Winter is coming and if you’ve been looking for a warm winter coat you have probably heard of Canada Goose, a popular manufacturer of warm winter parkas. If you’ve been looking at Canada Goose parkas then inevitably you’ve asked are they worth the money and can you purchase them at a discount?
I have asked myself the same two questions when I considered buying a Canada Goose parka last winter and this year. I want to share my thoughts and tips; I hope they will be helpful for you, especially the part about how to save some money! As background information, I did not buy a CG parka last year but did recently ordered the Canada Goose Trillium parka. (Note: CG parkas were $700 last winter but have increased to $900 this year ?)
Canada Goose – Worth the Money?
Whether something is worth the money is always a tricky question to answer. Everyone has different levels of income and expenses; furthermore, everyone prioritizes different things in life. To help answer this questions, I think it may be easier to break it down to these five sub-questions:
- Disposable Income – I think the most important question is whether you have disposable income. Canada Goose jackets are currently retailing for ~$900 which is a hefty price for a coat. If you do have $900 to spend on a coat then this box is checked and you can proceed to the next few questions. If you are considering significantly cutting back on food or other necessary expenses or are thinking about putting this purchase on a credit card then I would say the coat is probably not worth it.
- Alternatives – Assuming the first box is checked and you have disposable income, I would consider how else can you spend the $900 (i.e, shoes, bags, travel, etc.) and whether that will bring you more or less happiness. Personally, my winter splurge debate came down to purchasing the Louboutin Pigalle pumps or the Canada Goose parka. Eventually I concluded I may be happier short term with my first gorgeous red soles, I would probably be happier long term with a super warm coat. Alternatively, if you plan on giving up Starbucks coffee or eat out less to help fund this purchase, think about which scenario will make you happier (preferably long term).
- Do You Need It? This question has multiple considerations. How cold does it get where you live? Do you walk to work or commute via public transportation where you have to wait in the cold or do you hop directly into your car? How warm are your other coats? Do you spend a lot of time outdoors in the winter? All of these questions should help you better answer whether you actually need a super warm coat.
- Cost per Wear – Say you purchase the coat at full retail price of $900. Then lets assume you plan to wear this coat everyday from December to April and this coat lasts you seven years. Your cost pear wear would be less than a dollar per day ($0.8571 to be exact). If you already have warm coats then you probably don’t need another one but if you don’t have warm coats then consider whether you are willing to pay the incremental cost per wear to have a Canada Goose jacket. For example, say you are looking at a North Face or a Patagonia jacket that is around $450 then are you willing to pay $0.8571 to have a CG coat or pay $0.4286 for North Face / Patagonia coat?
- Cost-Benefit Analysis – $900 is a lot for a coat so it’s important to make sure you will reap enough benefits to justify the premium. Being warmer is an obvious benefit but there may be other intangible benefits that could be equally important. Personally, there are two key benefits that convinced me to pull the trigger. One, I will no longer shiver as I walk to work in the winter. Two, I would be more susceptible to spending more time outdoors walking around instead of avoiding the cold by staying indoors or hoping from store to store.
Canada Goose – Where to Find Discounts?
Canada Goose jackets are excluded from most Friends and Family sales including Shopbop and Saks Fifth Avenue. From my own shopping experience / research, here are four places you can get them on discount:
- Bloomingdales (Loyalist Program)
Bloomingdales has a Loyalist program that occasionally gives 5,000 points or $25 for every $100 you spend. Basically you get a gift card for future purchases at Bloomingdales and the gift card is redeemable in $25 increments. Bloomingdales is currently having this promotional event and it is available until Oct 23rd. For a $900 coat, you will get 45,000 points redeemable for a $225 gift card so the net cost would be $675 excluding taxes. (Note: 75% of points will expire on Dec 31 so make sure you plan your purchases appropriately!)
Make sure to use Ebates to get additional cash back (8% cash back currently for Bloomingdales). Also if you have the Chase Freedom card, you can get additional 5% cash back in Q4 for department stores. I purchased my coat through Bloomingdales using Ebates and Chase so excluding taxes the cost for the Canada Goose parka was $558! - Niemen Marcus (Gift Card Event)
Nieman Marcus often has gift card events. For example the current gift card event is spend $700 get $200 or spend $1,000 get $300. Canada Goose jackets are eligible for the gift cards. For a $900 coat, you can get back $200 so the net cost would be $700. Again make sure to use Ebates (4% cash back currently for Nieman) and Chase Freedom (5% cash back in Q4). Excluding taxes, the cost for the Canada Goose parka will be $619. - Amazon
If for any reason you can’t buy through Bloomingdales or Nieman Marcus, you can also look on Amazon. Depending on the size and color, Canada Goose Trillium coats can start at $675 and the Canada Goose Kensington can start at $719. Then you can get 3% cash back using Ebates and also make sure to use the best credit card to get additional points / cash back. - Gilt
I have seen Canada Goose Parka’s available on Gilt for ~$700. Then using Ebates can give you an additional 10% cash back currently.
Overall Bloomingdales has the best deal and it also has the best selection (Although some coats are backordered currently).
I hope you found this post helpful and as always thank you for visiting! Please share in the comments below if you know any other ways to get discounts on these coats!