L.L. Bean is arguably the apparel brand most widely associated with the outdoors, but when the plaid-clad company dared to use the term “outsider” in a marketing campaign, it put its duck boot into a bit of a legal mess. [More]
l.l. bean
L.L. Bean Runs Full-Page Ad You Can Only Read In Sunlight
By 9.22.17
In a move that simultaneously evokes awww-neat childhood memories of “invisible ink” while also marketing an outdoor lifestyle brand, L.L. Bean has taken out a full-page newspaper ad that can only be read in the sunlight. [More]
L.L. Bean Orders Delayed Up To A Week After Problem With Systems Upgrade
By 4.25.17
As if L.L. Bean hasn’t had enough problems getting its popular and often backordered duck boots onto the feet of customers, some recent buyers will remain bootless a bit longer as issues with a systems upgrade has forced the company to delay shipments. [More]
L.L. Bean Introducing New Duck Boot Designs
By 4.7.17
For several years, L.L. Bean has had trouble keeping up with demand for its iconic duck boots, repeatedly putting the footwear on backorder . The company appears to have learned the lesson that scarcity can lend an air of desirability to a product, as it now plans to offer limited-availability variations of the duck boot. [More]
L.L. Bean Reportedly Thinking Of Ditching Free Returns
By 2.10.17
As retailers increasingly shifted toward more restrictive return policies, L.L. Bean’s generous approach to accepting returns has stood out. However, that could soon change as the Bean looks to shave costs. [More]
L.L. Bean’s Duck Boots Still All The Rage, Continue To Be Backordered
By 11.28.16
Last year, L.L. Bean hired 100 additional workers to ramp up production of their iconic, unglamorous USA-made duck boots. Nonetheless, the popular footwear was quickly put on backorder. Now, the long-time retailer is once again putting some styles on backorder, despite increasing production, hiring additional employees, and making plans for a larger facility. [More]
Company Recalls Children’s Water Bottles Sold At L.L. Bean For Containing High Levels Of Lead
By 7.20.16
A company called GSI Outdoors is recalling about 6,700 kids’ insulated water bottles sold exclusively at L.L. Bean stores. Why? Because children shouldn’t be handling toxic lead. [More]
L.L. Bean Still Taking Back Your Dead Spouse’s Wardrobe For Store Credit
By 7.18.16
Do you find yourself morally conflicted when wondering whether you should bring or send something back to outdoorsy retailer L.L. Bean? Apparently, you shouldn’t: people regularly get in the returns line with decades-old cotton shirts, their dead dogs’ collars, and thrift-store finds that they try to return for full price. [More]
L.L. Bean’s Duck Boots Already On Backorder Despite 100 Additional Workers Hired To Make Them
By 9.29.15
If you’re looking forward to splashing around this winter in L.L. Bean’s aggressively unglamorous, USA-made duck boots, you’ll need to plan ahead: some styles and sizes are backordered by a month before there’s even a single snowflake in the sky. The duck boot factories are cranking them out as fast as they can, and simply can’t keep up with demand. [More]
Longtime L.L. Bean President And Founder’s Grandson Dies At Age 80
By 9.4.15
The flagship L.L. Bean store in Freeport, Maine doesn’t close. It literally does not have locks on its doors. Yet it’s going to close next weekend during the funeral of the company’s former longtime president and the grandson of founder L.L. Bean himself, Leon Gorman, who died yesterday at age 80. [More]
L.L. Bean Plans To Triple Its Retail Locations By 2020
By 3.11.15
Shh… can you hear that? If you listen very, very closely, it’s the grumbling of lumbersexuals and other hipsters across the land, groaning over the fact that their L.L. Bean duck boots are hopelessly backordered. And winter is almost over! Have no fear, in the future it could be easier to ensure your feet are properly clad in rubber-toed boots before you take a photo of them somewhere interesting, as the retailer is aiming to open a slew of new stores in the next five years. [More]
Want L.L. Bean Duck Boots Right Now? Head To eBay, Pay Double
By 12.10.14
When there’s a shortage of something that people want to buy, capitalism fills in the gaps and unites buyers, sellers, and large amounts of cash. That’s the case with L.L. Bean duck boots, Which are in short supply right now and backordered until almost spring time. For people who want their feet warm and dry right now, there are eBay auctions where they can buy the boots at a premium. [More]
Why Are 100,000 People On A Waiting List To Buy Duck Boots From L.L. Bean?
By 12.5.14
Do you need a warm and waterproof pair of boots so you can tromp through serious snow, slush, and ice this winter? If so, you really should have planned ahead. L.L. Bean reports that their duck boots (which are not made out of actual ducks) for men and women alike are pre-ordered so far in advance that for some sizes, you’ll be waiting around until mid-March to get your boots. [More]
L.L. Bean Learns Nature’s Lesson The Hard Way When Event Featuring Two Birds Of Prey Goes Awry
By 11.10.14
Just because birds have feathers does not necessarily mean they’re going to want to flock together. It was exactly the opposite at a recent L.L. Bean store opening in Vermont, when an owl attacked a hawk. Both were featured in the retailer’s display featuring birds of prey. Meaning birds who attack and eat other birds as part of their diet. So… yeah. [More]
How Does An Unlimited Return Policy Help L.L. Bean?
By 9.30.13
This summer, outdoors equipment co-op REI made a change: they cut back on their return policy. They no longer accept any item back for any reason indefinitely. Other companies continue the practice, most notably L.L. Bean and Costco. It must be expensive and there must be customers who abuse it. So why do they do it? [More]
Some Companies Apparently Pay Attention To Your Online Complaints
By 7.30.12
When you go to Twitter, Facebook, an online forum or any other form of social media to voice a complaint about a product or service you’ve purchased, one can understandably be left with the feeling that no matter how loud they shout, no one is listening. However, some businesses say they are monitoring all those negative posts and reviews and a few claim to be making systemic changes in response. [More]
Would You Pass Up A Discount On An Item Just To Pay With A Credit Card?
By 7.18.12
Now that Visa and MasterCard have settled a major lawsuit with retailers, opening the door to let stores tack on surcharges for customers using credit cards, some big businesses are considering offering a discount to those paying with cash. [More]
Survey: Barely Half Of E-Mails To Major Retailers Receive Adequate Responses
By 6.27.12
If you’ve ever written an e-mail to a retailer and either never received a reply or received one that did not adequately answer your question, you’re not alone. In fact, according to a new survey, retailers only provided complete responses to customers’ e-mails 54% of the time. [More]
