How to Shop for T-Shirts

T-shirts are among the most versatile wardrobe items available for men and women alike. They have been commonly used as under-garments but in today’s fashion world they are the main attraction. Quality and price of any clothing varies widely so you need to make the comparisons when choosing the right shirt for you or your family members. Let’s talk about the characteristics of a high quality T-shirt; what do you look for when comparing them to get the best t-shirts for your money?

Fabric Construction:

We are all looking for a T-shirt that will keep its shape after washing. The structure of the knit is important here. Look for fabric with firm, even, close knitting. The tiny loops in the structure should be plump and round, not stretched and pulled into long thin shapes. If they are stretched and misshapen when the shirt is new, they will return to the normal round shape once the garment is washed and the it becomes shorter and wider than the look you saw in the store. Look for the more round loops and avoid T-shirts with stretched out or weak loops. Remember, the rounder the loops, the better chance that the knit will retain its shape through numerous wash loads.

T-Shirt Cut/Style:

The shirt should be cut with the fabric’s grain. The vertical loops will be at right angles to the lower edge rather than twisted or angled. If the shirt has side seams, they will be in correct position rather than twisted to the front or back. If the tee is cut incorrectly, it will be even more twisted and out of shape after washing. Many less expensive T-shirt bodies are without the side seams. These are cut from knit tubes of fabric. Check for evenness of knit stitches and a smooth rather than twisted shirt body on these. You can lay the shirt flat and confirm that the knitted loops make a straight line down from the sleeve to the bottom hem. Verify that the sleeves are a sufficient size and ease not to bind you nor appear twisted in the armhole.

Fiber Content:

Check the hang tag or other label information. T-shirts are available in 100% cotton, 50% cotton or blends. Cotton can be blended with polyester or other synthetic fibers but the 100% cotton t-shirts will likely be the most durable and long-lasting. The addition of synthetics, especially polyester, can add stability. Polyester fibers contribute wrinkle resistance and allow shirts to dry more quickly than the cotton ones. Care requirements may differ depending on the fiber content such as 60/40, etc. Cotton provides the best absorbency and comfort depending on the weave of the fabric.

Shrink Resistance:

T-shirts should be shrink resistant to one or two percent to maintain proper size. All unfinished or untreated cotton has the potential to shrink as much as five percent which is more than a size change. Be sure to find out if the shirts have been treated not to shrink or twist before buying 100% cotton. Blended T-shirts tend to shrink less but you may be sacrificing comfort for this benefit. Many finishes and processing treatments for knits have enabled us to create products that will not shrink, or shrink only minimally. Read information given on labels or packaging to note shrink resistance and guarantees.

Care Requirements:

Many T-shirts have a sewn-in care/size label. If so, refer to the directions to determine the required washing and drying instructions. Most T-shirts can be machine washed in hot or warm water and tumble dried but some may require more special care. You may be directed to machine wash in cold water and line dry or lay flat to dry. Shirts that have not been previously treated and have rich, deep colors may require washing separately in cool water. Graphic tees with screen prints generally specify special care, such as turning the T-shirt wrong side out before washing. Remember, in order to maintain the shirt's appearance, you will want to follow the required care instructions for the individual t-shirt types.

Shirt Construction:

Closely check shirts for overall smooth, even stitching at all seams with no puckering. Any top-stitching should be straight and without any broken stitches. Hems should look like a double top-stitch but actually a cover stitch applied smoothly and straight. Back, shoulder and neck seams should be reinforced with tape to help retain shape. Seams should be surged in order be durable and lie flat yet have the ability to stretch and move.

Neckband:

The neckband should be a firm enough knit to stretch over the head, then return to shape. A firm knit ribbing is a must; no bacon neck is acceptable.

Style/Effects:

Aside from the fit, color, style features, graphics or other detailing influence your t-shirt choice. You may want a classic crew-neck tee in a particular color, or one with fashion/style details such as v-neck or a mock turtle-neck. Many work shirts will have a pocket for convenience or just a style statement. Look for smooth construction and consistence in the details. Make sure the screen prints are durable, not too thickly applied or peeling.

Size and Fit:

The t-shirt fit-style and generosity of cut will influence the size every time. Fit can vary greatly from brand to brand so take the time to check any size charts before you push the buy button. For example, a size large in one brand of t-shirts may be smaller by four or five inches in the body and yet skimpy in the sleeve/armhole sections. Choose a T-shirt with sufficient width across the shoulders and enough sleeve room. It is best to try on the shirt first but if you are buying online, be sure to check the return and exchange policy of the store.

