Referencing {FAQ}

Friday, January 16, 2009

Clarification on J.Crew Teacher & Student Discount :)

"Thanks!" to Anonymous in Illinois:) who shared with us the following response from J.Crew after she recently emailed them about the application of the teacher discount:

We apologize for the confusion regarding the application of the teacher discount to your order #

Your order is eligible for the discount, and it will be applied. Please note this credit will not be reflected on your packing slip or in your initial charge. It will be applied as a separate transaction to your Credit Card once your order ships from our warehouse.


We would like to take this opportunity to give you the eligibility requirements of combining the teacher discount with other promotions.


If the promotion already on the order is good for everything on jcrew.com, i.e. a global promotion, the teacher discount is not eligible to be used on the same order.

For promotions on specific groups of merchandise, such as the current EXTRA20; which applies only to Final Sale items, both promotions may be combined. We hope this will make determining the eligibility of future orders a bit simpler.


Again, we apologize that you were given the incorrect answer regarding the combination of promotions in our earlier email.


If we can be of further assistance, please let me know by responding directly to this email or through my contact information which I have provided below.


Best


I honestly did not know when the discount could and could not be applied- so this email does help clarify that issue. I also want to add that I really *appreciate* that J.Crew (and other retailers) offer a discount for teachers and students considering that they don't have to- it is nice of them. :)

Were you aware of the requirements for the teacher and student discounts? Have you heard or experienced something differently? If so, please share with us your experiences with the teacher and student discount. (P.S. If there are any J.Crew associates reading this, we would love to hear your perspective on this topic!) :)

100 comments:

  1. I also appreciate this clarification---and my orders also always have the discount applied, when asked. J Crew customer service seems to be doing their best; however, their website problems REALLY are bugging me---so despite their kindness (I work as an educator and am a student!) I a bit disappointed in them still.

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  2. I placed an order yesterday and I was told that I could not combine my student discount with the current EXTRA20 promotion. I sent an email to JC and was told again that they could not be combined. Why can't they get their story straight????

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  3. Lula Mae- They should combine that 15% + 15% discount for you! LOL...student teachers should totally get 27.75% off everything! :)

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  4. i also wrote to jcrew. they did not send me a long email like that. in fact, they didn't even answer the question. the customer service rep gave me some line about how the student discount cannot be combined with another other promotion. this didn't help me at all, such that i live between 2 bm stores and only one allows me to combine the 15% student discount and the additional whatever% off clearance items. i HATE that these jcrew stores don't have the same policy.

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  5. I doubt the accuracy of the clarification. As I understand, the official jcrew policy is the student/teacher discount can not be combined with other promotions. I think the SA wrote the clarification just wanted to play nice.

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  6. Well that's still confusing. No wonder it gets applied inconsistently all the time!

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  7. Hi,

    I sent Alexis the email. I also got this email from my online P.S. and she said the same thing. I also talked with 3 reps on the phone--total of 5 people all saying this is the policy. So I truly believe this is accurate and the way things are to be done. My online P.S. is really wonderful and seem on the ball and I was directly referred to her from "high up".

    Anony. in IL

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  8. How do you apply the teacher or student discount online? I thought it's only applicable in stores with a show of valid ID...

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  9. A,

    I do not have a store nearby. Therefore, I faxed my teaching certificate to JCrew...they told me who to make it attention too. There are now notes in my file.

    Also, you can email them from your student email account and request the discount be applied to your order # after placing it or your school/teaching email address works too.

    Anony in IL

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  10. I was told by my PS yesterday that the changes in policy took place at the time of the upgrade, but they hadn't been enforced due to all the website issues. Now that J.Crew feels the shipping/website issues have improved significantly, they are enforcing the policies. For example, it used to be that when you exchanged an item online, which gets free shipping, that you could add other items to the order that also would ship for free. This isn't the case any longer since the new system is now able to charge each individual item shipping, whereas before it could only charge the one order. That's why the red phone policy also changed, and now you get charged for sale items on the order even if you are purchasing a full price item, as well.

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  11. i have been out of college for 4 years now and still use my old student id at the store. i don't think i have access to my student email anymore but if this is the only way i could get the discount online, guess i will have to look into getting back in my .edu address.

