Can you give an example of a "well known, mid-priced dept store"? Do you mean Pennies or Sears? Except for sales, price will affect the quality of the fabrics. I do a lot of clothes shopping online. I've found that I had to learn which stores met all my requirements: acceptable price, acceptable quality, consistant fit, style. I did quite a bit of return shipping in the beginning and that hurts! But it taught me which places just don't work for me. Some places simply do not use the generally accepted sizes. Victoria's Secret for example, generally runs large, J Crew runs small. It's really the same for brick and mortar stores - you find which stores carry what you like and want. Unfortunately too many cater to teenagers. I think that is extremely short-sighted, given the larger Baby Boomer group who are now middle-aged. In the end, I settled for higher prices to get quality and fit over bargain prices. Lately, I've been trying to use some newly opened brick and mortar versions of the same online stores (like J Jill or Talbots) to save on shipping costs. I notice that these stores have *less* selection than their online versions. The only time I notice sizes lacking for online clothes is if I wait too long to order. Catalog stores definitely carry a lot less inventory than they used to. Some, like Soft Surroundings, seem to have everything on back order. I wonder if they wait until there are enough orders for something before they have it made?! Since I buy higher priced materials, I can't buy as much so I make sure I get classic separates that can work together. Better fabrics last longer too. I do still shop locally for bargains. Some shops not inside malls will offer lower prices to get customers. See if there is a Cato store near you. The clothing styles are rather youthful but they have nice accessories and the prices a great. In addition, check out consignment stores. I found a local second hand clothing store where a lot of well to do women drop off their used clothing. I've gotten some real bargains there of good name brands. In the end, you have to determine your personal clothing priorities. If lower cost is first on your list, you will probably have to compromise on other issues. I have a friend who is on a budget, but still manages to always be amazingly put together in a seemingly endless variety of outfits, from shoes to ear rings to lipstick color! She does no online shopping but spends most of her free time bargain hunting; haunting TJ Maxx, Marshalls and sales, sales, sales. For myself, I have better things to do than spend all my free time in stores. ;) I don't know about marketing strategies, but I often wonder about retailers in particular. I've been in so many stores with racks too full of clothes, poorly lighted dressing rooms, dressing room hooks full of rejected clothing (even piled on the floor), no clerks, clerks who were slooooowww or rude, etc., etc. And I do understand hating malls. It's like shopping at the zoo sometimes. ;) No wonder people prefer to shop online.

mainly at the Goodwill. If I get giftcards for special occasions, I ask that they be for Cotton Ginny Plus or Penningtons. I always love a good bargain and find some great ones at the GW. I want to buy from Lane Bryant catalogue but can't order from Canada, trust me I have tried. When I go to the States, I like to shop at Dress Barn.

One had vinyl by the yard so you could make your own casual tablecloths. A store in Paris even has a hardware store/garden center downstairs. Francypants, was this some fancy kind of vinyl? Because almost every hardware store in Canada has vinyl by the metre for tablecloths. And many stores have garden centres. I admit I was impressed with the French hypermarche when we lived in Europe in the 70's - I had never seen a store that large. While many of these ideas would be very nice most would likely raise prices which most consumers won't tolerate. I've had a store and returns always reduce profits and sometimes even completely negate profits. How many of us are willing to pay more so some people can return a lot of what they buy. Personally I almost never return anything. I just don't buy things I'm not sure of.

flamingo, I'm 30 minutes from a IKEA. I have a friend who goes there at least once/month. It's become a joke that when I notice something new at her house, or she *has* to show me some new gadget I ask "Did'ja get it at IKEA last week?" Most people here take there out of town guests to the Georgia Aquarium, she takes them to IKEA! She is so funny, sends out emails to our friends "I'm going to IKEA Tuesday, who wants to ride with me?" I can tell ya, if you knocked on her door and said "You don't know me, but I heard you would take me to IKEA" She would tell you "Just let me get my keys!"