Customer Service and Support

What is your experience with customer service when purchasing from online stores? I have to say that it is the driving force behind turning me into a return/repeat customer. If I buy something online, I am taking a small risk that I may have to return it for an exchange or a refund. I read the customer service and return policy pages before I buy and check out their privacy policy. I want the store to be willing to stand behind their product as much as their brick and mortar counterparts.

As the holidays sneak up on us in these coming months, online shopping will begin to increase and you may find the convenience of buying online calls to you. I am one that believes it is wise to make the most of the opportunity to save those precious hours for things that are more important than roaming aimlessly around shopping malls. Certainly there is value to touching and feeling certain gifts and visualizing sizes or fabric content but if you know what you are looking for, why not take the opportunity to pick it up online?

If you have shopped online before, you may already have those trusted stores in your quiver of bookmarks or favorites. Some stores offer percent off coupons that will encourage you to look no farther and others will offer free shipping which is a great value depending on what you are purchasing. Be sure to look for stores that offer the ability to exchange and/or refund in the event you get the wrong size or color. If you still feel a little unsure of the store, look for the phone number for the customer service department and give them a call. Ask as many questions as you like and make sure you are comfortable with the store before making your purchase. Another tip is to use a credit card that you trust will protect you in the case of fraud or disputes.

A new Target store opened in San Clemente, CA on Tuesday October 4th The brand new Target store is located on Ave. Vista Hermosa and opened early last week. Local Surf star and Target sponsored Kolohe Andino along with the stores new manager cut the ceremonial ribbon in front of the 142,206 square foot building. This store will do good things for the city's local economy and offer plenty of new jobs for locals. This new store is said to bring in 300,000 dollars of tax revenue for the city of San Clemente, the city will recieve one cent out of every dollar spent at the new Target store.
I decided to go check it out on the first Saturday of its opening and found it completely swarmed with people. Now, San Clemente

has a reputation of being a sleepy little Spanish Village by the Sea and those of us who live and/or work here have an attitude that we know just about everyone. Although there has been a burst of growth since the addition of the Talega community, we still quietly like to believe we are small and know lots of people in our town. Well, that little visit to the new Target store jolted me right into reality; I maneuvered through the crowd and didn't see a single person that I knew!
The store is enormous and includes a grocery section complete with fresh and frozen sections. The inventories were at peak, the store was tidy and clean, despite the crowds and the employees were friendly. One checker said that they had record sales that rivaled "black Friday" sales at all other Targets last year.
One interesting note: When our little town brought in Wal-Mart and Lowes several years ago, there was an uproar. All our small businesses were screaming about losing our business to these mega giants. With the addition of this Target store, there was no roar at all. Not sure if it is the state of our economy or if we, small businesses, have figured out a way to survive along side them.
Please weigh in . . . Let us know your opinion of this major phenomenon . . . pro/con.

Three things that hinder the shopping process

Do you always find what you want to buy online? When I know exactly what brand and style, size and color of a product I am looking for, it is a "no-brainer"; I head on over to the computer to do some online shopping. I have already completed all my research and am ready to buy.
Recently I found myself in that exact frame of mind. I typed in the brand name and product name right into the popular Google search engine and came up with very little results. To my surprise, I actually found the first page of results had no sites that carried my queried product. There were some related products from the same brand but the actual product was not there until about page 7 of the results. How frustrating!
I ended up going to another search engine and finally found what I was looking for. I believe there are several things to blame for this difficulty in recent months.

1) Google has been changing the rules for how they list the results of our query. I am sure it will all work out in the end but for now, it is still a little fuzzy. I was looking through the query results for "Heavy T-shirts" recently and one of the top 5 ranking sites turned out to be Nutella spread. This is a food item - not a company that could really sell you some heavy tees. In some fairness, it was a link to a .pdf document that allowed you to order their t-shirt. When I make comparisons, however, of the top sites that maybe should be there, I can't make heads nor tails as to why a site may appear there or why another should not.
This is very frustrating to the shopper, especially one that is just in the research phase of the shopping process.
2) Legitimately, the products come and go quickly. Due to the recent change in our country's economic climate, small businesses carry a much smaller, safer level of inventory. I work with many small businesses who just buy smaller and smarter. The only problem with this new way of running small businesses is that the consumer has less to choose from and the good stuff sells out quickly. Some manufacturers are actually cutting back on the amount they can make and sell right now as well.
3) There are just lots of sites out there that market their pages too widely. If you are looking for something specific, you should be able to search on that specific term and turn up something relevant. I realize that is Google's goal when making these radical changes to their algorithm but until the companies make major changes to how they market their online stores, we will have trouble finding our desired products.

