Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Just Asking: What Is The Student Discount?

Audrey raised a great point (in the "Article on J.Crew's New Accessory Catalog" post), that J.Crew's website (click here for page) displays the Student Discount at 10% (shown below) and not 15%.
As mentioned in other posts (like "J.Crew Student Discount: Upgrade & Downgrade" and "J.Crew Student Discount: Upgrade to 15% Off"), the student discount was increased from 10% to 15% recently. I also received a card in a J.Crew package (which I posted above) that also shows the student discount as 15%.

I am not sure if what the website displays is just a typo, or if the student discount is reverting back to 10% off. (I emailed J.Crew's customer service with this question and will post the response once I receive it.) :)

What do you think of the student discount: is it 10% or 15%? Have you been able to use the student discount recently for 15%?

Update: A big "thanks!" to a J.Crew employee ("Anonymous at 1:39 PM" in this post) who shared with us the following:
Hello - J. Crew associate here! The student discount has indeed been permanently adjusted to 15% instead of 10. It's been this way for maybe a month, and all the associates should be aware of the change. The teacher discount is also 15% - we know you both work equally hard! And yes, both discounts can be combined with any additional percentage that is taken off of sale merchandise. All we need is an ID! Happy shopping!

This comment definitely clears up the confusion. The student discount should be 15% off and also applicable to any additional percent off sale. Fantastic! :)

44 comments:

  1. I've only been able to get 10% in store with my ID.

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  2. I've also only been able to get 10% in store, but I've only tried it once.

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  3. I have been getting 15% in stores and online when I email them to change if for me.

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  4. I also received the card with the 15% student discount. I saved it for good measure and to retrieve should I need it.

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  5. I was able to get 15% in the store, even on sale merchandise!

    I LOVE YOUR BLOG!!!!!

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  6. I have been getting 15% online and in-store. I think they just never updated the website section--it has said 10% for a while.

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  7. I think it is probably another issue with the website that they need to change, and that the discount is actually still 15%. :)

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  8. MMiller has been able to get 15% off as a law student. So I think it is 15% off... at least for now it it.

    OT:

    Gigiofca: I know you are about 3 or 4 hours from being awake but last night I bought the Bird's eye for $102.49!!!! Thank you so much for the coupon you sent me. I originally wasnt going to be allowed to combine it with my other coupons (15% off 150 or more and the card application). But, I asked really nicely and the checkout dude let me!! I brought my friend with me and she said "that jacket was made for you." I am so happy, thanks so much!

    FFM: I now have a BR card :) I'll never get to luxe status... but I am ok with that too. Haha

    For everyone: BR has some of those great deep dark purples that jcrew had last fall but they dont seem to have much of this year. BR's stuff looks gorgeous this year!

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  9. OT: Getting the site is down message this am.

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  10. How do you get the student discount online?

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  11. I've been able to get 15% off in store, online, and on a red-phone order. A SA in the store specifically said that the discount had gone up to 15%. Most SAs have given me 15% off sale merch, only one said the student discount was good only on full-price items.

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  12. I've been able to get 15%... but I've also been told that the 15% cannot be combined with free shipping.

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  13. I've been getting 15% too...it was probably a typo, or something left over from the old discount.

    There was also a typo in the catalog I got in-store a couple of days ago (I think it was the September one) - it had an Ecole listed for $98 instead of $198. :)

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  14. Argh...is everyone else having trouble with the website this AM, too?

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  15. Quick question: How long do the items that you order usually sit marked as open on the website before they ship? Just wondering.
    Thanks

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  16. anon at 10:29: My order has been sitting open for almost 48 hours (like 36 hours), but since I ordered in the evening, I have to cut them some slack :)

    I'm glad that most everyone is getting the 15%. I just wish they would update the website. I picture a new SA just going online and seeing the 10% and not bothering to ask anyone...

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  17. I got the 15% yesterday in the Seattle University Village store. . .and they honored the 15% discount on fall full-price items on everything, so I saved 30% on the whole purchase. Several really nice things!

    great customer service, as usual there!

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  18. Anon @ 8:14 a.m: You have to call CS or email them from your student account and ask for it to be applied to your order.

