UPDATE: 3 months after this video Pier 1 has filed for bankruptcy. www.cnbc.com/amp/2020/02/17/pier-1-files-for-ch-11-bankruptcy-as-talks-with-potential-buyers-continue.html?__twitter_impression=true
Boomers aren't buying, they have everything already & are downsizing. Millennials can't afford pricey shit like this, we shop at Ikea & second hand shops.
Boom there it is. Boomers do have all the shit they need, enough spare stuff to furnish there kids places with stuff to spare. If they can't sell compelling stuff at a good price they should pack it in and liquidate.
When I worked there just 3 years ago the products we received mainly came from Indonesia and Vietnam. We would also see a lot from India, Cambodia and Philippines. When I walk around the store to shop now, I see more products from China than ever before.
They know their remaining customers will buy high dollar items. Problem is there aren't enough of these customers. I guess they figure if they increase the number of high dollar items those customer will buy more. lol
@@Mark.Watson They're doing the exact opposite of successful retailers like Walmart and Target. High prices mean for low sales volume. Increasing the number of items (high dollar or not) doesn't make anyone buy more.
@@misterhat5823 Low sales unit volume is not the problem it is cash/area per store. It might be they have too many locations with too close to each other that they rob traffic from each other. The question is not absolute price but value but does appear that for many items they not hit the right value price point for their merchandise.
Yeah a Cost Plus World Market opened near me (Bridgewater/ Bound Brook, NJ) about two years ago. The prices aren’t quite as steep as Pier 1. And if you want dirt cheap then go to HomeGoods.
Hallelujah. When their fucked up staff look at me for not buying anything I look right back. Must have different customer service in AZ where this was filmed. Because in NY-NJ these people are high on their own farts for working at Pier One.
I've been waiting for you to cover this store. They are ridiculously expensive and they need to get a clue. Homegoods and wayfair are out there selling things cheaper and are prettier. They need to stop. Nobody wants to buy stuff that expensive!💕
thrasherx2k1 that’s what I was thinking! Wayfair and Joss and Main are EXTREMELY expensive for the stuff they sell. Home goods prices have gone up as well. I’ve kinda seen this fate coming for pier 1 because they have such a niche market. Also, it doesn’t help that a lot of the home decor that’s out, for the most part, all looks the same.
1962 makes perfect sense for the opening of Pier 1 Imports. Hawaii had just become a state three years earlier and the country went Tiki crazy. Pier 1 Imports was not originally selling to hippies (hippies didn't really become a thing until 1966 - 67), but rather to the mid-century Tiki craze. Anything imported from Hawaii or anywhere in the South Pacific was featured in their stores. Sometime later they added things from the Asia and from Africa as well. The store was really interesting back then, but now it just looks like a generic furniture store.
Banana Republic had a similar track. They got hip for selling trendy safari & SF bay area YUPPIE digs 📈 then sold the entire chain to The Gap. The Zeiglers retired & made 💲💲💲... I think some economist wrote a book about Banana Republic.
Exactly. Worked there a little over thirty years ago as a teenager and what was great about the store was its quirky and unique international items. I still have a few items that I purchased while working there. Once they removed the sections such as clothing and jewelry, toys, etc. in the early 1990s and then tried to rebrand themselves as an overpriced and generic home design store in the early aughts, it was obvious that Pier One was lost.
In the days of IKEA, Target, Walmart, Dollar Stores and Amazon, $700 for a chair seems astronomical. They will be bankcrupt in no time with that strategy. For reference, $700 can buy you a used Samsung Flagship phone.
StarlightPrism Not for quality honey, they used to be cheaper than home goods etc. The prob with their prices has to do with them not being able to afford inventory so they started making their stocks smaller and that’s what made them able to raise prices.
In the early 70s it was INCENSE. They sold a ton of incense in the old days...I thought it was the coolest thing to smell as a 10 year old, only to realize later that my older and cooler cousins were buying it up for their own reasons to cover other aromas coming from their rooms...LOL.
I don’t dislike Pier 1’s aesthetic, but agree with everyone else that they’re too expensive for what they are. Homegoods is so much cheaper. Besides price, my biggest problem with Pier1 is that they always have the same stuff. Homegoods always has new things but year after year, Pier1 lreps slinging the same stuff. How many hangy chairs, meditating frog statues and mirrored lamps does one person need? STALE AF INVENTORY. Pier1 was also very late to start selling stuff from their website, seriously who in the Jurassic heck is running this company? Pier1 was the kind of store I loved as a kid and imagined furnishing my home with as an adult. I want Pier1 to win but they just keep blowing it 😭
At some point over the last 20 years, Peir 1 went from cool and quirky to Standard issue and overpriced. There isn’t really anything you can get it Peir 1 that you can’t go to home goods and get for half the price
That was my impression -- they no longer sell exotic, interesting or cool merchandise. It's pretty bland stuff, for the most part. I think "standard issue" describes it well.
They sound like a name brand store so not shocked if pricey. most times name brand is pricey depends on what u want really. times have changed and not a lot or much traffic is shopping name brand as they used to i think.
This store is full of themselves, that's why. EVERYTHING in this store is literally 50$ and up. It's really goddamn expensive, their furniture is so overpriced and small decorations almost go the same price as well. This is why their stores are almost always empty.
They have a lot of nice stuff at Pier 1 but like my local IKEA and Marshall's has most of that same stuff for literally half of the price, in fact at around 7:33 he shows a grey chair next to a couple of boxes and I actually have a chair that looks just like it that I got at TJ Maxx for 50 bucks. Wouldn't even be surprised if it was the same chair and some of their overstock are in those stores right now. Their problem is that their target demographic seems to be Karen, and Karen would rather use Wayfair or go to Crate And Barrel for her overpriced goods.
I agree, everything is so overpriced. Who is their target audience? Who can afford $700 for one chair? Okay, I can see maybe a highly paid professional, like a doctor or a lawyer, being able to afford a $700 chair. But doctors and lawyers are a very small percentage of the population, and not all of them would shop at Pier 1. If Pier 1 went back to selling fun, quirky, and affordable stuff that you can't find anywhere else, they would do really well.
No I don't agree at all. The store looks really bare now compared to what it used to be. It was piled high to the ceiling with stuff about to fall on someone's head.. at least it was fun and exciting to shop as long as you didn't die . LOL But I love antique stores where everything is just cluttered and I have to hunt to find a treasure.
@Riki Rikin kanayin I'm sorry but the items that were in Pier One weren't solely from China. They were from all over the world Bali, Thailand, India, Peru, Mexico Guatemala , Japan. That's why it was called Pier 1 Imports . They imported things from all over the world . It's just changed a lot from what it was originally. After the nineties the Bohemian look went out of style and so they changed their aesthetic.
@@shannonsommer8428 Like so much else today, including homes and their decor, the aesthetic (if you can call it that) has become bland and boring. How many gray houses and industrial-look stainless steel kitchens can one stand to look at? And walls that are painted gray or taupe or off-white. Is there no creative imagination, anymore? I remember the 70s when everything was so colorful, right down to bathroom tissue, and really pleasing to the eyes. Pier 1 today is just mimicking the trends of today, which suck, for the most part. I think folks have dulled down their spirits, and it's manifesting in all of our surroundings and the general environment. People today are tired, depressed and frustrated, and this has become soul-deep. We're overwhelmed with overly complicated technology, oppressive politics, shallow social media and a general malaise has set in. Ever notice how much ruder folks are, today? It's a symptom of exactly what I'm referring to, here. Once fun stores like Pier 1 Imports are reflecting this. They're reflecting today's culture, hence the hackneyed, banal and stale merchandise. Until our culture changes back to the vibrant, hopeful, creative spirit it once lived and embraced, this condition is not going to improve.
