Shirt.Woot

ThugNatty wrote:Or, shoot... Adamselby's got it. Go all Starbucks on us -- let us pay more for a higher quality product. Unless the printing methods differ so greatly between blanks, why not just order lower volume from AA while still buying bulk from Anvil? Or are you doing that... someone mentioned v-necks and something or other. I don't know. I'm tired.

AA made v-necks are being sold for the current weekly promo (spring something or other). As for using AA blanks on dailies and derbies, I'd expect carrying both would complicate it. But, I think Woot as a brand could handle a price increase to keep the same great shirt quality, and the great prints that artists put out. Woot's shirt prices were definitely on the very cheap end at $10, even sites like TeeFury use rougher, imported, and likely cheaper blanks and charge $12 + shipping. $10 wasn't good for business, but even raising it to the price I mentioned wouldn't be outrageous. It might decrease people buying as many shirts as they do, BUT the decrease in buyers from going to Anvil likely will be higher.

NM, garbled reading.

Kitzira wrote:Ad nauseam about the whole woman's anvil sizes. I've a closet side full of woot shirts in AAWM. They wash well, and fit like a woman's shirt should.

I pulled "Too Many Cooks" out of the bag (not realizing that it was a victim of the change over), and thought they gave me a men's shirt instead. This is supposed to a woman's medium size, but it could easily fit my boyfriend instead if he tried.

I was thinking I could try a small, but this thread leads me to believe this may be a futile battle.

For stat use, I'm a 5'7" 115lb woman, typically I buy medium sized shirts in the stores.

Is this the same Kitzira that I know? :D :D :D

adamselby wrote:even sites like TeeFury use rougher, imported, and likely cheaper blanks and charge $12 + shipping.

FWIW, teefury price is still $10 (+ shipping).

Their tags say something like "made in Mexico with materials from USA". What that really means, i don't know...

I do know they don't fit or feel nearly as good as the AA shirts that Woot had been printing on...

The women's sizes have never impressed me. Too short, too much shrinkage, and awkwardly tight sleeves. The new cuts appear to be loose, but still lack any of the form-fitting quality I look for in a women's shirt.

If I add the price and the now outsourced supplier...

Sorry, woot, but I have no reason to stay

raccoonbacon wrote:FWIW, teefury price is still $10 (+ shipping).

Their tags say something like "made in Mexico with materials from USA". What that really means, i don't know...

I do know they don't fit or feel nearly as good as the AA shirts that Woot had been printing on...

I love their women's t-shirts, though. I basically look for excuses to buy them, since they're long, soft, and have are just fitted enough that they look good without becoming misshapen.

raccoonbacon wrote:FWIW, teefury price is still $10 (+ shipping).

Their tags say something like "made in Mexico with materials from USA". What that really means, i don't know...

I do know they don't fit or feel nearly as good as the AA shirts that Woot had been printing on...

You're right, nevermind. It came out to $12 with shipping then. TeeFury doesn't feel as good as AA, but I would guess it's better than Anvil. Guess I'll have to get an Anvil shirt to test my theory though.

adamselby wrote:TeeFury doesn't feel as good as AA, but I would guess it's better than Anvil.

I completely agree. I have a couple of teefury shirts and although I love the length (being that I am a taller guy), they are just not as comfortable as the AA shirts (IMHO)...

I have no idea if this has anything to do with the switch, but I got a little surprise when I received Artistic growth. Instead of a normal woot tag it says the following:

"This T-shirt was sewn by 9 people in a sweatshop-free environment in Downtown LA, where they are paid fair wages and have access to healthcare and benefits"

raccoonbacon wrote:
Their tags say something like "made in Mexico with materials from USA". What that really means, i don't know...

It means exactly as it says - the materials (the fabric and thread) is from the USA, but the labor to sew it is from Mexico. It falls under the earlier NAFTA (Clinton era), which at least required USA materials to qualify for zero tariffs, so it didn't completely screw the USA apparel industry over.

OTOH, CAFTA (Bush era), didn't have such requirements, hence why many apparel products are completely made in Central American countries nowadays.

