Boden.... a warning!!

[panda100]

Am new to mumsnet but thought i would add my bit on here after having just hosted a boden party, thought others might be interested in my experience..... This is what happened: The clothes arrived via courier, no rep from boden, (infact very little contact from them at all, only via email)i put all the clothes out, opened my house up to yes, many complete strangers, arranged the clothes, made tea and coffee / cakes and biscuits then offered wine etc in the evening. I worked incredibly hard to sell bodens clothes for them, for actuially very little commission. (5% for existing customers!) Plus no inventory was sent with the clothes - they had come straight from another party and it seemed that many pairs of trousers (which lets face it are the things you really want to try on!) were missing. The offers on the day were actually no better than those already on the website and the host doesn't get any additional discount or credit, nothing like that. I was totally shattered by the end of the day and really felt a bit put out for all the hard work I had put in. They maintain that these parties can bring in about £4000 of sales (nice for them!), well maybe, not here though and I was flat out all day. I feel it was a cheap way for them to make even more money. If anyone is considering hosting one of these parties I would just warn you.....BEWARE!!!!!! I would NEVER do it again, and despite being a loyal Boden customer in protest I have returned all the clothes I bought and will be avoiding them from now on!

And FWIW I think this summer's Boden offerings have been superb, but did think it was bad that there was such a long wait for the majority of lines - it definitely put people off buying.

Okay, Whoamireally, fair enough! Told you I was a cynic!

Mangoandlime,
I'm not a Bodener - I work in a lovely little bookshop. I second Whoamireally, it was hard work, but no worse than my usual day, and much, much better paid (employers take note please).

That's not what annoys me about this post though - what gets me is the Daily Mail type reaction whenever a small brand becomes successful (that and Panda100's moaning). I mean, how dare a business grow, employ more people, and make money when what it should do is stay small, cash strapped and crap so a few people can feel smug that only they know about it. The same people who gush about Joules will be slagging them off the moment they open a shop within 50 miles of their barn conversion.

For someone who has said they are not a Bodener Peartree you seem to have a very specific interest in posting on Boden. In fact every single one of your posts to date have been to do with Boden?

mangoandlime - I think some cynicism is entirely justified. PR/Social media monitoring working the boards...

Yep, one where I ask about the parties, and then one about my own party. I'm really killing it. There were others but I changed my login. Look, tell you what, come into Borders next time you're in Brighton and we can have a nice chat all about it. I'm the one without tatoos.

Will you please just give it up, change your log-in name and go back to spreading your Boden propaganda.

I don't know which agency you work for but this doesn't look good for them (if I was inclined could find out who does Boden's PR pretty quickly, hmmm), or Boden.

If you are going to construct a posting persona at least go to the trouble of a) building up a number of posts, not ALL about Boden, b) do at least try not to write in the style of a press release, and c) work on a better back story than you work in a bookshop WHICH HAS SHUT DOWN.

That is so funny, DebiNewberry! I have just read the reviews of Borders Brighton that Qype kept for old time's sake....I've now gone RIGHT off Boden!

I was just going to say - Borders in Brighton was closing down last time I was there (as indeed it was everywhere) -OOPS!

Bucharest - my DD was wearing her new white cut-offs (bought in Spring preview) yesterday, now we finally have decent weather, and I noticed that you could see the pockets right through the fabric - unlike last year's. Now I know I am starting to sound like a real 'disser', and I do have some nice (plain) stuff - eg the merino tunic I got in the Spring preview - but there does seem to have been a certain 'cheapening' this year, which is a shame, one reason I pay for the kid's stuff is that it lasts long enough to pass onto DD2.

Oops sorry - I'm getting my Boden threads confused - that last post meant for the quality warning one! Not sure whether our Borders assistant has popped up there yet ...

Mango Debi et al - I swallow my indignant huffy words and salute you.

So very funny!

Boden - curious to know what the attraction is. Could some one say why they wear it. I look at the stuff and it is of the same ilk as Gap, Joules, Pomodoro and others - looke twee boring and mumish but not in a good way.

It is isn't fashion and is completely devoid of any personality.

Just looks some conformist Nazi uniform.

Obviously I am missing something ;-)

Wow, Borders at brighton was soooo funny.
Caught well.

Bellisima - "Presumably the way to do this is to invite along your cousin Jake the Goth (who has never bought anything his entire life that isn't (a) faded black and (b) from Oxfam"
I resent that comment, I am a 'Goth' by social status and i dont wear faded black and i have never walked into an Oxfam, infact the majority of my clothing is more expensive and extravagent than Boden. i wear long black skirts, i even wear eyeliner and lip liner (might be able to give you ladies some good tips ) Now respectively i will admit that yes a large percentage of my wardrobe is black/monochrome but i also do own alot of clothing that falls with the 'neon' colours, greens, yellows & oranges. Besides Jake the Goth wouldnt be seen dead at a Boden party lets face it. ok enough about my extremely off topic rant...i like vesela (im assuming) will still keep you guys in the know with Boden with some tips and general advice...although we do have to be careful exactly how much we say as i have had a mumsnet warning for saying 'too' much....i can see it now the next topic...'Who is this Goth boy at Boden?' but i think it is fair to say that i am 100% NOT Johnny (i cant stress that enough because of said mumsnet warning, people mistake me for him)

I think you are talking bollocks because if you did work for Boden you'd know it's spelt Johnnie and not Johnny.....

