the-gap

One In Three Gap Stores In U.S. Will Be Closed By End Of 2013
Earlier today, the folks at once-mammoth clothing retailer Gap Inc. announced plans to shutter even more of its namesake Gap stores in the U.S. over the next 14.5 months, bringing the total number of stores to only 700 by the end of 2013. More »

The 8 Largest U.S. Retailers With The Worst Sales
If we'd told you 10 years ago that Borders and Circuit City would vanish off the face of the planet and Blockbuster Video would be auctioned off to a satellite TV provider for pocket change, many people would have expressed disbelief. But those once-great stores have had their heyday in history, so now it's time to look into the magic 8 ball to see if doom lies ahead for other major retailers. More »

Negotiate Your Own Sale At The Gap
Have you ever shopped for clothes online and said to yourself, "Man, I wish this could be more like Priceline, where I could name my own price, but the selection is limited and the deals not all that great?" The Gap is here to help you achieve that dream, with their new "Gap My Price" site. It's as if Gap and Priceline got together and spawned a largely useless but mildly entertaining deal site that generates coupons you can't use online. More »

Apparently, No One At The Gap Has Ever Looked At The Internet
Much like the makers of this "modern claddagh" ring, the person or persons responsible for naming these "New Pegged Boyfriend" jeans have apparently never whiled away the hours looking at the seedier side of the internet. More »

The Gap: Only Some Of Our "Made In U.S.A." Bags Are Made In China
Yesterday, we reported on some confusion at The Gap. The sign for its Feed USA campaign, which donates $5 from the sale of certain bags to a school lunch program, clearly states "Made in the U.S.A.," while the label on the bag beneath the sign states "Made In China." Today, the retailer has reached out to Consumerist to try to clarify the matter. More »

The Gap: Where "Made In The U.S.A." Means "Made In China"
UPDATE: The Gap has given a statement to Consumerist about the situation. More »

Retail Workers Really Hate You For Messing Up That Tee-Shirt Pile
Ever wonder why you get the stink-eye from that girl at The Gap? Or why that dude at American Eagle groans when he sees you approaching a table of clothes? There's a good chance it has something to do with your lack of table manners. More »

Gap Scraps Crap Logo
This might be some kind of record. Only a few days after The Gap unleashed its spare new logo to a rousing chorus of boos, the clothing retailer has backtracked and ditched the updated branding entirely. More »

Save Thousands; Create Your Own Crappy Gap Logo In Seconds
As soon as The Gap's underwhelmingly crappy new logo hit the internet, many puzzled haters commented that they could make the same logo with even the most bare-bones design software. Well, now they don't even have to go to that minimal effort with Crap Logo Yourself. More »

Gap Already Admitting That New Logo Sorta Sucks
Earlier today, we wrote about the harsh criticism already being heaped upon the new — but not exactly improved — Gap logo. And apparently the negative feedback already has the retail chain on the lookout for something newer and improveder. More »

Old Navy Refunds Entire Coat Purchase Price When Buttons Fall Off
Old Navy produces solid, inexpensive clothing, but isn't a brand that one normally associates with high-end customer service. Yet Ashley had such a great experience after a catastrophic coat button loss, she just had to share. She tells Consumerist that after some decorative buttons fell off her coat, the company simply gave her a store credit for the full purchase price of the coat. More »

VIDEO: Stores Caught Restocking Used Underwear & Lingerie
We try not to be too paranoid about the cleanliness of things we purchase. We'll purchase used books, buy vintage clothing, drive pre-owned cars. But the "Ick Factor," as it's known in the world of science, jumps off the charts when it comes to used undies. But that's exactly what NBC claims to have discovered at several retail stores. More »

VIDEO: How To Fold Your T-Shirt In A Flash
We haven't yet mastered the technique shown in this video, but once we do, we figure this will save us a few hours of time at the laundromat over the course of a year. More »

Motherhood Maternity Misplaces Misdirected Merchandise

Three months ago, I ordered a batch of maternity clothes from the Gap and Motherhood Maternity. Unfortunately, when I returned the pieces that didn't fit - I mixed up the returns! The Gap immediately returned the shipment meant for Motherhood, but Motherhood did not. In emails they have claimed to have 1. never received it (I sent the UPS delivering confirmation), then they claimed to have sent it back (I asked for tracking info what was never supplied), then they just quit answering emails. I reported them to the BBB saying - yes, this was my mistake but they still should have returned it - and they told the BBB that no proof was every supplied that the items were sent to them (I resent the email thread and the delivery confirmation).  More »

No More Free Online Returns From Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, Atheleta

—>Reader Joe sent us a tip that Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, and Atheleta have changed their online return policy. "They now deduct 6$ from the return refund, no questions asked... " he wrote. Well, that's not exactly it. Here's the official word from Gap Inc.  More »

The Gap Is Shrinking!
Gap's CEO Glenn Murphy said Tuesday says he plans to close some stores and shrink others in an effort to turn things around at the slumping retailer.   More »

How Often Do Companies Check On Overseas Manufacturers?

—> With the Gap embarrassed this week by reports that Indian children as young as 10 were making Gap Kids clothing, a lot of people are asking, just how frequently and to what degree do large U.S. companies like Gap and Wal-Mart monitor their foreign manufacturers? According to Slate, "anywhere from six months to once every several years." Unfortunately, because the visits are usually announced ahead of time, factories can hide violations, coach employees on what to say, get rid of the child workers, and forge records. In China, there are consultants who will prepare a factory for inspection, going so far as to fake missing records.  More »