Last month, Lulu Addict noticed that some of the reviews on the Lululemon website sounded like shill reviews. Here is her post about Shill Product Reviews On The Website. I’ve had many readers comment over the past couple of months that their reviews have not been posted, or they’ve been deleted off the lululemon website if they aren’t stellar. I hadn’t really delved too much into this until the Wunder Speed Tights in Mixed Marble print came up and I had posted my review on this website. A lot of you agreed that the pants where sheer, but some of you hadn’t experienced that issue, which is absolutely valid. I had a lot of lashback about that post and so I felt a bit like I was second guessing my review (although I firmly stand behind it, I feel bad for those that hadn’t experienced the sheerness), because of this I’ve been paying very close attention to the reviews of this particular product on the Lululemon website. Daily I’ve been looking at the reviews, reading them, making mental note of the number of reviews and the star rating. Yesterday, a one star review was deleted and a five star review was left in it’s place, bumping up the overall star rating from 2.0 to 3.0. I just checked again and yet another review has been deleted and the overall rating is now up to 3.2. A few days ago there where 12 reviews and today there are 10. Removing the negative reviews and allowing the few positive reviews artificially inflates the rating.
Logically, I realize that the review feature on a retailers website is nothing more than a marketing tool and that they have every right to edit and conform the reviews and ratings to fit their marketing message. As a customer however, I am astounded at the lack of integrity being shown here. They’ve already eliminated the Hey Lululemon website (and eliminated five employee positions as a result), and the fact that they are now heavily editing reviews to invalidate negative customer reviews is infuriating. A review feature on a website is not a standard feature on retailers e-commerce sites, but they include it because it is a marketing advantage. If the negative reviews they are receiving on a particular product outweighs the advantage of having this marketing feature then they could correct the issue with the product itself, or eliminate the review feature altogether. Instead they are choosing to artificially inflate ratings by removing negative reviews from customers that took the time to engage in their website and provide feedback. Lululemon, your customers left you feedback which you are choosing to invalidate and ignore. Where will this lead you in the long run?
121 comments
Dear God that is concerning! Why bother having a review option on the website if it's all edited and fake? It's also not fair to buyers especially when purchasing off wmtm because I rely on reviews to help make a decision whether or not to buy a final sale item. That's hugely disappointing!
Trivial. Lots of companies out there encourage employees to post reviews or boost about their products.
Not trivial, I say. I experienced the same thing with a swiftly long sleeve which I wrote about previously on this blog. I have been a longtime LLL shopper, probably one of the oldest customers on this blog and on their website! Leaving shill reviews is something new that LLL is doing to try to hype themselves up since they have changed! Anyone who has been a long time customer like me, knows that their fabrics overall "feel" cheaper, hence, different. I used to spend so much money and now I don't! Their lost! Lastly, I have enough LLL to last me a lifetime and I am constantly on e-Bay looking for items that I missed. What are LLL customers getting? Cheaper fabrics with increased prices! I don't think so!
completely agree !!
Totally agree anon 6:41 pm!
So true. 🙁
"Trivial" so says the LLL plant that is part of the Exec. team or working on its behalf 😉
Bahaha honestly I am not a lululemon plant. I am just a long time customer and I admit I am actually starting to shop for other brands (can't handle the price increases any more). IMO This issue is still trivial.
@Anon 9:15, Yea you were posting "trivial!!!" over at LLA's blog too weren't you? I'm pretty sure your job at LLL is to scan the blogs and make comments as well. You probably write all those fake reviews too don't cha?
I really really on the reviews and in the past , they have been pretty accurate. It is awful to hear they are doing this. I just looked on the review page for these pants and you can tell they deleted reviews. The last post I see, a person comments that they don't agree with the two previous negative reviews. Those reviews are now gone!!!!! Ugh. I actually liked the pants and bought them. They were not see through on me but I feel misled that the company would delete reviews.
Same here, I shop online and really rely on guest reviews. I shop far less from sites that don't have reviews, or that have uninformative reviews.
Reviews are especially helpful with their WMTM section. So now it's a double whammy– skewed reviews and a no-return policy.
To me this makes my Facebook lulu groups so much more important. I used to be able to trust the reviews and buy a size up if they were consistently tight. Now I guess I can't trust them and I will keep asking my ladies online, especially when I'm buying from final sale.
PLAIN & SIMPLE: LULULEMON HAS LOWERED THEIR STANDARDS!!!!
PLAIN AND SIMPLE: LULULEMON IS NOT THE SAME COMPANY AND I'M LOSING HOPE IT EVER WILL BE AGAIN…..
Hope was gone for me a long time ago.
Same here anon 7:04 pm.
Chip is the only one who can turn this around in my opinion. He IS the vision of Lululemon! 🙁 That vision has been lacking ever since he left. People may not like his comments but he MADE the Lulu that we all grew to love.
I agree with you anon 11:02PM. We need to bring Chip back!
Or actually change the company's name as it no longer resembles what it was or who it was made for!!!!!
I'm sad to say that I'm not surprised at this. Along with the shill reviews, for a while now I feel like there have been a lot of comments here on the blogs that haven't been genuine as well.