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  12. Stacy,

    Why would you post something so dishonest? Are you looking to start trouble? In my opinion-- you do not deserve the discount if you are no longer a student.

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  13. Hi!

    I was told today by CS on the phone that if I were to place an order including final sale items and full-price items, the EXTRA20 will be applied to all final sale items, and the teacher discount will only be taken from the full-price items. That is the only way two discounts may be used at the same time. They will not apply the 20% + 15% to the final sale items.

    Athena

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  14. I went to a b&m to place an order earlier this week, and the SA on the red phone told me this exact same thing. I think that is the first time ever that I have been told the same thing twice re: the details of j.crew policy ;)

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  15. To clarify - by this exact thing, I mean what Alexis said in the post, btw.

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  16. I just got off the phone and place my fourth order this week with the 20% discount on final sale items and the 15% educator's discount. I asked directly what the policy was before ordering (each time) and the rep Linda (today) quoted exacly what Anony in IL said. I am glad to know this!

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  17. Athena,

    Sounds like you were told incorrectly.

    20% and 15% taken from final sale and then 15% taken only from regular price stuff....that would be my understanding...

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  18. Does anyone know if homeschool educators (I am a member of 2 homeschooling co-ops and homeschool my 3 boys) are included in this educator's discount? Just curious. And - exactly how do you apply for the discount? In store I could show my educator's ID, but I generally order only on-line as I live 2 hours from the nearest B&M. Barnes & Noble includes homeschool educators in their educator's discount. Just curious. TIA!

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  19. OK.

    I called again and spoke with a very pleasant CS who put me on hold to verify with a supervisor if they could be applied. I was on hold for a few minutes, and then she returned to say that SOMETIMES certain promotions can be combined with the teachers' discount. The EXTRA20 code CANNOT be combined, or isn't supposed to be combined, with the teacher discount. I was essentially told the same response as my previous comment at 8:37 A.M.

    For those of you lucky enough to score the double discount, GOOD FOR YOU! SCORE! I do not think it will happen every time, though. :)

    I wish Mickie would just post it on here already, ha! ;)

    Athena

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  20. Thanks for the discount information. Although I think this policy is very confusing, along with the concept of "global" discounts-no wonder so many of the reps are confused!

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  21. I placed an order today and the EXTRA20 was applied to everything, even the full-priced merchandise. I wonder if they will adjust it when they ship. I was surprised at checkout and when I look at the Order History the reduced prices are still showing.

    So, even their "promotions on specific groups of merchandise, such as the current EXTRA20; which applies only to Final Sale items" is inconsistent.

    Not that I mind getting the discount, of course....

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  22. I just called to add the student discount to my EXTRA20 order, and they wouldn't let me. The rep said only one code for order.

    When I said I thought that was allowed to in the past, she said they can be combined only in store. (Which has also not been the case for me of late.)

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  23. As always, J.Crew is likely to remain inconsistent on this. I was in the store a few weeks ago and asked to have the student discount applied to my final sale items. I was told by the associate only one discount could be used at a time. When I was in the SAME store this week and asked for the discount, the associate was happy to do it. She even asked her manager and he said absolutely the two can be combined. Sigh. I just wish the answer was "absolutely" every time ...

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  24. I've always been able to combine discounts with an additional educator discount in store. However, I placed an order over the phone this morning and was told no combining. When I said that I had done it in the past, the CS still said no, at which point I told her that I wasn't going to place the order. Only THEN did she get a supervisor and manually override the policy. Seriously, I think it really depends on who you talk to, which is a terrible way to run a business!

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  25. It's great that J. Crew offers an education discount, it's just too bad that it's unlike other retailers' education discounts in that it excludes staff. As a university employee who supports both students and faculty, I'd like to think I deserve a discount if they do.

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  26. Stacey, I do the same thing. I graduated years ago but still use my discount. I'll conintue to use it as long as I can.

    Anon @ 8:36am--get over it!

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  27. Stacy, that is dishonest and wrong. I hope your former university will not give you a .edu address so that you can continue to deceive J. Crew.