I’ve been working at Pier 1 seasonally (when I’m not at college) for the last 3ish years. I’ve noticed how their products have decreased in quality immensely since I started. The one aspect they promote is that all the items are handmade, which makes sense for the price, but is strange since almost the exact same items are available at TJ Maxx or stores similar. Another thing I’ve noticed is their continuous sales. They rarely had sales in the past, and now almost every item in the store is at least 20% off. I love working at Pier 1, and have come to appreciate the store. However, they need to catch up with the new trends and prices if they want to succeed. Please just make sure that if you go to a Pier 1 to be nice to those that work there. We have no control over the prices and just want to be helpful to customers.
I work at Pier 1 Imports and it’s so hard to watch your company die due to gross incompetence and greed. Associates are underpaid and understaffed so stores are always messy, merchandise is stale, cheap, and generic, visuals have gone down in quality. It just sucks I wish I could fix it.
I used to work for Pier 1 for a few years, about ten years ago? I heard my old store is closing, so I went in to see it today, for the first time in 3 or 4 years, at least. Boy, was it ever depressing in there. Even at 20% off "final clearance", everything in there was as high as a cat's back. I bought a couple of "noodle bowls" with chopsticks for my kiddos, and my bill was over 20 bucks. It's like, they WANT to fail.
There is a Pier 1 right down the road from my house and it has been there for years. Ever since I can remember. I feel like their major competition is TJ Maxx and Home Goods. You can get a chair similar to that for half that price and it comes with the stand.
I've found that places like Pier One, Macy's, J.C Penny's, and Sears', all of which sell items that can be found anywhere else for much cheaper, are all doing poorly. They need to focus on items that can't be gotten anywhere else at a lower price. That chair set-up for example, the $700 for ONE chair set-up. You can definitely get a SET of three chairs for $199 per chair at a place like Bob's Discount Furniture. Walmart you can buy more chairs for much cheaper for the same $700. That Papasan chair for example, $50 at Walmart for the exact same chair, and I can guarantee you Pier One wants more than $50 for that chair. That said, if I wanted to buy a Papasan chair, I'd probably get more than one at Walmart for the same price Pier One will sell just one chair for. Like, 4 chairs and set them around a backyard firepit.
I work as a manager at one in Silicon Valley. We sell our expensive product more often then you would think. But our store is smack dab in the middle of an upscale neighborhood. I do agree that prices are the craziest part. But last year in 2018 we switched to a new CEO. Which was the former CEO of sears. He tried introducing low priced stuff, and to be honest, it was all junkie. At least what he bought for us to sell. The CEO bought so much of this junk from vendors that we still have some of it today. We had to clearance a ton of it out but a lot of it won’t sell still. To be honest I think he spend too much money on those vendors. For cheap product no one wanted. And now we’re not doing so hot because of it. Our stores looked really bad as a result too. But the good news is that we have a new CEO, and for our store at least, things have been looking pretty good. The new product looks nice, and i think they’re trying to find a nice middle ground for prices on products. A lot of our product is made by hand, so maybe that’s why the prices can be weird? Anyway, I love my job, and my coworkers love their jobs. We don’t want to leave Pier 1. I’m really hoping things turn around, I have faith that it will.
My partner works at pier 1 Corporate and loves it so much because of the positive work culture. I think a lot of these commenters don't understand how much it costs to have handmade non mass produced products now. What I dislike the most about pier 1 is they severely underpay their tenured Corp employees. They offer great benefits though.
I hope you guys stay open as well. People aren't thinking about how many unemployed people there will be if the stores close. Not to mention, I for one love this store.
My mom used to take me into pier 1 to look at things even though they were too expensive. I don't think we even bought anything (maybe a trinket or candle) but now we don't even go look because you can see the same stuff everywhere now, even the dollar tree and thrift stores.
I worked at Pier One in high school in the late 80's. It was a brand new store and the community seemed excited to have one. The NYT Sunday ad would feature one item at a promotional price and we would get slammed with customers. I also was promoted to be the manager of the Gypsy clothing dept.
Another great video. Pier 1’s prices are such a joke. You can find the same stuff at target for half the price. From what I understand the red tiles are typical for all locations. My local Pier 1 opened in 2006 and has the same tiling, so I don’t think it’s a 90’s thing. Another similar store is Cost Plus World Market. I’m not sure how they are doing, but a video on them could be cool.
Pier One Imports, are not built for people in Wheelchairs look how narrow, their walkways are and extremely cluttered. How, is someone in a Wheelchair going to get to there Water Closet❓
Oh, I agree 100%. I was always afraid I'd bump into something and have it come crashing to the floor. I had a friend at the time who was on the heavy side and she never went in. Just as you side the aisles were too narrow.
I recently worked at Pier 1 and they were actually very cognizant of keeping a 3 foot clearance between each display to keep ADA compliant. That is truly the only good thing I have to say about the company.
This is Della K. Sigler. All aisles are actually a minimum of 3 ft by company policy! If the store you’re at isn’t following that, definitely let a manager know because maybe another customer smushed some furniture somewhere and things got shifted. Im sure they’d fix it.
I never even bothered going to pier 1 when I first moved out and started buying my own furniture, it always struck me as, for lack of a better description, a “rich white girl” store. A lot of that stuff you showed I’ve seen at tj max and target for a fraction of the cost.
Didnt use to be. Years ago it was a great store with beautiful, high quality furnishings and other things for the home. BUT..its always been over priced. I used to love this store. Sad its going down.
My friend worked at a Pier 1 location in the Shadyside area of Pittsburgh PA for 6yr or so, 1990s. The store was about 1/2 the size maybe 1/3 of these AZ retail stores. I never got anything from Pier 1.
It all depends on what you think is tacky. I think their things are still very nice but very overpriced. If you want to get some plywood plain boring Furniture then yeah go to IKEA. I've had furniture from the early 90s from Pier One that is still an awesome shape. I bought furniture at Target and Ikea that broke the next year. But we all have different styles and taste.
Pier one is definitely too cramped. About 4 years ago, Me and my mom were in there looking for decorations and we picked up a decorative bowl and the shelf was so unbalanced, a large vase near the bowl fell and shattered on the ground. They're definitely overpacking their displays and floor. Those expensive prices are another nail in the coffin.
I think Pier 1 is facing a lot of competition for one. Some of the competitors I see include Target, Walmart, Amazon, Cost Plus World Market, IKEA, Bed Bath & Beyond, and even small tourist shops that sell Knick knacks. The second problem is that many millennials are living in smaller homes, apartments, not buying big houses as much, and not having as much disposable income. Pier 1 Imports I think targeted more to the suburban home demographic less people are able to afford their high priced items when there are similar items elsewhere like Target or IKEA.
Pier 1 Imports is where you go to dream about decorating your first apartment. Then once you move and you're broke, you decorate with anything you can sneak out of your parent's house.
Oh my goodness the Italy cups at 2:34 has me dead because I was gifted this exact cup after visiting Italy for the first time in Sep-Oct of 2019--just before this video was posted! What a fun coincidence
I worked there for about 4 yrs in the late 90's and early 2000's and aside from it paying shit money (which was fine cuz i was in high school) I absolutely loved working there and many great memories . The average merch markup was 900 % and quality wasnt the best however it didnt stop ppl from paying these prices but this biz model was appropriate for the 90's and they haven't changed it and I don't see it working for them much longer because of this issue since commerce has changed so much . When I shop there it feels like a totally different vibe and its not a good one. In the past the merch they had was unique and distinct and still is but now you can get it anywhere really and typically cheaper. I hope they dont die entirely and i have seen a lot of stores close the past 6 yrs .
Kinda reminds me of how Hot Topic used to be a goth and metal store and now it's a "geek" store. But at least Hot Topic kept it's gothic flavor and still has a few goth items.
I love pier 1 so much. I love to peruse the aisles and look at what sort of items I’d like in my own place. My biggest peeve with them though is I can’t afford ANYTHING in their stores. I definitely agree that their pricing is causing them problems and I’m worried about that because I’ve always had a pleasant experience in their stores
i haven't been to a pier 1 in so long! i did get a papasan chair from them for christmas about 4 years ago that i LOVE, but i wonder how much my parents spent on it. yikes.
