Two Questions...no three

[tippy]

I can't search thread alphabetically anymore (why?) and I think there might have been a thread about L.L. Bean. My question is what do you guys think about L.L. Bean? I recently rediscovered them when I was looking for shoes and anyway I thought what I purchased was an amazing quality for the price and the customer service wasn't bad either.

question three is why do linens turn yellow? I had a bunch of them stored in an old dresser (probably has something to do with it) and some of them turned.

[Chris D]

Yep. Have some "snow walker" boots from them that are light and have incredible traction.

The yellowing is, I think, mildew.

[Brian Olewnick]

Heloise Says:

Storing Linens

I have a problem with white table linens. If I don't use them often, they get yellow spots. What can I do?
-- Edith Comparato, Boca Raton, Fla.

Ah, mystery stains. Aren't they a nuisance? You can try to remove them on white linens by dabbing on 3 percent hydrogen peroxide, which is a slow bleaching agent (leave it on; it could take up to an hour to work). Then launder as usual. Or wash your linens with a laundry product designed to whiten and brighten (found in the supermarket aisle, near dyes). Before storing linens, carefully launder them -- even if they look clean -- and do not iron or apply starch until you're ready to use. Any spot that contains sugar -- which would include those left by clear liquids such as soft drinks or white wine -- may turn yellow or even brownish over time and become a stain.
My hint: Don't save pretty linens only for special occasions; enjoy them daily!


**************


Doesn't say why they may have turned, but....

[tippy]

I thought mildew was green or brown. Maybe it's a special micro mildew. They don't smell funny.

[Scott Dolan]

You just discovered L.L. Bean?!

Oh my.

[tippy]

Thanks, Brian.

[tippy]

rediscovered, since the 80s.

[jesus marion joseph]

Why do your linens turn yellow? One word: urine.

[tippy]

Somebody's been sleeping on that tablecloth.

[Dr Dave]

If memory serves, linen turns yellow because it contains oil from the flax plant (linen is made of flax) and the oil does eventually oxidize.

[tippy]

Sounds like a blue-ribbon response to me.

[cookie]

I LOVE L.L. BEAN!! Forgive me for shouting, but Bean is a venerable Maine institution. I love the store: open 24/7 365. I remember shopping drunk in the middle of the night there once.

My brother is currently working for Bean (in their call center. he provides some of that decent service) and gets an excellent discount on clothing which he passes along to us if we order through them. I just got a heavy-duty parka to keep from freezing out here in the boonies.

God bless L. L. Bean. May they thrive and never leave Maine.

[tippy]

>>I love the store: open 24/7 365.<<

Lucky duck! There are things that you can't find in Manhattan.

[Surfer]

Back when I was going to Colby, I had a pair of hiking boots from LL Bean that I had bought in HS, and by my senior year in college, they had almost completely fallen apart. 6 years old, hiked thousands of miles, part of the Appalachian Trail, sole gone, caked in mud , tongue torn, toe coming apart, etc etc

Senior year I took them to Freeport to the outlet, went right to customer service and told them that I wasnt happy with the boots and that I'd like to exchange them for another pair. The guy looked and me, looked down at the boots, and then looked at me again and said,

"Go upstairs and get yourself another pair."

[patricia]

I suspect that the clerk was in awe of your blatant display of, well, balls. Most people just get rid of their worn out stuff, but not you!!

Some of you may be familiar with our oldest department store, the Hudson's Bay Co., more recently re-named "The Bay". Until a couple of years ago, their return policy was extremely customer friendly, to the point that it was almost bankrupting them. One case I recall was a woman who had gained weight in the five years or so since she had bought a whack of clothes. She brought them all back, having worn them for a year or so, before that and got full refunds to the tune of several hundred dollars!!! Whew. I suppose that would take some nerve, or if you like, balls too.
The store doesn't give cash refunds anymore and also doesn't accept returns after a pre-stated time. Not cost-effective, apparently. No kidding? DUH.

[bluenoter]

Originally Posted by tippy

I can't search thread alphabetically anymore (why?) and I think there might have been a thread about L.L. Bean.

Tippy--

One still can--at least I still can (in IE6).

First, under Display Options at the bottom of the page, select From the Beginning, if you haven't already, and click on Show Threads.

Sorted By	Thread Title Last Post Time Number of Replies Number of Views Thread Starter	Sort Order	Ascending Descending
From The	Last Day Last 2 Days Last Week Last 10 Days Last 2 Weeks Last Month Last 45 Days Last 2 Months Last 75 Days Last 100 Days Last Year Beginning

Then, if you weren't already doing this, click on Thread at the top of the page, where you see this:

Thread / Thread Starter

That should give you the the list of thread titles sorted alphabetically, but--

1. First may come a handful of thread titles--very few--that didn't make it into the alphabetical sort, possibly because of some glitch during a software upgrade (I'm guessing).