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  28. Elizabeth in MO:

    I have heard that J.Crew does give homeschoolers the discount. I have not checked into it for myself yet b/c I have not "officially" started homeschooling. If you do check with J.Crew can you let us know what you find out? Thanks :)

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  29. I placed an order two days ago (evening of Jan 14) and was allowed to use both the student discount and the EXTRA20. That's what I started off with, too "Can I combine my student discount with the extra 20 percent off." The lady I was speaking with said, "Absolutely, I just need to verify your .edu email"

    ...

    I do remember that starting about a year ago, the SAs in the N. Michigan Chicago store wouldn't apply the student discount if there was already an additional percentage off (once, I complained - politely, I think - on a particularly large shopping spree and I told them I wouldn't purchase anything unless I could get the discount and they gave in). But, lo-and-behold, I went shopping last weekend, asked about the discount... and received. Basically, they like keeping us on our toes! gr.

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  30. " deceiving j. crew" by still using my student id?????


    the student discount is usually 5-10 dollars at the most.


    geeze. tough room.

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  31. Anon 10:10 were the other items in your cart promo priced? The code did not work on FP for me but it did on the promo Nicky skirt

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  32. Anon 12:04 - why don't you just use your .edu email address to get the discount?

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  33. Shannon, most of the items in my cart were FP, only two FS items and the EXTRA20 worked on everything. It was very early this morning and later the site was down so perhaps it was a glitch that is now fixed. It still shows the reduced price in my order history and the order changed to "released" so hopefully it goes through with those prices.

    I'm surprised because if it weren't for bad luck I would have no luck at all so maybe I should go buy a lottery ticket today. :P

    I hope you will do a review of the Nicky skirt on your blog. I love your reviews and I'm considering the skirt as so many were talking about it a few days ago and it looks really cute. Hopefully it doesn't sell out before I make up my mind.

    Anon 10:10

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  34. Well woohoo, great score! I hope everything ships to you ok!
    I will definitely review the Nicky :)

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  35. I for one do not have an issue with others who are using their student ids for the student discount when they are no longer in school. God knows that these people are probably still paying off their student loans.

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  36. Stacy:

    I'm shocked not only by your deceptions, but by the fact you don't even realize that your shenanigans are nothing short of retail fraud.

    My sister qualifies for the educator discount AND makes more money than me, but I would never think of running my J.Crew purchase through her in order to get an additional "5 or 10 dollars" off. I'm not entitled to benefit from the program and I won't cheat to get the benefits.

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  37. Shannon, I'm curious, did you keep the Ava dress or end up returning it? I thought it looked great on you, but you mentioned there were some issues and you thought you might return it.

    Anon 10:10

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  38. Seems pretty sad when ppl resort to dishonesty to get a few dollars off for the discount. Guys, most of us have gone through college and grad school and have old ids handy, but we don't resort to dishonesty to get the discount.

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  39. I have a friend that is a SA at JC and I do not qualify for the student/ educator discount but she still gives it to me when I go in to buy something. JC can't even enforce their own policy....

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  40. I did return the Ava. I liked it from the front but the pleats and zipper in the back did not lay flat. Also I didn't have anything here that looked great with it. So, I would have had to spend more money to make an outfit

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  41. Stacy: It might be only $10.00 to you, but you are abusing the policy and that just might spoil it for other truly deserving educators.

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  42. You may as well spare everyone the sermon. Some people will try to get the discount, even if not entitled. Not much you can do about it. Really, why should you care? Obviously J.Crew has a high enough margin that they can give a theoretically unlimited number of customers a 15% discount.

    Yes, it's dishonest and maybe they will discontinue the policy if abused but thinking that everyone will follow policy and be honest because you tell them to is just incredibly naive. I'm pretty sure J.Crew doesn't care too much or they would ask for current student ID and not accept something that is five years old. They have the discount to encourage people to shop at J.Crew and it works.

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  43. Sannon, it's funny, on my browser the online photo of the back of the dress has the ? and doesn't load, even in the zoom view. Maybe that is intentional. ;)

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  44. The first CS rep said no to applying my teacher's discount to the order I placed online this morning using EXTRA20. I called back, and this time the second CS said YES, ABSOLUTELY. I gave her the order number and she processed the credit and gave me a case number. Whoa. Talk about inconsistency.