We start sentences with a capital I not a lowercase. EX:I don’t dislike animals at all In another word; I love animals. However, even they’re quite annoying sometimes. I love ice cream so much that in fact my favorite flavours (flavor) are StrawberryBanana, Oreos, and blueberry.(^-^) Now you know proper grammar.
They recently did a sale on them that the stand, frame, AND the cushion was a 3-bundle deal for $189. They are REALLY good deals but you have to catch them!
When the company decided to switch their credit card vendors...that's when I stopped shopping in their stores! Then they started selling overpriced crap that wasn't worth having! Plus, their sales staff follows you around like you're gonna carry off the chairs by the door! EDit- @8:28, those elephants represent the Pier 1 that I remember!!! Yes, I am a 66 year old boomer!
I first found pier one by catalog. I think in 80s. Loved it, very unique genuine odd clothes. Like actually soldiers uniforms from many countries and beautiful imported bits and pieces. Really interesting stuff that would be extremely hard to find. Miss that pier one
There are two Pier One locations near me. They are ALWAYS deserted. I went in one about a year ago just to see what was up. I laughed at the prices and the emptiness and left.
My mom used to shop there religiously, she would buy whole sets of floral dishes and blue cups, glass vases and flowers. Our whole home was practically pier 1 imports, she loved that store and even has a credit card from there. They have some cool stuff but I agree it’s over priced. Its not my style and I refer it to as my mom’s store.
My mom would "shop" there in the 90's and 2000's.. None of it was anything she could afford, and whatever garbage she put on debt there, my stepdad would destroy it pretty much immediately with indoor cigarette chain smoking. I hate this store, and my folks.
I've only been in a Pier 1 to count the inventory. The only people that came in or worked there were women. It was weird being the only guy there. The women shopping were married stay at homes who could do charity work for a living because the husband had a six figure salary and were wanting stuff to class up the house.
This is why I thrift! Saving money, the planet and find beautiful things! Example: that hanging chair set up costing $700 I saw on FB marketplace for $100! And for dinner glasses, 50 cents a piece. People have gotten much smarter with their money with the surge of thrifting and cheaper alternatives.. such as places like homegoods and ross are much more affordable than places like Pier 1. I’ve been wondering how they’re still making it. Great video!
Former Pier 1 employee, here. I used to help crack open the shipping boxes. I can totally vouch for Dollar Tree carrying the exact same glasses from the exact same manufacturers, in some cases. Ours cost $5 a stem. Theirs, one buck. Same thing with some of the candleholders, fake flowers, vase fillers, etc. There you have the reason the company is going under, fast. And you're totally correct to thrift, a lot of the older wares were far better made. :)
I have always loved Pier1 imports. They have beautiful, unique merchandise. They have better quality than say Marshall's, TJ Maxx, etc. The problem is that they are too expensive. It was always my favorite store to browse around because some of the merchandise is so unique. I would truly miss Pier1 if it closes.
I worked for Pier 1 for a few years and I left the company before they did the stock split because I thought the company was about to fail. They sent out emails asking locations to see if we could get our landlords to lower rent and they asked all of us to buy stock in the company. They didn’t give us raises last year either. I would be surprised if they survived through 2020.
from the time that chair was in the view to the time I seen that price I had my eye on it and to add insult to injury it didn't include the rest of the setup
Half the country has plenty of disposable income (successful boomers) but they don't spend at the mall anymore. They did it in the 80s and 90s and the thrill is gone. The other half cannot afford silly lamps for 120 dollars on sale. Add all the competition now at better pricing, and voile...bankruptcy. Sad because I have been there since the early 70s, going with my cool cousins to buy incense and burners...
I know a lot of people complain about Pier1 but I really do love it. The decor is not for everyone and you pay a premium for quality goods. Pier1 is relatively inexpensive if you compare it to Nordstrom's furniture. It's unique crafted goods.
I'm glad I bought the "model" home I live in with all the "accessories". Paintings on all the walls including laundry room and full decorations in bathrooms and bedrooms. All appliances from dishwasher to dryer and washer. Most of the stuff still has the price tags on it from when they were bought new. Fully furnished and got it all for 5 grand. Shit the fridge alone is worth over a grand easy so I made out like a bandit.
Wizard9 - 'Expensive' places still attract customers (even some fast food places are now expensive)...but no one wants to be in a place that is 'overpriced'!
About 30 years ago I used to visit the local one a couple times a year. I would have a walk around. I never bought anything, but I don't buy much of anything anyway. They finally closed their doors. Not sure if the building is now occupied. Interesting video.
GenX started buying out of Thrift stores in the 1980's. We had awesome vintage clothes and furniture. I now own only enough to fit in a duffle bag and couldn't be more content. The jobs today are to unpredictable for most People, You can't own alot of stuff.
I was told once that when an item costs $20.00 or more wholesale... strive for a 50% profit. The further from that $20 mark, the higher the markup is. For example, if something cost $0.05 wholesale, asking a dollar for it retail is not out of the question. If something costs $10.00 wholesale, asking $17.50 is not out of the question... etc.
i used to love shopping there back in the '80s and '90s. they had funky stuff that wasn't THAT expensive. it was a fun experience to shop around and pick up a little thing, or two. i'm with you on the prices, now, though...it's just too expensive for what they sell. i will shop the hell out of a going out of business sale, though!
I don't really shop at those kinds of stores, but I couldn't tell the difference between that and Homegoods (it probably is the same stuff at HG, just a season later). I love these videos! I hope you do one on Staples sometime; I get the feeling they're starting to circle the drain.
I was in the store looking for a specific item a couple years ago, they didn’t have any more of the item I needed, so I said ‘that’s alright, I’ll just go online and see if I can order it.’ The lady said ‘oh, we aren’t online...’. ‘Ummm, what?’ I remember thinking then, this store won’t be around long!
I loved that store. I had a credit card there. I used to buy my Christmas gifts there and then pay off the card before the next year. People always liked getting things from there because they were so different then all the other big name stores. But they did a significant price jump in the early to mid 2000s and I quit going there.
Have quite a bit to say... I worked at a Pier 1 from 1987 to 1990. Wicker & rattan seating galore with sturdy wood dining tables & chairs for furniture. Lotsa baskets, simple plates & glassware. Basic candles & potpourri & soaps & napkins/placemats & lamps. Nice rugs. Affordable decorations, etc. Stores pleasantly laid out, but not trying to be flashy. Transactions included register sales using cash, check or charge. Returns easily done. Gift certificates sold. We were encouraged, of course, to try to add-on at the register. Simple. Affordable. Pretty easy for everyone. I ended returning in 2000 and working till 2011...until I couldn’t stand it anymore!!! The affordable wicker & rattan that people came to Pier 1 for was mostly phased out for high-end, VERY expensive furniture; big, heavy upholstered seating that offered lots of custom choices in fabrics & wood stains. Hefty, large dining tables. Ornate, plump dining chairs also customizable. Very expensive rugs with multiple choices in size &, for the same pattern, in multiple colors. Pretty but expensive lamps. Expensive cushions. Very costly pillows. Home accents, all veeeery expensive!!! Now associates had to deal with those custom orders as well as orders from the warehouses & on-line shoppers. Pier 1 had also introduced their own credit card that we had to relentlessly push. We had to basically pester customers, and I loathed it. At the register: “Hello! Will this be on your Pier 1 charge? You don’t have one? Well, if you open a card, you’ll automatically be a part of our rewards program. You’ll receive 10% off purchases on the first & third Wednesday each month. You’ll be invited to special events where you can win gift cards and special perks...” Bla, bla, bla, bla... Mind you, we were still supposed to try to do add-ons while ringing them up: “We have these cute pens or discounted candles if you’d like to purchase...” Bla, bla, bla. At Christmas time. “Would you like to add a box of holiday cards? All of the proceeds go to UNICEF...” Bla, bla, bla... Customers felt hassled and looked at you like: STOP! PLEASE JUST STOP!! Management asked us to walk up to customers and offer shopping baskets; people buy more when they have a basket, we were told. The store wanted to move away from its original purpose, affordable home decor in a pleasant, easy atmosphere. It became a complicated, expensive experience where everyone felt worked-over when they walked out the door. I was SO OVER IT when I finally quit. It became a miserable place to work, and I’m sure the customers sensed it. Oh, and did I mention how EXPENSIVE everything was?
