The true GAP between sales and a bargain

Despite the world falling apart around our feet, I’m sure that some of you would have taken advantage of the sales over the new year period. And why not… It’s an excellent time to strategically get hold of those things you wanted at a more reasonable price.

I too picked up a bargain, or at least I thought I did, when I was sent an email by GAP suggesting I peruse their online sale. I had fairly recently bought a pair of 1969 boot cut jeans and was overjoyed with them (as much as one can be by a pair of jeans).

I’m not sure if like me you gain a certain sense of pleasure in finding a piece of clothing that fits right and feels right. When this happens I make a point of picking up spares so that this feeling of contentment when I wear the item can continue through the inevitable washing cycle. So when I browsed the GAP sale and saw the very same pair of jeans almost half price it was a no-brainer to click buy.

Now being a trusting soul, when they arrived I simply added them to my wardrobe and merrily carried on with my life. Even after wearing them a few times it never occurred to me that anything was wrong, but disappointment was hovering on the horizon.

Lower quality stitchingAfter owning them for less than two months the belt loops on the back have come away from the waistband. To say I was fed up would be an understatement, but when I compared them to my other pair my mood changed to anger. This supposedly identical pair of jeans had numerous differences in the quality of stitching and material which I can only suggest is what allowed them to be the lower price that I thought was a bargain.

As you can see in the picture, the non-sale jeans have slightly more material and an extra tab that secures the belt-loop to the waistband. This, and the other subtle, differences clearly allow the item to be made at a lower cost and thus sold much cheaper.

Now I have no problem with these differences when the item is sold honestly, but when it is identified as a sale item of the previously purchased jean then I expect to get the same quality as the original.

Have you had any similar experiences with sale items turning out to be not quite the bargain you expected? Let me know in the comments.