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  45. Whoops, I mean SHANNON

    Anon @ 1:35 pm

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  46. Anon-How funny. It will load for me now in firefox and the pleats look awkward on the model too!

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  47. Anon at 1:02- My sister is a teacher as well, and when we shop at J.Crew or ATLoft together (which is frequently) she will make the purchase to get the discount for my things too. I don't see what the problem is. It is not being "deceptive", the SA always know we are doing this. There are bigger problems in the world. Lighten up.

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  48. I spoke to a J.Crew manager today and asked her about the student/teachers discount. She confirmed the information Alexis wrote in her post. She said that EXTRA20 IS combinable with the student discount. I asked why customer service gives us different and inconsistent answers when we call them and she replied that they are trying to teach everyone the correct policy but some reps are still not aware of it . So if JC offers a global promo like free shipping on everything or % discount on the entire order then the student discount cannot be combined. If JC offers a "single item promotion" like 40% off of all suites or 20% on all final sale items then you can add your student/teachers discount on top of that. So if you get a different response from a customer service rep and you are sure the promo is not global then say something like: "I believe this is not a global but a single item promotion. So you should be able to combine it with a student/teacher discount. Please verify this information with your supervisor/manager, I will hold." I hope this helps.

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  49. Boots: Then do not complain when the educators policy gets changed or when a CS rep refuses you, it is because this stuff is going on (ABUSE) it adds up and spoils it for the rest who truly deserves it.

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  50. Here is what I noticed happening with my last 5 or 6 on-line orders.
    In a past, email from . edu would suffice to get discount applied. Then before X-mas policy changed and I was refused for most of the orders.
    I still sent a request after each on-line order, just in case, and oh wonders- it was granted on all orders starting from after X-mas to now. Seems like they got more lenient. I could not believe my luck and not posting my real nick for a fear of spoiling it!:)
    All I can say- try!

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  51. A lot of stores (not just J.Crew) will try to find promos they can apply for customers and sometimes they will add a discount even if you don't qualify.

    DH and were shopping on a trip to San Francisco last year. At the J.Crew in the mall on Market Street, we bought a bunch of stuff and the SA actually gave us an additional discount. My husband got jeans that were marked down from $125 for $14.99 after the discount. We came back right at the end of our trip and picked up a few more things and the same SA was showing us some reduced items he thought we would like and when he rang everything up he again gave us the additional promo.

    I've had this happen in other stores where they say, "Hmmm, you don't really qualify but I'm going to give you this discount anyway." Sometimes it really depends on the person and they have a lot of latitude. I think that is why J.Crew has not been consistent, they leave it up to the SA to validate and they can be generous if they want.

    I don't qualify for the educator/student discount but I can always come here and get codes so I'm happy with that. Envy is not a healthy emotion, best to just let it go.

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  52. Seriously life is too short to spend time worrying about if others are using the teacher/ student discount improperly.

    I don't think that J Crew is going to take away the discount, esp when they just increased the % from 10 to 15 over the past summer. They use it to attract customers and it obviously works well for them.

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  53. I used the red phone in the Palo Alto store to order a Jackie twinset in dark peony. The SA helping me apologized for taking so long and said that she was on hold with CS, who was getting a supervisor on the line. The SA said, "The CS on the phone does not want to give you free shipping because you live in Canada so I'm getting her supervisor to ensure that you get free shipping." Definitely more generous that she needed to be and honestly I appreciated the SA's action more than the free shipping.

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  54. If you are abusing the policy it is pretty stupid blogging about it here on this site. Gawd people are greedy!

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  55. I can't believe the response I had to my simple comment.

    I am a nurse. I work long, hard, stressful hours. While I am in no way diminishing the value of educators or misunderstanding the financial hardships of many students I questions why shouldn't I get a discount?

    I have never felt bad about using my student ID and still don't.

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  56. J Crew has some serious communication issues, exclusive of the website. You mean to tell me they can't get all of their employees on the same page about an ongoing 15% house policy for teachers/students? That's ridiculous. On thing they can do is stop throwing in muckety muck like "global" promo. I thought that meant if it was a promo for free shipping to the US or Canada. They need to make a company bible and stick to it for awhile. Everyone should have access to the online bible and a hardcopy about what the rules are. Jeez.

