That is right. Today is the last day of J.Crew's most recent 20% off sale. Although there were many items I would have purchased... I didn't buy a single thing!Why? Because I was deterred by the thought of having to pay the (high) shipping fee. I find it amazing what the shipping code (or lack there of) psychologically does to me at the point of purchase! When confronted at the checkout with the $12-14 for shipping (on top of taxes) and with no applicable coupon in site, I end up asking myself the question, "Do I really need this?" And of course, the answer each time is "no, not really."
I have a feeling that my online shopping at J.Crew will decrease drastically in direct response to the lack of "free shipping" (or low minimum) shipping codes. (Mind you, I spend thousands at J.Crew per year. Although I typically purchase "on sale", I do really like their clothes and buy a lot.) Do you think your online shopping will decrease in the next year as well (if J.Crew won't offer any more shipping codes will low to no minimums?)
Probably, but I've already started buying less anyway because they seem to offer fewer petite items that I like each season. They have plenty of regular-sized styles that I want, but if they don't come in petite, I'm not going to order them.
ReplyDeleteWell, I should probably add that unless I've already tried on the regular-sized item in-store and know that it fits correctly, then I might order it online if it's cheaper and/or has different color options. But if they're changing the coupon rules and not allowing websites to share them, what's the point in ordering online from them? Everyone wants to save money, especially with the price of everything going up these days. I'll just go back to ordering from Banana Republic.
ReplyDeleteI used to specifically shop at J.Crew because of the no minimum or low minimum shipping codes. When I would find one, I'd go to the J.Crew website and purchase a cartload of things, sometimes even weekly! I know what you mean when you look at your cart total, and then think about how you'll have to tack on tax and shipping to that also. It's painful!
ReplyDeleteI used to almost exclusively just shop in my local store. I would only buy something online if it that was the only way I could get it. At the beginning of the year, our J. Crew was closed :( The closest stores are an hour away. There is an outlet store about 40 minutes away, too, but I've yet to make it there. So, the free shipping codes were awesome. I did make an order this week, but it was for three things (only one being part of the 20% off sale). That was the first order I've made in a while since the codes were taken down. I would hope that J. Crew takes a cue from places like the Gap and just offer a standard, low shipping rate. I have no problem paying $7 or $8 shipping on a purchase, but I do have a problem with paying over $10 as my order gets bigger.
ReplyDeleteHi Everyone!
ReplyDeleteSue.Bee: You are not the first to mention about the lack of petite offerings. I will make sure that topic is a future post on this blog. It is definitely worthy of its own conversation! :)
But I agree with you both, SueBee and Amy, about wanting to save money. If the benefit of buying online (to save money with free shipping) is removed, then it defeats the point.
I really did by weekly (just like you Amy). However, its hard to justify the "savings" of those purchases, when they get canceled out with the other costs (of taxes AND shipping).
haus_frau: Couldn't agree more about the flat shipping rate. You are also spot on with the comment about shipping (for retail stores) over $10 makes you look twice.
ReplyDeleteI did not buy online recently although I enjoy browsing Jcrew.com everyday. I feel the same way as Alexis -- there are lots of stuff I like at JCrew but I just do not really need them. I have many JCrew clothes at home still have their tags on. I am saving my money and space for now.
ReplyDeleteI agree... I've lost interest in J.Crew a little bit over the past few months. It's a combination of lack of coupon codes and less items that are to die for. When they get new arrivals, it seems like there are fewer and fewer items that I absolutely have to have. Don't get me wrong, I still like J.Crew a lot... but they're not getting as much of my money as they used to. I'm with Alexis and didn't buy a single item during this 20% off sale.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous at 10:02 AM: That is so funny, I too have clothes from J.Crew with the tags still on them!!! I wonder how many other Aficionadas experience the same thing!
ReplyDeleteHi Lynn! At least we are saving some money not purchasing this time around! :)
Also, I apologize if my ranting about lack of proper shipping codes (e.g. low to no minimums) seems like a lot. I realize it is almost a reoccurring theme on this blog, no matter the post topic.
ReplyDeleteI am just hoping that if a J.Crew marketing associate stumbles across this site, s/he will take note how important shipping costs are to all of us, and can take some proactive steps to remedy the situation.
HERE, HERE Alexis!!!! I am so in agreement with you on this. I typically spend in excess of $5,000 per yr at J Crew. I will think twice before ordering as much on line. When I emailed J Crew about this and asked for a free shipping code, it was "no dice". Funny how I will spend a small fortune there, but become hesitant when it comes to shipping fees. I just really did not like their cavalier response toward me.
