The New Retail Thread

[Lrfox]

If we're talking about Fashion, which I think we are, the main thing that distinguishes cheap shoes from expensive shoes is a name.

No. There are some very, very obvious symptoms of a cheap shoe that were clearly missed at "Palessi." Glued soles, cheap plastic, pleather, cheap foam lining, etc. should all jump out to anyone at first glance.

I agree that the people who were invited to Palessi were not who the company was trying to convince to by Payless shoes, and in that sense, it's clever marketing. But any of us should be able to tell the difference between Payless quality and higher end fashion if you're looking at it/holding it in person. It's easy to get so caught up in the hype of the invite and the look of the pop-up store that you don't scrutinize the product; but there's zero chance if anyone of those people spent 5 minutes with their $600 payless shoes outside of the store that they wouldn't realize they bought an inferior product.

 

[HalcyonEra]

No. There are some very, very obvious symptoms of a cheap shoe that were clearly missed at "Palessi." Glued soles, cheap plastic, pleather, cheap foam lining, etc. should all jump out to anyone at first glance.

I agree that the people who were invited to Palessi were not who the company was trying to convince to by Payless shoes, and in that sense, it's clever marketing. But any of us should be able to tell the difference between Payless quality and higher end fashion if you're looking at it/holding it in person. It's easy to get so caught up in the hype of the invite and the look of the pop-up store that you don't scrutinize the product; but there's zero chance if anyone of those people spent 5 minutes with their $600 payless shoes outside of the store that they wouldn't realize they bought an inferior product.

Maybe so, but that is not the lesson here. They pulled in "influencers" who basically tell others what they need and what's hot and what's not. All it takes is an endorsement by those types and your sales follow. For people into that sort of thing, they go to great lengths to be on the leading edge, for a wide variety of psychological reasons. Quality may or may not be the driving force. Branding is all about perception.

I worked in a papermill in college and saw first hand the same end product being packaged with a wide variety of "suggested retail price" on the labels yet it being the exact same product. It was a real eyeopener for me.

 

[Beton Brut]

It was a real eyeopener for me.

Indeed...

If the Palessi experiment tells us anything, it's about how easily lead (and woefully unobservant) people can be.

 

[FK4]

Once again, is there a single example of "the rich towns banning marijuana" that anyone can point to? I don't believe it has happened.

Acushnet
Auburn
Barre
Bellingham
Braintree
Bridgewater
Burlington
Chatham
Chelmsford
Cohasset
Concord
Danvers
Dennis
Duxbury
East Bridgewater
East Longmeadow
Falmouth
Foxboro
Freetown
Hamilton
Hampden
Hanover
Harwich
Hingham
Holden
Holliston
Hopkinton
Hull
Lancaster
Lawrence
Lexington
Longmeadow
Ludlow
Lynnfield
Mattapoisett
Medfield
Medway
Merrimac
Methuen
Middleton
Milford
Milton
Mount Washington
Norfolk
North Andover
North Reading
Northboro
Norwood
Pembroke
Raynham
Reading
Revere
Sandwich
Scituate
South Hadley
Southboro
Southbridge
Southwick
Sterling
Stoneham
Stoughton
Sutton
Walpole
Wenham
West Boylston
West Bridgewater
Westboro
Westford
Weston
Weymouth
Whitman
Wilbraham
Wilmington
Winchester
Woburn
Yarmouth

 

[statler]

That certainly is a list of towns with some bolded.

Any context?

 

[BosDevelop]

That certainly is a list of towns with some bolded.

Any context?

By law, any community that voted in favor of legalization, that now seeks to ban it indefinitely, must have a town vote with a majority voting in favor of the ban. As I said above, if a community votes to ban recreational stores, so be it. One will open just over the town line in a neighboring town. Eventually it will be like alcohol and you will be able to easily count on your hands the number of "dry" towns in Greater Boston.

 

[FK4]

That certainly is a list of towns with some bolded.

Any context?

I meant to copy the title, which is a listing from the Globe of towns as of July 2018 that banned marijuana sales. Those are the towns on that list I think of as rich towns, and a brief google search will justify that (with the exception of Milton, which has a median income dragged down by a more working class part of town, but nonetheless is a 'rich' suburb).

By law, any community that voted in favor of legalization, that now seeks to ban it indefinitely, must have a town election with a majority voting in favor of the ban. As I said above, if a community votes to ban recreational stores, so be it. One will open just over the town line in a neighboring town. Eventually it will be like alcohol and you will be able to easily count on your hands the number of "dry" towns in Greater Boston.

Yes, but you asked if there were any rich towns that banned marijuana sales... the point is that plenty of rich towns voted in favor of legalization but then banned sales. Just another example of NIMBYism. And yes, it won't ultimately matter but it will be an inconvenience.. and soon enough people will chill out about the whole thing when it turns out the shops aren't havens for evil gang members and drug addicts, but, like rail trails, are a net bonus to the towns that have them.

 

[BosDevelop]

I meant to copy the title, which is a listing from the Globe of towns as of July 2018 that banned marijuana sales. Those are the towns on that list I think of as rich towns, and a brief google search will justify that (with the exception of Milton, which has a median income dragged down by a more working class part of town, but nonetheless is a 'rich' suburb).



Yes, but you asked if there were any rich towns that banned marijuana sales... the point is that plenty of rich towns voted in favor of legalization but then banned sales. Just another example of NIMBYism. And yes, it won't ultimately matter but it will be an inconvenience.. and soon enough people will chill out about the whole thing when it turns out the shops aren't havens for evil gang members and drug addicts, but, like rail trails, are a net bonus to the towns that have them.

