Eddie's (Sorta, Kinda, Maybe) Back?

(TWiA will appear later, but I want to mention a sale opportunity.)

For the past five years or so, I have paid very little attention to what Eddie Bauer has been doing. They used to be one of my second-tier stores, where I could usually pick up one or two items each season. But they always seemed to be charging more for their merchandise than I thought it was worth, and they tended to be slow and stingy with the sales. Also, their offerings didn't seem to change from season to season and year to year. Everything was just stiflingly boring, and it made me think of guys who don't care about style who have their significant others choose their clothes for them.

EB further disingratiated themselves to me last fall when I attempted to buy a pair of loafers. I ordered an 11 wide, and those were too tight. I returned them and ordered an 11.5 wide, and those were too tight. At that point I had to wonder, if I have to go up to a 12 to get a shoe that fits, did I really want those shoes? I did not.

Also, EB charges a $3 handling fee per order, something I consider highly offensive as a consumer, and borderline outrageous in this era of common free shipping. They are the only online/catalog retailer I am aware of that currently has a policy like this, and if all those other retailers have figured out how to work the cost of handling orders into their pricing, why can't Bauer?

So why am I even talking about them? Because I was looking through some of their fall offerings, just out of curiosity because it had been a while since I'd bothered to notice, and saw that they have a few items this season that are made in USA. I guess they started doing a "heritage" line last year, like everyone else, though I'll acknowledge that they probably have more right to make a claim to their brand's heritage than many of their competitors.

These field pants look pretty nice (though I have no idea how they fit). They are priced at $79, which is the same as similar pants from Orvis that are imported (which probably means made in China, though I don't know for sure); the pants they have that are made in USA are close to $200. There are other Bauer pants at higher price points, like these at $99 and these at $149, but these are nicer pants in heftier, less common fabrics like moleskin or cavalry twill, so you're not going to find these at your average mall department store.

Better still, if you are interested in any of these items, Eddie Bauer is offering 25% off any order, plus free shipping on orders of at least $50. I think you have to sign up for their rewards program, but it could be worth it. You can also take advantage of this offer at EB stores, though I sort of doubt they are carrying any of the nicer heritage items in-store. This deal ends tomorrow, though, so if you're interested, don't procrastinate. But given the economy, I wouldn't be surprised to see them offer a similar discount again this season, and if they do I'll pass along the info.