Sun 21 May 2006
Places I’ll Never Show My Face in Again: Planet Blue
Posted by Caroline on Crack under Other, Places I'll Never Show My Face in Again -
Planet Blue off Montana Avenue in Santa Monica is having a huge 50% off sale. That means their Diane Von Furstenberg, Citizens of Humanity, James Perse and other chi-chi fashions will be half off. That $600 sweatshirt you had your eye on is now only $300. BUT before you get all excited let me impart a disturbing bit of gossip a friend in the know told me.
She works near the Planet Blue location on Main Street and befriended one of the salespeople there. After noticing on many occasions the PB employees wearing this high-end fashion out and about Main Street during their lunches and smoke breaks with the tags still attached, she asked her Planet Blue salesperson friend what was going on.
Allegedly it’s store policy for the employees to wear these garments, with tags still attached, and then to put them back on the clothes rack. If they happen to get the clothes dirty, they simply send them to the dry cleaners, replace the price tag and return them to the sales floor for purchase by an unsuspecting customer.
In one instance, my friend was about to try on a white top but noticed a red stain on it. She showed it to her PB friend who quietly took it from her and brought it to one of the other salespeople. “You wore this yesterday and got strawberry juice on it!” To which the guilty salesgirl replied, “I did?” And she simply threw the top in a bag and labeled it “dry cleaner.”
And it’s not just this store on Main Street that’s doing it, apparently it’s all the stores: Montana, Malibu and Main — “company policy,” ya see. Seems as if the company believes that salespeople wearing the clothes is a form of advertisement. I can understand that but don’t most clothes stores give their employees a killer discount instead?
“But,” says this PB employee who is leaving the company because they’re sick of this weirdness, “there are actually customers out there who buy the clothes knowing that this is going on.” Ewww! It’s like a subculture of fetishists who get off on paying full price for used and partly soiled couture.
Anyhoo, maybe it’s just me but if I’m going to throw down a couple hundred-plus on an investment piece that many years from now will be considered “vintage” and not “second-hand,” I’d like to be the first one to wear it.
800 14th Street
Santa Monica, California 90265
(310) 394-0135
Cross Street: Montana Avenue
May 23rd, 2006 at 11:20 am
Dude, that’s f-ing gross. I work a block from their Main St location and around the holidays I’d go in almost every day and pet this robe in their window that was maybe the softest thing I’d ever felt. It was like, $264, and I fantasized about buying it. Glad I didn’t.
However, they do have these scented oils that are amazing and last the entire day, but naturally, they’re overpriced.
May 23rd, 2006 at 11:37 am
Yes, I will give ‘em that: They have a lot of nice candles, books and skin care stuff, too, that would make excellent last-minute gifts. And they do an impressive job with potpourri and raffia ribbon for free gift wrap.
May 24th, 2006 at 9:52 am
So THATS how it is in their family. Maybe THATs why they cost so much. I dont understand why clothes of all most quickly depreciating things of value have to cost as much as an XBOX or a new iMac.
February 23rd, 2007 at 9:11 am
[…] OK, I was really conflicted about posting this especially since I have sworn this store off but I figured a 50% storewide sale off designer goods is always newsworthy. So, yeah, the huge (three times bigger than paparazzi stakeout location, the Malibu PU) Santa Monica Planet Blue is having a two-day sale on its entire store. James Perse, Rock and Republic, Diane von Furstenberg? All half price. I went by there this morning and they have all these boxes of said goodies out to stock the racks. My friend Amy who loooves this place, even though she was the one who told me about that gossip of the questionable store policy, told me how she racked up on designer jeans marked down to $25 at last year’s sale. Pretty good. However, last time the sale fell on Super Bowl weekend. Perfect for football widows. This year it lands on Oscar weekend…perfect for…Oscar…widowers? They got some guy stuff so perhaps. Anyway, happy shopping and remember to get there early to snag the good stuff. Let me know if you do find anything good. […]
March 6th, 2007 at 9:59 pm
Oh boo hoo! I am reluctantly to say that sometimes I am fashionably challenged and need to see the merch worn before I even fully understand how great the look is. What’s the difference of them wearing the clothes and looking on Shop Bop to find out how to wear the clothes as an outfit. I have actually purchased merch off the employees and they always generously offer to dry clean or give me a small discount to get it dry cleaned myself! What’s the difference of an employee wearing the clothes for a few hours and me wearing it out to club and REALLY having to get it dry cleaned! It’s like getting a fun discount with out bartering! Call me cheap or call me smart!
March 6th, 2007 at 10:29 pm
Yeah, but here they’re not giving you the discount on clothes previously worn. Apparently it’s full price for used clothes.