I currently work at a pier 1 and that swinging chair, cushion, and stand are actually really popular in our location. Every time we get a new one in it’s gone within a week.
When i was a kid like 25 yrs ago my mom would stop by from time to time and take me while she bought candles and sometimes new house decor and i would roam the store while she shopped. I even remember being four or five yrs old and seeing the price tags thinking to myself this stuff is not cheap (this coming from now looking back a upper middle class income family). If a 4 to 5 yr old can figure it out i am pretty sure that is your problem.
I do think theyre in trouble. I used to go to P1I back when I was like 11 or 12, ten years ago, and even then it was pretty busy. Lines would form, and my mom would tell us that on the weekend she had to pass by P1I to pick something up. Now we have Tjmaxx, Marshalls getting more popular with the home decor for cheap, Target, Walmart is upping their game, Amazon, etc. Theres just so much competition between niche stores and bigger retailers that sell MORE while youre shopping for other things. Another thing my be sustainability on the rise. More people are buying second hand... the $50 bookend, and $600 chair? Theres no way continuing that business model will survive another 10 years.
I worked for Pier 1 back in 2015-2016 when they relaunched their online store. I worked in the warehouse, and let me tell you it definitely has a specific smell. We had huge aisles full of candles that would smell pretty strong during the summer.
One reason stores like Pier 1 do so poorly today is that they just sell one thing: Cheesy home décor. Retailers like Target have relatively clean and modern looking stores that sell pretty much everything home related at a fairly low cost, and since they sell so many different types of merchandise they can really pull people in, not only to buy what they wanted, but also push them towards making "impulse" buys on other things that they may have not intended to buy in the first place.
I worked there for a year in hawaii and got laid off due to the store closing. We were told that we could work at other stores on the island. Then a few weeks later we were told that all stores on the islands would be closing. There was virtually no assistance nor warning that we couldn't just move to another store until it was too late. Even with the store closing, things went to maybe 50% off and not much more. When the original price is 500 that isn't that great of a deal. Everything is overpriced and we got new items from a new brand while closing. While not a bad store, everything is overpriced.
I used to work in a Peir 1 about 15 years ago. We hardly ever sold furniture. We mostly sold plates glasses and pillows. I don’t know if I ever bought anything other than candles when I worked there.
I am an old woman who remembers this store as being fun & affordable & like taking a trip around the world in one little store. They have lost their way over the years.
The 2000’s recession changed retail forever, not that it’s not always changing but it was a catalyst. How Pier one has survived is beyond me. When I was a kid in the 80’s , Pier one always had extremely cool hand made goods from all over, not just China. Now their goods are gaudy lackluster common place retail junk. And that junk is way over priced.
I left there in March of this year, we were always dead in there. Hardly no customers, they have since let most of the staff go, WOW we all knew they would be closing soon. Everything you have showed was what was in my store in March of 2019. I think they are going under even when customers would ask me some of the prices, I would say do you really want to know? Even the manager at the time told me to never buy any furniture in there because that had marked up the price so HIGH! He told me to go to Wayfair, Pier 1 is a GREEDY Store where employees and managers work for hardly nothing and the big CEO'S and the supervisors are paid in huge amounts!!!
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
UPDATE: 3 months after this video Pier 1 has filed for bankruptcy. www.cnbc.com/amp/2020/02/17/pier-1-files-for-ch-11-bankruptcy-as-talks-with-potential-buyers-continue.html?__twitter_impression=true
Just saw this and wanted to come comment but you beat me to it
They just announced they are going to close all there stores forever.
Boomers aren't buying, they have everything already & are downsizing. Millennials can't afford pricey shit like this, we shop at Ikea & second hand shops.
Well, I'm 56, tail end of the boomers & I'm not exactly rich. Packers at Amazon make as much as I do.
Boom there it is. Boomers do have all the shit they need, enough spare stuff to furnish there kids places with stuff to spare. If they can't sell compelling stuff at a good price they should pack it in and liquidate.
Or the boomers just buy stuff on amazon
We also buy directly in chinese, indian or morrocan store.
@@SolidStacks That's what I've been doing since 1999.
It’s no longer a true “imports” store (items from all over the world). Most of their items are made in China now. I find better items at yard sales.
When I worked there just 3 years ago the products we received mainly came from Indonesia and Vietnam. We would also see a lot from India, Cambodia and Philippines. When I walk around the store to shop now, I see more products from China than ever before.
@@jessien5463 and also, none of those countries demand such high prices
And the stuff that doesnt sell at pier 1... goes to places like ross and dd's discounts...
@@ClarkyWarky Here in Canada, items sit on the shelves and get marked down until 75%. Things will literally sit there for years on clearance.
Lol, stuff from China is still imported.
you can basically get the same stuff they sell at pier 1 at marshalls, tj-maxx, and home goods!
and world market!
And Target for heaven’s sake!
Don't forget Ross
Kmart is my go-to.
@@sydneyh400 you look cute can I get your Insta
Higher margin items are useless if you can't sell them. This sounds like a first year student's strategy.
They know their remaining customers will buy high dollar items. Problem is there aren't enough of these customers. I guess they figure if they increase the number of high dollar items those customer will buy more. lol
@@Mark.Watson They're doing the exact opposite of successful retailers like Walmart and Target. High prices mean for low sales volume. Increasing the number of items (high dollar or not) doesn't make anyone buy more.
@@misterhat5823 Low sales unit volume is not the problem it is cash/area per store. It might be they have too many locations with too close to each other that they rob traffic from each other. The question is not absolute price but value but does appear that for many items they not hit the right value price point for their merchandise.
@@washingtonradio That doesn't rule out a low sales volume though. It's just another thing that could be a problem.
If they went back to selling incense and bead curtains to hippies, they’d probably boost back in business. 🤷🏾♂️
Truth, Man
I’d go
Theyd want $30 for incense and $100 for a curtain though.
@@TheHrb1234 and that's the problem
Maybe they will start selling weed to complete the image.
I remember when Pier 1 was priced and stocked like World Market.
can i ask why you choose to call them cost plus rather than world market?
@@aaronspersonal Cost Plus is what we always called it when I was growing up.
I love World Market.
Yeah a Cost Plus World Market opened near me (Bridgewater/ Bound Brook, NJ) about two years ago. The prices aren’t quite as steep as Pier 1. And if you want dirt cheap then go to HomeGoods.
I don't remember it being called anything but Pier 1
Every time I step into a piers, I always walkout without buying anything.
Lol, this happend to me...........once 😂😂 That was the first and last time I ever went in one 🤣🤣
@@BraveFencerLinkMakenshi U read my mind.
Hallelujah. When their fucked up staff look at me for not buying anything I look right back. Must have different customer service in AZ where this was filmed. Because in NY-NJ these people are high on their own farts for working at Pier One.
Same! Everything is way too expensive.
Yep...me too! Nothing that peaks my interest or leaves me with new ideas! It's now just a
Grandma shop & I don't happen to have any of those & I'm 66!
I've been waiting for you to cover this store. They are ridiculously expensive and they need to get a clue. Homegoods and wayfair are out there selling things cheaper and are prettier. They need to stop. Nobody wants to buy stuff that expensive!💕
EL-Bee London wayfair is not cheap at all
thrasherx2k1 that’s what I was thinking! Wayfair and Joss and Main are EXTREMELY expensive for the stuff they sell. Home goods prices have gone up as well. I’ve kinda seen this fate coming for pier 1 because they have such a niche market. Also, it doesn’t help that a lot of the home decor that’s out, for the most part, all looks the same.