As a reliable source, Lulumum has kept me well-informed for years now and I know she is the "real deal." Without Lulumum and Luluaddict, I would not know much about the new products and fit reviews. They save me a lot of time! 🙂 Likewise, I give genuine reviews, good or bad if I have something to write about. I would not be surprised if a couple of weeks ago Lululemon got several of their employees to hype about their products here on this blog.
Yes anon 7:14, there have been a few questionable comments that have been left over the past few months.
Maybe they will just take the review feature away just like they did HeyLululemon. There have also been a lot of complaining about them removing negative comments on their FB page. It's a yin and yang lulu, gotta take the good with the bad, and the bad lately has been BAD!
Don't even give them that idea of taking off reviews permanently lol. Ah who am I kidding, it must be in the works already!
Thank you for the information, LLM. Good monitoring by you and taking the time to post and keep people informed. These particular WUs do not appeal to me, but knowing that LLL is engaging in deceptive practices is very relevant.
In the past, when they consistently allowed negative reviews to be posted (I think, even under Day, they pretty much always did), I remember thinking that this was actually decent of them. If the consumer takes the time to share their positive or negative experience and it is posted, for the latter it really was/is a case of "buyer beware." The brand is letting the reviews/customers speak and is not trying to hide anything. Clearly they have changed this in recent months (having read the LLA shill reviews post and readers' comment as to how many times their own reviews are unapproved/unpublished).
The very fact that they are deleting or not posting negative reviews, and posting shill reviews, is a self-admission that they cannot bank on the quality and design of the product that they are selling. It reeks of desperation and that is an understatement. With this type of underhanded directive and practice, they may as well just throw fuel on the fire for more ways to lose business. Rigging results is unethical and completely unacceptable.
Personally, I think LLL is probably infuriated by informed, intelligent customers, whether long-term or newer. The knowledge, experience, insight, and input is not something they can erase.
Things evolve nothing stays the same I can find equal amounts of good as I can bad with lulu, fact is they are a company with shareholders and would have kpi's to hit all through the business model. I love the online groups and yes would keep in mind what people are discussing, does it disturb me what the company puts on their website whether it be flattering images or curated comments, not at all i either buy it or move on!
Dude, sounds like you're on the team. With moves like these, there aren't going to be any shareholders. Don't be shocked when that news breaks.
Hahahaha nope just a customer in Australia actually, but in the company I work for the shareholders expect results and data to reflect that! I can't see that being any different for companies that have shareholders to report too!
I agree with you entirely about the sheerness of the pants and didn't buy them myself because of the heads up I received from these forums but kpi's are not solely based on sales of one item or even a few, who knows what they rate themselves on really and I don't need to. I'm just interested in enough items I like and want to buy. I enjoy both lulu mum and lulu addict forums where we can all throw our 10 cents worth in, I did find it slightly amusing though that not caring about the comments made me a staff member 🙂
Fair enough, but Anon 7:29, you cannot falsify data to your shareholders. The data shareholders are interested in are sales. A full size run sitting on the website of this pant in a novel material, going into it's second week now, is not indicating that this is a good seller. It's too bad though because I'm pretty sure the pants would have been just fine released in black, or the other dark print. A print with large white patches on a material that tends to sheerness is not a good opener.
That'll be the day, when the customer says "oh, OK, company has to hit its KPIs for shareholders so they can do all kinds of unethical stuff, out of my hands." It's always a consumer's choice as to where to spend/invest their money. That is indeed a power. However, it does not make any company's unethical practices OK. It similarly says a fair bit about someone who condones that sort of behaviour. And companies that underestimate how they behave, conduct themselves, their ethics and principles, grossly underestimate their actual importance. Very clearly Potdevin & Co. do not get it.
Totally agree with this anon 4:13 am. Sadly there are still a lot of people who don't think about how important it is where/how they choose to spend their money and don't really look into the companies they are supporting (and sometimes even if they do, don't see through the way the company words everything in a way that is best for themselves but still sounds good to the customer, and more often than not it takes a lot of digging into and not simply a quick skim over). or they are well aware but think, oh well there is nothing I can do about it… or, it's just the way it is… etc, etc…
In a perfect world I would leave no carbon footprint only wear clothing that I had checked personally each and every process that it went through. Would only eat what I had grown after checking the soil to make sure it was pure. I only left comments to show not everyone cares about the same things doesn't make me a monster, doesn't make anyone wrong it's just a pair of leggings and an opinion. I'll still buy lulu regardless of what happens and whether people think I'm ethical or not 🙂 thanks lulu mum for always bringing interesting topics as well as photos and reviews I appreciate the time it would take you x
you sound like youre a ton of fun lol
Wow thanks for that anon 9.29 ���� and I thought we were here to talk about lulu ��
Does anyone know why heylululemon was taken down? I used to follow it periodically to look at new product review, feedback etc and there seemed to be an active following on the webpage & then one day I went to check and it was gone! Maybe lulu doesn't want to hear the honest reviews from their loyal fan base?
Their message to customers was that they wanted to 'create a more unified digital engagement strategy'. Notice they've made other changes as well including no more store product emails (that ended in March) and no more local store Facebook pages, just large conglomerate Facebook pages for entire cities. Fewer store photo posts and generally much less relevant information flowing down to the customer. Instead we are getting created content and editorials.
