'Shabbos robe' sellers struggle to survive
By MICHAL LANDO, JERUSALEM POST CORRESPONDENT

Come January 1, the 29 retailers across the US and Canada that sell loungewear and hostess gowns are slated to begin a coordinated sale, months after the usual sale time. The legality of such an agreement, however, is questionable under US antitrust laws, which forbid businesses to collude to keep prices high.

A growing concern over the survival of this niche market led a group of retailers and manufacturers this summer to form the Loungewear and Hostess Gown Council, which synchronized sale dates and markup prices. Sales are scheduled to be held on January 1 and on July 4, 2008, and the markup price for shabbos robes increased from 50 percent to 65% above wholesale.

"We, as a robe business - unlike any other business - have something very unique to give the religious customer," said Beverly Luchfeld, president of Raza Designs, one of the most popular manufacturers of shabbos robes. "Most of the other merchandise can be found in Walmart, Macy's, etc., but we cater to the needs of this unique customer and should therefore be able to profit."

The robes, an essential part of most haredi women's wardrobes, are typically bought twice a year - before Succot and Pessah. They are designed to be elegant enough to honor Shabbat and holidays, but comfortable enough for women to wear even while working in the kitchen.

"They look like an evening gown, but fit like a jumpsuit," said Luchfeld, who also manufactures weekday robes, modest Christian clothing and Muslim garb "reflective of an era past."

"You can wear them all day, sweat and entertain in them, and even sleep in them," Luchfeld said.

The robes date back to the "old world," where they were called "pondele." Though similar robes were worn by secular women through the mid-20th century, secular fashion became increasingly less formal, and hostess gowns became a thing of the past. But for haredi women, the shabbosrobe has never gone out of fashion.

...

To avoid competition and ensure profitability, the retailers and manufacturers agreed in an August meeting to stave off sales until January 1, allowing them more time to sell at full price and avoid competition.

"We were all running on each other's throats," said Leah of Borough Park's Lingerie Shop.

In addition, the group agreed to increase the markup on the garments gradually to "secure a healthy margin." A 65% markup was initiated for the 2007 holiday season. Next Pessah, they plan to increase the markup again by a percentage still to be determined.

But US antitrust call into question the legality of such an agreement. According to the Sherman Act, the principle antitrust law, every contract, combination or conspiracy in restraint of trade is unlawful.

"That law has developed to mean unreasonable restraint of trade is unlawful," said Saul Morgenstern, chair of the antitrust group at New York's Kaye Scholer law firm. "The court will go through hoops to measure whether the agreement is good for competition or bad."

Price-fixing is usually considered "per se" unlawful, said Morgenstern. "If all sellers of a particular good get together and say, 'Competition is not helping us, we have to raise prices,' it looks pretty bad."

Jewish law allows price-setting by associations of manufacturers and suppliers, but says such price-fixing must be approved by a communal authority, according to an article on MyJewishLearning.com by Prof. Nahum Rakover...

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?apa...icle%2FShowFull

What a load of junk! The robe prices are through the roof. In the last ten years or so it has risen by over 40 percent in price. They charge upwards of 150 for a robe that's made of cheap fabric and doesn't last more than a season. I can't believe they are bemoaning that they don't profit enough. Oh, and they don't even think the customer deserves finished garments. They stopped making buttonholes on most necklines where you use a little ######y (or however you spell that) and some of the fabrics are horrible once you wash them.

A greedy bunch you've got there.

Its also a load of junk because most of the lingerie shop's shabbos robes were 20- 50% off last week. Which, btw, TDP was 60= 100$,

Meaning?

They were on sale last week. None that were on sale were over 150$. Most were on sale and in the 80-90$ range. Some were cheaper.
A few were 160$+, but very few (one style that I noticed).

Last week, happened to be the first ime I actually shopped in one of those stores )yay for chanukah gelt!).

It's illegal, anyway. US antitrust law does call the legality of the agreement into question: It point blank makes it illegal.

Original prices, not sale prices. Which store did you go to? Unfortunately we don't have that big of a choice in Monsey to choose from, so we're stuck with the two stores that charge whatever they fancy.

Oh, and it helps to have a hard time finding and sometimes being stuck with the most expensive robe just because it's the only one that looks OK onme.

It's actually called The Lingerie Shoppe...I've bought a few robes there and you can find some inexpensive/on-sale styles but the majority of their stuff (I don't know about the sale; wasn't there recently) in the center of the store is of the $150-200 variety. That said, I think the total on my three robes was $200 and I was pretty happy with all of them except one with rivets where most of the rivets have fallen off (making it just another dull black shabbos robe).

I agree that the quality is not in line with the prices they're asking and I can see where in many cases these robes would only last a season. Maybe that's why so many people buy those atrocious huge-flower-print or giant-gold-chain-print robes..they don't have any fancy detailing or stitching to fall off or unravel.

What wisdom Chazal had when they told us: "Ain holchin b'mamon achar ha-robe."

Lol about the gold chained robes.

Keep in mind that not everyone can walk in and just pick up a robe and presto! It fits!

Original price on most of them was 110-120$ Afew that I saw were 169$.



After I had the baby someone in dhs family (shetchye) bought me a gold chain robe.


I wear it sometime but me and dh are trying to figure outwhat the deal is with the fabric. So weird!

BTW, the title of the thread should be price gauging, unless you mean "poking out prices"

No

gauging would be measuring prices.

price gouging is the correct term. try googling.

<shrug> Y'learn something new every day.