The expense of frum clothing

amother

↑ Blueberry

Wed, Sep 04 2024, 1:14 pm

amother Butterscotch wrote:

Ok, so you're only comparing to same price items and concluding it's the same price? Why not the dirt cheap ones? Old navy, walmart, and target have nice tznius clothes often for just a fraction of the price, and honestly the quality is much better thannthe stuf that costs 5x as much at frum stores. Even if the quality were worse, it would still be cheaper to buy the cheaper clothes and replace as needed. But my experience has been that theu outlast the frum products.

The only reasons to buy frum clothes is convenience and supporting frum businesses. But you're paying a premium to do so.

Because the quality is not the same. I don’t want basic cotton shapeless tshirts, or shapeless sweaters. I got a bunch of stuff from target and Walmart one year and it was just a square box. I prefer more tailored clothing. Also the target Walmart stuff are very cheap material. It has its use but you just can’t compare them to Jewish lines or the more expensive non Jewish lines.

↑ ftm1234 ↓

Wed, Sep 04 2024, 1:38 pm

amother Blueberry wrote:

Old Navy and Carters are NOT in the same category as Walmart and target.

amother

Hyacinth ↓

Wed, Sep 04 2024, 2:07 pm

papaya613 wrote:

Do you feel like frum basic clothing should be cheaper? Do you think they could make it cheaper or this is really how much clothing needs to be.
I am talking about the average brands not any single brand

I think it’s expensive.

But I don’t think they should made to make it cheaper. It’s a business and they can do what they want.

I know ppl who do make clothes overseas. They do suffer losses and take risk. So they deserve to be compensated

Also if clothes are cheaper you need to sell much more volume to make profit.

Some companies have the business model figured out. Most don’t.
So while I wish clothing was cheaper I don’t believe the companies need to do so.

Ppl can choose which stores to shop on and which brands to buy with their wallet.

Based on the number off ppl I saw wearing skirts with hard tail tags when there are identical clothing with just a different name my impression is ppl will continue to be willing to pay top dollar for clothing encouraging companies to keep charging top dollar.

amother

↑ Hyacinth

Wed, Sep 04 2024, 2:09 pm

ChayaKa wrote:

If clothing is cheap people don't buy them.

This is true. A store keeper told me once he started selling more expensive items his profits went up. And not just bec the prices are higher.

I don’t get it.

amother

Acacia

Wed, Sep 04 2024, 2:10 pm

I wish I was getting quality when I pay top dollar for frum clothes for my teen. They are of poor quality! Hanging threads, ripped seams, sometimes zippers that are already broken in the store. You (and me) are not getting quality.
And this is at popular stores that everyone shops at, not the ‘cheapie’ stores.

↑ giftedmom ↓

Wed, Sep 04 2024, 2:10 pm

amother Cobalt wrote:

tights that were $4 a year or two ago, are now almost $9 a pair. where does this insanity come from?
I need to get half a dozen, minimum, per kid. there's nothing less than $9.
can I buy cotton tights for kids online at a more decent price?

A friend told me she orders from next and the quality is better than condor so I’m trying that this season

amother

Bottlebrush

Wed, Sep 04 2024, 2:27 pm

amother Hyacinth wrote:

So much this. And based off the other thread, where people were concerned that their teens won't fir in if they don't wear the most recent top dollar cloths, I'd say the problem is not davka that frum clothes are expensive. It's that people think they must have these expensive cloths.

True, Lifnei Ivar Lo Sitain Michshol, they are feeding into people's materialism. But they are also business owners who need to make a profit, and I understand them. Its the job of each person to think before they shop.

amother

Silver

Wed, Sep 04 2024, 11:14 pm

Yes, as a frum women.

Teens and kids clothes aside, to dress myself for weekday, Shabbes, weddings and other simchas takes so much effort and is so expensive.

Jewish stores can be convenient when you need something suitable in a short amount of time but can be super pricey. While finding clothes in cheap stores to suit my body type and be pretty and suitable for example for Yom tov or shul is not easy at all.

Being frum is expensive, just the way it is I feel. Very easy to say that the Jewish stores should be cheaper and some of them should but they are creating stuff for a specific clientele so that's just what pricing will look like.

amother

Daylily

Thu, Sep 05 2024, 11:16 am

amother Denim wrote:

I just bought all my newborn clothes at carters $8-$12 a stretchie

My 2 year old is primarily old navy, gap… $5 a shirt, $4 for shorts …

I don’t think that exists in the frum world. Yes there are nonJewish companies that charge $40 for a stretchie but that’s non mainstream in the middle class nonfrum world - they’re shopping at target, carters , children’s place etc.

