I have all-clad discount paranoia
October 10, 2014 8:30 AM Subscribe
Can I trust that the All-Clad pots and pans I bought at TJ Maxx yesterday are the real deal? At the time, I felt like I'd struck gold. Now I'm worried it's the fool's kind. They didn't come with any box, warranty card, or inspection card, and were absurdly cheap compared to everything I can find online--including irregulars. I'm going insane. TJ Maxx wouldn't sell counterfeits, right?
Let me repeat: I'm going insane. And I hope you can help!
Yesterday, I was browsing at TJ Maxx, and I noticed a great looking piece of All-Clad stainless steel cookware at an amazing price (12" skillet for $70). Browsing more attentively, I picked out one piece after another, and pretty soon I'd assembled what's basically a set at less than half the retail price.
I've been dreaming of splurging on an all-clad set for some time, and I coincidentally came into an unexpected chunk of cash that I don't need for rent or bills. So I went for all of it. I got 8 pieces (including lids) for about $350. All pieces are supposedly the classic tri-ply stainless steel. It's still a huge amount for me to spend, but I could cover it because of my windfall, and it's a fabulous deal for All-Clad. I left the store feeling like I'd cleaned up.
But then the paranoia started to creep in.
The pieces were all just out in the open at the store. When I bought them, I wasn't provided with a box, or a warranty card or inspection card, which I've since learned are packaged with new all-clad pieces.
The pieces have tiny cosmetic scratches, but don't appear to be irregulars (there's no S printed under the handle, which I've learned is how irregulars are identified).
And they were so cheap (for All-Clad) that I started to worry these were counterfeit.
I found a lot of claims online from people who'd apparently bought counterfeit pieces from ebay and other online sellers. One tip-off was that these pieces came without a box, a warranty card, or an inspection card.
I have four questions. I hope that the answers will help quiet my insanity.
1) Is there any reason to think TJ Maxx would be selling illegitimate All-Clad pieces?
2) Does the lack of a warranty/inspection card invalidate the lifetime warranty guaranteed to other All-Clad pieces?
3) Is there any way to check for counterfeits?
4) OK, supposing I am in fact going crazy and these pieces are perfectly fine, do small scratches on the bottom of the pans (and a few tiny scratches inside) affect the kitchen-worthiness of these pots and pans? Even at the steep discount, it's a major investment, and I want these to last me decades if possible.
The quickest way to reduce the anxiety would of course be to return them. But I'd like to keep them if there's no obvious reason to be suspicious, because wow, what a deal. I know I could get irregulars at cookware and more for a small amount more, but I already have these ones now, and I would feel crazier than I already do returning them and getting replacements at an increased price and shipping.
Metafilter, my sanity is in your hands. Help me live with my miracle.
Let me repeat: I'm going insane. And I hope you can help!
Yesterday, I was browsing at TJ Maxx, and I noticed a great looking piece of All-Clad stainless steel cookware at an amazing price (12" skillet for $70). Browsing more attentively, I picked out one piece after another, and pretty soon I'd assembled what's basically a set at less than half the retail price.
I've been dreaming of splurging on an all-clad set for some time, and I coincidentally came into an unexpected chunk of cash that I don't need for rent or bills. So I went for all of it. I got 8 pieces (including lids) for about $350. All pieces are supposedly the classic tri-ply stainless steel. It's still a huge amount for me to spend, but I could cover it because of my windfall, and it's a fabulous deal for All-Clad. I left the store feeling like I'd cleaned up.
But then the paranoia started to creep in.
The pieces were all just out in the open at the store. When I bought them, I wasn't provided with a box, or a warranty card or inspection card, which I've since learned are packaged with new all-clad pieces.
The pieces have tiny cosmetic scratches, but don't appear to be irregulars (there's no S printed under the handle, which I've learned is how irregulars are identified).
And they were so cheap (for All-Clad) that I started to worry these were counterfeit.
