Anthropologie Clothes: Urban Outfitters for the 30-Something Crowd

Urban Outfitters seems to be a popular brand in retailing, but it wasn't until recently that I learned about Anthropologie. If you haven't heard, seen, or been in an Anthropologie store, you are missing an experience, no kidding.

After returning from the store, I found some figures that surprised me. Here's one that really left an impression: the average Anthropologie shopper spends eighty minutes in the store per visit. Eighty -- that's an hour and twenty minutes on each visit. Can you guess how much time the average customer spends with other retailers? Fifteen minutes. That's an incredible figure that should describe a bit about the feel of the stores.

Anthropologie was founded to profit from patrons of the Urban Outfitters chain who outgrew UA's fashions. As such, the target customer for Anthropologie clothing is a 30 to 40'ish sophisticated woman with high discretionary income. Not a bad market to target!

Ask ten women what they think of Anthropologie and you'll probably get . . . one opinion! Almost unanimously, women love the store, but aren't crazy about the prices. Granted, they are high, but there's a reason. Anthropologie is very selective and exclusive with their clothing lines, and just about all of the clothing you find in a store is a limited edition run. Heck, they even have a good selection of one-of-a-kind pieces!

These items tend to sell out very quickly, leaving oddball items scattered about, but that leads to an opportunity for shoppers: namely, sales racks. There are a bunch of sale items if you're not averse hunting, which I'm sure is partly responsible the average length of stay.

What I like most about Anthropologie clothes is the distinctive styling. Their clothes include a lot of flowery prints, laces, and delicate details, but look elegant and sexy at the same time. The impression that I get is that it's a clothing line for successful women who aren't compelled to reveal half of their bodies to look attractive. Home run, I think.

For anyone really looking for a deal, you can find discount Anthropologie clothing online – not through the official store, but through other retailers. I can't imagine that these items are wholesale, and with the high turnover in clothing, I would doubt it's made up of last season's items either, but the price is attractive!

Bottom line: if you haven't yet stepped foot in an Anthropologie store, find out if there's one near you. It really is a great shopping experience. But beware of the prices!