@@thrasherx2k1 I know but I'm comparing it to this store. It's cheaper than thos store.
@@bluethoughts2581 I'm comparing them to this store.
Looks like a Goodwill for rich people.
I laughed too hard at your comment! 😄😅🤣👏
Ooh, that's great. Thanks!
Items look outdated and like things you might find at a nice second hand store.
Goodsill has some nice furniture fron time to time
What a ridiculous comment.
1962 makes perfect sense for the opening of Pier 1 Imports. Hawaii had just become a state three years earlier and the country went Tiki crazy. Pier 1 Imports was not originally selling to hippies (hippies didn't really become a thing until 1966 - 67), but rather to the mid-century Tiki craze. Anything imported from Hawaii or anywhere in the South Pacific was featured in their stores. Sometime later they added things from the Asia and from Africa as well. The store was really interesting back then, but now it just looks like a generic furniture store.
Banana Republic had a similar track. They got hip for selling trendy safari & SF bay area YUPPIE digs 📈 then sold the entire chain to The Gap. The Zeiglers retired & made 💲💲💲... I think some economist wrote a book about Banana Republic.
@@DavidLLambertmobile yeah I miss banana Republic's catalog!
Exactly. Worked there a little over thirty years ago as a teenager and what was great about the store was its quirky and unique international items. I still have a few items that I purchased while working there.
Once they removed the sections such as clothing and jewelry, toys, etc. in the early 1990s and then tried to rebrand themselves as an overpriced and generic home design store in the early aughts, it was obvious that Pier One was lost.
AtomicAgePictures
Best comment I’ve read so far!
In the days of IKEA, Target, Walmart, Dollar Stores and Amazon, $700 for a chair seems astronomical. They will be bankcrupt in no time with that strategy.
For reference, $700 can buy you a used Samsung Flagship phone.
Randolp Ascano I dont mind paying $700 for a chair but it better be solid wood and well made. Their items at that price still seemed junky.
@@rra7490 Yeah, the issue with Pier 1 is that the items are overpriced for the quality.
Randolp Ascano ...make that a BRAND-NEW Galaxy 10S with a no-interest INSTALLMENT CONTRACT at 50% OFF MSRP.
StarlightPrism Not for quality honey, they used to be cheaper than home goods etc. The prob with their prices has to do with them not being able to afford inventory so they started making their stocks smaller and that’s what made them able to raise prices.
Or an entire sofa...
I will miss that pier 1 “smell”
Rayryan formaldehyde on shellac
In the early 70s it was INCENSE. They sold a ton of incense in the old days...I thought it was the coolest thing to smell as a 10 year old, only to realize later that my older and cooler cousins were buying it up for their own reasons to cover other aromas coming from their rooms...LOL.
I don’t dislike Pier 1’s aesthetic, but agree with everyone else that they’re too expensive for what they are. Homegoods is so much cheaper.
Besides price, my biggest problem with Pier1 is that they always have the same stuff. Homegoods always has new things but year after year, Pier1 lreps slinging the same stuff. How many hangy chairs, meditating frog statues and mirrored lamps does one person need? STALE AF INVENTORY.
Pier1 was also very late to start selling stuff from their website, seriously who in the Jurassic heck is running this company?
Pier1 was the kind of store I loved as a kid and imagined furnishing my home with as an adult. I want Pier1 to win but they just keep blowing it 😭
They always have the same stuff because nothing sells.
Hell, Target has comparable home items for a fraction of the price.
“Who in the Jurassic heck”
I left that beverage there ten years ago. Don't throw it out. I'm not done with it.
Lmao.
Maybe it was left there just to prove that SOMEBODY had visited that store. (More likely, a staff member who had been on their break.)
At some point over the last 20 years, Peir 1 went from cool and quirky to Standard issue and overpriced. There isn’t really anything you can get it Peir 1 that you can’t go to home goods and get for half the price
I don’t get why people always use Homegoods as an example. I’ve always thought of them as being pretty expensive. Maybe I’m just poor.
That was my impression -- they no longer sell exotic, interesting or cool merchandise. It's pretty bland stuff, for the most part. I think "standard issue" describes it well.
They're waaaaay too pricey. That is their biggest fault.
The Haunted Library Truth they’ve up their prices. It’s because they can’t even afford their inventory.
@@YunikuYosefMomoka it's sad. They're on the chopping block.
They sound like a name brand store so not shocked if pricey. most times name brand is pricey depends on what u want really. times have changed and not a lot or much traffic is shopping name brand as they used to i think.
Yes, for what it is. It’s cheaply made. You can dupe everything they have doing your own diys for almost nothing.
This store is full of themselves, that's why. EVERYTHING in this store is literally 50$ and up. It's really goddamn expensive, their furniture is so overpriced and small decorations almost go the same price as well. This is why their stores are almost always empty.
Everything is NOT 50.00 and up! That's ridiculous!
Overpriced junk. They won't be missed.
They have a lot of nice stuff at Pier 1 but like my local IKEA and Marshall's has most of that same stuff for literally half of the price, in fact at around 7:33 he shows a grey chair next to a couple of boxes and I actually have a chair that looks just like it that I got at TJ Maxx for 50 bucks. Wouldn't even be surprised if it was the same chair and some of their overstock are in those stores right now.
Their problem is that their target demographic seems to be Karen, and Karen would rather use Wayfair or go to Crate And Barrel for her overpriced goods.
Yes indeed. Everything in this store is way overpriced. That will be their downfall. Oh well.... BUH BYE!!!
I agree, everything is so overpriced. Who is their target audience? Who can afford $700 for one chair? Okay, I can see maybe a highly paid professional, like a doctor or a lawyer, being able to afford a $700 chair. But doctors and lawyers are a very small percentage of the population, and not all of them would shop at Pier 1. If Pier 1 went back to selling fun, quirky, and affordable stuff that you can't find anywhere else, they would do really well.
They are messy and cluttered too! Who wants to go there. It's so uninviting!
This oddly dont look cluttered to me but then again the thrift stores in my area are bad about being cluttered.
It’s def a cluttered place. I can barely move in my local store, forget bringing my kids.
No I don't agree at all. The store looks really bare now compared to what it used to be. It was piled high to the ceiling with stuff about to fall on someone's head.. at least it was fun and exciting to shop as long as you didn't die . LOL But I love antique stores where everything is just cluttered and I have to hunt to find a treasure.
@Riki Rikin kanayin I'm sorry but the items that were in Pier One weren't solely from China. They were from all over the world Bali, Thailand, India, Peru, Mexico Guatemala , Japan. That's why it was called Pier 1 Imports . They imported things from all over the world . It's just changed a lot from what it was originally. After the nineties the Bohemian look went out of style and so they changed their aesthetic.
@@shannonsommer8428 Like so much else today, including homes and their decor, the aesthetic (if you can call it that) has become bland and boring. How many gray houses and industrial-look stainless steel kitchens can one stand to look at? And walls that are painted gray or taupe or off-white. Is there no creative imagination, anymore? I remember the 70s when everything was so colorful, right down to bathroom tissue, and really pleasing to the eyes. Pier 1 today is just mimicking the trends of today, which suck, for the most part.
I think folks have dulled down their spirits, and it's manifesting in all of our surroundings and the general environment. People today are tired, depressed and frustrated, and this has become soul-deep. We're overwhelmed with overly complicated technology, oppressive politics, shallow social media and a general malaise has set in. Ever notice how much ruder folks are, today? It's a symptom of exactly what I'm referring to, here.
Once fun stores like Pier 1 Imports are reflecting this. They're reflecting today's culture, hence the hackneyed, banal and stale merchandise.