TeeFury uses Alstyle 1701 blanks for the guys; carded cotton (hence it's not as soft versus combed cotton), though it's at least ring spun (for smoothness). They used to be $9 + $2 shipping, then went up to $10, then to +$2.50 shipping.

bassanimation wrote:Is this the same Kitzira that I know? :D :D :D

That I am! ^^

Narfcake wrote:

OTOH, CAFTA (Bush era), didn't have such requirements, hence why many apparel products are completely made in Central American countries nowadays.

What you left out in the partisan slam on the GOP is that Clinton was passed the bill to be signed by a republican congress. CAFTA was sent in by a democrat controlled congress.

So, if you are slamming CAFTA, thank the democrats that formed the bill.

And before the mods come in to squash politics, be sure to delete both posts-that way you keep it fair.

Kitzira wrote:That I am! ^^

Yaaaaaay!

Also, to get back on topic, I received a new shirt from Woot tonight on the Anvil blank. Hermmm. Im starting to really see the bat wing shoulder thing. The shoulders make these little "tents" at the top. The AA shoulders were always really nice and form fitting. Weeehhhh. I dont really love the new blanks either. :\ Why can't we just have a magic shirt-making capsule where we just step inside it, and it molds the shirts to us? Yes!

killerorca wrote:I have no idea if this has anything to do with the switch, but I got a little surprise when I received Artistic growth. Instead of a normal woot tag it says the following:

"This T-shirt was sewn by 9 people in a sweatshop-free environment in Downtown LA, where they are paid fair wages and have access to healthcare and benefits"

Pics or it didn't happen.

Woot, if you don't want to put the "warning" banner at the top of the site where it really belongs, then at least change the t-shirt description for the times when the shirt will be Anvil.


1 Asphalt Anvil Tee (permalink)

instead of

1 Asphalt Woot Tee (permalink)


It would save that one Mod the trouble of having to post her blurb about the change in every daily shirt discussion. Plus, it wouldn't look like you were hiding anything, which totally looks like what you're currently doing by leaving that banner way down there. Boo to you, but thanks for all the previous AA shirts. They are awesome.

Re: the politics ... I'm dismayed by both parties, actually. If you think I lean one way, you'd be wrong.

thumperchick wrote:Pics or it didn't happen.

I'm sure it was a joke.

The early AA tags did read "This garment was manufactured by American Apparel in a sweatshop free environment at our downtown Los Angeles factory"

That was when the tag only had 3 languages represented ... instead of current 18.

g35girl wrote:Woot, if you don't want to put the "warning" banner ...

The only issue is that such wouldn't work on the days in which the blanks used are a mix of AA and Anvil ... not that I'm saying that the current "solution" is good either.

heidiruth wrote:Well, my "Blending in to Night" came today (the Ninja chameleon shirt)...and even though the thread stated "Ladies/Kids = AA" I received my WM on Anvil.

I'm not here to complain about that necessarily - I already emailed woot and have confidence they won't leave me hanging, I hope. But the funny thing is, the second I opened up the bag and felt the material, I knew that it was the wrong blank. Not to say that it's a terrible material, but it's no AA. My boyfriend's random 3 pack of blanks had just shown up, too, so a quick side-by-side unwashed comparison really showed how inferior the quality was.

Also, as expected from someone who normally wears an AA WM, the Anvil WM is gigantic. And I think the "curves" in it are ridiculous. I have big hips, and still don't stand a chance.

Oh no! I just checked the shirt I got and found the same thing. The only reason I got it was because it said it was going to be on AA. I was wondering why the shirt was so much bigger than I thought it would be. I bought it for my sister who is very petite and it's going to look huge on her. I'll have to write them as well. I just received it yesterday so I didn't look at it too much.

Thank you for bringing this to our attention.

geegee63 wrote:Oh no! I just checked the shirt I got and found the same thing. The only reason I got it was because it said it was going to be on AA. I was wondering why the shirt was so much bigger than I thought it would be. I bought it for my sister who is very petite and it's going to look huge on her. I'll have to write them as well. I just received it yesterday so I didn't look at it too much.