ReplyDeletePositives to not buying as much with no free shipping codes on unlimited amounts:
ReplyDeleteMore closet space;)
More money saved to do other things with!
Not buying just things we like --and leaving the tags on and not wearing them right away.
Really enjoying and wearing the few items we get and REALLY LOVE!
Anyone else? Add on some more!
Jagjag2 great response!!
ReplyDelete-More time in the garden
-Less confusing to decide what to wear when I don't own "everything"
-Less time spent organizing my closets :o)
alexis, no need to apologize for posting about shipping costs! It's great to have a forum like this! I think everyone feels the same way and is similarly turned off by JCrew's attitude.
ReplyDeleteLike others, I also did not buy anything from this week's sale. Sure I saw a few pretty things that I know I'd wear, but... it didn't make sense to plunk down $150 for tees and tanks (even with free shipping, total would still be $180 with tax and duty in my case). For that amount, I could probably get one or two quality high end designer items. Lately I've been exploring other brands especially for cashmere (considering what JCrew charges), and other brands and sites in general. I do really like JCrew, and with other sites I take a bit of risk with sizing and for me JCrew fit is almost always spot on, but you never know unless you try I guess :)
Thanks Anonymous at 1:22 PM, Kirbydog, and others!
ReplyDeleteI too have been adding things to my cart to get to $150 or $175 to get free shipping, but then I realize that I don't want to spend that much and cancel the entire order! :)
I purchased a bunch of items in the sale but that's only because I didn't know which size would best fit me. Had I not doubled up on a couple of different sizes, I would certainly not have made the $150 required for free shipping. I know that I will have to return the items that don't fit. So, will they then charge me shipping when I do my return? Does anyone know?
ReplyDeleteYes they do charge shipping for returns, use their mailing label. If you take it to a Jcrew store they credit you right away, but you still have to drive there and with the cost of gas ..... yuck can't win.
ReplyDeleteI don't know where to post this, so hopefully you can find this comment. Here's the coupon 25$ off $150 purchase IN-STORE
ReplyDeletehttp://ebm.e.jcrew.com/c/tag/hBIQDdgBgTeL6B7RLMDBsDk$zcj/doc.html?RAF_TRACK=&email=itscarol@gmail.com&i_source=0
BTW, I love your blog and appreciate all the information here :D
Hi girls. I became an aficionada about six months ago. Get this: I live in Italy and have had all my items shipped to my mother's house in Arizona where I will pick them up this summer! So for now I am a virtual aficionada because I have never even tried on a J.Crew item. I didn't buy anything either from this sale.
ReplyDeleteCrystal,I was about to post that coupon for $25 off in the stores! I do not think I will be making that big a purchase !!
ReplyDeleteI haven't yet purchased a JCrew item with the tag still on it, but I have purchased items from their "sample sale" that I have yet to wear.
ReplyDeleteDo they still do the sample sales? I remember when I was at school in Austin a couple years ago, my girlfriends and I would look forward to when they'd roll into town. They had some awesome deals!
Crystal- Thank you so much for the link. I will be sure to make it its own post.
ReplyDeleteSueBee- I have never heard of a J.Crew sample sale. Tell me more of this marvelous thing you mention!
Also, Anonymous at 2:12 PM: Welcome aboard! I am sure you will love the clothes once you get them. :)
Also, Anonymous at 2:18PM: Thank you for also posting about the coupon Crystal mentioned as well.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate everyone's efforts to share these coupons. We definitely benefit from our collective knowledge and I am really proud about how our little community works well together. :)
I struggle with J Crew because I'm tall. I've asked several reps when they will carry more of their items in Tall, but they don't seem to be as interested in addressing that market as much as the Gap or Banana Republic. In addition to that, they never carry their tall clothing in their stores. This isn't unusual, but since I can't buy in the store, I used to trek to the store a lot in order to avoid the shipping charges. Now the shipping charges have become unavoidable because I only buy on sale stuff.
ReplyDeleteOne good thing about this 20% off sale, at least it's not Final Sale! Boy, you can really get burned with that! Looks one way on the web (color or fabric or both) and then it arrives. Oh no.