Until our culture changes back to the vibrant, hopeful, creative spirit it once lived and embraced, this condition is not going to improve.
I’ve been working at Pier 1 seasonally (when I’m not at college) for the last 3ish years. I’ve noticed how their products have decreased in quality immensely since I started. The one aspect they promote is that all the items are handmade, which makes sense for the price, but is strange since almost the exact same items are available at TJ Maxx or stores similar. Another thing I’ve noticed is their continuous sales. They rarely had sales in the past, and now almost every item in the store is at least 20% off.
I love working at Pier 1, and have come to appreciate the store. However, they need to catch up with the new trends and prices if they want to succeed.
Please just make sure that if you go to a Pier 1 to be nice to those that work there. We have no control over the prices and just want to be helpful to customers.
I work at Pier 1 Imports and it’s so hard to watch your company die due to gross incompetence and greed. Associates are underpaid and understaffed so stores are always messy, merchandise is stale, cheap, and generic, visuals have gone down in quality. It just sucks I wish I could fix it.
I used to work for Pier 1 for a few years, about ten years ago? I heard my old store is closing, so I went in to see it today, for the first time in 3 or 4 years, at least. Boy, was it ever depressing in there. Even at 20% off "final clearance", everything in there was as high as a cat's back. I bought a couple of "noodle bowls" with chopsticks for my kiddos, and my bill was over 20 bucks. It's like, they WANT to fail.
But hey I bet the CEO got a 20 million raise
Good video Erik. They done well in the 80s. People can't afford their high priced stuff these days
They did well in the 80's because there wasn't any cheaper competition back then
I can afford higher priced stuff - I just don't want to pay higher prices for things I can get from Hobby Lobby or online.
If they stop charging 39.99 for every throw pillow the maybe they can survive
There is a Pier 1 right down the road from my house and it has been there for years. Ever since I can remember. I feel like their major competition is TJ Maxx and Home Goods. You can get a chair similar to that for half that price and it comes with the stand.
Pier 1 had some decor places as industry rivals that shut down in the late 2000s. 📉. World Market was popular. Bed Bath & Beyond, Home Goods.
@@DavidLLambertmobile I miss Bed Bath & Beyond. They had some neat stuff there. But they went woke, and went broke.
I've found that places like Pier One, Macy's, J.C Penny's, and Sears', all of which sell items that can be found anywhere else for much cheaper, are all doing poorly. They need to focus on items that can't be gotten anywhere else at a lower price. That chair set-up for example, the $700 for ONE chair set-up. You can definitely get a SET of three chairs for $199 per chair at a place like Bob's Discount Furniture. Walmart you can buy more chairs for much cheaper for the same $700. That Papasan chair for example, $50 at Walmart for the exact same chair, and I can guarantee you Pier One wants more than $50 for that chair. That said, if I wanted to buy a Papasan chair, I'd probably get more than one at Walmart for the same price Pier One will sell just one chair for. Like, 4 chairs and set them around a backyard firepit.
I work as a manager at one in Silicon Valley. We sell our expensive product more often then you would think. But our store is smack dab in the middle of an upscale neighborhood. I do agree that prices are the craziest part. But last year in 2018 we switched to a new CEO. Which was the former CEO of sears. He tried introducing low priced stuff, and to be honest, it was all junkie. At least what he bought for us to sell. The CEO bought so much of this junk from vendors that we still have some of it today. We had to clearance a ton of it out but a lot of it won’t sell still.
To be honest I think he spend too much money on those vendors. For cheap product no one wanted. And now we’re not doing so hot because of it. Our stores looked really bad as a result too.
But the good news is that we have a new CEO, and for our store at least, things have been looking pretty good. The new product looks nice, and i think they’re trying to find a nice middle ground for prices on products. A lot of our product is made by hand, so maybe that’s why the prices can be weird? Anyway, I love my job, and my coworkers love their jobs. We don’t want to leave Pier 1. I’m really hoping things turn around, I have faith that it will.
My partner works at pier 1 Corporate and loves it so much because of the positive work culture. I think a lot of these commenters don't understand how much it costs to have handmade non mass produced products now. What I dislike the most about pier 1 is they severely underpay their tenured Corp employees. They offer great benefits though.
I also work at a pier 1 and this comment is PERFECT
I hope you guys stay open as well. People aren't thinking about how many unemployed people there will be if the stores close. Not to mention, I for one love this store.
Aaaand it’s gone
I truly hope things turn around 4 you guys as well. I luv Pier one as well.
I pass one of these everyday and yet I've never been into one.
Last time I was in a pier 1 store I looked at the price on a wire napkin holder 21.99 and walked out.
You should change one of the quadrants of your logo to an empty drink cup.
SueBobChicVid yesss
My mom used to take me into pier 1 to look at things even though they were too expensive. I don't think we even bought anything (maybe a trinket or candle) but now we don't even go look because you can see the same stuff everywhere now, even the dollar tree and thrift stores.
I worked at Pier One in high school in the late 80's. It was a brand new store and the community seemed excited to have one. The NYT Sunday ad would feature one item at a promotional price and we would get slammed with customers. I also was promoted to be the manager of the Gypsy clothing dept.
Another great video. Pier 1’s prices are such a joke. You can find the same stuff at target for half the price. From what I understand the red tiles are typical for all locations. My local Pier 1 opened in 2006 and has the same tiling, so I don’t think it’s a 90’s thing. Another similar store is Cost Plus World Market. I’m not sure how they are doing, but a video on them could be cool.
I think its their time. This is exactly the type of retail that needs to close....
Pier One Imports, are not built for people in Wheelchairs look how narrow, their walkways are and extremely cluttered. How, is someone in a Wheelchair going to get to there Water Closet❓
Health & Safety would go mad, as aisles have to be at least a metre (3.3ft) wide. I wonder whether it is ADA compliant.
But note the registers are "officially handicapped accessible"...
Oh, I agree 100%. I was always afraid I'd bump into something and have it come crashing to the floor. I had a friend at the time who was on the heavy side and she never went in. Just as you side the aisles were too narrow.
I recently worked at Pier 1 and they were actually very cognizant of keeping a 3 foot clearance between each display to keep ADA compliant. That is truly the only good thing I have to say about the company.
This is Della K. Sigler.
All aisles are actually a minimum of 3 ft by company policy! If the store you’re at isn’t following that, definitely let a manager know because maybe another customer smushed some furniture somewhere and things got shifted. Im sure they’d fix it.
I never even bothered going to pier 1 when I first moved out and started buying my own furniture, it always struck me as, for lack of a better description, a “rich white girl” store. A lot of that stuff you showed I’ve seen at tj max and target for a fraction of the cost.
Old ladies' junk shop. I used to dread going to places like this when my mom took me as a child.
After I’ve had a rough day, it’s so nice and relaxing to watch your videos. Thank you. 🙂
Lol with those prices I can see why they are reporting losses.
I will miss their air fresheners (Room spray).
What an absolutely delusional company. Cant go out of business soon enough.
best comment!
HomeGoods, Ross, Target and Walmart are killing Pier One. Their stuff looks identical but is 75% cheaper...
Everything is low quality, ugly and poor taste sold at a high price.
You pretty much nailed it. It's high priced junk.
It's all super tacky
Didnt use to be. Years ago it was a great store with beautiful, high quality furnishings and other things for the home. BUT..its always been over priced. I used to love this store. Sad its going down.
My friend worked at a Pier 1 location in the Shadyside area of Pittsburgh PA for 6yr or so, 1990s. The store was about 1/2 the size maybe 1/3 of these AZ retail stores. I never got anything from Pier 1.
It all depends on what you think is tacky. I think their things are still very nice but very overpriced. If you want to get some plywood plain boring Furniture then yeah go to IKEA. I've had furniture from the early 90s from Pier One that is still an awesome shape. I bought furniture at Target and Ikea that broke the next year. But we all have different styles and taste.
