LS&Co. Unzipped

David Landis (not verified) - Aug 09 2013

I find it interesting that even though posters have indicated that the 501 and 550 are not suitable fits, the "editor" continues to suggest these alternatives. We're saying they do NOT fit! Also, people would not be suggesting alternative companies if Levi Strauss hadn't created this problem in the first place. To take down a post because it mentions a competitor is very defensive. These competitors are mentioned because LS has failed in their job of keeping their long term customers satisfied. Just bring back the 505, exactly as it was and all these bad people will stop bothering you.

Editor's note: Hi David, and thanks for your comment. I'm sorry that any suggested jeans aren't suitable for you. I sometimes suggest these styles again to new commenters in the event the folks haven't seen the earlier notes I've shared. They might work for someone, if not for everyone. As for our competitors, we'll let them speak for themselves on their websites and elsewhere. Thanks again.

Al (not verified) - Jun 24 2013
A loyal wearer of 505 since 1969 I wonder how many others there are like me that cannot wear these new ones because they are not comfortable and look bad on us. How can "Levis" expect a working man to even consider wearing pants that don't stay up? Does management know or see the backlash accross the internet since they discontinued the original 505's, or can someone pass this on? I wore nothing but 505's, I wore them to work, and play, If "Levis" wants to be taken as a serious brand anymore or be a contender for business of the Fathers, Mothers, and Old Timers then it needs to bring the classic 505 back. I do not want these "at the waist or below the waist" pants. "Levis" could look no further than other successful "American Brands". "Converse" sitll sells the 'White Chuck Taylors" along with other styles that appeal to younger people. "Coke" tried changing, it didn't go over well....they didn't bury their head in the sand they brought back what people liked about their "Brand". "Levis Brand" gave the working man a sense of pride after all look at the great history of it, "Originally created for working men". So what happened? I used to equate "Levis" as one of the great American Brands, an innovative company, Jeans for everybody......Levis if you happen to read this realize that what I am stating here has been echoed over and over, you have made a big mistake, Bring back the classics!

Gary (not verified) - Jun 12 2013
Bring back the 505 REGULAR FIT jeans. I have worn the same size for the last 30 years now since the switch to "505 straight fit" they no longer fit. At this point I will have no other choice but to begin search for another brand of jeans that fit. Please, come to your senses and bring them back!!!

Paul (not verified) - Jun 04 2013
As soon as Levi Strauss makes the 505's the way they used to be, I will return as a customer. What were you guys thinking?

Erin (not verified) - May 26 2013
I keep seeing all the comments about MEN being disappointed about the 505Regular Fit fiasco. I have to tell you that ....many, Many, MANY WOMEN purchase 505 Regular Fit jeans. Myself included. I am 38 yrs old and in great shape, but I don't have curvy hips. Levi's not only lost lots of male customers with this dumb switch, but they lost more women than they realize. We are not all built the same.

Keith (not verified) - Mar 23 2013
I completely agree with the previous comments. I have been very happy with original Levi 505 Regular fit for many years. This is the only jean I own. After the first pair, never had to try any new ones on before purchase. Last year my wife brought home "Straight Fit" because she was told the "Regular Fit" were discontinued. I strongly dislike them. I only wear them when all the original regular fit pairs I own are dirty. Cannot get used to them. The ride way too low on my butt. I decided to search the web for regular fit. At first I was happy to see Sears and others list them. Then I "luckily" discovered Levi had the nerve to rename the old straight fit jeans as regular. The description might have the word "straight" in it but this is highly deceptive. Why would Levi deceive its loyal customers? Go to the Levi website and bring up 505 regular fit. You will not find any warning these are not the same regular fit jeans you bought 2 years ago. This is like the "new coke" fiasco except that Levi didn't bother to tell us they have changed products. At least Coke made it clear up front. No doubt the marketing department had its reasons for this that somehow has to increase sales. But you can count me in the group of lost sales. VERY disappointed in Levi and its disregard for loyal customers. I would return in a heartbeat if you would supply me with my original regular fit 505 jeans.

Roy (not verified) - Mar 22 2013

I agree with all of the comments made here. Sometimes, Levi Straus, you need to try to keep your existing customer base and not focus so much on your future one. The people you are targeting these jeans for, don't really wear jeans and certainly don't care about who makes them. They are not going to give you brand loyalty like the millions of baby boomers still wearing the same size, style and jean they have worn since high school. I'm sure your "marketing experts" have a handle on this one, but they are probably too young to remember "new coke". Good luck in bankruptcy court.