I still get store product emails about once per week! Usually a day or two after each upload, sometimes one around the weekend if there's a local event going on.
Me too. I actually get them for the 3 stores around me and would rather just get one with all the store's events.
i wish LLL would take a step back and realize that a poor review only comes in high amounts when the product truly deserves it. We all look past one or two poor reviews but when you hear time and time again that there is something wrong, whether it be sheerness or poor seams etc., you have a problem and you've cut too far into quality for the sake of profits. Your shareholders should be concerned.
Hey LLM,
Just wanted to comment that I still receive product store emails from my 2 Ottawa stores. I still appreciate that :). Agree with disliking the new webpage, happy no more floating product. On the app (which I've never updated… My one love is checking store stock, great option)! Saddened by the shill reviews, but I've lasted 3 weeks with no lulu purchases (I caved for the soot or whatever it's called globetrotter dress as I felt $89 was ok). Miss the heylululemon site A LOT! I was unable to follow my fellow posters to Facebook just be I can't do FB (but if any of the girls are reading, this is a shout out from "anotherluluaddict"). Hope you all are well!!
Hey there, I'll do you one better and copy/paste the link to their page here in case anyone else has been missing out 🙂
http://store.lululemon.com/hostedemail/email.htm?CID=28083251244&ch=1967B4B77BFC2A8DDB648E4079FCF5FE&h=925d49fe3585e83d1a258898f385e868&ei=6oYWOTmFN&schema=echo7
No problem at all :). I hadn't realized that was some folks weren't receiving it anymore. Perhaps it was an email list refresh thing? The pages have definitely been reformatted a few times, and I think its current version is a nice snap shot of getting product info + community events ( which I previously found difficult to access ).
I also get store emails – I'm subscribed to 4th ave, Robson and Oakridge and still receive each of them weekly.
I also get them from Coquitlam Centre and Metrotown. I signed up to receive them I think around the same time as the new website roll out. I wasn't aware that they did store emails prior to that.
Thats really interesting!! Do you mind forwarding one of them to me? I did a search in my inbox (because I delete things rarely) and all of the stores I subscribed to (90-99% of them at one point) stopped executing their emails in March in the same week. Lulu Addict also has not received store emails in a year and she also subscribed to all or almost all stores.
I check the inventory and store stock as well. Sometimes I'm just curious how well things are selling thru and sometimes I want to know if I have a few days to decide on an item or if there is a risk of it selling out.
Thats great!! Thanks so much!
Wow…well that is interesting. I wonder if they did an email listing refresh.
Wow!!! I know for sure I was subscribed to those stores. I wonder if bloggers where removed from mail outs.
Hi anotherluluaddict! This is angieh101 🙂 Hope you're doing well.If you ever change your mind about FB, you're more than welcome to join our group!
And Lulumum, I still receive product notification emails from all of the stores in Edmonton.
Speaking of comments disappearing: I already made a comment this morning (in this section, in this reply thread) and my comment is gone.
I'm in Toronto (is that a problem? lol) and still get e-mails from a number of stores. I usually actually delete them without opening because they are no longer that relevant, compared to the past versions of e-mails from stores. And when they lead with product stuff for men, they are even less relevant to me (the men in my life will not wear LLL, not even if I purchase for them).
I got a bunch this week and opened maybe one. My original comment mentioned that they probably analyze whether you open the e-mail or not (I work for a large corporation, I know how some of this stuff works) since they are obsessed with analytics.
I don't even subscribe to lulu emails, never have, never will. I usually find out all I need to know here on Lulumum's blog, and I know to check upload on Tuesday and WMTM on Thursday. I hardly ever get a chance to go to a store but when I do they never seem to have anything I want anyway and end up having to order at home in the end. Just isn't worth the bother, I can't stand store/junk emails cluttering up my inbox and wasting my time.
I get emails from two of my local stores, but never signed up for them!
You might get e-mails if they created a profile for you in store (that I believe is linked to your online one but you don't see your in store purchases). They should ask for your consent though, it is required.
As for e-mails. I understand wanting to keep ones in box clean but I actually have a whole other e-mail box for these retailer e-mails. As for LLL, this is how you would be notified of a warehouse sale or get the special link to an online warehouse sale. Now these days, I don't know how interested I would be in a warehouse sale since a lot of the product doesn't appeal to me recently, but it's not bother to just do some housekeeping on my junk/retailer e-mail box. There are other retailers that send special promo codes in e-mail that you cannot get elsewhere, e.g. Shakti is one of my favourite brands so I'll take a discount when I can get it 🙂 and Sephora does this a bit too. I'm not a major Sephora shopper but I appreciate some of their great promos if it suits me to restock something I actually need.
Wow, this is a new low! I add this to an educator giving me flak for doing zumba in my "in the flow crops" (she said that was too vigorous an activity for them, and i should only be doing yoga in them — when online reviews on them showed the exact same issues I had — crotch holes) and this company makes me furious.
I definitely still receive store emails every week.
I still get product notifications from all LLL stores in Edmonton.