Pier one is definitely too cramped. About 4 years ago, Me and my mom were in there looking for decorations and we picked up a decorative bowl and the shelf was so unbalanced, a large vase near the bowl fell and shattered on the ground. They're definitely overpacking their displays and floor. Those expensive prices are another nail in the coffin.
I think Pier 1 is facing a lot of competition for one. Some of the competitors I see include Target, Walmart, Amazon, Cost Plus World Market, IKEA, Bed Bath & Beyond, and even small tourist shops that sell Knick knacks.
The second problem is that many millennials are living in smaller homes, apartments, not buying big houses as much, and not having as much disposable income. Pier 1 Imports I think targeted more to the suburban home demographic less people are able to afford their high priced items when there are similar items elsewhere like Target or IKEA.
Pier 1 Imports is where you go to dream about decorating your first apartment.
Then once you move and you're broke, you decorate with anything you can sneak out of your parent's house.
Oh my goodness the Italy cups at 2:34 has me dead because I was gifted this exact cup after visiting Italy for the first time in Sep-Oct of 2019--just before this video was posted! What a fun coincidence
People w/ $700 to blow on a (gimmick) chair are downsizing today... having already purchased every home furnishing they needed 20+ years ago
I worked there for about 4 yrs in the late 90's and early 2000's and aside from it paying shit money (which was fine cuz i was in high school) I absolutely loved working there and many great memories . The average merch markup was 900 % and quality wasnt the best however it didnt stop ppl from paying these prices but this biz model was appropriate for the 90's and they haven't changed it and I don't see it working for them much longer because of this issue since commerce has changed so much . When I shop there it feels like a totally different vibe and its not a good one. In the past the merch they had was unique and distinct and still is but now you can get it anywhere really and typically cheaper. I hope they dont die entirely and i have seen a lot of stores close the past 6 yrs .
Their days are numbered. Because I forgot they even existed until this video.
Interesting, i didn't think they were in that much trouble. I mean, i did here about the closings but i didn't think they were in that much trouble.
Kinda reminds me of how Hot Topic used to be a goth and metal store and now it's a "geek" store. But at least Hot Topic kept it's gothic flavor and still has a few goth items.
I love pier 1 so much. I love to peruse the aisles and look at what sort of items I’d like in my own place. My biggest peeve with them though is I can’t afford ANYTHING in their stores. I definitely agree that their pricing is causing them problems and I’m worried about that because I’ve always had a pleasant experience in their stores
i haven't been to a pier 1 in so long! i did get a papasan chair from them for christmas about 4 years ago that i LOVE, but i wonder how much my parents spent on it. yikes.
We start sentences with a capital I not a lowercase.
EX:I don’t dislike animals at all In another word; I love animals. However, even they’re quite annoying sometimes.
I love ice cream so much that in fact my favorite flavours (flavor) are StrawberryBanana, Oreos, and blueberry.(^-^)
Now you know proper grammar.
Yuni Moody no shit? it’s a youtube comment, not a college essay lmfao
Sydney Hernandez roughly 300
They recently did a sale on them that the stand, frame, AND the cushion was a 3-bundle deal for $189. They are REALLY good deals but you have to catch them!
When the company decided to switch their credit card vendors...that's when I stopped shopping in their stores! Then they started selling overpriced crap that wasn't worth having! Plus, their sales staff follows you around like you're gonna carry off the chairs by the door! EDit- @8:28, those elephants represent the Pier 1 that I remember!!! Yes, I am a 66 year old boomer!
"Pier 1 Imports"- Elwood from The Blues Brothers.
Baby clothes...
New Oldsmobiles are in.
Where's my Cheese- Wiz?
Lots of space in this mall
@@celsovera91 Disco pants and hair cuts.
The first time I ever heard of Pier 1 imports is by way of the car chase scene in the mall on the movie blues Brothers
Michael Storm 😂
The new Oldsmobiles are in early this year! :P
I first found pier one by catalog. I think in 80s. Loved it, very unique genuine odd clothes.
Like actually soldiers uniforms from many countries and beautiful imported bits and pieces. Really interesting stuff that would be extremely hard to find. Miss that pier one
There are two Pier One locations near me. They are ALWAYS deserted. I went in one about a year ago just to see what was up. I laughed at the prices and the emptiness and left.
It's been over twenty years since I set foot inside a Pier One Imports store.
Honestly I think their core market is saving for retirement, not spending the way they did 10+ years ago.
My mom used to shop there religiously, she would buy whole sets of floral dishes and blue cups, glass vases and flowers. Our whole home was practically pier 1 imports, she loved that store and even has a credit card from there.
They have some cool stuff but I agree it’s over priced. Its not my style and I refer it to as my mom’s store.
My mom would "shop" there in the 90's and 2000's.. None of it was anything she could afford, and whatever garbage she put on debt there, my stepdad would destroy it pretty much immediately with indoor cigarette chain smoking. I hate this store, and my folks.
💯 real
I've only been in a Pier 1 to count the inventory. The only people that came in or worked there were women. It was weird being the only guy there. The women shopping were married stay at homes who could do charity work for a living because the husband had a six figure salary and were wanting stuff to class up the house.
This is why I thrift! Saving money, the planet and find beautiful things! Example: that hanging chair set up costing $700 I saw on FB marketplace for $100! And for dinner glasses, 50 cents a piece. People have gotten much smarter with their money with the surge of thrifting and cheaper alternatives.. such as places like homegoods and ross are much more affordable than places like Pier 1. I’ve been wondering how they’re still making it. Great video!
Former Pier 1 employee, here. I used to help crack open the shipping boxes. I can totally vouch for Dollar Tree carrying the exact same glasses from the exact same manufacturers, in some cases. Ours cost $5 a stem. Theirs, one buck. Same thing with some of the candleholders, fake flowers, vase fillers, etc. There you have the reason the company is going under, fast. And you're totally correct to thrift, a lot of the older wares were far better made. :)
The channel should be called "Retail Mortuary", with the way these stores are dying off.
I have always loved Pier1 imports. They have beautiful, unique merchandise. They have better quality than say Marshall's, TJ Maxx, etc. The problem is that they are too expensive.
It was always my favorite store to browse around because some of the merchandise is so unique. I would truly miss Pier1 if it closes.
*Millennial mind narration lol. This is exactly my thought when I got to these places. "$700 for something that cost $50 to make - Yeah right"*
I worked for Pier 1 for a few years and I left the company before they did the stock split because I thought the company was about to fail. They sent out emails asking locations to see if we could get our landlords to lower rent and they asked all of us to buy stock in the company. They didn’t give us raises last year either. I would be surprised if they survived through 2020.
from the time that chair was in the view to the time I seen that price I had my eye on it and to add insult to injury it didn't include the rest of the setup
People no longer have that kind of disposable income, sadly
Half the country has plenty of disposable income (successful boomers) but they don't spend at the mall anymore. They did it in the 80s and 90s and the thrill is gone.
The other half cannot afford silly lamps for 120 dollars on sale. Add all the competition now at better pricing, and voile...bankruptcy. Sad because I have been there since the early 70s, going with my cool cousins to buy incense and burners...
I know a lot of people complain about Pier1 but I really do love it. The decor is not for everyone and you pay a premium for quality goods. Pier1 is relatively inexpensive if you compare it to Nordstrom's furniture. It's unique crafted goods.
The store is usually empty (no people) when I go in there.
I'm glad I bought the "model" home I live in with all the "accessories". Paintings on all the walls including laundry room and full decorations in bathrooms and bedrooms. All appliances from dishwasher to dryer and washer. Most of the stuff still has the price tags on it from when they were bought new. Fully furnished and got it all for 5 grand. Shit the fridge alone is worth over a grand easy so I made out like a bandit.
I've never set foot in a Pier One. I didn't even know they still existed.
Pier 1 does not have a reputation of being expensive, they're considered "overpriced".