Editor's note: Thanks for your comment, Roy. You raise good points. It's a balancing act. To continue to survive, we want to hold on to loyal consumers who've gotten us to where we are today and, also, attract new ones. Catering to only one or the other isn't enough. That said, not everyone is going to like it when we make a change to a particular fit to try to keep up with the times. The fit of our 501® jean is different now than 10 years ago. And that fit was different from 10 years earlier. Our job is to listen -- through consumer feedback like this -- and make adjustments where it makes sense. We don't claim to be perfect, but we also know we can't stand still and risk being left behind. I am sharing the feedback received here -- on the 505™, the carpenter and other products -- with the folks in the Levi's® brand, so they know what consumers are saying.

Steve (not verified) - Mar 21 2013
I've worn countless pairs of 505 Regular until they totally fell apart. Suddenly I had a pair that just didn't feel right and I avoided them in favor of an older pair. When I noticed the tag in the inside back said "straight" instead of "regular" I figured I had picked from the wrong pile at the store. Until I came here. How could you make such a colossal blunder as to change the cut on the 505? I can't wear the straights as they don't stay up, don't feel right and are worse than any competing brand. Goodbye Levi's. time to find something new.

Shai (not verified) - Mar 14 2013
I have been wearing 505's only since the 70s, and was always able to call home and have my mom send me new pairs as needed when I was overseas. They always fit, and always worked. The new cut just doesn't work for me at all and it was extremely frustrating last year to have to argue with a salesperson who insisted that nothing had changed since they were still the "regular cut". Once I found out that the same 505 style number and cut description was actually not reflective of the same product, I was fairly annoyed. At this point, you have managed to dissipate decades of brand loyalty and redirect it towards your competitors. I am no longer buying any Levi products for either myself or my sons, now preferring another brand that runs about $5-10 higher per pair but provides a similar comfort and fit to the very product you no longer seem interested in providing to your customers. I have yet to understand why the "original" regular cut was no longer marketable based upon the large numbers of folks I know that have noticed the change and had a similar reaction.

Michael Layne (not verified) - Mar 13 2013
Levi has probably made a big mistake by drastically changing the 505s. I doubt sale figures for the 505s dictated such a change as I always had problems finding a pair in my average size. Besides the change, the manner in which it was conducted was deceitful. People such as myself who have been loyal Levi customers for decades feel betrayed on multiple levels. The recommendations to try the 501s and 550s as replacements is a slap to our faces. They are in no way similar to the 505s. Probably the reason why I never wore the 501s or 550s during the last two and half decades. I wish Levi well, and I hope your move to garner the youthful generation goes as you planned. Levi just went about it in a very wrong way. I must now begin my search for another jean company who just may still appreciate customer loyalty. I still have quite a few decades left in me.

Steve (NYC) (not verified) - Mar 10 2013

I've noticed that my comment (posted and reposted) has appeared then disappeared. Are you removing posts to avoid the embarrassment from the flood of negative remarks posted as a result of your ridiculous misstep?

Editor's note: Hi Steve. If your comment was posted, it should've stayed. I could've made a mistake, however, and removed it. We can handle negative feedback -- it'll help us better understand what consumers want. But if the messages is overly duplicative to what we've already posted, mean-spirited or seems like too much of a plug for a competitor, I'm inclined not to post. Thanks for checking in, though.

Virgil (not verified) - Feb 24 2013
I have to agree with the folks above. Brand loyalty is achieved via consistently producing a high quality product and offering excellent service--you establish cutomer expectations and then meet or exceed them. I went to get a pair of my favorite 505s (I'v ebeen wearing 505s for 40 years--didn't think I would ever even contemplate another brand) and was, well, confused is the right word when I tried the current 505 style on. Tight in the butt, low and loose in the waist. I did a double take--thought I had picked up the wrong number or something. It's still slowly sinking in that after 40 years I'll be buying another brand (Levi's was a part of me and I was proud to wear them and this has left me truly disappointed--Levi's 505s were right up there with something as immutable and iconic as apple pie). And it's not like you guys only have one style so it's not clear to me why you messed with a winner when you could have just added another line (506s or something). Whereas you had a loyal customer for life, you've lost a loyal customer FOR LIFE. Maybe your bean counters can do the math on that. You think these adolescent folks you're trying to reach out to will have the brand loyalty of us boomers--think again. I've got a 13 and 15 year old and one day it's Tommy Hilfiger and the next it's Aeroapostle. Big mistake folks! BTW I'm a VP of Product Management so I know a little bit about building and maintaining customer loyalty--number one rule "If it ain't broke don't fix it". Guess I'm off to shop for a new brand...

scott mitchell (not verified) - Jan 22 2013

I knew something was wrong! Thought I gained weight and got taller at the same time. Been wearing 505s since I was 16.Settled in to a 34x36 by the time I was 25. At 6'2" 220 these jeans have always fit. 30 yrs later Im still the same size,but the jeans are not. Use to wear these jeans while climbing electric poles! If you sneeze, they rip! Even with the 559,or the 550,the length from the crotch to the waistband is too short,though with more room in leg area. I still have 10-15 pr of 505'REGULAR FIT which I'm going to try and get repaired. These 505 STRAIGHT jeans are going to the local church,brand new! Levi, you guys really screwed up!!! Cheers to my fellow 505 wearers!