I found a lot of claims online from people who'd apparently bought counterfeit pieces from ebay and other online sellers. One tip-off was that these pieces came without a box, a warranty card, or an inspection card.
I have four questions. I hope that the answers will help quiet my insanity.
1) Is there any reason to think TJ Maxx would be selling illegitimate All-Clad pieces?
2) Does the lack of a warranty/inspection card invalidate the lifetime warranty guaranteed to other All-Clad pieces?
3) Is there any way to check for counterfeits?
4) OK, supposing I am in fact going crazy and these pieces are perfectly fine, do small scratches on the bottom of the pans (and a few tiny scratches inside) affect the kitchen-worthiness of these pots and pans? Even at the steep discount, it's a major investment, and I want these to last me decades if possible.
The quickest way to reduce the anxiety would of course be to return them. But I'd like to keep them if there's no obvious reason to be suspicious, because wow, what a deal. I know I could get irregulars at cookware and more for a small amount more, but I already have these ones now, and I would feel crazier than I already do returning them and getting replacements at an increased price and shipping.
Metafilter, my sanity is in your hands. Help me live with my miracle.
Best answer: TJ Maxx and Marshalls often have All Clad and other reputable brands at discounts. I'm sure they're the real deal.
The scratches are not going to be a problem. No idea about the warranty, but I wouldn't worry about it.
Use them in good health, and congrats on your find.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 8:34 AM on October 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
The scratches are not going to be a problem. No idea about the warranty, but I wouldn't worry about it.
Use them in good health, and congrats on your find.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 8:34 AM on October 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Is it possible that they were so heavily discounted because they were displays?
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 8:35 AM on October 10, 2014 [10 favorites]
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 8:35 AM on October 10, 2014 [10 favorites]
Best answer: Most likely the pots were display items and the packing and tags have been tossed.
posted by Thorzdad at 8:36 AM on October 10, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by Thorzdad at 8:36 AM on October 10, 2014 [3 favorites]
Best answer: At a place I was working where they sold wholesale high end things, they sold their closeouts in bulk to places like TJ Maxx and Marshalls. I have no doubt that these are the real thing.
posted by Nimmie Amee at 8:36 AM on October 10, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by Nimmie Amee at 8:36 AM on October 10, 2014 [2 favorites]
Best answer: I will also say that I have no idea if my TjMaxx All Clad is real or if the warranty works because it looks, acts, and survives exactly as well as my Macy's All Clad so I haven't had any reason to question it or try to use a warranty.
posted by magnetsphere at 8:38 AM on October 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by magnetsphere at 8:38 AM on October 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: I'm getting the distinct impression that I let my imagination run a little wild here, which is what I'd been hoping for. Thank you, everybody!
( purpleclover, why do you distrust the handbags? If the handbags could be fakes there, couldn't anything? )
posted by scarylarry at 8:46 AM on October 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
( purpleclover, why do you distrust the handbags? If the handbags could be fakes there, couldn't anything? )
posted by scarylarry at 8:46 AM on October 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
Best answer: It seems pretty likely that you lucked out on some discounted display models or returns (for example, there might have been some damaged boxes that resulted in splitting up the contents piecemeal for sale.
The other possibility is that these are a from a different line created by All-Clad. I got a 5Q Staub pot from TJMaxx for $40 at one point, and a bit of googling afterward revealed that it was from a line created specifically for QVC. That said, I have happily used it for years and the quality is still impeccable.
posted by susanvance at 8:48 AM on October 10, 2014
The other possibility is that these are a from a different line created by All-Clad. I got a 5Q Staub pot from TJMaxx for $40 at one point, and a bit of googling afterward revealed that it was from a line created specifically for QVC. That said, I have happily used it for years and the quality is still impeccable.
posted by susanvance at 8:48 AM on October 10, 2014
Best answer: You can sometimes pick up super discounted high-end cookware from Amazon; I got a crepe pan that was so nonstick, hot tar would bead up like an angel's tears for like, $15 once. Deals happen! Congratulations on your rad new cookware set!