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  57. Stacy: Duh. Its because you are a nurse. You wear scrubs or some like uniform all day long, every day. You do nothing to help J.Crew market their clothing to masses of impressionable young people. JC is a business. They offer promotions and discounts to promote business, not as some grand gesture of charity.

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  58. thanks ladies! i got the 15 on top of the 20% FS! (even after my own ps told me she couldn't do it.)

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  59. vic's post: helpful

    this email from jcrew: unhelpful

    "We sincerely apologize for any confusion we may have caused regarding
    the combining of promotions.

    Our promotions and the terms and conditions thereof vary, so the answer
    will differ for certain offers. If the text of an offer states that it
    cannot be combined with any other promotion, then it cannot be used in
    conjunction with another promotion. If no such condition is stated, the
    offer can be combined with another offer, as long as that other offer is
    not extended under the condition that it may not be combined.

    We hope the above information is helpful. If we can be of further
    assistance, please let us know by responding directly to this email or
    through my contact information which I have provided below.

    Best,

    James
    1-800-591-3802 ext 53189 "

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  60. Hi all,

    I've had several exp.s w. applying the edu disc & it seems to vary with the associate. As a petite, to they don't have my size at B&Ms, I often order over the phone. I always ask after the discount, but my results are very hit or miss.

    The last 2 times were with an addit'l % off promo that they said could not be combined. The CS person was always very pleasant, but said that it was an either / or situation & the promo was usually a better deal. I have had CSA's "manually adjust" the prices as a courtesy. However, there seems to be no consistency in service.

    That said, they waived the shipping on my last 2 orders - so I think it worked out. Also, the lovely folks at all three B&M's within driving distance are willing to honour the disc. on the items I can purchase in store & I can save shipping. Although that's usually offset by gas $$$.

    I'll admit that I get a little frustrated, both by the "hidden fee" of freight on petite orders & the inconsistency of disc.s. Then I remember the little boost I feel whenever someone compliments me on my outfit or says "Well, she always looks so great". Then I'm willing to put up w. the trouble.

    As I always say: It's better to see the glass as half-full because then you get something to drink ... If you're really lucky, it's whiskey!

    Hope y'all have a fabulous weekend,

    Heather:D

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  61. I've NEVER even been asked to prove that I am an educator to get my discount -- it's simply given when I request it. If they are not even asking for proof, then obviously JC isn't too concerned about who is using the discount and who isn't. So let's lighten up on those using old IDs, etc, hmm?

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  62. So now I will pretend to be a teacher or a student to get the discount even though I am not, and to heck with everyone else! What a selfish attitude Stacy!

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  63. I need advice...I just received a package from an order I placed with the free shippping promo with no minimun. I thought it was final sale, but they sent me a return label and it's not labeled as such. So, I am wondering, if I call will they give me an additional 20% or can I go to the store, return and rebuy for the additional 30%? Has anyone ever done this? Or, am I being a cheat? Thanks in advance for your advice.

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  64. I know I'm in the minority here, but I wish JC would end this discount altogether...

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  65. anon 4:43: You answered your own question.

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  66. anon 4:48 I wish they would get rid of the policy too. Too many non educators abuse it.

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  67. Anon 4:43-
    I have returned and re bought at JC many times. As a matter of fact I bought the double serge skirt 3x and returned 2x b/c the price kept being reduced (each time I saved over $25 by returning and re buying). This was probably a little extreme and I would by no means suggest it.
    I don't think it is dishonest esp if the item is not FS and is in the 60 day reurn period. You can't help JCs crazy pricing structure/ promos or their refusal to do price adjustments after the alloted time.

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  68. Anon @ 4:43: Receiving a return label does not mean the items are returnable. I have never received a package from JC that did not include a return label, even if the entire box was full of FS merchandise. They always include a label because JC is not completely unreasonable and realizes that customers may have a legitimate reason for returning a FS item, notwithstanding the "no returns/no exchanges" policy. I've know, I've done it and had no troubles.

