I visited an Eddie Bauer store, and it quickly became clear why the retailer is closing locations

• Eddie Bauer expects to close nearly 200 stores in the United States and Canada after sales efforts failed.

• I visited my local Eddie Bauer store for the first time and saw the plight of the retailer.

• The high volume of sales didn’t attract customers, and the available products didn’t impress.

Even though I call myself a professional shopper, I had never set foot in Eddie Bauer until this week.

I always thought this retailer specialized in outdoor gear and men’s clothing—two categories I wasn’t particularly interested in.

As it turns out, I was only half right. Mid-range brand yes The company is best known for its outdoor products, but it also sells casual clothing such as jeans and sweaters, with a large selection of products for women.

However, I was late for the game. Business Insider reported on Monday that nearly 200 Eddie Bauer stores in the United States and Canada are expected to close after the operating entity behind the stores failed to find a buyer during a Chapter 11 reorganization.

With little time left to shop in-store—U.S. stores are expected to be closed until April 30, but you can still shop online—I went to my local mall on Tuesday and browsed the stores for the first time.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t too impressed.

retail ghost town

As I approached Eddie Bauer, I noticed other shoppers stopping to read the giant “Store Closed” sign on the glass window.

However, when I walked in, the store turned into a ghost town. I only encountered one employee other than myself who told me the store had been closed “for a while” and a few mannequins, all of which were for sale while I was shopping.

Granted, I got there at 4pm on a Tuesday – not exactly prime shopping time. Still, the mall was busy. I even passed another going-out-of-business sale at Francesca’s on the way in, and the store was packed with crazy shoppers.

The opposite was true for Eddie Ball. I hung out outside the store for about 20 minutes, waiting to see if anything had changed. This is not the case.

Basics, basics and more basics

Eddie Ball may have remained silent for any number of reasons during my visit. As I browsed the racks and tables, I couldn’t help but wonder if its products were at least partly to blame.

Everything I saw could be described as basic. There are simple accessories like T-shirts, jeans, jackets and sunglasses.

Of course, basic nature isn’t a bad thing. The problem is essentially No Variety in the store. There weren’t any interesting prints, colors, materials, or designs that caught my attention.

I know that most outdoor clothing is for practicality, not fashion. However, many brands, such as Patagonia, LL Bean and Arc’teryx, successfully do both.

There are no Eddie Bauer signature pieces either. If I go to Gap, I know there will be sweatshirts with logos on them. At Lululemon, I’ll find its flagship leggings. Eddie Bauer seems to have nothing unique that represents his brand or store.

These simple clothes are also more expensive. I bought a long sleeve shirt that normally goes for $30. At $12 it felt like a steal until I looked at the label. The shirt is made of 60% cotton and 40% polyester and is not very soft to the touch. It would make more sense if it cost $12 to start with.

Eddie Bauer is actively working to improve its product range as the company shifts its focus to e-commerce and wholesale distribution, a person familiar with the matter said.

As part of this effort, the brand announced in January that it was working with new licensing partner Outdoor 5 to handle e-commerce, wholesale, design and product development operations across North America, which can enhance product quality for customers.

The brand also announced in early February that it would be relaunching its First Ascent collection, which includes high-quality outdoor apparel originally tested on Mount Everest.

The move marks a return to the brand’s roots. Eddie Bauer was founded in 1920 and has always been a well-known brand in the field of outdoor clothing. It equipped the first American team to climb Mount Everest and patented the first American quilted goose down jacket. It has also experienced two bankruptcies.

I can’t say I’m surprised the Eddie Bauer store is closing

When I visit my local store, there are many products to choose from. If there weren’t discount signs at every intersection, I wouldn’t have known this place was closing.

Still, nothing really caught my eye or seemed worthy of their hefty price tag. After all, I can buy the basics at any other store in the mall or at an online clothing retailer.

In its heyday, Eddie Bauer seemed to be the place to go to buy outdoor gear. Sorry I missed it.

I also hope that the brand’s newly implemented changes will improve the overall quality and products of Eddie Bauer.

As things stand, though, I can understand why the physical part of the business didn’t hold up.

Read the original article on Business Insider