Here's the thing... I work in the decor industry as an architect's assistant and after seeing the price of truly high end custom pieces of furniture, lighting, wallcoverings, and so much more it makes me realize how grossly overpriced Anthro is. I love their stuff but the truth is their items, especially furniture and lighting, does not lend itself to industry price standards, craftsmanship standards, or common sense. They really need to price their items more realistically for its quality.

I miss Anthropologie, and really wish they'd open even a normal store in Oz.

You dont have to spend money on their stuff if you dont want to. They offer a more interesting selection, at not unreasonable prices (in comparison) with what is around here. Way more interesting. It sucks that our market is too small for most of things. Thank goodess they at least ship some stuff.

I just use them for inspiration. I can DIY a lot of their looks with better workmanship and a lower cost.

Where can I get those awesome stools?!

Oh...the little drawers! I looove little drawers. Want!

@michow
... given the purpose of this post, where do you think?

The shabby chic thing is not for me, but they do have one couch I covet. Because I sat on it. I'm not sure if the one that most resembles it on the website is the actual item in question, though.

I enjoy looking through their non-clothing offerings, but would never buy any of it... and I already have my heart set on Trove wallpaper for that long-distant event where I can wallpaper anything.

Anthropologie is flea market stuff for people who wouldn't be caught dead in an actual flea market. Overpriced and questionable quality.

Yep, I echo RMF325. Anthropologie is a boutique of thrift store/flea market finds to browse through when you don't actually feel like getting your hands dirty at the Goodwill or Salvation Army. The real vintage/old/antique items they have can be pretty cool and much better quality than their mass produced faux vintage "finds." Fake vintage is not my thing.

I agree with RMF325 and the rest who really question the quality for the price. I have no problem paying good money for good things, it's not sticker shock. It's just that in many cases, you can get *much* better things for the same money elsewhere, real things instead of versions of real things. It feels like paying a premium for trendiness (which is different from paying a premium for rarity, quality materials, or top notch design).

Pretty to photograph, but an anthro couch will last barely as long as the trend it's a part of. Maybe that's the idea. ?

anthro does carry some pretty unique antique furniture. But it is overpriced, at least for me. Perhaps fine for those who don't want to spend their time digging through heaps of junk looking for gems and who can afford it. After all, their target market is affluent 30-40 year old women with a high discretionary income.

As to the first comment about so-called "standards," while I can agree about correlations between quality/craftsmanship and pricing, there are a multitude of other factors that need to be acknowledged, like style, uniqueness, branding, shopping experience, etc. The reason why Anthro charges what they do is because there are enough customers willing to pay those prices for their goods. If their pricing model didn't work for them, they obviously wouldn't bother opening these Decorator Concept Shops.

Why didn't they open one in their downtown San Francisco store, not freakin' Corte Madera?! Not every one of us has a car to cross the bridge to go over there or is willing to take the inefficient Golden Gate bus.

Dear Bloggers,
I Love this Blog, it has given me inspiration for home decor ideas! So pretty yet chic design! Anthropologie is one of my favourite stores!!

Can I introduce myself?

My name is Lisa Collins and I am a masters student of Marketing in
Dublin Institute of Technology in Ireland. I am currently in my
second semester and I am about to embark on my thesis for my finals.

I am most interested in retail marketing, and wish to focus on this
area for my final year project. My thesis structure will incorporate
experiential marketing and relate marketing leading on to the
emergence of concept stores. My understanding of a concept store is
the name for a special kind of retail category used to describe a
store which combines brands and products in a particularly
experiential customer-related way. I consider concept stores as
examples of theatrical consumer environments, where the ideas of art,
fashion and design fuse to create a lifestyle emporium. To date to
feel that Anthropologie best fits the store category and I have read your comments about ANTHROPOLOGIE and understnad that some of you are
interested in the inspired store experience.
I am living in Dublin, and our retail sector is not yet up to date
with experiential marketing and such stores as Anthropologie in the
states.
I have a strong interest in this area, and unfortunately their is not
near enough literature written on this area and this I wish to expand.
My work is strictly for college purpose only.

I am seeking an online interview (via email) regards your love and
passion of this retail store. It would mean a lot to me if you were
available to answer a
few questions at your leisure. Part of my methodology for my thesis is
that of netnography. This is my final year at university and I am
working hard towards my end project. If you did not mind I would love
to get in contact with those who are willing and gain some greater insight on this area.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read my comment, and hope some of you bloggers may be interested in helping me out??
Much Love L

If Anthropologie would price their items reasonably, I would be far more inclined to purchase them, but, as it stands right now, I'd rather hunt for the vintage and antique items their designs are based off of than waste my money.

@michow You can find these EXACT stools at Pearl River for much, much less. I went to their store in SoHo last weekend and paid $225 for the 26” stool, which Anthropologie sells for $348. If you’re far from NYC, you can also get them online for $205, but you’ll have to factor in S&H.
http://pearlriver.com/v2/FramesSearch.asp?search=stool It's item#: CSPERTN-26

Since I made my purchase in store, I was able to try out several stools. The reclaimed teak seats are handmade, so their size may vary a bit, but they are excellent quality, study and gorgeous.
P.S. I submitted a review to Anthropologie.com, which they declined to publish even though I didn’t mention the name of their competitor. Hmmm…

i agree!