If a Company is going to have product reviews than there should be no tampering whatsoever with them. As others have said you have to take the good with the bad or don't have them at all. It really is underhanded to manipulate product ratings but with this management team, nothing surprises or shocks me any more. This is just another reason why I feel LLL blogs like Lulumum and LLA are important and I am very happy that Lulumum is not hesitant about holding LLL's feet to the fire over controversial business practices and ethics. Obviously the majority of followers here love Lululemon and will continue to buy but that doesn't mean LLL should be able to get away with questionable practices without anyone speaking out. They took HLL away, which IMO was a bad move as it was a place where they had some control over dealing with negative comments. So I am in full support and agreement with calling out LLL when need be so thanks Lulumum for bringing this to our attention. I am fully aware of shill reviews but was not paying close enough attention to negative reviews actually being deleted. Wouldn't it be nice if they focused more of their time making improvements on their site instead of spending time manipulating review ratings?
We all can see how LLL has been able to reduce costs thereby increasing their margin but at the same time they have not improved their sales to what they were forecasting and as a result their stock took a huge hit after 2nd qtr. results and in speculation of end of year results not doing as well either. I think Chip Wilson was able to see that under the direction of this new management team, LLL was going to become more like other athletic brands and less like what LLL was well known for. We have all seen it this year in most of their cheap designs that are more brand neutral than a LLL look. We savy customers know the differences from current product vs. past products and we also keep informed through these blogs. Customers who never visit blogs or read reviews are going to pick up on the changes because they are so glaringly apparent, cheap fabric, cheap designs, poor workmanship, little to no markdowns. If they can't figure out how to keep designs looking like LLL while at the same time keeping costs down to appease shareholders then I don't see much if any growth in this company.
LLM thank you so much for taking the time to look into this for us. I think most of us now rely on your blog to get real reviews, product updates, basically real people experience. Sadly this company has just lost their way. I know many love that new windy bloom print (I'm personally not a fan of florals) but I wish they'd truly come out with something original! Fabric decline, discontinuing beloved items, now this? What is their marketing strategy? Clearly they want to get rid of the loyal following they amassed over the past several years, who is this marketing geared towards now? Can we please get more tights with mesh, I don't think they have enough (yes, I'm being facetious).
This speaks to a lack of integrity. How sad!
Trying to deceive a customer into thinking that ratings are good is unethical to say the least. Shame on them.
There is power in numbers everyone. If lulu is censoring reviews then what action can we take? What about this: somewhere in the main body of the review use an obvious out of place random punctuation mark just once. This would signal to everyone else that it is a genuine review. Or, what about everyone abandoning leaving reviews altogether on their site and instead posting reviews on here? What do you guys think? Do you have any ideas?!
Maybe a new FB group dedicated to sharing product reviews.
I love Lulumum's blog for honest thoughts on everything lulu. I usually give my honest two cents worth on stuff here (both positive and negative) and she has said before that she doesn't mind (maybe she can confirm if this is still the case). I don't do Facebook or other social media, so this blog is especially important for those of us who stay away from that kind of thing. Thanks for all you do here Lulumum, it is greatly appreciated!
I like both ideas! Leave reviews either here or on a FB group. Let's do this ladies (and gentlemen)! I rely heavily on product reviews, especially in the past year since the product quality started to go down. I can no longer say I pick any Lulu product and know it is great. I now have to wait and see what other think about it before making the purchase.
continuing on this idea, Lulumum is there a way for you to create a page within this website where we can all post our reviews? If we just post the randomly in the comments section it would be almost impossible to track down.
These are great ideas. I can see a need for a FB group for reviews and another option for those who aren't fluent in FB. If Lulumum is willing to create something through her site, I think that's a great idea since she has a lot of traffic here. Is there anyone who could help out on the FB side of it?
I was thinking to get the ls swiftly from WMTM, I thought they FINALLY went on sale, but then I was like "So the sale price is actually $1 more than its original regular price?! W T F!!". This company thinks we are stupid and do not notice small details.
Exactly! These price hkes are absolutely ridiculous and the WMTM price is like a slap in the face.
I have mentioned this before on this blog or LLA's, as well. Some of the WMTM prices are actually more than the original prices before the price hikes. It is absurd.
I wonder if they're only doing this for select items, like the ones they've really hyped up and hope to push at a high price tag. Because every time I'm tempted to buy a swiftly long sleeve tee I look at bad review after bad review complaining about snags, holes, and poor quality and I can't bring myself to pull the trigger. Now the red one I had my eye on is on WMTM (yes, annoyingly for what up until recently was the normal price) and I almost bought it since I love that color, but don't want to get stuck with a crappy quality shirt that'll fall apart within a month. Are they really as bad as the reviews make them seem? And why are they leaving those extremely negative reviews up but taking down others? It's baffling!
I'm guessing it's the new stuff that's been really hyped up and hope to push at the ridiculously high prices. The Swiftly tops have always been great sellers regardless of the bad reviews. I really love Swiftlies but the price hikes are crazy and the WMTM prices are like a slap in the face. They are delicate and will snag if you're not careful. I have been lucky and haven't had any problems with mine, but I'm careful, and even more careful with newer ones. The newer ones seem to be more delicate than the older ones, which means the quality has gone down while the price has gone up. Before these latest price hikes I feel like they were expensive for what they are but splurged anyway. Now they're being outright greedy and prices are totally insane so I'm doing my best not to support that and not buying anywhere near as many these days (have to absolutely be in love with a colour and not have any similar colours).
