Lululemon pants are getting more expensive, and customers are furious

Lululemon has raised the prices of some pants, and customers are furious. 

A representative for Lululemon told Business Insider on Wednesday that some prices increased, some decreased, and more than half stayed the same. 

Customers, though, had started to spot the price hikes Tuesday, when the company announced that it would start selling pants by fit (or "sensation") to make the shopping process easier. 

Shoppers are complaining the change could be smoke-and-mirrors tactics to raise prices, Racked reported. The company raised prices on some cropped pants from $72 to $88. Many other pants are now $98.

"It downright seems condescending that Lululemon thinks we can't figure out how the pricing works, so most crops need to be $88 and most pants need to be $98, so we won't get confused," one former customer wrote in a post on Lululemon's message boards, Hey Lululemon.

"To go from $72 for solid crops to $88 is insane. That is a 22% increase," she wrote. "I don't get a 22% raise each year, inflation isn't 22%, and surely Lululemon's cost to manufacture these items has not increased 22%. Plus, it was only in recent years that Lulu started charging more for printed versions of pants and crops."

Other commenters were equally frustrated.

"I probably wouldn't have noticed otherwise, but this is appalling and super disappointing. Crops will never be worth $88 to me unless there's dragon heartstring woven into the fibers. So long, Lulu crops," one wrote.

"The price increases are obscene. If Lulu were a conscious entity, it ought to be ashamed of itself. This seems like a big f-you to your customers," wrote another. "Just about every Seamless and Luon bottom is sheer, and now they will cost more, causing extra return bitterness from 'educators' who see their store sales' bonuses getting as thin as the leggings they hawk." 

Some have taken to Twitter to share the frustration:

Lululemon had to famously recall see-through yoga pants in 2013. Earlier this summer, the company had to recall 318,000 tops due to dangerous drawstrings.Still, the company has a stronghold on all of its competition, and remains a leader in the athleisure market. 

Lululemon explained on Wednesday that the price increases reflect the quality of its products:

"We always have and will continue to price our products based on a commitment to value, fit, functionality, premium materials and detail, technology and craftsmanship. Our pricing structure is reflective of this and allows us to create the very best products for our guests," a representative told Business Insider in a statement.But that doesn't mean the company won't lose some of its previously loyal customers over this."...And this is the straw that broke the camel's back," wrote one commenter on the Hey Lululemon post. "As a loyal Lulu customer for many, many, many years, I can no longer give my hard earned money to a company that refuses to listen to their customer, treats their loyal fan base like they have, and raise prices to 'reflect values and design principle.'"

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