I rarely shop in person for anything anymore, but Kohls has always been a hard no for me. I refuse to shop in a store where everything is disheveled and I have to hunt and sort to find a size/color (so I rarely go to a Marshalls or TJ Maxx either, unless I have a ton of time to kill). At Kohls this has always been the case with women’s clothes and the shoe section.
My husband, however, LOVES Kohls and does a huge shopping haul twice a year (and forces me to go with him). The men’s stuff in our Kohls is equally unorganized and trying to find a box of the sneakers he likes in the shoe section is a maddening experience. When he comes away with Kohls Cash, I use it to buy kitchen stuff (cooking pans or baking trays) but I buy online.
Like many others, I used to shop at Kohl’s all the time, but a combination of factors (kids growing up, moving) I stopped going. Have shopped at Sephora inside of Kohl’s.
I have recently lost a considerable amount of weight using a weight loss drug. When needing smaller sizes, but knowing that size will be temporary, I shop at Goodwill and similar types of stores and found some Gloria Vanderbilt Amanda jeans that fit my body (need petite size). I still look for them in the resale shops, but had an event I needed to travel to and needed pants in another color, so went to Kohl’s in search of the Amanda jeans. I can order them online but I didn’t really know what size might fit me best.
Definitely only purchasing them on sale! I currently have 3 pairs, in 3 different sizes/colors, and spent between $8 and $30 per pair. The $8 pair was from Goodwill.
I tried their Sonoma jeans but they didn’t fit me well.
I was just going to say that because of weight loss, I recently went to Kohl’s for the first time in a long time to try on sizes. I like Lee’s for capris and shorts for summer which they carry. Also got new bras. I still use them online for housewears, etc and sometimes clothes. Been avoiding Amazon and Target so it’s my next choice.
I just got their coupon in the mail and the link below shows all the brands coupons can be used for. The mailer says more brands will be added soon. They are trying to turn things around, and I hope they succeed because I like their corporate values. I appreciate they didn’t abandon their DEI policies when so many other companies did. I like their philanthropy and their environmental policies. I really want to support good corporate citizens.
Gloria Vanderbilt Amanda jeans petite short (there seem to be two versions of petite now - I need the petite short) fit me better than any jeans I’ve tried in recent years. At least that are in my price range. I’ve scored a couple of pairs at thrift shops, but usually buy from Belk (a Southern Kohl’s type chain) when I can combine sales and coupons for a good price.
Another former shopper. Even then, for clothes, I would typically just browse the 70% off racks - like a thrift store. If it wasn’t there, I didn’t need it . The current merchandise feels much cheaper (as it does in most stores). I really don’t need much unless for a particular occasion, and I don’t already have something suitable. Kohl’s kitchen department rarely competes with other stores (even with 30% off). I’ll sometimes buy linens, but enjoy the occasional finds at TJMaxx or Home Goods better. DH prefers Kohls for basic wear, but lately the coupons were not valid, so we both just quit going.
Belk has been a decent replacement for Kohl shoppers but they too have gone down. They no longer carry Ralph Lauren Polo - still have Nautica and some other name brands.
Kohl’s seems super expensive anymore, and lacks selection (for me).
When my girls were much younger, I would clean up in the kids clearance racks. Some of that was being able to buy ahead, and them not being super picky at that age. I would also find clothing for myself.
Once they came back to in-person shopping after the pandemic, the clothes were very different (at least in my store). It was all athletic and leisure stuff - granted, that’s what a lot of people were wearing at the time. I even mentioned it to the store manager (small town, everyone knows everyone) and she grimaced and said “yeah, that’s what they sent us.”
Slowly they got a better selection but it wasn’t the same. Due to a recent significant weight loss, I needed clothing. I found jeans I liked, which was great, but I only needed one pair. I didn’t like anything else, but bought a few t-shirts to get me by. I also didn’t find any dresses that were attractive on me, but found a few casual dresses on Amazon that fit like a dream.
As an aside: I actually found t-shirts and casual pants I love at Wal-Mart. Don’t sleep on Wal-Mart, they are definitely upping their game in many areas.
My husband does find things there - or rather, I find things for him there - because they stock some big and tall clothing. In general, I order online for him. But again, once you know the size you can order elsewhere.
My youngest, who needs corporate career clothing, found some nice separates on the clearance racks last week. So it’s not all bad, I guess it depends on what you are looking for. But it’s not like it was …
Trying to avoid Amazon, but I do have to say that almost all of my favorite pants I’ve purchased since Covid have been from Amazon. Decided to splurge and give NYDJ a try. Nope. All went back and I’ll stick with my Amazon pants.
I was behind someone at Walmart self checkout last week who appeared to be buying a week’s wardrobe for herself, a husband and the screaming 2ish year old she was trying to contain as she checked out. I wondered if she was going on a trip and was going to just put all of them directly in a suitcase. I get my exercise clothes at Walmart.
I had to do that when my luggage got lost. Ironically, I was flying into Northwest Arkansas (I swear that airport only exists because of WalMart headquarters). I have 3 different friends that had to do something similar at Target after home fires.
Interesting to read about GV Amanda jeans. I have a few pair and like them. But… I’ve found sizing can vary, and Kohls website reviews say the same thing (with speculation that inconsistencies might depend upon factory / country?). So I’ve not tried ordering online.
Since I read that Kohl’s might stop carrying petite, I ordered some petite summer dresses on 40% off sale. The thought was to pick the one I like best, return others. But it’s getting a bit complicated - would have been better if I had had the time to go to the store to try on various styles/sizes.
Occasionally I used to get work blouses and Kohl’s and bras. Now that I’m WFH I no longer need the blouses. I still will shop there for bras, usually online. Haven’t been inside in ages.
. The current merchandise feels much cheaper (as it does in most stores). I really don’t need much unless for a particular occasion, and I don’t already have something suitable. Kohl’s kitchen department rarely competes with other stores (even with 30% off). I’ll sometimes buy linens, but enjoy the occasional finds at TJMaxx or Home Goods better. DH prefers Kohls for basic wear, but lately the coupons were not valid, so we both just quit going.