Thank you for your reply! Now I'm really bummed that I never bought a swiftly when they were cheaper and better quality to boot. Raising the price while making the item inferior and more fragile makes me so annoyed! Sounds like I'd be smarter to stalk eBay and other sites to find an older run swiftly instead of investing in a new one. Your feedback was really helpful!
You're very welcome! Just to clarify, I've noticed the quality has been going down for a while and not just with these most recent price hikes! It seems to be hit or miss, depending on colour/pattern, some colours/patterns seem to be more fragile than others and some seem to be the more like my older ones (from over five years ago!). For example the black heathered colours (like the red one) are decent enough and aren't overly fragile feeling, but my heathered pink paradise one seems on the thinner and more fragile side, but I find the regular more solid colours (like the jewel magenta short sleeve) to be more sturdier feeling normally. I hope the red one is still available for you if you're still thinking about it! I'd say give it a try if you can get it for WMTM price (not much of a deal but better than full price!). Just be careful with putting it on and taking it off with rings, earrings, etc as all Swiftlies will snag if caught on things like this!
Wow. I came here to post about the same exact swiftly, see below. I'm not getting it as a matter of principle. It was hard to turn that beauty down but dammit, we've been awesome customers over the years and this is pretty crappy treatment. Then, on top of it removing reviews? They can suck my swiftly. (Yes, I'm quite annoyed. I'd also like to note I'm one of the folks who have been accused of being an educator.)
Agreed, the increases for the Swiftly tops blows. Further, that the wmtm price only brings it within a few dollars of its prior, full price.
I have a number of short sleeve and long sleeve swiftly tops and I love them. Not at all kidding you, I actually do not have ANY snags or flaws, with the exception of a very few loops on the interior of one or two, but on the outside you can't tell. I wash them inside out, in a lingerie/net bag, hang to dry (laundry rack or smooth, non-snagging hanger). They have been worn for running and very active hiking, wearing a small daypack (i.e. nothing super rugged). I also wear them for cycling, casual/to-from toting my yoga or shoulder bag. All I am trying to say is that they are used very actively and they only get babied a bit when it comes to laundry. My oldest ones are probably 5-6 years old and in mint condition.
I never got kayak blue in the ss version at the old retail price so I did suck it up and buy it from wmtm recently at the $4 "savings" on the old price – it is a piss off. Prior to that. the last one I bought was the special Canada one in gradient red/black and I really love that one. I also love the solid black ones (long sleeve and short sleeve), which I bought at the prior, full prices. I think someone recently complained about the quality of the black ones but I think they are awesome. I reach for the solid black ones quite a bit, even for wearing with jeans.
I have several swiftlies – long sleeve, short sleeve, tanks and I any snag i've gotten has been totally my fault (broken nail, my wedding ring). I actually love all my swiftlies and wear them for everything – running, hiking (full size daypack at times), fishing, casual. I toss them in my washer (front load) and wash on regular normal cycle with Tide. My lulu said not to put them in a laundry bag so I don't (I do have them inside out which is simple since I pull them off over my head and they are then inside out and tossed in the hamper that way). I have a closet full and keep buying more. Not sure what people are doing to snag them so easily or badly that reviewed them.
It is sad to me that Lululemon has joined the likes of companies that are not ethical — all for the mighty dollar! What they don't understand is that I wouldn't have a problem with the price increases, however,they have drastically fallen off the train in their fabrics! The old Lululemon may have screwed up on see-through pants, etc., but they honed and corrected the problems! How do I go from being excited about Lululemon's clothes line to having a distasteful feeling about the way the company is doing business? I never saw this coming! I think LLL's problems have lingered too long that I do not think they will change! Neither will I!
https://jingdaily.com/lululemon-helps-chinas-affluent-young-professionals-ath-leisure/
An interesting article I came across. I wonder how well they will do with this expansion. I also read they were in Japan, but no traction and ended up closing all stores.
not surprising. here in N America we felt that lulu is more interested in global expansion than improving service aver here.
interesting quote: 'However, Lee said a combination of quality and sustainability, not quantity, is the current focus.' – right.
Wmtm is ridiculous. …how long before they accept that people aren't buying…it's insulting…the price drops of $9
It's crazy how many things are on WMTM and many items are staying on for weeks and weeks. Before it would be a handful of items that would sell immediately.. I hope that's sending a message!
The swiftlies on there are ridiculous.. They better go back to what they used to charge because clearly they aren't selling at the new price
Perusing WMTM today and it was like I was hit in the head with a truth bomb. I put a swiftly in my cart and then realized it was only marked down $9.00. I've been wanting particular color for a long time, but then they marked it up 10.00 a few months ago during the price increases. I couldn't justify it. Now it is marked down for one dollar more than what used to be the original price. Nope. I think my love affair may be over for a while.
