I wish there was a better way to combat inflationary pricing than Black Friday discounts. Banana Republic Factory emailed about the big 60-percent off storewide, topped by another 15 percent with special code. Since, coincidentally, two years ago nearly to the day I last purchased boxers—and none since—time had come to follow my wife’s advice: resupply. BRF’s undies are comfy and durable, which is why I buy them.
Two BRF stores are about equally far, North and South, from our San Diego neighborhood. We chose the one farther from Mexico’s border, for no particular reason. Decision was figuratively a coin toss.
Huh? We arrived to find advertised 50-percent off plus an additional 20 percent, which is less of a bargain than what the email promised. That’s because the underwear’s original sticker price is 20 bucks (cough, cough, choke). Half-off is $10 and another 20 percent puts final price at $8.
If BRF applied a straight 70 percent, cost would be $6. But, of course, it’s not calculated that way. The price seen online, which also is supposed to be available in the store, is eight bucks, at 60-percent off. Apply another 15 percent and the boxers are $6.80 apiece.
The friendly sales associate gladly honored the savings that I had expected, which—and you can laugh with me—brought the final price to one penny more per boxer than what I paid in November 2020. For the record, if I rightly recall, without discount the normal price is about $4 more than two years ago. But with the magic of discounts, I could pay almost the same amount.
Not that many years ago, BRF sold five pairs for $20. The all-cotton boxers are so rugged, I have several left from that price vintage. Otherwise, why pay so much for underwear?
Topic pivot. Here’s a tip for you, straight from the smart investigative reporters at CBC Marketplace: “Outlet stores might not be as good a deal as you think“. If you’re like me, you may assume that overstocks, seconds, and similarly cast-off goods are what outlet stores sell. Sometimes, yes. Oftentimes not, as I have confirmed from following up on the CBC story. In the case of Banana Republic, the wares are produced specifically for the factory shop. You can tell by three sequential dots on the clothing’s label; you won’t find them on stock sold at regular Banana Republic.
Surely by now you must wonder why this missive is about shopping at Banana Republic outlet but the Featured Image and companion show Barnes and Noble bookstore. Well, hell, that’s where was the Christmas tree! Same shopping center, but a few stores away. Photo vitals, first: f/1.8, ISO 32, 1/896 sec, 14mm; 11:55 a.m. PST, yesterday. Second: f/1.5, ISO 50, 1/2695 sec, 26mm; 11:54 a.m. Both come from iPhone 13 Pro.