posted by Juliet Banana at 8:54 AM on October 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Juliet Banana at 8:54 AM on October 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Woman buys fake designer bag at TJ Maxx. Unlike All-Clad pans, though, there's a thriving market in counterfeit handbags that has nothing to do with discount retailers, so I'm not surprised that occasional lots contain fakes. I'm not a handbag expert, so I don't buy them there.
posted by purpleclover at 8:55 AM on October 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by purpleclover at 8:55 AM on October 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: You all are the best. Thank you. Feeling like a million bucks (minus $350 for the cookware).
posted by scarylarry at 9:00 AM on October 10, 2014
posted by scarylarry at 9:00 AM on October 10, 2014
Nthing the possibility of a special licensing agreement with All-Clad.
posted by oceano at 9:01 AM on October 10, 2014
posted by oceano at 9:01 AM on October 10, 2014
Best answer: I think if it was a special licensing agreement, there would be more of the pots and pans and they'd have boxes. This sounds to me like a display set or else some kind of botched return.
I've gotten a couple of very high-end pans at TJ Max for ~half retail, and those also came without any box, etc. Once of them had the price sticker packing-taped to the pot and even now, years later, there are tiny traces of the glue from the tape. Both pans were completely authentic, though.
When I google "counterfeit All-Clad" the issue seems to be mostly that people are buying irregulars and passing them off as flawless on eBay - filing off the "S" mark, etc - not that there's a flood of counterfeit pans coming in to the country, as with something like Burberry products.
How do the pans feel? Are they heavy and well-balanced? Do the different parts join together well and solidly? How do they compare to your other pans? Do the lids feel solid and fit the pans well? My small collection of pans is very high-end, partly via TJ Maxx, partly via sales and partly via thrifting; my housemates don't really care about pans and have just standard Target/Ikea ones, and it's easy to tell the difference. It's also easy to tell the difference between my [perfectly okay but not top-of-the-line] Calphalon saute pan and my actual main line Calphalon chef's pan - both are good, but one is obviously better. I think that if you genuinely have counterfeit All-Clad, it's going to feel not quite as good as you'd expect. (My housemates are allowed to use my pans! We all share! But mine are nicer!)
I think it's very unlikely that you have counterfeit pans - vanishingly unlikely.
posted by Frowner at 9:26 AM on October 10, 2014 [6 favorites]
I've gotten a couple of very high-end pans at TJ Max for ~half retail, and those also came without any box, etc. Once of them had the price sticker packing-taped to the pot and even now, years later, there are tiny traces of the glue from the tape. Both pans were completely authentic, though.
When I google "counterfeit All-Clad" the issue seems to be mostly that people are buying irregulars and passing them off as flawless on eBay - filing off the "S" mark, etc - not that there's a flood of counterfeit pans coming in to the country, as with something like Burberry products.
How do the pans feel? Are they heavy and well-balanced? Do the different parts join together well and solidly? How do they compare to your other pans? Do the lids feel solid and fit the pans well? My small collection of pans is very high-end, partly via TJ Maxx, partly via sales and partly via thrifting; my housemates don't really care about pans and have just standard Target/Ikea ones, and it's easy to tell the difference. It's also easy to tell the difference between my [perfectly okay but not top-of-the-line] Calphalon saute pan and my actual main line Calphalon chef's pan - both are good, but one is obviously better. I think that if you genuinely have counterfeit All-Clad, it's going to feel not quite as good as you'd expect. (My housemates are allowed to use my pans! We all share! But mine are nicer!)
I think it's very unlikely that you have counterfeit pans - vanishingly unlikely.
posted by Frowner at 9:26 AM on October 10, 2014 [6 favorites]
Best answer: You've run into exactly why TJMaxx, Tuesday Morning, and other chains like them exist: high-end merchandise lines are very picky about their distributions. Having one or two of last year's X hanging around a high-end store can discourage sales, or just generally make the brand look undesirable ("If they're so good, why hasn't this sold?"). So, they take the tail end of production, and sell it for pennies on the dollar to these 2nd-run chains.
