207
The new Cool Racerback II’s are now in stores (spotted at Robson St.) and they are priced at an eye watering $52. When I started this blog, Cool Racerbacks where $38. I’ve now heard that the US will also be getting price increases sometime after the Canadian increase on August 1st which debunks the foreign exchange theory about the price increase.
Speed shorts are now $58, up from $54
 |
| Photo Credit: Ms. R |
Swiftly Tech LS now $78, up from $68
 |
| Photo Credit: Ms. R |
Hotty Hot Shorts $64 up from $58
Tracker Shorts: $58 to $64
Pace Rivals: $88 to $98
Speed Shorts: $54 to 58
Tight Stuff Tights: $148 to $158
City Trek Trouser: $148 to $158
Jet Crops: $98 to $108
Hotty Hot Shorts: $58 to $64
Run Times: $54 ro $58
60 comments
Wow just wow…I can see the speed shorts going up but the cheapest items to make are going up by a substantial amount. ..I guess they need the revenue from these to offset the cost of the more expensive items to manufacture….
Well, that's me priced out of the market. I bought a crb and a swiftly ls yesterday in colours that I'd been wanting for a while, and I strongly suspect that those will be my last lululemon purchases. Not to mention, I don't like the new crb design.
It was fun while it lasted, over and out!
shocking! and im priced out. it'll be interesting to see the long term effect of their new pricing strategy.
I have not been impressed with a lot of Lulus pricing and products lately. It's been a lot of disappointments one after the other. I am going to be running the SeaWheeze this year. IF I buy anything at the showcase store, that'll likely be my last purchase from them. ����
Price increase timing coincides with retail fiscal year beginning. That crb design blows.
Hi Lulumum, are you able to elaborate further on the employee anger and frustration at store level you referred to in an older post?
At this point buyers are pretty much just paying for the brand name. This is ridiculous.
I wasn't going to complain until I saw my beloved Hotty Hot Shorts on the list. F**k this – I'm 22 and can barely afford lulu even with my R&D discount. I'm going to scoop up a pair in black (somehow don't have black yet) this week and swear off them after this. I'll have to scour ebay/fb for old pairs. Why don't they just keep making stupid overpriced versions of LE items (Dottie Tribe WUP, whatever those $118 tights from 2 weeks ago were) instead of alienating us? First they discontinued my favourite WTS Short (which I'm sure will come back at $60+ soon), and now they're going to make the short I love but can barely afford $64 – for a 2.5" inseam!
Lulu, you aren't high end luxury athleisure. Please stop trying to be.
Not a fan of the new crb. At all.
And the price increases? Ridiculous!
Pass on both the new CRB and its 23.8 percent price increase. Count me in the camp that is just totally fed up with this brand.
I am also out. I have a gift card here to use before it ends up only buying me a tank top. what a joke. I think for those of us saying we are out we need to hold to that. i hope they miss our weekly orders.
So if CRB's were at $42 and now increased to $52, are swiftly tanks going to increase? Hope not….
Ugh. I'm in my last year of uni, I literally cannot afford this brand anymore.
Yes, swiftlies are up $10 across the board.
These changes are bittersweet for me. On the one hand, they are changing the beloved CRB design AND pricing me out of the only lulu tank I love and buy regularly (I have probably 30+), but on the plus side I'll be saving a lot of money not shopping at lulu regularly anymore. I already stopped buying bottoms awhile ago due to quality issues. This is likely the final nail in the coffin.
Online prices still the same for now…gonna hurry and get my order in.
@ anon 7:30. Yes dropped a fortune this weekend at Lulu store and online. I hunted down 3 swiftly tees one LS and one define jacket. ( also took advantage of some items on markdown and two more CRBs. So that will be it. Luckily this year I made several swiftly purchases so I am good to go. I will not pay the $10 increase. And I would have jumped at swiftly's in Power purple prior to the increase. I will not buy it. Or the new CRB. ( I knew it would be a $10 increase!! Grrrr.)
LLL is not the LLL I know anyone. It's all about $$€£¥$$. Don't worry, guess they don even care having us who are not that wealthy as regular customers, they only want to focusing on rich people since their stuffs are *limited* anyways. No offence, you can swear don buy their stuffs anymore, but there are still many people out there who have money to afford and keep buying their crap.
Sorry in advance if this offends anyone, as I know this may sound quite harsh, but it's not so much about how much money one has, but more about how much intelligence one has.
Wow, what exactly are you saying here? Did it dawn on you that this person might be ESL? How many languages do YOU speak?