Totally agree about the Swiftly prices. They aren't selling the same now after this crazy price hike. My Swiftly purchases have been cut back significantly. I noticed this happened with the Defines (another favourite lulu item of mine!) last year when they raised the price up to $118… they didn't sell as well after that… and now they just went and raised it up to a ridiculous $128(at least here in Canada) and I think that is just so insane!!! they weren't selling after last years price hike and they go and tack on another $10 price hike…. I really don't get it… they've even been sitting on WMTM longer than the should… and now same thing is now happening with Swiftlies… a lot of them are sitting there for a while now too…. this company truly baffles me…
Those &go shorts crack me up every time I check the WMTM page. They have racks upon racks of those at the outlet marked down to $14 all summer long and no one is buying them. It's pretty funny they can't push them at the store for $14, but have let them sit on the website at $49 for months. Hello, Lulu??? Anyone noticing the problems here?
I saw your email in my inbox. I also saw someone else's comment in my inbox last night that didn't make it here yet. I think with the comments coming in the server is a bit slow.
Wow. You are all being ridiculous. I have seen many negative reviews on the website. If you have a problem with lululemon then just stop shopping there. This blog has become way too negative and it is just depressing to read.
LOLOL
Yes: I have stopped shopping at Lululemon; and, they might not miss me but I can guarantee you they will miss my pocketbook — where it really counts! And, no I am not ridiculous to tell it like it is! and how it was back in the good ole' days at LLL. Have a nice day!
Maybe follow your own advice and stop reading blogs you have a problem with 😉
Well articulated, Lulumum!
Yes, well said LLM. Thanks as always for the information and transparency, your hard work in general, and for providing a forum readers can participate in. It is also true that if someone does not like a post topic or has lost interest, they don't have to read everything.
I'm sorry you feel depressed about blog content. As the author of this blog, when I am made aware of or notice something such as this, I have a choice to write about it or keep quiet about what I've seen. I would feel like a pretty phoney person if I was only ever willing to write posts that exalt lululemon, or hype up a product that is lacking in quality. If it hurts you too much to read posts that are not glowing, positive reviews, I absolutely will not be offended if you choose to pass over those posts. The titles are almost always descriptions of the content that follows.
Personally, I appreciate LLM's honesty. Yes, the blog may be depressing at times, but visiting the LLL site itself is far more grim. All of those neutrals and boxy shapes are beyond sad. I still buy from LLL, but I am no longer so loyal that I make a purchase there almost every week — or ignore other brands. (Oddly, I think my addiction to LLL really started to wane when the store's FB pages lost their autonomy. The outfits no longer exuded originality.) Moreover, as 6:06 said, this blog provides "information and transparency" that simply cannot be found on the site itself.
I have to admit that LLL did leave up my 2 star review of the CRB (made on Aug. 11th with 29 likes). That being said, I am quite convinced of LLM's assertion that some of the 5 star reviews are created by LLL staff members. I have left many 5 star reviews for products over the years, but they never quite match the inane positivity of those shill reviews.
OOPS. I actually left a 2 star review of the CRB 2. I LOVED the original CRB. I have been buying those classic tanks almost as long as I've been buying LLL. (Almost 6 years)
I have an idea of how to set one up that links to the blog on a separate page. I'll work on t this afternoon.
thank you!!
Anon 4:43pm Don't shot the messenger as all the negativity is born from what Management is doing. I love Lululemon but not the direction Management is taking Lululemon. I do not recognize Mr. Potdevin et al as being Lululemon, rather strangers who have taken over and are ruining everything I love about Lululemon. What are blogs if not an opportunity to vocalize your thoughts about the topic at hand whether those thoughts are positive or negative, it's our opportunity to be heard. As LLM so nicely said, the topic of the post is in the Title and it's up to each individual to decide whether to read it or not and to comment or not.
I don't understand in the original post: "I feel bad for those that hadn't experienced the sheerness" ????
I think she meant that she felt bad writing a negative post about them being sheer if some people hadn't experienced the sheerness (i.e., if there were people that didn't find them sheer and liked them, she felt bad if she had rained on their parade).
I don't know for sure… but that was my take on what she meant!
i understood the same thing as anon 9:56pm.
Once I realized that my R&D equivalent at Athleta was 30% off and that swiftly prices were up so drastically, it only made sense to jump to their fastest track line. Also I looove their loungewear way more than lulu, and they have some cool stuff this fall. That said I'm a hotty hot shorts fan so I'm still buying those.
Also I tried on the nulux in a size up (my TTS 6 was sold out) and couldn't see my rainbow undies. I loved the fabric but the price combined with the lack of thigh pockets was laughable. I ordered the nami wave pace rivals instead since they were still available and I'd wanted them since july after seeing them on an ed. I also tried on speed tight 5 while I was there and the only real change I could see was the lack of calf ruffle. Online the 5 looked like it had more mesh than the 4, but in person it didn't seem excessive. Either way I left without them. I'm interested in seeing some speed tech tights this winter, as I hated the toasty tech design and I have no problem jumping ship to athleta since I assume they'll have a great design this year (if this fall drop so far is any indication).
Yeah, I'm sure the folks over at the Gap are taking notice of Lululemon's missteps. I bet we see some awesome fall gear from them. I picked up a hoodie from Athleta a while ago and I'm wearing it a lot. It's like french terry only thicker and it's super soft. It has a great cut too. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out.