Thank you for bringing this to our attention.

This sort of thing really makes me angry and it's the 3rd or 4th time I've read about someone ordering a shirt because it was supposed to be on an AA blank and getting a bait & switch to an Anvil.

Bad form, Woot. Bad form. Especially on the women's blanks, where there is such an enormous sizing difference. If you list an AA blank, you need to send the AA blank or notify the customer about the change PRIOR to shipping & give them a chance to cancel the order or change the size.

ThunderThighs wrote:Awwww, don't be that way.

Don't worry about it, I'll be gone quite soon.

The order pages does say that mens and womens are on Anvil.

geegee63 wrote:Oh no! I just checked the shirt I got and found the same thing. The only reason I got it was because it said it was going to be on AA. I was wondering why the shirt was so much bigger than I thought it would be. I bought it for my sister who is very petite and it's going to look huge on her. I'll have to write them as well. I just received it yesterday so I didn't look at it too much.

Thank you for bringing this to our attention.

When did you order? On the first day it says, "Only Men's shirts are Anvil". Now it says "Both Men and women shirts will be on Anvil".

First day post, scroll down
http://shirt.woot.com/Blog/ViewEntry.aspx?Id=22213

Current Page
http://shirt.woot.com/friends.aspx?k=24683

This is interesting.

Mavyn wrote:The order pages does say that mens and womens are on Anvil.

It does now. However, did it when they ordered? Woot has been changing the info as they run out of blanks. For example, on the first day in the comments of Blending...

Today's Blanks

Men’s = ANVIL
Ladies/Kids = AA

But now, it lists ladies as Anvil.

So, people are ordering a shirt that's offered in AA and Woot runs out & changes to Anvil in the process of filling those orders. Then, the page is updated. In that lag time, there are people getting shirts on blanks that are different than what was listed.

At the end of last week, Lucky at Last still had women's sizes on AA blanks. Now, they are on Anvil. Those of us who don't want Anvil shirts are pretty diligent about checking what blank is being used. For example, the switch of an AA shirt for an Anvil one happened to Narfcake. Do you really think that he didn't know what he was ordering? :D

It's especially telling that thunderthigh's announcement of the shirt blanks has still yet to get a quality post so that people ordering can actually see it without scrolling down or reading the comments which we already know most never do.

It's the only actual quality post in any of the threads and woot is still trying to hide it from the casual buyer.

elankat wrote:But now, it lists ladies as Anvil.

So, people are ordering a shirt that's offered in AA and Woot runs out & changes to Anvil in the process of filling those orders. Then, the page is updated. In that lag time, there are people getting shirts on blanks that are different than what was listed.

For example, at the end of last week, Lucky at Last still had women's sizes on AA blanks. Now, they are on Anvil. Those of us who don't want Anvil shirts are pretty diligent about checking what blank is being used. For example, the switch of an AA shirt for an Anvil one happened to Narfcake. Do you really think that he didn't know what he was ordering?

Nope. Just not sure what woot is to do--email every single person to confirm? Wait for a response, and then deal with the 'waa, I ordered, but they didn't ship it out right away because they switched shirt blanks and I never got the email, I don't care I just want my shirt'?

The people filling the orders don't know what was on the website when you placed your order. They don't have a system in place to identify online which blank is being used (guessing on that, since this is a new situation), meaning TT posts with what they're using at the start. And then the update as soon as they know they need to...but clearly there's a gap there.

*shrugs* Not saying woot has handled this right. Just suggesting that coming up with a viable solution might be better than getting angry.

