New MBA students need suits.

September 13, 2010 2:12 PM

Is there anywhere I can get a discount for buying men's suits en masse?

I'm the head of the student board in my MBA program. Some of the new kiddos that just came in are in dire need of business-appropriate clothing, so I thought it would be fun to go on a mass shopping trip. I'm wondering if there's anywhere that will negotiate a discount for anyone buying, 10, 20, etc. suits at the same time? I'd like said discount to be something better than your standard Men's Wearhouse 2-for-1 special. I can (and will) research by trial and error, but if anyone's ever actually done this, I'd be grateful for any advice! If I can get ladies' business clothing included in the deal, that would be a nice extra.

posted by rjacobs to shopping (7 answers total)

I can't speak to specifics, but I know that when I was in law school, the women's board sponsored an event at Ann Taylor that involved some personal-shopping-type help from the sales staff and a negotiated discount for purchases made during the event. (I believe there was also a discount card for future purchases, but the discount was less.)

Now, that was when times were a bit more flush, but I'd still think that a given store might still be willing to do something similar for you. I'd try Banana, since they have both men's and women's clothing, but others may be able to suggest other stores.

I think the way to start is just to contact the particular store and present your proposal to the manager.
posted by devinemissk at 2:18 PM on September 13, 2010

I would run it by the business school career office and see if they will pay to cover a room and catering. You would volunteer to handle the details of getting a suit store involved, so you can claim co-credit for the event. I recommend that you make the event inclusive of women, too. I have a feeling Brooks Brothers would come kicking and screaming to an event like this.
posted by parmanparman at 2:24 PM on September 13, 2010

Jos A Bank runs a bunch of specials (they send me a flyer every time!) Right now it's 50% off your first suit, 60% off your second, 70% off your third, and 80% off your fourth (of equal or lesser value).
posted by Comrade_robot at 2:25 PM on September 13, 2010

You can call up local suit and tie places(national chains too), tell them this story and ask what kind of deal you can get for the group. They will probably fight over your group for the business.
posted by lee at 2:28 PM on September 13, 2010

Princeton could use a man like rjacobs...

I would suggest to look for the independent clothing shops in your area, assuming they still exist. I suspect a lot of these places are closing as the older tailors decide to retire.

Just as some suggest the big-boys would run to you, I suspect the smaller guys would be happy to have you run to them, and discount you for volume. The service would be better.
posted by sagwalla at 2:32 PM on September 13, 2010

I was going to suggest Jos A Bank - they have some crazy discounts. I've picked up a nice seersucker (along with some other pieces) due to their great sales.
posted by SNWidget at 2:36 PM on September 13, 2010

Great, thanks everyone for the help! Stopped by Brooks Bros today and they had some nice ideas, will try Jos A Bank tomorrow.
posted by rjacobs at 5:19 PM on September 14, 2010