We are fast approaching the ten year anniversary of the end of Britches as a retail institution in the Washington, DC area. I am constantly amazed by how many people miss the store, and wish they still had Britches as a shopping option. Of course, had all these people actually shopped at Britches instead of just thinking about it, the chain would still be in business. I will try not to let that lingering bitterness cloud my writing.
I get asked about Britches quite a bit, since I did work there from 1987 until 2000 (with a short 18 month sabbatical in the cellular business). I should be an expert on all things Britches, including the story of its demise. I hated talking about the end of Britches for a long time. I took it personally when someone would look at me in an accusatory manner, and sigh aloud with a touch of blame, “That was a great store.” I felt this was the person’s way of saying to me, “If you had only suggested one more Schnitt, if you had accessorized those Big Mitch shorts with a woven belt (2 for $5, or 4 for $10!), if only you had fully stocked the front two-way display with the proper size run of teal Columbia Whirlybirds (with zip out, reversible down jacket), Britches might still be around today.” My dreams were haunted by window display dust bunnies that frightened away would-be shoppers and a shortage of Merry Britches large shopping bags the Saturday before Christmas. For the record, it wasn’t my fault. I, like many of my loyalist Britches friends, tried our best. Forgive us, darn it, as I have forgiven myself finally, and now I can tell the tale.
To this day, I get the question, “What ever happened to Britches?” Here is a summation of my stock answer. In the future, I will refer all questioners directly to this blog post to save time and breath. I encourage my former BGO and BGT colleagues to add their own theories to this post.
The Price Spiral: Once you start playing the mark down game, it becomes a death spiral, and Britches started playing the mark down game in the 1990s. As we all know, price is only an obstacle in the absence of value. Britches offered a tremendous value in its clothing, but got scared during 1990s economic downturns. They used too many sale gimmicks (twofers and buy one, get one), and trained the loyal customer base to wait until the prices went down. We employees were trained in the axiom that cheaper price usually meant cheaper quality; however, once the markdowns started coming in the front door, that axiom was out the window, and the customers waited us out.
Over-Expansion: In the late 1980s, Britches added a women’s division for both the casual and dress genres (Britches Great Outdoors for Women – WBGO, and Britches for Women – BFW). In hindsight, womens wear should have remained as part of the mix in the existing locations instead of locking into expensive, long-term lease in area malls. We could have saved on labor costs, too, but I digress.
Around 1992, Britches began an aggressive expansion that saw men’s Great Outdoors’ store locations pop up in states far flung from the DC market, places such as Kansas, Oklahoma, Ohio, Massachusetts, and Arizona. Total store count peaked at 127 across three divisions (men’s outdoors, men’s suits, and the fledgling outlet chain). Instead of establishing a strong presence in a few markets, Britches tried to establish a small presence in a lot of markets, and in the process, lost their unique culture.
Maybe if Gene Kilway hadn’t fallen asleep during all those real estate meetings…just kidding, Gene, if you’re out there.
Competition: During the true heyday of the Britches casual division in the mid-1980s, think about the competition that did not exist at that time – J. Crew was a catalog business, Abercrombie didn’t appear until the 1990s; American Eagle had a reputation for low end merchandise; Aeropostale didn’t exist; Banana Republic sold army surplus clothing. Manufacturers didn’t have their own brick and mortar locations, like Nautica and Tommy Hilfiger do now. They had to sell to stores like Britches to move their goods. Once that started to change, Britches didn’t keep up. For awhile, it was the only game in town; by 1995, you could buy a rugby shirt in 20 different stores, and no one seemed to care that our rugbys had rubber buttons.
Casual Friday: When it came to suits and business attire, Britches of Georgetowne was the gold standard. Like the Outdoors division, it had no real competition at its peak beyond Raleighs and area department stores. Joseph A. Banks hadn’t come along at that point. The suit division was too slow to pivot to meet the clothing needs of the new workforce that no longer needed 10 Nick Hilton suits and 15 Joseph Abboud ties. The stores were allowed to remain stuffy and tired, with their dark woods, brass railings, dim lighting and suspender-snapping sales team. Customer intimidation by sales team arrogance is not a recipe for revenue growth.
Ownership: Rick Hinden and David Pensky sold Britches to CML in the 1980s, and there were the obvious pressures as a publicly traded entity to increase revenue and expand the company. I am not certain that would have happened had Britches remained privately held. The real death blow was the sale in approximately 1998 to Paul Davril, a wholesale distributor based in California. I was never close enough to the books to know for sure, but it sure seemed to me that the absentee owners (we saw them twice a year) were more interested in a tax write off and an outlet for the goods they could not sell themselves. The company’s heart was removed, and that was reflected in the cheap clothes that filled the outlet stores.
