Yesterday I went to Lululemon at The Ivy with the intent to buy a gift card. Then I saw the sales racks.
I exercised earlier in the day and even though the weather wasn't too hot, the black crop pants that I wore were a bit too warm, so I decided to buy some exercise shorts. I left the store with:
The first pair is All Sport short* and it is discounted from $65 to $29 (more than 50% off, score!). Here are the shorts modelled by someone with much hotter legs than mine.
The second pair is called Run: Your Heart Out (RRP $65, on sale for $39).
I haven't exercised in them yet but both pairs are well designed and fit me well. I like that both have zipped pockets so you can store your keys securely if you're out for a run.
What I was even more impressed with was the service I received at the store. One of the girls came around and kindly told me that Lululemon uses US/Canadian sizing so I need to look 2 sizes down. The staff at the change room was lovely and bubbly. She asked for my name when I entered into the change room then wrote it on the whiteboard, so she can address me by name. And the girl at the checkout said she'd look out for me at their Wednesday morning yoga class at the store. All 3 of them carried such positive energy! In my opinion they were great brand ambassadors, and I left the store very satisfied.
Lululemon also has a US-based online store with international shipping at a flat rate of $US30. The price differences between the US and Aussie stores are not too bad - the RRP of the pants are $US54-58 vs $A65. The fact that Lululemon entered the Australian market when the Australian dollar was already close to parity with the US dollar may have something to do the lower than usual price differentials.
The merchandise photos on the website get a thumbs up from me. With shots taken in multiple angles and in close ups, so you get a good idea on what an item looks like and its key features. I'm not sure if I'll buy shorts without trying them on; I tried on four pairs at the store and only chose two. However if I know the brand and the fit of their clothings better I won't hesitate to buy online.
I also like the layout of the mobile site a lot. Minimal clutter and easy to navigate. I rate it higher than The Outnet's mobile site.
Along with the free yoga classes (I made it this morning!) and their yoga.run.life.blog, the Lululemon brand is well linked to fitness and wellbeing.
Overall I highly the Lululemon experience both online and offline. Other Aussie retailers take notes!
* One thing about Lululemon that I find weird is that they call shorts "short" and pants "pant". I actually believe that pants, short, sunglasses etc should be in singular rather than plural, however I don't set the grammar rules, and seeing those terms are a bit odd.