What if they sold Kilts at Wall-Mart?

[auld argonian]

We've been down this path before...obviously it's being revisited because it's the sort of thing that pops up in forum members' minds.

The crux of the question really is how would things be if kilts were more mainstream; using the image of kilts being sold at Walmart is really just a way of saying that a larger number of people would be buying kilts and mass marketers would get on the bandwagon to capitalize on the phenomena.

There seems to be an assumption that mass production of kilts would mean that the quality of the product would decline. It seems to be a further assumption that the quality would decline if the production of the kilts was outsourced to some certain countries. These both seem on the surface to be reasonable assumptions but if you think about it they might not prove to be true. If the model is a tank as the highest standard, wouldn't it be possible that a mass produced kilt might not be so different from a tank as a decent off-the-rack suit is from a custom tailored one? We're not defining a price point here...thirty bucks? Couple of hundred? Would it be different if was sold at The Gap or as a Chaps product. One could easily see a cheap kilt being sold at a mass-market soucre while a more upscale one might be sold at a more upscale merchandiser. KMart versus Neiman Marcus?

And let's get off of that "I'll never shop at Walmart" bandwagon. If it hasn't cut through yet, whether or not you actually shop at Walmart has very little to do with most of the significant economic trends that affect the American economy in general. For all of the anecdotal stuff about there being some kind of mass reaction to Walmart's business practices, have you seen many Walmarts being closed lately? It's a lot more complicated than just sticking it to Walmart or Costco. This is akin to that email that tells you that you can bring gas prices down by boycotting BP stations only...sounds like it might work and you certainly wish that some action that you perform might have some effect on the problem but the reality is that it ain't gonna work no matter how much you wish it will.

The real thing is whether or not kilts would get to be like Dockers, available off the rack in a range of sizes, and that they wouldn't be special anymore. Once upon a time only busy and important people had cell phones that cost a fortune to use and now every joker is yakking away with an unlimited plan. Can you deal with something that distinguishes you as an iconoclast and a special person turning into the status quo?

When I was young tatoo's were for the outsiders...there was a certain stigma attached to being tatooed...you were making a dramatic statement about your relationship with society. Anybody want to tell me what tatoo's are now? Pretty mainstream...every twenty-something has at least one visible and these are people who are conforming to a societal norm and not pushing the outside of the envelope. Does this somehow diminish the impact of being tatooed?

Many of us just don't want to give up one or more of our "totems" to the ordinary world. What was the line from "The Sting"? "No sense being a grifter if it's the same as being a citizen."

If they sold 'em at Walmart, they'd be for ordinary citizens. That's why we get the heebie-jeebies bout kilts being mass-marketed.

Best

AA

[English Bloke]

I'm torn - I generally try and support the little Bloke but I have shopped at the big Supermarkets because they are convenient for busy people.

With regard to Kilts there-in, I'm not going to say I wouldn't buy one were they available. I'd certainly have a look and if the quality was worthy of the price tag and the Kilt looked acceptable then fine. If they looked ***** then I suppose that's fine too for those that want to buy them...

If all the decent people who do shop at Walmart (or ASDA as it is in the UK) are introduced to the wonderful world of Kilting without having to to choose between wearing a Kilt or feeding the kids that month I certainly don't think that's a bad thing. And who's to say they would all be doing cartwheels across the carpark. Come now... Is it really a shop only for Riff-Raff?

Wasn't there a thread on here recently where we were all raving about $17 waistcoats at Target? Or are those imported bargins OK only for we, the already initiated. And if anyone want's to buy a $50 (or less) kilt now they can. You only have to log on... The internet is full of 'em!

[staticsan]

WalMart - NO
K Mart - NO
Target - NO
JCPenny - NO
SEARS - NO
MACY - NO
Etc - NO
Tailor YES and probably more
Kilt specialty - YES absolutely and again
Am I gettin' my point made? or do IDixie?

I've spent $100 on a pair of jeans at Jeanswest. I'd spend the same amount on a kilt at a similar retail store - probably something like a Union Kilt. (Jeanswest would be somewhere between Old Navy and Gap.)

Wade.

[Carolina Kiltman]

Being at the far end of the bell-curve (in the garment trade, I am an "end-size") I would not buy a kilt from Wal*Mart, simply because it wouldn't fit! I do not buy either of the often mentioned "off the peg" kilts mentioned in so many of the posts, for the same reason, they don't fit.

I agree that if Wall*Mart, Costco, Target, K-Mart, etc, etc, were to start selling kilts, they would be the UK type most likely.

Many years ago I resigned myself to having a few, well made clothes rather than a large closet full of whatever the current fashion is. It is a fact of life for those of us at the end of the size spectrum. (Try buying off the peg trousers in a 29w and 36 inseam! No, I don't wear that any more, but I did until about age 50.)

[Mipi]

Wal Mart won't stock kilts until they can sell six million of them in a fiscal quarter.

And they'll nevr sell one to me, because I reuse to even walk into a Wal-mart. Or Costco.

That's may thought, too. They will sell kilts after kilts will not be any special, which is not adding much to kilt populatity right now.

[ender103601]

i will say i'm not a fan of wal mart, except when something goes wrong with my car at 3am and i need a place that is open.
someone once told me that one of the reasons kilts were so expensive was the copywrite of the tartans. taking that out of the equation if they were mass produced i see no reason they wouldn't be about $50.
as far as quality i think it wouldn't be much different than say dress pants.
sure you can by a pair at wal mart for $25 if you need to but they'll never fit you like your wool, silk lined, tailored english suit pants.

[sathor]

someone once told me that one of the reasons kilts were so expensive was the copywrite of the tartans. taking that out of the equation if they were mass produced i see no reason they wouldn't be about $50.

Many designs are beyond copyright, and then there are solid colors. Royalties are not the issue for most of them I would think.

[ozth3dog]

I personally DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, DO NOT, shop at WAL MART!!!!! It is an EVIL corperation. When wal mart comes to town all of the mom & pop stores go away!! They treat their workers like crap, they are racists and sexists. They barely offer any of thir employees health insurance, they dump waste and polute the Earth. I could go on and on, but i will stop there.

[Finn]

Oz, don't hold back. Tell us how you really feel!

[ozth3dog]

OK maybe that was a little to preachy.