Our issue is even those of us with low incomes see $50 stretchies as a basic necessity. Bh I could afford to buy those but when my newborn needs 15 outfits every 3 months I can’t wrap my head around spending $500+ on her clothes when I could spend $80….

Tottini tshirts are $5 each on sale, I stock up. Got my toddler lil legs shabbos outfits for $12-15 each. Kidichic dresses for my 8yo for $15-20. Zara dresses for her were $40..these are not the fancy jewish brands but its def comparable or cheaper than childrens place gap etc.

↑ giftedmom

Thu, Sep 05 2024, 11:20 am

amother Cobalt wrote:

would you be so kind and share the link?

https://www.next.us/en/style/st487310/792415
This is the three pack there’s a 5 pack that comes out cheaper per pair

Last edited by giftedmom on Thu, Sep 05 2024, 11:24 am; edited 3 times in total

amother

↑ Denim

Thu, Sep 05 2024, 11:21 am

amother Daylily wrote:

Tottini shirts are around $20, unless you buy at the end of the season, when it’s much more difficult to find the size and color you want. gap has Shabbos dresses for young kids (5 and under ) for less than $20. The lil legs outfits are also only $12 when they’re out of season and most colors and sizes are gone. You can’t compare buying off season clearance at once place with brand new stock at another. At gap you can dig in a clearance bin and find a shirt for $1.99 and old navy I found a tshirt for 98 cents two or three years ago. The truth is if you’re super savvy and willing to buy off season and do a lot of work you can find Jewish clothes for lower prices but I’m happy to go on the carters or gap website and look at the brand new in season clothes and pay much less than I would at Jewish stores. Plus let’s not even talk about the return policies Wink

amother

↑ Blonde

Thu, Sep 05 2024, 1:09 pm

ftm1234 wrote:

Bc their stuff is of a much higher quality and they’re not as cheap.

They’re not $45 like the Jewish stores but they’re also not $5.

I don’t know. We have a lot of Cat and Jack stuff from target and have always thought the quality is excellent.

SuperWify

Thu, Sep 05 2024, 3:19 pm

I Like certain things from Jewish stores (Shabbos clothes, white shirts, tznius tees, skirts, footies ect) but I never understood those that buy basics- undershirts, socks, tights (not nude stockings) ect- from Jewish stores.

You can buy all these on Ali, H&M, target, Amazon etc.
got my daughter knit socks like condor from Ali $1 a pair. Lasted all season. Basic socks and underwear from Amazon. Tights and undershirts from H&M (great quality). Hair clips and headbands on Ali.

Edit- I hope I don’t take away business from the frum hosiery stores but I don’t think I will they are always full.

Chayalle

Thu, Sep 05 2024, 3:26 pm

ftm1234 wrote:

Bc their stuff is of a much higher quality and they’re not as cheap.

They’re not $45 like the Jewish stores but they’re also not $5.

I have found various items from Walmart and Target to sometimes be superior in quality to Old Navy. (no recent experience with Carters.)

It's been awhile but I remember when my kids were young, there was a particular brand of kids' clothing that Walmart sold that was produced by an English company (a relative of mine told me about it) and I used to buy it for my kids. It was very well made and washed and wore beautifully, and was quite cute and detailed as well.

My point here is, you can sometimes find quality items in these stores, if you know how to recognize it....

I always love to say the story of the time my niece, whose husband BH does quite well, was wearing a dress to a family Simcha that my girls had seen on Nordstrom for a pricey amount (IIRC it was upwards of $400.) It turned out to be a Target copy. And looked amazing on her!

My wealthy neighbor once told me Target is her best secret.

amother

Obsidian

Thu, Sep 05 2024, 5:16 pm

giftedmom wrote:

It feels expensive to me but I’m not the one who runs the company so I don’t know their overhead. I know they stay with lots of stock so I’m guessing that must be something they factor in.

I think that's because they don't manufacture enough of the nicer color, cuter style etc...
I go through this every season, the nice stuff is always grabbed up, if I'm not there at the very start... I might be tempted to buy if it's the one I love, but I won't be as quick to shell out if I don't love.
I only have decent taste but can almost always tell when they bring out the new season, what will be grabbed up. How can the company with years of experience and in-house designers not figure it out?
still wondering...