Gap and Athleta are run by different people just as an fyi. While owned by the same company, Athleta is left to run things how they did before they were bought out – as their own separate entity.
Athleta comes out with some really great winter tights! I love their winter gear.
anon 8:31PM – did you mean they got rid of the ruffles on the speed tight 5?? did I read it right?? why, oh why?? why is lulu 'erasing' everything that made this company great??
They also added mesh to the speed tights. So disappointing.
Don't worry, the speed tight 6 will have the ruffles again. They give and take it with each version. And yeah I wanted a fall/winter transition tight but there was way too much mesh for me to even consider them. Since athleta has a gorgeous fall line this year, I'm very hopeful they'll do their traditional winter tight but with side pockets. I'd buy it in 2+ colors I'd they did. I feel like their quality in style is only going up (look at their raincoat vs lulu's – theirs is more flattering with pretty gold hardware and only like $120 if I remember???) Idk it's an easy choice with their return policy, the lower prices, my 30% off, and their new designs. And their employees aren't creepy and don't say weird things. Btw I got my nami wave pace rivals in today and they aren't very comfortable. There like wasn't enough room for my butt and the fullux kept pulling down. I think I'm just going to get a pair of werkshop pants (woo small business!) and athleta's striped capri instead. I actually have enough workout gear and just wanted fun pants for my 2 fitness jobs. I'm returning them even though the pattern is beautiful beyond belief. Sorry for the rant ladies!
LOL @ "don't say weird things" 😉
Conspiracy theory here: A lot of the WMTM items disappeared last night, like the true red swiftly and they popped back up this morning in a full size run. LLL giving the illusion they were scarce? Could have been a bug but the timing…
i just wore a swiftly tank FOR THE FIRST TIME yesterday and the shirt pulled on itself!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you know how the tank rides up (well on me at least) well at the end of my run I went to pull the shirt back down and it had snagged onto itself! it also pilled all along the hem AFTER FIRST WEAR!!! i took photos to post on lululemon.com and tried to write my review via mobile last night (wouldnt let me). odd timing but we'll see if this review gets posted!
I size up in swiftlies and mine don't ride up. I've never had one snag on itself so that's weird.
It's too bad you have had such a bad experience with your Swiftly. I have a closet full of Swiftlies purchased over the course of 10 years or more and only one has ever snagged and in a way that is not very noticeable. I wear my Swiftlies every day, no kidding! I wear them for exercise and casual wear and have never had snagging issues. I wash them on gentle cycle and not in a laundry bag and hang them to dry, I absolutely love mine. Now with the price hike and not being that thrilled with LLL at the moment, I am in no hurry to buy any more for a long time.
I too have a bunch that have never snagged. BUT, I did have a random one once that I got on WMTM that was very "itchy". It was strange. Anyways, I wore it a few times and then just took it into the store and told them it was itchy (I felt kinda silly, but hey… they "stand behind the quality of their gear"). They let me pick out a new one no problem. I would definitely take it back. Sometimes I think we all feel bad like we are "taking advantage" of them if we actually take them up on their new return policy, but seriously… do not feel bad. Snagging on itself is RIDICULOUS and you should return it and get something else without feeling any guilt whatsoever.
Maybe we should all start returning stuff all the time as way to counteract the new price increases! LOL. Back at ya lulu! 😛
Oh i was so upset I couldnt even think of my options LOL! yes I will try to bring it back (after i wash it) and see what happens. if it snagged on itself I hope it makes it out of the wash alive LOL! review is officially posted on lulu w photos so we hvae 72hrs of wait and see 🙂
I have left some scathing reviews in the past 3 weeks. I bought several pairs of Luxtreme running tights that all came unraveling at the seams on the legs and butt. And YES they are all my size. I didn't size down. Those reviews are still up. I got some feed back from them to return them to the shop and get them repaired. NO SHIT SHERLOCK!
Honestly, I have stopped leaving glowing reviews on products that I love because it just ends up being downvoted as 'not helpful' – I'm guessing by jaded people who can't believe that someone could really love something that some others have left critical reviews for. I tend not to make the effort to leave reviews unless I love something or am excited by something I've just bought, so I do tend to be pretty positive and bubbly but I'm sure people just discount them entirely and assume I'm LLL staff or creating shill reviews or whatever. The reviews with the most 'likes' are always the ones that criticize the product. It's kind of ironic, but I guess that's the momentum of buyers these days. I'm going back to being a silent buyer/reader, rather than wasting my time only to imagine people reading them and rolling their eyes and assuming they're fake or total BS.
I don't get the 'down vote' function. It's not something I ever look at or notice because it just seems too much like 'the peanut gallery'. A mysterious vote without any verbal explanation. It only now occurred to me after reading your post to look at the down votes on my review. I do a ton of fit reviews on my own blog and other than the occasionally trolling dig at me personally I don't get any verbal down votes for my glowing reviews or my negative reviews. I get appreciation for sharing. I also post a lot of guest fit reviews from readers that feel like sharing photos and their impressions of an item and I've only ever gotten positive remarks about that.
