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Marshall's Cube Disappoints

Marshall's The Cube

For months I waited for the Marshall's near my house to open up one of their hyped-up Cubes, an in-store boutique that's supposed to feature the latest styles for teens and misses. But then I actually went to one in Boston, and two in Chicago, and well, they're not that great. If you don't have one near you, you're not missing out.

The selection definitely varies by location, but even so, I didn't see anything of interest. Maybe I'm not their target audience, as the merchandise was clearly aimed at the juniors crowd. And I have nothing against shopping juniors, in fact, I do it all the time at stores like Nordstrom, but this was mostly Roxy and Baby Phat.

I had envisioned the Cube as a spot where all the contemporary labels would live, ya know, the good stuff like designer denim, Splendid, James Perse, C&C California, Theory, etc. (yes, these are all brands I've spotted at Marshall's before, but they were nowhere to be found in the Cube.)

Oh, and I've heard from readers the complaint about the different music that plays in the Cube, and yeah, it's that bad. It clashed with the music playing in the rest of the store and gave me a headache. On the plus side, the rest of Marshall's was still fab. So just skip the Cube unless you're under 16 and you'll do just fine.

If you've had a better experience shopping the Cube near you, let us know. I think it's a good concept that's been poorly executed. But if I was a teen, I might feel differently, who knows!

Marshall's The Cube

Marshall's The Cube

Marshall's The Cube

Marshall's The Cube

Marshall's The Cube
Comments
Yeah, a little too teeny-bopper skewed for me too; the particular shade of pink they used as a color scheme is also garishly immature. But! Last time I was there (at one in LA), I saw an Urban Outfitters trench coat at a terrific price - too bad it didn't fit!
#1 melodi on 2009-01-18 10:56 (Reply)
yeah the cube (*sucks*). I thought it was gonna be great with all different types of designers (and more of the high end ones) I'm 19 and this definitely didn't appeal to me. I went to two in the Chicagoland area and they both were extremely messy and definitely not worth the time i spent looking for stuff. Definitely a skip. LOVE YOUR SITE :-) !
#2 Caity on 2009-01-18 11:19 (Reply)
I agree. I now skip the cube ever since it was pretty obvious that all they stock it with is Baby Phat and other low-end "stylish" junk. I much prefer going through the regular racks and finding a great deal that way.
I also have to agree that the cubes I've been to are really messy and not worth suffering the music and ghetto labels to dig around in.

I love Marshalls, and i wish they had made the cube appeal to the fashionista, not the ghetto boo, club head or twelve year old.
#3 Peaches on 2009-01-18 13:02 (Reply)
Ghetto labels? that was uncalled for >.
#3.1 Danyelle on 2009-07-07 04:46 (Reply)
Denim overalls?! Wow. I don't feel like I'm missing out by not going to Marshall's now.
#4 Mishka (Homepage) on 2009-01-18 15:58 (Reply)
The cube I went to in ChaddsFord, PA was pretty bad. Disorganized and mainly for the teenieboppers. Im 26 and nothing there appealed to me.
#5 Chrissy on 2009-01-18 17:31 (Reply)
wow @ #3.....your response sounds slightly ignorant. I'm sure there was another word you could have used to describe the brands, than "ghetto". Do you even know what ghetto is?

Anyways, i was bummed the local Marshall's doesn't have the cube, but i guess you're right, im not missing much. lol.
#6 jazzy on 2009-01-18 17:34 (Reply)
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?page=1&term=ghetto

its called slang, I think 13 plus pages of definitions will clarify that for you.

And yes, I know what a real ghetto is, and yes I know how depressing it is. I also know that I live in a culture that re- appropriates words and terms to give them new context.

I like definition 85- ghetto meaning cheap and tacky.... oh wait... but I can't use the word TACKY either because its origin from the 1850's is the word TACKEY which was an insulting term used to describe a poor farmer...
#6.1 Peaches on 2009-01-19 11:40 (Reply)
I hadn't heard of Marshall's doing this, but I can't say I'm surprised about your review. Although I can find lots of cute things in their housewares department, I rarely find clothes there.
#7 Down Comforter (Homepage) on 2009-01-18 18:33 (Reply)
They have the Cube at Boston locations? I've been to every single one in the past six months, and I didn't notice it. I need to keep an eye out next time.
#8 Joann on 2009-01-18 22:50 (Reply)
I agree w/ you on the Cube. I went to a Marshall's that had one earlier. What's so special? Actually, the one you have pictures of look pretty decent. The one i went to had no displays & no kind of wow factor. Very disapointing. I still like Marshall's though, you can always find sumthing.
#9 chelle on 2009-01-19 02:08 (Reply)
hey i'm a teen. I have NEVER found anything in the Cube. I think it's all cheap and tacky looking. I've found great stuff at Marshalls,
but not in the Cube.
#10 cmc on 2009-01-19 12:12 (Reply)
I took my 16 year old niece there and she liked it. But is really into basic casual and comfortable clothing. she is not the girly girl, label, fashionista type.
#11 budget chic on 2009-01-26 10:36 (Reply)
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