Impatience: Richard Fulwood, hired from Limited Express as Director of Stores in the mid 90s, had the ship on the correct course, yet they pulled the plug when sales did not turn fast enough. He helped update the look and feel of the stores and the staff in one short year, but he wasn’t the clothing buyer. He couldn’t be blamed for the buckle-back khaki pants or the vertical stripe Henley sweaters (or Scott Warren affectionately called it, the “swenley”). The impatience with the sales turnaround left Fulwood on the outside looking in, and the company never really improved from that point forward.
That’s my take anyway, and I am sure that many former employees or shoppers will have their own opinion(s) on what happened to a once powerful brand in the DC market. Many of you BGO alums most certainly will blame the Meadowday backpack “lifetime guarantee”, and just as many will argue that the shark was jumped once the Warthog was released with the tail up. There are a number of villains among the merchandise selection over the years, but I hesitate to blame one over another.
Perhaps the real reason resides in my closet today. I still have a pair of Montgomery pants that looks good, isn’t worn out, and fits. Why keep shopping at Britches every season if it’s “Clothing for Life”? I mean, besides the need for fresh, undented cans of chili…
RIP BGO/BGT 1967-2002 from Employee #06906-2
Interesting, I had thought some larger firm bought it out to cut out the competition. I actually got online because my daughters backpack broke and I thought of my indestructible Britches backpack, which I still have. I also have several rugbies and other shirts that seem to have life left in them. I hate shopping for clothes but I miss BGOD.
ReplyDeleteOh the Warthog ,,,,, I still have a few...
ReplyDeleteI too No store today could compete with their service, selection and quality. I so miss the Warthog. I have one polo left, but sadly un-wearable. My 1986 body does not fit my 2014.
DeleteYup Still have a few Rugby shirts & other clothes from BGO and a Backpack that can carry boulders in it as it was built so fracking well.. What brought me here today was I found a old Warthog key chain while going through a drawer today.. Big sucker too.. Size of a bic lighter with legs.. Carried my keys for many a year and still has his tusks too.. I'm surprised that they hadn't worn off over the years but I guess that they even knew how to make a lifetime key chain.. RIP Britches !!
ReplyDeleteI had a Britches backpack that lasted FOREVER. They just don't make them like that anymore.
DeleteI worked at Britches from 81 to 89, and then returned for a few more years in 92 to build up their outlet stores, and although you have some good generic potential reasons for the end of the business, you obviously don't know enough about the history and inner workings to understand why the business finally ended. It's not a short story and involves changes both internally and externally that would fill a book.
ReplyDeleteI miss Britches! I recently lost 35 lbs, and my main motivator was to fit back in my Britches jeans! I often wear my Warthog shirts and folks ask, "What's that?" I just shake my head and sadly walk away...
ReplyDeleteAll the cool kids in DC wore Britches. For some of the girls, it was like a uniform. When AF came along, it was like Britches, just with an edge.
ReplyDeleteThank-you so much for your post on what happened to Britches! My husband still has and wears the most beautiful flannel shirt that I bought him there,from a Dallas store in the 80's. I was sad to find that they were no longer in business. You will not be forgotten... Sept. 24, 2013.....
ReplyDeleteVery cool post. Thank You! I started worked at the Springfield Mall BGO in 1986-1988, then in Atlanta 1988-1990. Good Times! I remember we used to go the the Fisherman's Wharf in Old Town, after work. It would be fun (and silly) to look around and name the prices of the clothes that EVERYBODY was wearing!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting this story. I pulled an black watch plaid wool scarf out of my closet this morning and see that it is BGO branded and another label that states made in Italy. I still have a number of shirts in my closet that are BGO and after reading this story, the value (to me) of those items just went up substantially. The quality of those items would cost 6 to 8 times what I paid today. I need to look, but I bet none of those shirts were made in China. I do dream of a world where quality makes a comeback.
ReplyDeleteGreat Memory Lane piece. I shopped for decades at Britches. In fact, I recall when Britches introduced the Polo line, back in the late 60s. I bought a pair of thick wool britches that I had for years and years. I have also always believed that Ralph Lauren put a lot of haberdashers out of business, including Britches and several others. Nonetheless, I do miss the special attention that I was given--especially the phone calls when the "new" arrivals came in, or when there was a sale about to begin. Unfortunately, I've "outgrown" all of my many Britches suits, am retired and live far away from DC; however, I still have 20 years plus pair of suede wingtips--made in England!