Wizard9 - 'Expensive' places still attract customers (even some fast food places are now expensive)...but no one wants to be in a place that is 'overpriced'!
@@stevec404 You are a very wise man Steve!!!
About 30 years ago I used to visit the local one a couple times a year. I would have a walk around. I never bought anything, but I don't buy much of anything anyway. They finally closed their doors. Not sure if the building is now occupied. Interesting video.
GenX started buying out of Thrift stores in the 1980's. We had awesome vintage clothes and furniture. I now own only enough to fit in a duffle bag and couldn't be more content. The jobs today are to unpredictable for most People, You can't own alot of stuff.
I was told once that when an item costs $20.00 or more wholesale... strive for a 50% profit. The further from that $20 mark, the higher the markup is. For example, if something cost $0.05 wholesale, asking a dollar for it retail is not out of the question. If something costs $10.00 wholesale, asking $17.50 is not out of the question... etc.
i used to love shopping there back in the '80s and '90s. they had funky stuff that wasn't THAT expensive. it was a fun experience to shop around and pick up a little thing, or two. i'm with you on the prices, now, though...it's just too expensive for what they sell. i will shop the hell out of a going out of business sale, though!
Pier one: where Home Goods gets their stuff
I don't really shop at those kinds of stores, but I couldn't tell the difference between that and Homegoods (it probably is the same stuff at HG, just a season later).
I love these videos! I hope you do one on Staples sometime; I get the feeling they're starting to circle the drain.
I remember going to that exact store in Mesa a year ago and that swinging chair was there, guess it never sold. Way too expensive.
I was in the store looking for a specific item a couple years ago, they didn’t have any more of the item I needed, so I said ‘that’s alright, I’ll just go online and see if I can order it.’ The lady said ‘oh, we aren’t online...’. ‘Ummm, what?’ I remember thinking then, this store won’t be around long!
I loved that store. I had a credit card there. I used to buy my Christmas gifts there and then pay off the card before the next year. People always liked getting things from there because they were so different then all the other big name stores. But they did a significant price jump in the early to mid 2000s and I quit going there.
Have quite a bit to say...
I worked at a Pier 1 from 1987 to 1990. Wicker & rattan seating galore with sturdy wood dining tables & chairs for furniture. Lotsa baskets, simple plates & glassware. Basic candles & potpourri & soaps & napkins/placemats & lamps. Nice rugs. Affordable decorations, etc. Stores pleasantly laid out, but not trying to be flashy. Transactions included register sales using cash, check or charge. Returns easily done. Gift certificates sold. We were encouraged, of course, to try to add-on at the register. Simple. Affordable. Pretty easy for everyone.
I ended returning in 2000 and working till 2011...until I couldn’t stand it anymore!!!
The affordable wicker & rattan that people came to Pier 1 for was mostly phased out for high-end, VERY expensive furniture; big, heavy upholstered seating that offered lots of custom choices in fabrics & wood stains. Hefty, large dining tables. Ornate, plump dining chairs also customizable. Very expensive rugs with multiple choices in size &, for the same pattern, in multiple colors. Pretty but expensive lamps. Expensive cushions. Very costly pillows. Home accents, all veeeery expensive!!! Now associates had to deal with those custom orders as well as orders from the warehouses & on-line shoppers. Pier 1 had also introduced their own credit card that we had to relentlessly push. We had to basically pester customers, and I loathed it. At the register: “Hello! Will this be on your Pier 1 charge? You don’t have one? Well, if you open a card, you’ll automatically be a part of our rewards program. You’ll receive 10% off purchases on the first & third Wednesday each month. You’ll be invited to special events where you can win gift cards and special perks...” Bla, bla, bla, bla... Mind you, we were still supposed to try to do add-ons while ringing them up: “We have these cute pens or discounted candles if you’d like to purchase...” Bla, bla, bla. At Christmas time. “Would you like to add a box of holiday cards? All of the proceeds go to UNICEF...” Bla, bla, bla... Customers felt hassled and looked at you like: STOP! PLEASE JUST STOP!! Management asked us to walk up to customers and offer shopping baskets; people buy more when they have a basket, we were told.
The store wanted to move away from its original purpose, affordable home decor in a pleasant, easy atmosphere. It became a complicated, expensive experience where everyone felt worked-over when they walked out the door. I was SO OVER IT when I finally quit. It became a miserable place to work, and I’m sure the customers sensed it.
Oh, and did I mention how EXPENSIVE everything was?
I currently work at a pier 1 and that swinging chair, cushion, and stand are actually really popular in our location. Every time we get a new one in it’s gone within a week.
When i was a kid like 25 yrs ago my mom would stop by from time to time and take me while she bought candles and sometimes new house decor and i would roam the store while she shopped. I even remember being four or five yrs old and seeing the price tags thinking to myself this stuff is not cheap (this coming from now looking back a upper middle class income family). If a 4 to 5 yr old can figure it out i am pretty sure that is your problem.
I like Kirklands,Cost Plus World Market and off price stores.I don't remember the last time I've been in a Pier 1 and there are two nearby.
Garage sale fodder.
I do think theyre in trouble. I used to go to P1I back when I was like 11 or 12, ten years ago, and even then it was pretty busy. Lines would form, and my mom would tell us that on the weekend she had to pass by P1I to pick something up. Now we have Tjmaxx, Marshalls getting more popular with the home decor for cheap, Target, Walmart is upping their game, Amazon, etc. Theres just so much competition between niche stores and bigger retailers that sell MORE while youre shopping for other things. Another thing my be sustainability on the rise. More people are buying second hand... the $50 bookend, and $600 chair? Theres no way continuing that business model will survive another 10 years.
I worked for Pier 1 back in 2015-2016 when they relaunched their online store. I worked in the warehouse, and let me tell you it definitely has a specific smell. We had huge aisles full of candles that would smell pretty strong during the summer.
One reason stores like Pier 1 do so poorly today is that they just sell one thing: Cheesy home décor. Retailers like Target have relatively clean and modern looking stores that sell pretty much everything home related at a fairly low cost, and since they sell so many different types of merchandise they can really pull people in, not only to buy what they wanted, but also push them towards making "impulse" buys on other things that they may have not intended to buy in the first place.
I worked there for a year in hawaii and got laid off due to the store closing. We were told that we could work at other stores on the island. Then a few weeks later we were told that all stores on the islands would be closing. There was virtually no assistance nor warning that we couldn't just move to another store until it was too late. Even with the store closing, things went to maybe 50% off and not much more. When the original price is 500 that isn't that great of a deal. Everything is overpriced and we got new items from a new brand while closing. While not a bad store, everything is overpriced.
They are toast, theyve been toast for a long time and Im actually amazed they are still in business/ There is no way for them to turn this around.
Great video!! Keeping us cozy this winter with dead malls :) (I'm in Canada, so it's already freezing sub-zero here....)
I used to work in a Peir 1 about 15 years ago. We hardly ever sold furniture. We mostly sold plates glasses and pillows. I don’t know if I ever bought anything other than candles when I worked there.
I am an old woman who remembers this store as being fun & affordable & like taking a trip around the world in one little store. They have lost their way over the years.
The 2000’s recession changed retail forever, not that it’s not always changing but it was a catalyst. How Pier one has survived is beyond me. When I was a kid in the 80’s , Pier one always had extremely cool hand made goods from all over, not just China. Now their goods are gaudy lackluster common place retail junk. And that junk is way over priced.
I left there in March of this year, we were always dead in there. Hardly no customers, they have since let most of the staff go, WOW we all knew they would be closing soon. Everything you have showed was what was in my store in March of 2019. I think they are going under even when customers would ask me some of the prices, I would say do you really want to know? Even the manager at the time told me to never buy any furniture in there because that had marked up the price so HIGH! He told me to go to Wayfair, Pier 1 is a GREEDY Store where employees and managers work for hardly nothing and the big CEO'S and the supervisors are paid in huge amounts!!!