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  19. My order has been open for 5 days (two were weekend) but that seems really long...should I call CS, email...leave them alone and stop obsessing?

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  20. I'm about to enroll in a college course just for the discount at J Crew.

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  21. anon: I have an order I placed on Saturday (denim pencil skirt, can't find on site, and grey cord skirt)that is just sitting in released status. I placed another last night (Jacinda jacket, so excited!) and will roll the dice yet again.

    I placed an order for an enggplant dream tie cardi August 4, that has been backordered to three different dates. I eventually called and the CS told me they had no idea what was going on with the order but it would not ship and should cancel---but they had no clue about what happened just that it was a no-go despite what the website says. So they placed a new order with yet another backorder date. Well guess what! I checked my order status today and the original order now has a tracking number and a ship date of yesterday. So maybe I will get it! However, my credit card has not been charged. So, will I get it? Will I be charged? Will I have to cancel the second, replacement order? Only time will tell!

    Also, I have placed an order for a belle skirt that was canceled. No reason why, it just was. So I also called and had a replacement order put in for that, with yes, a backorder date of October 10. Now the size/color combo I oredered twice is no longer available. Will I get it? Who knows!

    It's like a fun game now---keep track of your orders and see what happens....it provides something for me to do when I can't sleep, I guess.

    I think it is hit or miss, anon. My advise to you is to just keep on top of your orders, credit card charges, etc. That way you can be informed when and if yuo call to get information.

    That, and don't feel overly committed to what yo do order; ie. recognize that it may not come.

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  22. blumre - Yay! You are my retail hero of the day. And we love checkout dude. I'm so glad you got the blazer.

    Anonymous@ 10:29 AM - I made an order on 8/13 and it still showed open as of today, 8/26. However, they gave me a tracking number on 8/18 and that has finally registered in the UPS system. Go figure.

    Regarding the student discount, perhaps not all of the employees are aware that it has gone up to 15%. There seems to be a huge problem with dissemination of info at J Crew. Case in point -- I was making a purchase at a b&m a week ago and my SA told the customer next to me that the Ecole was on sale for $50. The customer was buying 2 at that price, of course. I was thinking, hey -- I need to buy 4 of those even though they don't fit well on me. But the price struck me as wrong. $50? Not $49.99? Another SA corrected her and said that price was an employee special. SA#2 had been standing there the whole time letting SA#1 think that was the right price before he finally corrected her. It was bizarre. My point is maybe not everyone knows the new student discount. I have specifically heard SAs tell people the discount has been changed from 10% to 15%.

    Molly -- I thought about doing the same thing! I am still trying to get over the fact that I *was* recently in school for 3 years and not one SA ever told me about the discount. And for some reason I never saw it on the website.

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  23. Thanks for the advice gigiofca and jacquelyn - I knew I shouldn't have gotten too attached to those items :) After being pregnant last winter and trying to get my figure back this summer it is hard not to get excited about getting new clothes. Love the blog - I am a constant lurker! Thanks

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  24. the other day i was in there and they actually OFFERED me the discount on final sale stuff, and it was 15%!

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  25. anon @ 12:45 PM - Give in and create an id. It's so much fun here. You never know about the items. Just pay attention to your credit card and online and between the two you should be able to figure things out. You might want to call CS and press 2 to have someone check on your order. That's what I did and got the tracking number. It's taken a week for the tracking# to work but it's working now so we'll see. I made other orders after 8/13 and those are showing up. So it seems like orders aren't necessarily processed as first in first out.

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  26. Hello - J. Crew associate here! The student discount has indeed been permanently adjusted to 15% instead of 10. It's been this way for maybe a month, and all the associates should be aware of the change. The teacher discount is also 15% - we know you both work equally hard! And yes, both discounts can be combined with any additional percentage that is taken off of sale merchandise. All we need is an ID!
    Happy shopping!