Ditto for slightly damaged packages. Ditto for last season's colors/patterns/styles. Ditto for "misdyes", where the color might be off by a fairly negligible amount, but otherwise fine. Those items can't go to HOM, Nordstrom, nor Sonoma Williams.
TJMaxx snaps them up, and sells them for dimes on the dollar, which is a great markup for them, cuts costs for the originator trying to unload no-longer-new product, and keeps the high-end stores clean of the taint of not-high-end products.
Everyone wins. And you bought a real All-Clad.
posted by IAmBroom at 9:53 AM on October 10, 2014 [5 favorites]
Ditto for slightly damaged packages. Ditto for last season's colors/patterns/styles. Ditto for "misdyes", where the color might be off by a fairly negligible amount, but otherwise fine. Those items can't go to HOM, Nordstrom, nor Sonoma Williams.
TJMaxx snaps them up, and sells them for dimes on the dollar, which is a great markup for them, cuts costs for the originator trying to unload no-longer-new product, and keeps the high-end stores clean of the taint of not-high-end products.
Everyone wins. And you bought a real All-Clad.
posted by IAmBroom at 9:53 AM on October 10, 2014 [5 favorites]
I don't know, I've bought clothing at TJ-Maxx that, upon a bit of research, I am convinced is counterfeit. (Seams lining up properly, quality, couldn't find the exact same item shown anywhere else, tag not a known version the brand used, ridiculously underpriced.)
If they sell fake clothes they might sell fake anything.
posted by catatethebird at 10:43 AM on October 10, 2014
If they sell fake clothes they might sell fake anything.
posted by catatethebird at 10:43 AM on October 10, 2014
Yes, they might, but so might anyone else. The question is: are they likely to? And do they realize it when they do (do they care)?
posted by IAmBroom at 12:59 PM on October 10, 2014
posted by IAmBroom at 12:59 PM on October 10, 2014
Best answer: You probably saw this, but here's a Chowhound discussion of low-priced All-Clad, mentioning the potential for counterfeit goods, how to (possibly) tell the difference ["sturdy, heavy feel"], but most folks leaned towards "probably not fake, just a factory second or display piece."
posted by filthy light thief at 2:33 PM on October 10, 2014
posted by filthy light thief at 2:33 PM on October 10, 2014
Best answer: Even big retailers like Costco have sold counterfeit goods.
http://www.ipwatchdog.com/2013/04/01/costco-attempts-to-defend-sale-of-counterfeit-tiffany-diamonds/id=38395/
Do such things slip through at a place like TJ Maxx. Probably. Often? Probably not,
given that TJ maxx usually buys overstock and past season stuff from reputable stores. They are really likely probably real.
If they are not- then use this as a test. Look at the quality of the cookware. If it were a generic brand of equal heft, balance, materials, aesthetics etc. would you have been happy to pay the same price? If so, you still got a great deal.
posted by slateyness at 10:40 PM on October 10, 2014
http://www.ipwatchdog.com/2013/04/01/costco-attempts-to-defend-sale-of-counterfeit-tiffany-diamonds/id=38395/
Do such things slip through at a place like TJ Maxx. Probably. Often? Probably not,
given that TJ maxx usually buys overstock and past season stuff from reputable stores. They are really likely probably real.
If they are not- then use this as a test. Look at the quality of the cookware. If it were a generic brand of equal heft, balance, materials, aesthetics etc. would you have been happy to pay the same price? If so, you still got a great deal.
posted by slateyness at 10:40 PM on October 10, 2014
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(The only thing I'm skeptical about buying there is handbags.)
posted by purpleclover at 8:33 AM on October 10, 2014 [2 favorites]