Well, this news is absolute garbage. Shirt Woot used to be a place I'd look forward to checking daily for a number of reasons - humorous and witty cool designs, AA shirts that fit extremely well, and a 10 dollar price tag that you just couldn't beat. Now we have a weak or cutesy design more than likely made by someone obsessed with kittens, rainbows or seasons, an increase in price, and lower quality Anvil shirts which from personal experience I can tell you are craptastic. Just take a look at this week's derby -7 of the top 9 are cute animals, the other two are normal animals. If I bought for myself and wore a shirt like that, I'd be subjected to endless wedgies, noogies, my dad would disown me, little kids everywhere I go would kick me in the shins, I'd be kicked out of my band, I'd lose my job and my girlfriend would leave me. Way to go Woot - you've found a wildly successful formula for angering and alienating your customer base and ruining my life. Sorry, but it looks like I'm going to start seeing other shirt vendors.

mrwednesday wrote:It's especially telling that thunderthigh's announcement of the shirt blanks has still yet to get a quality post so that people ordering can actually see it without scrolling down or reading the comments which we already know most never do.

It's the only actual quality post in any of the threads and woot is still trying to hide it from the casual buyer.

It's not a matter of hiding anything, it just didn't get spotlighted for whatever reason. We've fixed that for folks.

Wearing my first Anvil tee for a full day's wear today. I think it really makes me want to lose weight... ^^; It's not as form fitting so I feel like an extra chunky bear. I always feel slightly chunky bear-ish, but that's where the smaller tees help. The baggier clothing is, the more frumpy you feel.

But, I do have a bigger framed friend who is thrilled about the new shirts. She stopped buying Woots because the W sizes were just too small, and the men's sizes were too baggy. The new Anvils will probably do well for her.

Drat, there's no way we can all be happy! (except to bring back the AA WM)

Heh--weirdo. Tighter clothing makes me feel bigger, baggy clothing makes me feel smaller.

inkycatz wrote:It's not a matter of hiding anything, it just didn't get spotlighted for whatever reason. We've fixed that for folks.

Oh there's a reason I'm sure. The same reason there isn't a visible banner at the top of the page and the same reason it took me saying it for it to happen. ....

Mavyn wrote:Nope. Just not sure what woot is to do--email every single person to confirm? Wait for a response, and then deal with the 'waa, I ordered, but they didn't ship it out right away because they switched shirt blanks and I never got the email, I don't care I just want my shirt'?

That really depends on weather or not they're accepting "This isn't the size I ordered because you used a different sized shirt, and I need a refund not a replacement because you don't make the size I actually WEAR." as a
" a defective product – not a product you don't like, not a product you regret buying"

Also, if I had the choice of eating the cost of a shirt and shipping (possibly two shirts and two or three shippings) or the possible "ill will" of actually asking a customer for confirmation that they're getting what they ordered, I'd save the money every time.

regarding people getting anvil shirts when they were still listed as AA at time of ordering...

on the mens sizes i can see where a person could (even should) be annoyed because they were expecting one thing and got another, but ultimately can just suck it up and deal.

the womens sizes are a different kettle of fish. the same size in the two brands is a completely different size, so anyone buying a given size thinking it's AA is going to have an anvil shirt that will definately not fit. this seems like a much bigger issue to me, and needs to be dealt with somehow by woot.

and before anyone gets all bent over double standards, for the record i wear the mens sizes, so i'm not calling for special treatment for me and my kind.

Mavyn wrote:Nope. Just not sure what woot is to do--email every single person to confirm? Wait for a response, and then deal with the 'waa, I ordered, but they didn't ship it out right away because they switched shirt blanks and I never got the email, I don't care I just want my shirt'?

The people filling the orders don't know what was on the website when you placed your order. They don't have a system in place to identify online which blank is being used (guessing on that, since this is a new situation), meaning TT posts with what they're using at the start. And then the update as soon as they know they need to...but clearly there's a gap there.

*shrugs* Not saying woot has handled this right. Just suggesting that coming up with a viable solution might be better than getting angry.

I ordered "Blending in to Night" about 10 minutes after it was posted. I was trying to snatch up the last few designs I liked that printed on the AA since I could tell Anvil wasn't going to fit me (and it doesn't...I did a pic comparison in the Lady Sizes thread for anyone interested).

So I'm not really sure what happened there and why they said it would be on AA at all, but they did issue me a FULL REFUND and told me to keep the shirt. So I have to thank woot for being prompt and understanding on the matter.