I suspect Anon 8:43 falls rather short in the intelligence department, so that kind of inference is likely well beyond them.
The contribution from 10:33 is crystal clear, although I suspect too that English is not their mother tongue. Yes, Lululemon's offerings are not for everyone, and there's a little elitist touch to it, mainly because of the pricing. But they might be still affordable for those who only want to keep just a few pieces in their closet. And the commenter is right that a lot of us swear off LLL forever once there's a price increase, but still keep buying.
Oh my goodness, anon 2:30 PM, and others, no, that isn't at all what I was trying to say! I wasn't referring to anon 10:33 AM personally, I was pretty much agreeing with her/him, but also adding to what she/he was saying, in that we need to be smarter about our purchases regardless of how much money we have!! Maybe I should have worded it better! I understood what they were saying perfectly! I'm the one not good with words. I don't go around insulting people on the internet or jump in any chance I get at having a go at someone, which is why I had a hard time wording my first comment properly as I was trying not to sound harsh, but I guess it didn't work out and it was completely misunderstood.
@ Anon 5:54: Anon 2:30 here, Thank you so much for clarifying your comments. It makes me feel much better. I'm so used to people acting like nasty trolls in the most incongruous of places that I sadly assumed the worst. Your later comment was well-articulated and I agree completely. We all need to spend our money wisely!
So are prices for everything in stock going up August 1 or just for new things coming out after that day? Like are all the old crbs online right now going to be marked up tomorrow?
I HATE the new design. It is no longer classic. The original CRB is perfect for a layer at work as well as for working out. Now that the tank no longer has dual function for me (I likely would not wear to work since the racer back is too skinny) why would I bother paying more $?
Moreover, my taller friends, even if they like the new tank's back, will likely opt out due to the length. I am so unhappy. 🙁
I don't like it either. Very much prefer the look of the original CRB because it is classic and perfect for everything.
I wonder what exactly they mean by improved fit around the neck and arms? Just out of curiosity, has anyone tried it and can comment on the difference between this one and the original?
Some of the increases aren't too bad at $4-$5, however I feel like those items JUST went up a little while ago (weren't CRBs $42 last year and went up to $48? and the speed shorts too from $52 to $54 and now up again?), but the $10 increase on the swiftlies is ridiculous. I already find it hard spending $58-$68 on LLL tees. I'm not looking forward to seeing how much other items are going to go up. Other athletic brands are gaining more appeal for me when their tights are priced $30-$40 less.
So now I can't wear a regular bra under a CRB…cool.
I read somewhere that prices in Canada will be adjusted as of August 1 to reflect the exchange rate difference between US and CAD dollar.
The little flag symbol makes me believe that the price may be lower in the US. But who knows..
if that's the case we may as well just purchase from the us direct since the exchange rate fluctuates; this new pricing strategy does not (unless we consider constant price increases fluctuation lol)
Looks like prices did increase overnight on selected items. Boo..
It should not be called the CRB ii because is it nothing like the CRB. Make up your mind Potdevin, you want to obliterate anything Chip Wilson had a hand in but you still want to leech off his legacy with a pseudo-CRB and a ridiculous price increase.
I abhor the new CRB ii and the $52 price is hilarious. To echo others, I am out. I too bought a couple of items over the weekend on markdown, finally the Hero Blue CRB, and the Dottie Tribe Speed Shorts (totally not surprised on the rumoured price increase on speeds). These are likely the last items I will purchase, with the exception of certain, current stuff when it goes to md or wmtm.
As for some of the misunderstanding in the comment thread above: I agree that extra money to spend or not, there is time to just call LLL what it is, and they are now into a ridiculous rip off zone. One just has to use one's sensibility and go: no, absolutely not worth it, done! LLL, you want to alienate customers? You got it. You want blind, unknowing new customers to fork over their money? Some will regardless and some will be able to, comfortably. What they or anyone chooses to do with the money is one's own business. Yes, new customers making up for the loss of the existing customers? I highly doubt it. Not anytime quick.
What I know is, it's not going to last. LLL is going to tank and no other brand out there is going to want to purchase it either. Potdevin thinks other companies cannot compete with the brand. He's wrong. PREVIOUSLY, they could not. NOW, LLL will be nothing special and nothing worth taking over.
P.S. in case sentence on weekend purchases did not make total sense: the items I got in md were not the Hero Blue CRB and the Dottie Speeds – I bought those full price ($42 & $54) before I no longer have a chance. (I can still return them if I change my mind.) I got a CRB and FTB on markdown.
completely agree that those casual "non loyalist" lulu customers who will purchase, as example, a $52 CRB, will in no way compensate for the loss of hundreds of loyalists who would flock to their stores/site on the weekly. no way i just do not see it happening.