Editor's note: Hi Scott, and thanks for your comment. Yes, there were some changes made to the 505™ fit. I'm sorry the new style isn't working for you. I will pass along your comments to the folks in the Levi's® brand, so they're aware of how you and others feel.

Chance (not verified) - Jan 19 2013

I just dug out of the closet a pair of the new 505s, and I had forgotten why they were sitting in the back of my closet. It's unbelievable how poorly they fit. I can't even bend over without my boxers showing, and it's not like I'm out of shape either. They're very uncomfortable too. My old 505's are starting to get to the point I'm going to have to trash them, so sad. I guess they don't care about the business of someone in their early 40's who wore Levi's their whole life. Please don't ask me to try other Levi's jeans, as I have, and they do not compare to the regular 505s. Please let me know if there is any intention on bringing back the real 505s, if not, I'm going to have to find another brand. I've tried all your other styles, and they do not fit me comfortably. Sadly, I guess I've finally made outside of Levi's target demographics.

Editor's note: Hi Chance, and thank you for taking the time to share your comment. I will pass it along to the Levi's® brand team, so they understand your appreciation for the standard fit 505™.

Neal Feldman (not verified) - Jan 16 2013
I thought I was losing it, thinking the lower part of my body drastically changed, until I saw the 505's with two different tags in Kohl's, one for straight fir and only a couple for regular fit. Then I called Levi's and found out that the regular fit is older and has been discontinued. Well as with all the other comments which I saw, I agree wholeheartedly that this was one big mistake on the part of Levi's!! It wasn't bad enough that they're not even produced here anymore, but some idiots decided to change the fitting around! They shouldn't of changed a thing around. If they wanted to make them sit below the waist, they should of created a new number instead. I hate it when I bend over and my butt crack shows. I doubt if the majority of Levis customers really want this! If I can't find the old style regular fit, then I just won't buy them!

John (not verified) - Jan 14 2013
Another lifelong Levi's wearer who just learned that the 505 Regular Fit is no longer available. This is (was) the classic Levi jeans. I can't tell you how many pairs I've bought over the years. I'm appalled and saddened that Levi Strauss has chosen to abandon a very loyal (and still kicking!) segment of its historic customer base. The other so-called optional models simply don't fit anywhere near the same, so, like the many others who have expressed their frustration on this board, I'll be switching to another brand.

Ed (not verified) - Jan 13 2013
Who made the decision to drop the old 505 regular fit? Please post their names, email addresses, phone numbers and office hours. If we want the old 505s brought back we must bombard these decision makers with emails, calls and visits!

Shorty (not verified) - Jan 11 2013
One more disappointed middle-aged man. It is good to see how many others are just as predictable as I am, knowing since I was about 20 that a 31x32 505 fits well and looks perfectly OK. Pants problem solved for life, or so I thought. Keep the new ones for when I need to be presentable, older ones for the rest of life. You (Levi Strauss) seem to have had a total lock on us: boringly reliable income. Too bad for both sides, this change. And suggesting that we want to switch to a 550 _Relaxed Fit_ jean?!? A _mom_ jean?!? Nope, I'll be a fit 31W until I get cancer. OK, sure: we have probably faded away too much for the bean counters, with some getting wider, some dying, some moving on to slacks, ugh. Cheers to all the holdouts!

Craig Gough (not verified) - Jan 05 2013
I have to agree with all of the other mens comments, Levi no longer makes a Jean I can wear. It is either the 505 Reg Fit Jean or nothing at all. My brothers switched to Lee, I'm going to continue wearing my old Levi's until I wear them out before I switch. Please don't suggest that I try your other numbered Jeans, I already have and they are not the same.

Jeff (not verified) - Jan 05 2013
It's a shame the 505 Regular fit is no longer avialable. The 505 Straight "regluar" fit is terrible. I haven't worn anything but the 505 Regular fit for years and now that I have no other choices, it looks like I'll be searching for another brand. That's really disappointing.