ReplyDeleteI worked at BGO for about three years and went from a seasonal part time employee to store manager. I worked in three different locations and helped open another 2 in the mid 90's. What struck me about the demise was the inability for the BGO stores to keep up with the times. I remember being a washed with tons of Rugby's that never sold until they were deeply discounted. What causal office clothes we had we dumped for trendier items, and in the end, a complete lack of style direction. Instead of sticking to what worked for them, they try to play everyone else's game. I remember being leaned on by DM's to come up with new ways to increase sales.
ReplyDeleteThe real shame was the original BGO sold a good product at a good price, and we got away from that. We never had a Britches of Georgetown in CT, and I think they missed the mark not having a store or two instead of a large number of BGOs. I do remember when the wall of the Farmington store came loose and feel in to the store, Thank goodness no one was hurt.
My mother found a leather britches jacket I bought in 1986 and "regifted" back to me. I was thrilled.
ReplyDeleteI worked at BGO in Montgomery mall during the early 90's-early 2000 and helped at the BOG from time to time in the same mall. I wasn't with the company when it went under and was sad to learn of its demise. I still have dozens of sweaters and t shirts as well as two leather jackets and an abletex ski jacket which all look at least half their ages. I really miss the store...
ReplyDeleteI still have an olive green Schnitt shirt. And I wear it proudly!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I worked at BGO in Columbia and Gaithersburg during the mid-90s. Had a lot of fun, made some good friends and still have a couple of sweaters tucked away. BGO and BOG were a true part of DC!
ReplyDeleteIf I see a Britches rugby in my size at any thrift store, I buy it. I appreciate the rubber buttons and twill collars. Child of the 80s and I remember the radio ads as well as the big sale in the GMU field house.
ReplyDeleteThey ran some interesting radio commercials. Well written scripts, and a very unique voice/actor.
ReplyDeleteyes...he was known as "the voice." GREAT attention--grabbing air commercials.
ReplyDeleteAnyone remember the name of the female VP of Marketing just before BGO went on the block?
ReplyDeleteI got my 1st real job in my degree area (chemistry) after college outside of DC. I spent 5 years there and learned, from my 1st visit at 16, as a lower middle class kid from NW PA to envy the Britches label. I bought my 1st real shirt at the Britches at the Springfield mall, I believe, in 1993. A warthog chambray shirt in olive. It has a small snag hole in the shoulder so I wear it under a sweater, but i still wear it! You can't be regional and quality and play the cheap and expansion game. Either you are Wally World or something else entirely. Eddie Bauer is learning this and trying to save itself. BGO lost this by needing more profits. It's like Shakespeare or Greek Mythology; The very thing they went for killed them.
ReplyDeleteWow, I love this post and especially the comments and fond remembrances of one of the truly iconic menswear stores. I grew up in Bethesda, MD. I was thinking of Britches this weekend because I have been working on designing and selling a small line of menswear, mainly jackets inspired by classic American workwear. Everything will be of the highest quality and, crucially, made right here in the San Francisco Bay Area. And that is, in my view, the main thing that killed Britches. It was known for impeccable style, quality and service, but it through all of that away as it tried to expand. Toward the end I am sure the majority of BOG clothes and accessories were made in Asia -- like every other brand, including Ralph Lauren Polo, J. Crew, Tommy Hilfiger, etc. It's been a race to the bottom for all of these brands, and they wonder why their sales are flagging. Look at the once high flying J. Crew. They are in deep trouble now and might not be able to come back. The entire stable of Gap brands, including Banana Republic are dying a slow death. In the 70s I learned about style from my Britches store in the once great Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. I had my own salesman, Vinny, who showed me how to put together great outfits built around the signature Britches slacks with those huge pleats and, naturally, the braces. And do you remember that signature BOG scent? It was kind of sweet. All of the salesmen wore it. It was kind of addictive. (I actually bought a bottle and ended up hating it; too sweet!) If you want to see a very similar store to BOG that did not make all of their mistakes, visit a Paul Stuart store in NYC or Chicago. That is a brand that never lost its way one moment, mainly because the same family still owns it to this day. And today, the best example of what Britches could and should have become is the Sid Mashburn store in Atlanta (and a few other cities). Sid and his wife have created the most amazing brand of clothing, accessories and other lifestyle things that have huge quality, style and joy to them. Britches could have been that and more, but they got greedy and sold out. It is very sad.
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