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lululemon Changes Sweat Collective Policy?
There has been a lot of chatter online lately about some changes lululemon has made to customer policy. No more ‘send-sales’, no new Sweat Collective applicant approvals, Sweat Collective no longer applying to WMTM items, and no more WMTM sales racks in stores etc. I get the anger at this. I too feel disappointed but I want to share my perspective on this.
It’s important to realize the context of all of these changes. The last two and a half months in retail have been NOT GOOD to put it mildly. Sales have been dismal everywhere. Sales across all retail has tanked to levels not seen in a very long time.
In blogger world, retail commission programs have been cut drastically or discontinued. I have one retail brand that hasn’t paid me since August of last year. In Canada, Nordstrom has shut down operations and yesterday they have been approved for liquidation. This is huge news in Canada and I don’t think we’ve quite processed what that means. There are many retailers right now that are on the brink of making really tough decisions. A Canadian big box book store is hanging on by threads.
As disappointed as I am to lose out some of these customer service perks we get from lululemon (and believe me, my bottom line is very affected), I think anything a retailer can do to remain in business without having to lay-off employees is a good thing. I don’t want any more businesses to shut down, even the ones I don’t shop at. Boarded up stores and layoffs create a really negative cascade effect.
I have no doubt that once the economy stabilizes, and customers are back to the usual retail habits, lululemon will want to go back to providing the perks to customers that we love. In the meantime, lululemon continues to treats employees very well. Product quality has remained high, and we are still getting regular product drops thanks to good corporate planning. lululemon is doing the things they should be doing to be able to survive the challenge, and I support that.
let me know in the comments what your thoughts are on the recent lululemon changes for the Sweat Collective/customer incentive programs?
Fast and Free Reflective High-Rise Classic-Fit Short
magenta purple
12 comments
That really sucks about the WMTM changes. I guess they will send it all to the outlets but there are no outlets in my state :(. I will be buying more from their Like New website now, or Athleta!
From what I’ve been reading, there will still be a few marked down items in stores from returns etc or one offs but they are removing the dedicated WMTM items. I suspect most of those items will ship back to warehouses to optimize online sales vs brick and mortar.
One reason I haven’t purchased from lulu in awhile is the offerings. Not much peaks my interest. I’m a suckered for swiftlies and even the colours on those have been lackluster. I’m ok with no wmtm in stores as there wasn’t much at mine anyway. Good to see them retaining and treating emoyees well as you’re right, huge cascade effect.
There have been a few hits for me in the color department. Psychic blue, heathered maldives/mint. What colors do you like that they’ve been missing out on? I know I was frustrated last year with the parade of varying shade of neutrals but this year I’m seeing more chromatic colors thrown in which always grabs me.
I’ll miss the sweat collective in WMTM. The discount was m outlet merchandise was the bomb. Athleta has not allowed discounts on clearance maybe ever, so it was a bonus while we had it.
I know a lot of people are feeling this way.
I will be shopping a lot less at lulu with these recent changes which I think is the opposite of what they would be wanting, but, hey, maybe if my paycheque would increase ….
I’d love a paycheque increase too. I hear ya!
touche, i feel it too. it was a huge reason why I mainly shopped at LLL the discount on wmtm, suspect i will be leaning less towards in lieu of. but yes, if my pay increases c’est la vie.
I find the send sale ban completely annoying for a company whose whole bottom line is limited stock of any one item. Further, if sales are down in store, wouldnt they want to have a sure customer on the end of the phone line with a sale? I work, have kids and have little time for in store shopping. If not available for online purchase, I look using the site search for stores with availibility and call in. A 5 min transaction on Lulu’s end as my info is on file (also limiting fraud). Already this past year or two however it has been increasingly challenging to get through as many stores literally go days or even weeks without picking up or answering back. Now a complete ban despite flagging sales. I know of few vendors that are so non inclusive of phone sale customers.
This is true about stores getting back to phone calls. I’ve noticed this as well and also sent an email and left voice mail when I left something behind in store and never got a call back.
No more WMTM in stores is a huge bummer but I can live with it. I have to differ on the quality of Lululemon lately. I just bought a Train to Be SS shirt and had to return it because it is paper thin. I have had to send back pants because the internal lining of these scuba joggers flakes out all over my house when I put them on. Many of their newer swiftlys are thinner than ever and wear out quickly. Some pieces are still wonderful but I can see them cutting costs wherever they can. Thanks for sharing all of this news though, I didn’t know about it.