Are your suggesting your list above is a list of towns that voted in favor of legalization and then banned it via town wide vote? Because it's not. For the third time, which towns had town-wide VOTES (not elected/appointed officials making decisions on their own) to ban recreational marijuana?

 

[HalcyonEra]

Are your suggesting your list above is a list of towns that voted in favor of legalization and then banned it via town wide vote? Because it's not. For the third time, which towns had town-wide VOTES (not elected/appointed officials making decisions on their own) to ban recreational marijuana?

Here is the vote by town:

https://www.bostonglobe.com/elections/2016/MA/Question/4 - Legalize Marijuana

You can compare it to the list above.

Quick glance shows the list is mostly but those that did vote No, but I do notice that Concord, Wilmington and Holliston voted Yes.

 

[kmp1284]

I may have said this before so sorry if I did... my girlfriend and I cut thru copley mall all the time and we play a game to try and find the most hideous piece of clothing in the window. These rich people sure do have some baaaaad taste in things

Between this and your comment on the Seaport your economic anxiety/jealousy is really shining through.

 

[FK4]

Are your suggesting your list above is a list of towns that voted in favor of legalization and then banned it via town wide vote? Because it's not. For the third time, which towns had town-wide VOTES (not elected/appointed officials making decisions on their own) to ban recreational marijuana?

Looking back in the thread I see you asked that more specifically and I missed it. What I saw was the more recent post where the wording asks for an example of rich towns that banned marijuana. I haven’t checked the entire list, but concord is one. Whether the vote happens by elected officials or the citizens themselves, I don’t take much stock in. The officials are elected by the people and represent the town, plain and simple. But, I will admit I was surprised (and a little sad) that Weston was a “no” vote to begin with. They’re a convenient punching bag, and I’ll never forgive them for variant the only town who voted against the Wayside rail trail.

 

[SlothofDespond]

Between this and your comment on the Seaport your economic anxiety/jealousy is really shining through.

I don't think you should be throwing the phrase "economic anxiety" around so carelessly. It's become strongly associated with people who are white supremacists.

 

[Justin7]

No. There are some very, very obvious symptoms of a cheap shoe that were clearly missed at "Palessi." Glued soles, cheap plastic, pleather, cheap foam lining, etc. should all jump out to anyone at first glance.

[...]

there's zero chance if anyone of those people spent 5 minutes with their $600 payless shoes outside of the store that they wouldn't realize they bought an inferior product.

So it should have jumped out at first glance but there is absolutely no chance they would have missed it after five minutes? So much certainty.

I think you may have too much faith in "influencers." This was all marketing hype aimed at people who don't know a thing about quality. It's all image.

 

[Lrfox]

So it should have jumped out at first glance but there is absolutely no chance they would have missed it after five minutes? So much certainty.

I think you may have too much faith in "influencers." This was all marketing hype aimed at people who don't know a thing about quality. It's all image.

I’m saying it should have been obvious right away, and if it wasn’t (due to the influencers, camera, store design, etc), then it would be obvious in a very short amount of time with the product outside of that chaotic, staged environment. Point is, Payless is beyond cheap, and even someone who “doesn’t know a thing about quality” can pick the difference between leather and plastic that’s designed to look like leather, etc.

None of this is relevant to the (effective) marketing strategy which is to convince potential buyers of cheap shoes that they could pass for high end shoes. They can’t, but the “expirement” would have us believe they can.

 

[mass88]

People buy luxury items because they're a status symbol. People are not buying them because they may be more durable. Often time you can get the same quality (or better) for a fraction of the price. Prime example: Canadian Goose jackets.

 

[cden4]

OMG yes. The Canada Goose craze is so ridiculous. People actually line up to get into the store at the Pru on weekends, to pay $800+ for a winter coat. It's nuts.

 

[Suffolk 83]

OMG yes. The Canada Goose craze is so ridiculous. People actually line up to get into the store at the Pru on weekends, to pay $800+ for a winter coat. It's nuts.

Yea I dont get it at all. And everyone and their mother has one now so is it really cool anymore? It was like 4 years ago

 

[Coyote137]

Some people don't pay attention, some people have their meaning in life derived from the stuff they own, some people need to be part of a particular group/tribe/class, etc. Some people are highly willing to be duped. Some people grew up with relatively little, and are compensating. Others have always had more money than they know what to do with. Others are boring and uncreative, and need to be told what to think. Marketing will exploit all of this, obviously.

 

[Roxxma]

OMG yes. The Canada Goose craze is so ridiculous. People actually line up to get into the store at the Pru on weekends, to pay $800+ for a winter coat. It's nuts.

A wise man once said: "Frivolity is a stern taskmaster!"

 

[jl326]

I may have said this before so sorry if I did... my girlfriend and I cut thru copley mall all the time and we play a game to try and find the most hideous piece of clothing in the window. These rich people sure do have some baaaaad taste in things

More and more of the traditionally conservative lux brands have reacted radically to try to capture the younger instagram crowd (think weird animal faces and colorful patches). It definitely is not my cup of tea but maybe I'm just too old to understand it.

People buy luxury items because they're a status symbol. People are not buying them because they may be more durable. Often time you can get the same quality (or better) for a fraction of the price. Prime example: Canadian Goose jackets.

I wouldn't generalize it that way (though you are right on about Canada Goose). Some luxury items definitely are of higher premium quality and durability than others, including certain shoes. The phrase "buy nice or buy twice" still rings true for some things.

OMG yes. The Canada Goose craze is so ridiculous. People actually line up to get into the store at the Pru on weekends, to pay $800+ for a winter coat. It's nuts.

Again, completely agree here. What a ridiculous fad it is for something so "meh" in my opinion.