Blair.com Review

Blair.com is an online store whose products I have been buying for many years- long before the days of the internet. Blair used to make its way into my home via its mail- order system and about every month or so, I would get an envelope from Blair containing small flyers with featured clothing products. The clothing back then, as I recall, was pretty ordinary and while the prices were pretty good, I had an issue with the shipping charges. They were high enough that I usually changed my mind about ordering and placed orders only when there was a special offer that helped to minimize the impact from the high cost of shipping.

Today, my shopping is almost never conducted by catalog. I either visit an actual store or I use the internet and Blair.com has quickly grown to become one of my favorite web sites for apparel and other general household goods. This is certainly a change of pace for me because there was once a time when I refused to shop for my clothing online. I didn't want to take the chance on getting something that turned out to be different from what I saw in the web site. But Blair.com changed my mind due to its variety and bargain prices. In the old days (when I would shop via mail), I had some issues with Blair and besides the shipping cost, I didn't like that the clothing was offered in limited sizes, and this was especially true with dress shirts, which were offered only in smaller neck sizes. But there is no such problem with Blair.com. The web site offers a very wide range of clothing sizes- wide enough to include about 95 percent of the population. Take my dress shirt dilemma, as an example. Checking out the dress shirts at Blair.com reveals a wide range of collar sizes that can fit just about any man. They often range from 14.5 to 20.5, and other shirts often include 3x and other massive sizes.  There is even a separate section for big and tall.  

Variety is one thing, but the main reason I like Blair.com is the same reason that many like to shop here: The bargain prices. By far my favorite section of Blair.com is the Clearance section. This is no ordinary clearance section, folks. The prices in Blair.com's clearance section are often far cheaper than the sale deals at other sites. Bargain priced merchandise is divided into price categories like "$7.99 or less", "$5.99 or less", etc. It is common to even find last chance sale items priced at only $3 each! You just don't find bargain prices like this in most online store web sites. While it's true that many of these rock- bottom prices are offered only on clothing sizes that most people cannot wear, it is still fun to visit this page every now and then and see if something I like is being offered at a dirt cheap price- not just clothing, but household goods as well.

One strike against Blair.com is an old issue I had with them in the past and still have with them today: The high cost of shipping. Blair.com offers four levels of shipping and they all add a substantial percentage to any purchase. In fact, for smaller orders, the added cost from shipping can often ruin an otherwise enjoyable shopping experience. For example, a small order of $25 will have $8 added for standard shipping. This equates to a 32% markup on the purchase and this is why it is best to wait until you have a larger order to place before visiting Blair.com. Even on a large order, the shipping costs are still a bit excessive but instead of increasing your cost by thirty- two percent, shipping will increase the cost by only about fifteen percent. This is why I tend to stick with the bargain priced merchandise whenever possible. Bargain priced merchandise carries the same high shipping costs, but the prices are so low for the merchandise, it makes the high cost of shipping unimportant.

Bottom Line Viewpoint:

Blair.com has come a long way since its days as a catalog order company and it ranks as a very good online store for clothing and much more. Prices at Blair.com are good and they can compete with other clothing retailers online. But the bargain clearance prices make shopping at Blair.com a fun and highly economical experience and while the shipping cost is a problem, I recommend a visit to Blair.com for the bargain shopping experience alone.