They are upping the prices right now! It's not even midnight yet! I had runtime shorts in my cart and they went from 54 to 58 before I could check out. Grrr
Trackers are now 64$!!!! I noticed that the last pair of Trackers that I bought in May or June were 58$ (bali breeze pretty lace) which was annoying, but 64$? That's just ridiculous.
Wow for you ladies out there who buy the Tracker Shorts now priced at $64. you are now paying $6. more for that zipper pocket on the leg vs. the Run Times with the same 4" inseam now priced at $58. If the price of the new Getaway Crew (hip length with holes in the back) at $118. is any indication of their pricing for the upcoming fall/winter line, hold onto your wallets, it's going to be an expensive ride.
I just can't understand how the decision makers at Lulu can be so delusional. They don't own the market anymore. I mean – I could spend $52 (with tax, make that $60) on a CRB II. Or, I could go to Gap, buy one of their tanks with a very similar design, and pay $30 (with the taxes in). And, have a much larger window for returns, and less attitude when dealing with customer service. I used to be a Lulu-lover, but honestly? I have started to hope that these most recent price increases*cough*gauges put them in danger of going bankrupt. Since I think that is the only wake up call they will listen to.
I'm with you, Anna, on everything you mentioned above. I'll be on the lookout for a nice classically styled basic tank somewhere else that I don't have to pay more for than what it's worth. I've been thinking the exact same thing (regarding last couple of sentences) but just haven't admitted to it yet in any comments that I've made since all the bad news. I think that's what it's going to take to get them down off of their high horse.
@anon 6:45 am, I couldn't believe the price for that cropped shirt with the holes in the back! Nothing about that shirt, not even the fabric, justifies the price!
@anon 8:51 am, I love the Gap tanks that are similar in design to the CRB. I prefer the fabric, fit, customer service, price, and return policy, too!
I officially cannot afford Lululemon anymore, and I'm ok with that. There are other brands offering cute workout clothes with great fits, fabrics, colors and patterns but that are less expensive.
Thanks for commenting about the Gap tanks! I'll be sure to check them out!
The Gap tanks are nice and often similar in colors to current Lulu. I also think that that company sometimes releases Lulu-like colors through Athleta in the chi tank. Occasionally, I've bought a chi tank to save money on a color I was iffy on. I have one that is an exact dupe of Bali Breeze and another that matches Clear Mint.
@ lulubell – I totally agree! I have noticed not only color similarities, but several design/styles similarities (beyond the basics even). I think this price increase is motivating people to seek out similar items from alternate, cheaper, sources – more than before.
MEC has a lot to offer. They carry a lot of brands and some are not cheap. However items do go on sale and of course they have the Rock Solid Guarantee. They have really upped the design of their MEC brand and the quality is fantastic. They even have a CRB like tank called the Sequence Tank. It's $30 or so and some colours are on sale for $18 right now (their summer clearance is in effect).
You do realize that the price increases are a strategic move right? Lulu's cool factor has gone down over the past couple of years due to the aspirational basics buying their products (see Coach, Michael Kors, Pandora, et al) who have devalued the brand. By shedding those types of customers they're trying to regain market share with the customers they actually want purchasing their product.
Not elite athletes but not those who wear the line as street wear along with their Uggs and Starbucks/cold pressed juices either. They're making adjustments to regain brand value as they don't want to devalue in the same way Coach has for example, where everyone and their dog has their product.
Maybe you're right… But here's where that all falls apart: quality. It's just not there. You want to charge more to make yourself more elitist? Fine, but the clothes need to be of a higher quality than they are now. I can afford their stuff at a higher price point, but I'll be buying less because I've seen the quality decline over time as the prices rise and I don't want to support a brand that I feel is ripping their customers off.
I dont disagree with this, anon 11:57 AM, in fact, it is very believable to me that this may be what they want to accomplish. I dont agree with this kind of elitist way of thinking at all, so I really would prefer not to be associated with (by purchasing and wearing) the brand at all if that is how they want to be. It is truly disgusting to me.
Thanks for sharing! I will be checking out other brands now as well!
oops, anon 1:25 PM here, my comment was for anon 11:33 AM!
It looks to me like they are going for designs that are cheap to make but have a luxury price tag and they are betting on the younger newer customer to buy it because it's LLL. Just look at some of their advertising over the past 6 months targeting a younger customer with such ploys as using af, naked poses & anti ball crushing.
