Shopping by Mail Can Mean Now or Never

On your first pass through a fave mail-order catalog, you see the chartreuse jacket and dogear the page. A week later, after a second pass, you tear it out and stick it to the fridge. A few more days go by, then, during a premeditated International Coffee moment, you finally dial the toll-free number. But instead of the spiel about tax and shipping, you get “Sorry, the item is sold out.”

Or, almost worse, it’s on back order, that purgatory where a chunk of your clothing budget has been spent, if only in your head, but you have nothing but a confirmation slip to show for it. Indeed, compared to the instant gratification of shopping off the rack, the mail-order route can be frustrating.

If you snooze you often lose, so Chet Dalzell of the Direct Mail Assn. encourages shoppers to strike early (and often, of course), particularly if the desired item appears on the high-visibility catalog cover. “These companies try to forecast what is going to be popular and order accordingly, but they don’t want to overstock the warehouse either.”

This fall, procrastinators probably missed out on the $296 Jones New York jacket in loud yellow wool on the cover of Spiegel’s fall issue. The catalog tried to get more jackets from the manufacturer, and even from other retail sources, but it couldn’t keep pace with demand. “We think it did well because it’s a relaxed look, a real winner,” says Mary Jeanne Ward of Spiegel.

Other bestsellers there included twin sets and sweaters paired with dyed-to-match jackets. “The same-tone look is really hot right now,” Ward says.

The mail-order standout for Saks Fifth Avenue this season is a $219 plum-colored dress with velvet bodice and long georgette skirt by designer Bonnie Strauss. For Nordstrom, it was the $98 V-neck jumper in black wool. And at Tweeds, the wool flannel suit in espresso on the cover sold well, as did the long cardigans ($89) and tube skirts ($69) in such sober colors as deep taupe and charcoal.

By law, mail-order companies have 30 days to fill an order or alert you on its status, says Tina Caprio, also of the Direct Mail Assn., and no charges should appear before the merchandise arrives. So if something better comes along, you can still cancel. But the next time something hot hits the mailbox, remember the chipper advice of Caprio: “Early ordering can save time as well as headaches.”