But yes, especially with lady sizes, the mixups are a big size issue. And I'm sure woot doesn't revel in giving out tshirts for free, so I assume as mistakes like these happen they'll find a way to run things more smoothly. Or run out of AA blanks and not have to worry about it.

Please check our sizing chart before you order. The Woot Tee follows a classic closer-fitting style. If you prefer a baggier look, order a larger size. If there is not a larger size, consider starting a belly-hanging-out trend.

THIS needs to be doctored. Closer-fitting... **rolls eyes** Not so much.

Mavyn wrote:The order pages does say that mens and womens are on Anvil.

When I ordered it said Ladies would be on AA (I even responded in that thread that it was the reason I was going to order a ladies size).

When I wrote to the Woot customer service yesterday they responded and said they would change it to reflect the change of shirts so that was probably when it was changed. I had sent the link with my email and it still said AA on it at that time. (I checked).

The customer rep I got a response back from was very polite and said they would refund or get a new size for me if needed. I didn't want to cause a hassel though so I'm going to see what my sister thinks first before moving forward (I'll see her Sunday). I'm just glad I found out why the size was so different than I thought it would be. I had always heard ladies sizes run small so I got her a bigger size than I would have otherwise.

Woot doesn't care about my opinions and concerns, so I'm done wasting my time typing them out.

Thanks for nearly 5 years worth of great shirts.

Ok, one last thing...

I wish I could see a comparison of an AA shirt worn/washed every week for 5 years compared to an Anvil shirt put through the same test. I have a feeling the Anvil shirt wouldn't hold up based on the photos I've seen of the test shirts. They look hideous after only 1 wash, can't imagine them surviving 5 years.

trekmiss wrote:Woot doesn't care about my opinions and concerns, so I'm done wasting my time typing them out.

Keep fighting the good fight...

There is no fight to fight. They made a decision. Ill fitting shirts are in, and people like me are out.

I just received the last of my AA shirts - so I'm done. My wallet is closed - woot, shirt.woot, wine.woot, home.woot are all crossed off the list for shopping. No more money from my wallet will go to woot.

I'll spend it on the steam store where they use AA blanks. Ordering more portal stuff tonight.

A real suggestion for the team at woot - when you switch to a shirt that actually fits - make sure to email me. Cause I won't be browsing the forums anymore, and unless I get notified you won't be getting any cash from me.

So long and thanks for all the fish.

Because 23 pages of comments - almost uniformly negative - about the change from AA to Anvil just aren't enough, I thought I would weigh in on fit. AA pretty much nailed the trend which began about a decade ago toward more fitted, softer, stretchier tees. Most of the hipster set (guys and girls I see at the climbing gym) adopted the look. Everybody not wearing a Caterpillar tank top has followed suit (including super-cool skateboarding black guys here in Baltimore).

Anvil on the other hand fits like every tee shirt produced between 1980 and 2000. That is, they are thick, shapeless near-future rags. Arm holes look like stove pipes and if the chest fits, the waist will be nice and biiiig. If the waist fits, well you get the picture. I have several Anvils (they used to be handed out like candy on movie/tv/commercial sets and that's my life). I liked them 15 years ago, when nobody cared about a lousy fit. I hate them now. Their purpose is to "fit" everyone, which by definition means the average American, and that guy fights well above his natural weight (sorry beefy folks).

I bet a bajillion million dollars that most of Woot's fan base is in pretty good shape and under 35. They will not like the new shirts. Listen up Woot managers, you're dumbing down the brand. The lip service about worker treatment and cost is interesting, but completely irrelevant when your customers stop buying your product. I'll buy an American made wallet for a little more money every time; but I won't ever buy one, from any country, that's too small to hold my credit cards, yeah?

As for the profit discussion, it's hard not to be very, really, awfully, terribly cynical about jacking the price and choosing a much worse mfr right after being taken over by a big, stupidly-American corporate colossus like Amazon. Nice job everyone.

I'm sorry for the last rant. I'm sure Woot means well.