I understand that it would be hard for a company like LLL to get their manufacturing costs down when their designs are (were) far from simplistic and have a lot of detail. So they axed expensive to make designs or redesigned them so they are cheaper to make, i.e. cheaper material, less material, less design detail and at the same time raising the prices. It's a huge gamble on their part and with some designs it will work but with others it won't. These decisions along with many other ones that ticked off their loyal customers is bound to hurt them but how much, it's hard to say until we see the next couple of quarterly financials.
If LLL continues to cheap out on their fabrics and designs I don't know how they can compete with other high end labels or even sustain their reputation as a high end brand. I noticed some designs last fall where they cheaped out on the fabric and I wasn't impressed at all and didn't buy the product even if I loved the colour!!! I saw it this spring and summer but with a lot more product and fabrics and again I refused to buy. I will wait and see what comes out this fall and winter but I am not going to pay high end prices for low end product.
Elite olympic athletes? because that is a much smaller pool of customers for them. And unless they are sponsored athletes they may not be able to afford lululemon even at their lower prices. In the crossfit and olympic lifting community the athletes are younger millenials with fewer dollars to spend on athletic apparel. they spend their money on shoes and gear, and they spend very little on the actual clothing part.
If they are going for a wealthier customer, those customers already have options in boutique websites that carry various brands of luxury sports apparel.
I understand that they are wanting to shed a certain customer group, I just think they don't realize that the customer they are after may not be interested. The millennial customer has very different buying trends than the over 35 group.
That's exactly it. If you are going to pay luxury prices then you expect a certain quality. Items made in the US, Canada or even Italy vs. made in Bangladesh. Items with hand stitched detailing and premium fabrics. Pill resistant fabrics (which many other competing brands claim on their marketing). When Lululemon is still selling $100 pants (aligns) that where hyped up by marketing jargon but still become horribly pilled after the first wash, and seams come apart and the pants bag out you realize that you just paid $100 for microfibre, not 'NULU'.
Also in the MEC brand, they have a bra called the Y Not bra, similar to a Flow Y. I also like the Oiselle and Prana brands. Even some of the Salomon non-winter gear is great. Their MEC crops and leggings have evolved and are getting high marks/good reviews. They carry MPG who make a bunch of nice stuff including a Dance Studio type pant called the Nemea Pant. My favourite new brand is Nau – designers are ex- some other major brand. Thought ful and practical design (and not cheap, I might add, but I got a nice jacket on sale). If you are in Canada, there is no minimum order for shipping to a store to pickup – ship to store is free. Otherwise $50 minimum, however they also have free shipping/no minimum, if you are signed up for the email alerts.
Anyway, as I let LLL go (final straw CRB done and more exorbitant than ever price increases), I'll be happy to direct more of my attention to MEC, supporting a real Canadian company.
Hi, anon 11:33 AM, just checking out the MEC website right now, and was surprised to see they use one of the Lululemon models. It gives me a better idea of how some things might end up fitting me compared with Lulu when I know her from the Lululemon site! I'm definitely interested in trying their Sequence Tank. Looks a tiny little bit higher in the front neckline area than the CRB, which I would actually prefer! Just wondering what their sizing for this tank would be like compared to CRB sizing. I actually think there is a MEC store in the city here, I'm going to have to check it out soon. Love that they actually have real sales, unlike Lulu. Thanks again for mentioning MEC!
Ha! I haven't been on the MEC website in a while – just ordered a couple of sequence tanks to try. I just popped over to the long sleeve tops, and noticed they are using the same models as lulu. Love MEC, and happy to give them my lulu dollars.
Haha, Unkown, just noticed your comment now! I just replied to anon 11:33 AM mentioning same thing about Lulu model!! I am actually pretty excited about MEC! Looking forward to checking out the store soon. 🙂
I am also totally confused/bummed about the increase of price, with a decrease in quality. I am a newer LLL shopper having finally reached a point where I can comfortably afford it, so the quality decrease wasn't as obvious to me until a friend showed me her 10 + year collection. Her same pants were much better, thicker and comfortable… you can't deny it, wow. That's my gripe with this whole thing. I might just be too late to really get the true LLL experience that made the brand what it is.
My other comment is, I wish people would REALLY stop buying it if they say they are going to. I've read tons of blog comments about this issue and 75% of the posts also contained things like "After the SeaBreeze event, I swear I'm done!" or "I am going tomorrow, but this is my last time!" or "I am so mad that I am only going to buy 2 things a week instead of 3!!! That will teach them!" HA. Just funny to me.