I may have remembered it incorrectly as a "sample sale". I think they were actually warehouse sales. I remember the cashiers told us everything came from the warehouse, so I'm guessing they're just trying to clear all old stock.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was living in Austin for school, each year my friends would look in the local newspaper for the announcement of the JCrew "traveling sale" (or they'd just call the nearest JCrew store to find out when they were coming). They would rent out some warehouse/building for a few days (I think it might've been no longer than a week) and set up tables with boxes and boxes of discontinued/defective/returned JCrew items. They had everything--sweaters, pants, dresses, shoes, suits, belts, bags, etc...coats were hung up on racks. Since it was a temporary location, no dressing rooms. We'd wear clothing we could easily slip on and off so we could try stuff on. There was no shame in stripping since no men were ever there :o) You purchased your items at a table. All items were final sale and could not be returned. I think the sale would happen once or twice a year. You had to dig to find some great items at dirt cheap prices, but it was so worth it when we did. I don't know if they do them anymore though...
sue.bee, I remember those warehouse sales - they were so great! My friends and I were like kids in a candy store with that...I think mostly that stuff just goes to the J.Crew factory stores now (at not really much of a markdown from their regular stores).
ReplyDeleteI too, spend a ton at J.Crew and usually order betweem 8-10 times a month. I am glad that they ended the Final Sale for a while, especially because their sizing became kind of out of whack. Remember the charmeuse Daphne tanks from earlier this year? I got mine on final sale, sized down according to jcrew.com, and it was STILL too big! It's very disheartening to pay for something that you can't return. I've had some luck selling these items on eBay, but it's a hassle.
Anyway, the lack of shipping codes will definitely deter me from ordering every week like I used to, although I may partake in the $150+ codes once in a while. I do live near a store, but as luck would have it, the most of the stuff that I gravitate towards is catalog/jcrew.com only.
SueBee & silver_lining: Those warehouse sales sound fantastic! I am completely jealous that you had those. :)
ReplyDeleteST: I understand indirectly how frustrating it is to find clothes that fit your particular height. A friend of mine is about 5'10/5'11 and she has a hard time finding pants that fit her properly. I have also noticed that JCrew doesn't stock the Tall sizes online as well as they could. Hopefully they will do better in the future.
The lack of free shipping codes is definitely curtailing my shopping. Before, I'd buy something small if I had a free code; now, I won't buy anything. The shipping is just way too expensive, and if it doesn't fit/doesn't look as good, then you're still out the shipping.
ReplyDeleteI think I might start taking advantage of the free shipping with $150 purchase - buying one outrageously ugly item along with what I want and then returning said expensive ugly item to the store.
Has anyone else noticed that sale items seem to be selling much less quickly lately?
I went to one of the JCrew sample sales once in Illinois and it was a good time. I bought 4 sweaters...no place to try on anything...like pants...I was all prepared for the next years b/c I was going to wear a skirt to make trying on easier! Then they stopped having them!
ReplyDeleteI know I have already been buying less since the codes for free shipping on unlimited amounts went away.
Only reason I bought some things recently is b/c I had a rewards card. I did pretty well...I bought approx. $600of mostly new June items with a few sale items mixed in...got the 20% off plus my $125 rewards card so my bill was approx. $250 off.....had it sent to my friend in MN where there is zero sales tax on clothes to pick up from her this summer. So overall, since this will probably be my last purchase for the rest of the summer....I did OK.
In reply to "Do you think your online shopping will decrease in the next year as well (if J.Crew won't offer any more shipping codes will low to no minimums?)"
ReplyDeleteYES, i probably will cut back my shopping as much as 75%.
I absolutely am purchasing less online from J Crew because of the lack of free shipping codes. Their shipping rates are insane! I found a lovely dress on sale yesterday that was about $30 more than listed because of tax and shipping. I said "no thanks," went to the mall, and found a Calvin Klein dress that was almost exactly the same and about $160 cheaper. I hate it, but I can't in good conscience pay their crazy shipping rates.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading some of the comments, I guess I am not the only one who will be cutting back!
ReplyDeleteI think another reason we are averse to the lack of "free shipping" coupons has to do with not always knowing how clothes will fit and having to sometimes guess.
ReplyDeleteI'd rather have a "free shipping" coupon than a %-off discount code because if the item isn't exactly what I wanted / thought it would be, I can return it for the same price I paid for it at the store. If I get a %-off coupon and pay shipping, that's money I'll never see back.
Of course, if I like everything, that's the ideal. :) But since I never know how things will fit me, there's rarely an order where I don't return something.