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  27. I don't know if anyone has already mentioned this, but at my B&M, Velvet Ecoles are on sale for $138, and bootcut cords (but sadly not the matchstick) are $69. AND they also added the 20% PS discount to the final sale stuff (which was already at 30% off). Woo-hoo! I ended up getting quite the deal on the Madison dress in deep atlantic. There was only one watercolor garden lydia blouse left, too, so ladies, get 'em while they're hot!
    (I wrote about my PS experience here.)

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  28. I went Saturday for PS and didn't get the discount. And I used my JCrew card--makes me want to return my things.

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  29. ss: That sucks, but you should at least go back and get a price adjustment. I'm sure they would do it, especially if you brought in a copy of that promotional e-mail they sent out.

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  30. ss - I've forgotten to use my student ID on in-store purchases and have gone back and had them adjusted with no trouble whatsoever. They just need the receipt and your ID.

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  31. Alexis--do you have an email where I can send an "invitation" for you to post on one of your "off on a tangent"s? I got an invite to get 30% off (!) a purchase of $125 or more at selected BR flagship stores on Sept 4. You have to print out the invite and RSVP to use it.

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  32. Gigiofca: The thanks is all due to you. I find in this economy most retail stores will allow you to stack coupons if you have them or will even throw you a bone once in a while if you ask nicely. I was still so excited that he would do it for me. The jacket is amazing! Now the highs just need to get down to 60 degrees fast so I can wear it. I AM SO SICK OF THIS HEAT! Thanks again, and you are my hero for sending me that coupon. ;)

    P.S. I encourage everyone to check out the Bird's Eye Blazer/Jacket at Banana Republic... Its amazing! I got it the brown tweed and I think it is very versatile, tailored enough for the office while fun enough for weekends! Love, love, love IT!

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  33. I haven't had any trouble so far getting 15% in store and emailing on red phone/online orders from my school address. I'm scared it's just going to go kaput one day though, given all the inconsistency!

    I also can't get the site to work in explorer! I am so over these web issues...

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  34. Thanks everyone for your comments! I find it so interesting that some of you are getting 10% off while others are getting 15%. Like GigiofCa said, perhaps not all SA's are aware of the increase. I am hoping that one day, the policy can be made clear and universally applied. :)

    Molly: Congrats on your recent enrollement! :)

    jacquelyn: You have a great attitude when it comes to ordering- I love it. :) I also totally agree with you, if I order anything online now I think that it will most likely not come. So if it does come, I will be pleasantly surprised. :)

    Anon at 1:39 PM: Thanks so much! I really appreciate the clear up. :)

    Cass: My email is jcrewaficionada@yahoo.com. That invite sounds fabulous. :)

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  35. I've been getting 15% in-store and online by calling it in. I had gotten an email through my school email a couple of weeks ago telling me that the student discount was changed permanently to 15%.

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  36. OK Alexis I just fwded you the invite.

    Re: student discount, they are supposed to have a bar code to scan behind the register when you ask for the discount, so it should be routinely 15%, not manually entered as 10%.

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  37. Speaking of discounts, I wonder if JC will be having any special promotions for labor day weekend. I have already gotten several promotional emails from other retailers.

    I'm sure we will all keep each other informed. ;)

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  38. I got the same red card in a recent shipment, but mine says 15% for both educators AND 15% for college students.

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  39. Hi Anonymous at 6:14 PM: I actually agree with you. :) In the post, I mentioned that the red card I received shows the student discount at 15% and not 10%, even though the website shows the student discount at 10%. I was just using the red card as an example of J.Crew media announcing the student discount at 15%. :)

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  40. cass - I got that email from BR, too. I'm going to try to go to one of the stores. I believe it's at limited locations. Sounds like it will be fun. They said bubbly so I am there! :-)

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  41. Cass what is this e-mail? GigiofCa, Bubbly? I want in too! LOL You know me, if there is a chance of booze, I'm in--- I swear I am not an alcoholic. hehe

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  42. Hi Blumre! I am posting the BR discount that Cass shared with us in less than 2 hours. :)

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  43. Was looking for a school boy jacket today and the lady who tried to help me told me that I could only use my student ID if I paid for it. My mom was going to buy it for me but the lady in Palo Alto told me that I could not use it if someone else is paying for it.

    Has anyone had this problem before?

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