I would make some of the following recommendations if you like to shop online:

• use Delicious with the Firefox add on for bookmarking things you find while surfing the web.
• if you find interesting products featured on blogs, subscribe to the RSS feed to stay up to date
• join the membership or create an account on the sites where you enjoy shopping.
• subscribe to online stores email notifications, they usually send out notifications when they get new inventory and sometimes include savings coupons.

Let me know if you have some good ideas for finding the products, gifts or elusive items that tend to slip through our fingers just when we need them. Happy hunting!

Six Things To Look for when Shopping Online

What are some of the first things you look for when you decide to surf the Internet in search of your next purchase? I believe the rise in popularity for shopping online is multi-faceted. You can avoid jumping in the car, driving from place to place to find the latest trends and it is much easier to compare prices on websites rather than scanning the newspaper for ads from each store.

Many stores offer free shipping at some level and you come to learn, pretty quickly,

which stores have the best customer service. Here are a few questions I find myself asking:

1) What is your return policy?

2) Do you offer a guarantee or warranty on the products?

3) Do you offer any coupons or discounts?

4) How does your price compare to others?

5) What shipping options do you offer?

6) Is your site secure? How can I be sure?

After I have shopped at a particular online store, I can tell right away whether I will shop there again. If I receive an order confirmation and a shipping notice soon after the purchase, I feel a little more comfortable. The best stores usually ship the same day and my package arrives within the specified time frame. Inside my package, I will see a purchase order or maybe an invoice showing exactly what I ordered and how much I paid. All necessary contact information for the online store will be available including a phone number if I need it.

People have become well equipped these days to find the products and services that they want or need when they shop online. You can find premium products and brand names along with discount coupons or exclusive deals right at the touch of the keyboard.

Summer Shirts

Now that the nicer weather is with us, its time to clear out your winter wardrobe and fill it with some new summer shirts. You can wear t-shirts and aloha shirts to any informal occasion, for just hanging around at the beach or casual social events. 
If you go for a new stash of t-shirts, be sure to select a good quality tee. The neck should hold up to unlimited washings and the body should not look like a tornado hit it after the first time through the laundry.The side seams should be in the same position as they were when you bought the shirt and  the printed design should not twist around, crack or fade. Many of the cheaper t-shirts will shrink up in length making it look short and wide; the neck band will look stretched and wavy (bacon neck). If you are looking to take the new summer t-shirt collection from beach to evening occasions, you will want them to hold up under the pressure. 
Adding a few button-down casual shirts is a good idea. They can be paired with a nice pair of cargo shorts or with a casual pair of no-iron slacks. Having a nicer silk Aloha shirt will give you unlimited flexibility and then having some classic vintage style Hawaiian shirts will fill in the gaps. Wear these over a nice cotton t-shirt (jacket style) in climates that are humid and hot so the cotton tee can take care of any unsightly sweat.  In the breezy beach climates, wear light and airy Aloha shirts over those casual slacks with your leather sandals. You will be a hit in any situation. 

Do you buy "Made in the USA" ?

Would you be willing to take a challenge to buy only things made in America for a specific period of time? When you walk into a gift store, do you seek out those items that were made in the USA? I find it more and more difficult. The statistic that is being thrown around is that $3.30 per year will create 10,000 jobs.
You may have seen one of those home makeover shows that removed all the items from the home that were not made in America and the homeowners were left with only a few small items. The makeover vowed to refurbish the home with only American made products but ran into trouble when trying to replace all the kitchen appliances. One item was virtually impossible to find so they decided to allow an item that was assembled in America.
We make our men's t-shirts here locally but are finding that the price of cotton is through the roof. The cost of labor has gone up and the sources that we have to choose from (sewing factories, printing and dye houses, etc) are fewer due to businesses simply closing down and shipping is more and more expensive. I realize that there are several factors that go into these different issues but I believe it is up to the american public to turn the tide. If each of us begins to take an extra look before making a purchase, we can begin to make a difference.
I would ask that you look around your home to see how many American made items you can define. Sometimes it is difficult to know but I believe you may be surprised by your investigation. Then as you shop throughout the summer, be aware of the origin of your purchases. We have made a difference in our environment by simply being more aware, let's do the same for our economy.