(I'm getting good at this too now aren't I)

well whoamireally you can believe what you want and to be perfectly honest i couldn't give a rats ass what you think (sometimes i wish i could be like this on the phones thisis great being anonymous). All i try and do on this site is help out those who are asking for it, if i didn't work at Boden do you really think i would know all that i do? take a look at some of the other posts i have been involved with on this site. Do they have no facts in them? is everything i say 'bollocks'?, I think you should take a step back and rather than being so obnoxious and ignorant, you should post something that is of some relevance and helpful. As you know sooooo much about Boden, please enlighten us on this thread and say something that is constructive towards the convo. I got pulled for spelling Johnnie wrong on another thread aswell whoopdee doo dar, you can pick up on others mistakes, do you want a medal or a chest to pin it on?

I am a 'Goth' by social status

What the hell does this mean?

everyone belongs to a cetain group of people. (this is where people get labelled by how they dress or behave)

Chavs, Goths, Grebos, Punks, Townies, Posh ect ect. ergo socially i fall into the catergory of 'Goth'

therefore my social status would be....you guessed it...GOTH

definition of a 'Goth' =

1. A punk-derived subculture of people who predominately dress in black; (music) A style of glam rock influenced punk rock; gothic rock; A person who is part of the goth subculture; Relating to this music or these people

en.wiktionary.org/wiki/goth

1. Musically, it refers to an alternate form of rock that first developed in the late 70's as a post-punk form of music. This early, guitar driven form of goth is commonly called "death rock". The guitars often serve as an ambient rather than melodic instrument, drumming tends to be dance oriented and the vocals are often somewhat haunting or distant.Lyrics deal heavily with introspection, nilhilism and the occult, though most assume it deals strictly with satanism.

3.?Goth? is not about Satan worshipping, scaring people or shocking them. It is a lifestyle, an art. It's beauty, showing people who you are. ?Goths? tend to have true depth and insight and an opinion worth listening to. There thoughts are darker and they perceive things differently to how other might do. ?Goths? have a way of recognizing the beauty of things that seem so morbid and tragic to others, although anyone can see these things ?normal people? usually tend not too.

Whats ironic is that most 'Goths' generally speaking hold very high upper class jobs such as lawyers or barristers and wear a suit to work but of a weekend are completely transformed (just a little goth fact for you to picture in your minds )

I know what a Goth is; I dressed that way right up until I grew the hell up and realised that wearing black lipstick did not in fact render unto me 'true depth and insight and an opinion worth listening to'.

I don't think 'goth' is a social status, is my point.

I suspect your social status is in fact 'pretentious git young middle class professional'. I respectfully suggest you consider not taking yourself quite so seriously.

Actually, Bodenboy, since you come on here to expressly post on Boden related threads on a website aimed at parents, and in almost every one of those someone has queried if you work in their marketing department so some cynicism is justified, surely, even if using the word 'bollocks' was perhaps somewhat ott...

If you do in fact turn out to work for Boden, anonymous or not, having raised several thousand pounds for Boden this year through party sales (please actually read the thread you're telling people they haven't contributed to) it's very rewarding to know that you don't give a 'rats ass' what your customers think and also call them 'obnoxious and ignorant', so thanks for that, bet Johnnie would be so appreciative that you're around to do such a great publicity job

And yes, a chest would be great - what page of the catalogue would that be on?

well if my input is no longer required here i shall take it elsewhere, so when you guys are all umming and arring about all sorts of problems and questions/queries that i would normally help out with you wont be seeing me around.

what i didnt give a rats ass about was your opinion of me. a personal attack on my honesty and integrity because i couldnt give a rats ass if you think i work for Boden or not but the fact that i help out quite a few people with their questions does give enough evidence to say that yes i do work there. But because you know everything in the universe, i dont work at Boden (according to you) therefore i might aswell just delve back to my Cradle Of Filth albums in the hope and daydream that some people will eventually just disapear in a most amusing and horrific way.

O the merriment. BodenBoy, I don't believe for one teeny tiny second you work for Boden. If you do, not only will I eat my extensive hat collection, but I have 2 points to make:
1, they hired you on an equal opportunities exercise. They had to fill a certain quota of alternative people, and your 'social status' as a goth made you perfect.
And 2, I'd be expecting that P45 in the post. Johnnie loves us, he does, and will not take kindly to a man in a skirt and lipstick swearing at us in his name.
So there.

Just assuming you did work for Johnnie. Do you really think not giving your real name provides you with carte blanche to say wtf you like in the name of Boden and no-one will ever find out? Lots of nice ladies in the office wearing last seasons Amalfi with a pair of Sassy Wedges, and oh, who's that with the sense of humour bypass in the corner scowling away in the black skirted combo, could it be the same Gobby the Goth that is calling our customers rude names on Mumsnet and wishing they'd 'disappear' in a horrific way?

I surely do not know everything, life would be pretty boring if I did, but I do know that there are plenty of people at Boden trawling Mumsnet and if you did really work there and valued your job you would tone it down a bit! In the meantime, please stick around as any thread that draws Hurley to it always gets that bit more entertaining

How egotistical are you? not once did i say that i wanted Boden customers to disapear. the world doesnt evolve around you so get over yourself and take a step down off that high pedestal otherwise you will get a nose bleed. I think that high altitude has starved your brain of oxygen. because you are clearly not thinking straight. besides being ona internet forum does give me the right to remain anonymous, i could be lieing about being goth just like im apparently lieing about working at Boden, and theres no way in hell that Boden could track these posts to any particular person. even if mumsnet gave an IP address it will only narrow it down to a couple of million users who surf the net in and around my location, it is not a definative address.

i was just being typically 'goth', thats what we all think of isn't it when we think of 'goth'? and believe it or not but theres billions of other humans on this planet other than yourself, and trust me theres hundreds of other people i would be so much happier if they disappeared.

Oh I'm sure you're not lying about being Goth. You come across as very similar to pretty much every middle class little Goth boy I've ever known. Biblically or otherwise. You'd be about, what, 19?