2. Then will come thread titles that are in quotation marks.

3. Then will come thread titles that begin with a number written as a figure.

So just scroll past that stuff until you see the plain old alphabetized titles begin.

Wouldya try to see the list in alphabetical order again and tell me whether you can do it this time?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I searched, and I didn't see another L.L. Bean thread.

[tippy]

Thanks, blue. You know I didn't even try the From The option. I was confused (go figure).

[bluenoter]

Can you do it now, Tip?

You have to be on the forum menu page (in this case, the Alley menu page)--not inside a thread--to see

Thread / Thread Starter

and

Display Options --> From the ________.

[tippy]

Entirely effective. Thanks!

[Ron Thorne]

I haven't read the entire thread, tippy, but just wanted to comment that we've done business with L.L. Bean for almost 40 years, and I can't say enough good things about them. In fact, I'm wearing a pair of their famous deerskin slippers right now.

Great company offering very fine products with superb customer satisfaction history.

[bluenoter]

Tip--

You're welcome. Not to belabor the subject, but for anyone's potential benefit--

One can also use

--Search This Thread (near the top of the page, on the right, when you're inside a thread)

--Search This Forum (near the top of the forum menu page, on the right)

--Search [all forums] (a little higher, at the top of every page)

--Advanced Search [various options] (click on Advanced Search when you get the dropdown box for Search)

[Tanager]

L.L. Bean kicks ass. Major ass. We're closing in on 40 ourselves, since my parents apparently went to the Freeport store with me when I was but an infant.

[cookie]

Originally Posted by Surfer

"Go upstairs and get yourself another pair."

The cool thing about Bean's return policy is that YOU, the customer, determine how long you think things should last. I've never ever had problems with returns. My family has even returned or picked up replacement stuff for us at the store on their way between home and Ithaca. Never a problem.

If you've never been to the store and you're planning a trip to Maine, you should try to stop by. Freeport has basically become a big outlet mall so you have many options besides Bean, but Bean is amazing. I love the indoor trout pond.

The other thing is that you can get great discounts at the store on clothing that isn't currently being sold in the catalogue. If you're in the area, it's well worth the visit.

Surfer: you went to Colby? So did my sister and I worked for a summer in the library there. My family lives in the booming burgs of Albion and Benton. Go Mules!

[Surfer]

Originally Posted by cookie

Surfer: you went to Colby? So did my sister and I worked for a summer in the library there.

I think the campus has changed a lot since John B. and I went there in the early 90s. I havent been back since.

My family lives in the booming burgs of Albion and Benton. Go Mules!

Yikes. I got the hell outta Waterville the day after graduation. Central Maine is no joke. Appalachia north. Sugerloaf and Acadia in the winter was always fun though.

[John B]

Originally Posted by Surfer

I think the campus has changed a lot since John B. and I went there in the early 90s. I havent been back since.

I went back about five years ago and things had changed quite a bit. I can't imagine how different it is now. I'll be going back in June for my wife's tenth reunion.

Other than going to Big G's I have no interest in being there.

[Root Doctor]

While I still buy plenty of things from LL Bean, I liked the store more when it had fewer things to sell and before it turned lovely Freeport into outlet hell. A drunken late night raid on the joint from Lewiston used to take 45 minutes, with a nary a cop in sight. Of course, this was in the late '70s, when Maine was like the Wild West.

Things I miss from their olden days: tattersal shirts (came in two choices, blue/gold, red/black) and Nantucket reds.

[John B]

Originally Posted by Root Doctor

A drunken late night raid on the joint from Lewiston used to take 45 minutes, with a nary a cop in sight. Of course, this was in the late '70s, when Maine was like the Wild West.

So you're the reason why Maine was nothing at all like this in the early '90s.

[Root Doctor]

Originally Posted by John B

So you're the reason why Maine was nothing at all like this in the early '90s.

I used up all the fun, John. Too many nights at the Loft in Portland, acting the fool while Bill Chinnock ("The Springsteen of the North Country") kept the bikers and the meth dealers happy.

[Doc Martin]

I recently bought a new pair of L.L. Bean Hunting Boots, replacing a 14 or 15 year old pair. They are great for walking through wet straw, mud, dung etc. The replacement pair seems to be of a lower quality. Have any long term customers noticed this?

[steve(thelil)]

Wearing boots to walk through dung takes half the fun out of it.