women, Men, Gear, Top Sellers, Feature, and Sale. Underneath each main category, there are four featured links to merchandise. These could be things such as “sale on shoes”, “fashion wear for Spring”, etc. If you don’t see anything interesting in these featured links, then just click on the main title (one of the six mentioned above) and you will be taken into that particular area, to search for clothing.
Once you are on the next page, you will then see a listing down the left side of the screen showing all the different types of clothing that the site offers for purchase. Going into the men’s link, the options are: top sellers, sweaters, shirts, polos and t- shirts, pants and shorts, business casual, outerwear, shoes, accessories, sleepwear and underwear, and spring 2002 (this last one, of course, changes periodically to fit the season). When you choose one of these sub- categories, you will then see a summary listing of the available clothing, showing the price and a place to click, for more information and a photo. If you decide to make a purchase, you just select your size, color, and other specifications, and then add the item to your shopping cart. You can also add it to your wish list, for future purchasing.
Other Items for Sale:
Eddie Bauer is best known for its clothing, but it has much more to offer than just that. There are actually a total of four stores to shop: clothing, home store, outlet, and business to business. Here’s a sample of what you will find in each one of these other stores:
Home Store: Click here if you want to buy things such as bedding, bathroom furnishings, window coverings, lighting, and furniture.
Outlet: The outlet store is actually a separate store at Eddibauer.com, which means it will require to you to make a separate purchase, from a separate shopping cart. In this store, you will find items like discounted clothing for men and women, purses, and a few other discounted pieces of merchandise.
Business to Business: This store is also separate from the clothing store and requires a separate purchase. Here, you will find things like business apparel, embroidered and monogrammed clothing, gifts, award certificates, and other business- related merchandise.
Making a Purchase:
If you’re ready to enter your credit card data, you just need to click the link and proceed to the checkout. Shipping charges will be added to your order and, depending on the amount of your purchase, they might make it a little on the pricey side. There are three levels of shipping offered: standard (delivered within one week), express (delivered in 3 business days), and express plus (delivered in 2 business days). I recommend using standard shipping, to save yourself some money. Unless you really need your clothes in a few days, save yourself some cash and use standard shipping.
The rates for standard shipping are: $4.95 for orders up to $50; 6.95 for orders between 50.01 and 80.00; $8.95 for orders priced between 80.01 and 110.00; $10.95 for orders between 110.01 and 140.00; $12.95 for orders between 140.01 and 170.00; and $14.95 for orders priced at 170.01 and above. For express shipping, you need to add $6.00 to each of these levels. For Express plus, you will need to add $12.00 to each level.
As you can see, these shipping rates can make small orders a little more expensive than you would pay in a store. You won’t have to pay sales tax through this service, which is a plus, but the shipping charges could easily exceed the sales tax, if the order is small.
Customer Service/Delivery:
I didn’t need to call customer service directly, when I placed my order, but I was satisfied with the site itself and the delivery time. I used standard shipping, which is supposed to arrive in one week. I received my order in 6 days, so I was happy with the delivery time.
Final Thoughts:
Eddiebauer.com is a good service to find clothing and other merchandise. I was not aware that they sold so many other things, through this site. I entered for the first time, expecting to find nothing but clothing.
Buying clothes on- line does have some advantages, and disadvantages. You can sometimes save money, if you make a very large purchase because the shipping charges will probably be less than you would pay in sales tax if you made the purchase at an Eddie Bauer retail store. Also, you can sometimes find some good sale bargains, if your timing is right. There’s also a wide selection of items and many sizes offered that you might not be able to find in stores. For example, for men’s shirts, Eddiebauer.com offers small, medium, large, extra large, extra- extra large, and extra- extra- extra large.
The bad thing about Eddiebauer.com (and other clothing sites) is that you’re limited in what you can find out about the articles of clothing. Since you’re dealing with clothes, you have to assume that what you get will fit you properly, and that it will look the way you expect. Your PC monitor could very well make certain colors look distorted. It’s much different from buying a book on- line, or other item that is consistently the same no matter where you make a purchase.
Overall, my initiation into the world of on- line clothing retail stores was a success. Eddiebauer.com is a good service, with a wide selection of merchandise, from clothing to home furnishings.
I’ve now been baptized and confirmed, as an on- line clothing store shopper!
Recommended:
Yes
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About the Author
Member: Bryan Carey
Location: Houston, TX
Reviews written: 3613
Trusted by: 1570 members
About Me: Beer Drinker and Libertarian Political Activist. Great Combination, eh?
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