I hope you feel comfortable leaving comments here because good, neutral and negative product reviews are always welcome.
That includes negative reviews on items I love, or positive reviews on items I hate. There is no agenda being pushed here.
I have posted both positive and negative reviews on LLL and they have published them all. I try to keep my reviews factual and give them context: that I've actually performed activities in the gear and here's how they did (and what I did, activity-wise), I'm likely to mention my tts if that is what I bought, or what I did instead, and my height and weight. I also mention the colour/version, in case there are quality or fit issues amongst those. Sometimes I post pictures. In general I get a lot of helpful votes and that is likely because I have given people CONTEXT.
Speaking for myself, I dislike reviews that just gush about a product (e.g. love love LOVE) and say nothing else. Or only state they bought it and love it but haven't done any activity in the garment, therefore cannot speak to the performance. Those types of reviews are absolutely useless and if I happen to be logged in, will get a down vote from me. Usually the down votes are unanimous for those types of "reviews." I also cannot stand when someone goes on about sizing in their consistent TTS and sized up/down, but then fails to state what their TTS actually is and what they bought instead. Height-weight can be helpful but we may carry our weight in different areas of the body, so what might work for one may not necessarily work for another, but I am likely to state it.
I like factual, thoughtful reviews with a bit of joy. There are actually some incoherent, gibberish reviews on LLL so yes, they'll get a down vote. I also cannot abide reviews that have a tone of fundamental entitlement/first world problems.
As for Anon 11:05PM, I think you're making an assumption that everyone here wears yogaleisure/athleisure all the time. I'm in professional clothes during the day and I workout hardcore (run, yoga, cycle, walking) so I use most of my LLL for actual working out. Something like a Still Pant/Relaxed Fit Pant/Groove Pant will get worn sometimes in the evening or on the weekend to-from yoga. I wear other casual clothes. I'm not a trendy person but my look is cool casual and neat/polished.
Thank you Anon 8:26. I very much appreciate when reviews mention the color or version because that is such a huge determining factor in the material used. Reading thousands of reviews about Cool Racerbacks is useless unless I know exactly what cool they are reviewing. I also like to know what workout the item was used for and how it responded specifically during that situation – was it breathable or did it trap heat, did the pants slide down, where they sheer in deep squat? And I like to know body shape in some cases because some items can be tricky fits over someone with a pear shape or someone with an apple shape.
I too wear a lot of none athletic clothing for daily wear. I don't have a professional wardrobe but I really like to wear jeans and nice shoes and that lends itself to wearing a proper top or sweater, and none athletic jackets. I wear lululemon a ton because I go to the gym everyday but once thats done I like wearing my stylish outfits.
Hey LLM, I think we all appreciate your honest thoughts on try on and understand it's an "opinion." I know there is some more extended negativity towards the brand lately, and I would echo that sentiment. For example, I don't like the crap they are currently selling, period. I would like to know what is up with that? I know they received tons of feedback from the HeyLLL site and some educators really seemed to be listening and I appreciate not their fault when there is a higher agenda. I was wondering of the groups opinion, is anyone else feeling disenchanted by wearing polyester/spandex for everything?? Only asking bc I am feeling this way looking at my closet exploding with yoga clothes, most of which are for "lounge wear." On that note, I had wanted to share some new favs bottoms I have tried lately in order to "put on my big girl pants." You know, feel a little more "adult." The first currently on sale at the gap for $39 plus tax the "slim city" ankle length pant. It covers the bottom (I have a curvy one! And a narrow waist) and fits TTS I would say. AND, if I squat the material bends with me and the rise is high enough for no plumber crack fears! Secondly, a bit of a splurge, but cheaper than a legging from lulu…Joes jeans "the siouxsie ankle – high rise slim ankle" in a deep black. From Saks off 5th, with taxes $77. I am calling these my new "magic pants"!! I had forgotten what the felt like. It's pretty damn amazing. The hang tag calls them "flawless". I would second that! Also stretchy with no crack, and slipping into them, the material is sooooo luxurious! So good, I had to share the word :). Now, I'm curvy 26" waist and 40" hips and chose my tts 28" waist pants. May not be magic for everyone.
Thanks!!! I absolutely will check those out. I love denim and wear it every day. I very rarely wear leggings during the day unless I'm on my way to the gym.
Great post and discussion LLM! I'd like to echo Anon 8:26. A couple of things frustrate me in reading reviews
1. Reviewer provides height weight and build, tells me it's TTS then never mentions the size they bought.
2. Reviewer says that this "latest version" of a classic (swiftly, wunder under etc) is falling apart, scratchy, too thin, not TTS etc. BUT never says. I bought the WUP in fuel green herringbone and found the fabric to be less forgiving than my solid luon WUP
3. Telling me quality is going down hill without an example Is it seams unraveling? Thin or cheap feel to fabric? Holes or snags? Did they not hold up for yoga? Cross fit? Zumba? Casual wear?
Reviews that are specific are super helpful. That's why I really enjoy your fit reviews! Thanks
OMG my negative review was removed!! (and 2 weirdly positive reviews added…probably coincidence?). I didnt really believe they were doing this until I saw it happen to mine lol. oh well i guess!