    Whether you can return and re-buy, who knows. Probably depends on who is working that day. I'd be surprised if you succeeded in either plan. But then I won't have the gumption to try either one. In my view, you made a deal and should live with it.

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  69. Yeah, I don't see the big deal in people using old ID's either. Like others have said, if J.Crew is going to be lax about it, this must not be one of their top concerns. They can easily reign this problem in themselves if they wanted to. Think of how many employees buy clothes for their significant other/family/friends on their discount. ALOT. This happens at all retail stores, not just J.Crew. Same thing, different name. The world has larger problems than this!

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  70. It is human nature to be annoyed by anyone who lies to receive an advantage. Regardless of how small and insignificant the advantage is.
    If we did not have a sense of fairness built into our brains, we would not last long as a species

    Personally I don't care if some one finagles a discount but don't post about it and act surprised when people are ticked lol.

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  71. anon: There is a difference employees are allowed to purchase gifts for the friends, but to continue to use an old ID is just cheating.

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  72. Anon 4:43-
    I just returned an FS item. I got the email confirmation that said it was not FS but on my receipt that came in the box it said FS. I took the email confirmation to the B&M and said to the SA that it's not my fault if JC is inconstant. I don't feel bad about it all. I'm not going to get stuck with something that I don't like. I work way too hard for my money and if JC didn’t impose FS it wouldn’t be an issue for them.

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  73. What's wrong with people using old id's is that it's cheating and lying. Since when did these two things become okay? If that's true, then Madoff shouldn't be charged.

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  74. Shannon - excellent points. Too funny when the reactions come in an posters are shocked? What? You don't like that I got an invalid discount? *gasp*

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  75. I just placed an order online and they said that since the "EXTRA20" is a coupon, it cannot be combined with any other offers, including the teacher discount. Well...it was certainly nice of them to give teachers a discount in the first place...but it's too bad they can't combine offers anymore!

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  76. Who has the time and patience to return a skirt 3X? I hope it was not worn.

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  77. In my store we ask for a current student ID with a .edu email address and a valid teacher ID with their school email. If you seem shady, like you're lying or using a super old ID- you will be denied. Don't take advantage of J.CREW (or any retailer for that matter). It's WRONG. We provide this special service to our customers because we appreciate all of them, NOT to be taken advantage of.

    I'm sorry to say this as I've been with the company for 5 years, but our customer base is becoming increasingly demanding, rude, and greedy. We're doing all we can for you in light of website/CS issues and if you are not content, please find another retailer to shop with instead of incessantly complaining.

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  78. anon 6:52- Well said, it must be hard to work in CS these days. People complain about inconsistent policies but these inconsistencies are often the result of greedy customers.

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  79. Anon @ 6:59: No, JCrew's inconsistencies are NOT the fault of greedy customers. It's a lack of control on management's part. It's these inconsistencies that reinforce our habit of trying multiple ways to get a better deal out of JC. Please don't blame the loyal shoppers for JCrew's ridiculousness (is that a word?)

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  80. How about a discount for stay-at-home moms? I don't have ANY income and I need (O.K., want) to look good, too!

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  81. To the anon that implied employees are purchasing "gifts" for friends and family? Riiiight. If by gifts you mean, the employees buy the merchandise for friends/family and then said friends/family reimburse them and relish in the sweet discount! Yes, I'm sure employees do purchase gifts on occassion, but you better believe many are also taking advantage of the discount. Sorry to say, but true. And know what else? I'm pretty sure people at my work (all engineers) steal pens from work every now and then. And even hop on the internet during the work day, "stealing" company time. Yawn.

    A sweeping generalization that all J.Crew customers are becoming rude and greedy? Wow, this is not really the best forum to complain about the customers (us, hello!)that are helping keep J.Crew in business (and your job, btw).

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  82. I agree with anon @7:33. The inconsistancy is the problem. If I was able to combine discounts 10 times in that last month, and now today I can't, of course I'm going to ask (and probably complain) about it. It doesn't make sense.

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  83. Anonymous 2:55 PM:

    That is a great point. I'm a teacher, and since the 15% educator's discount came to be, I have pretty much been a loyal JCrew shopper (pulled me away from Gap since with the extra 15% jcrew isn't ghastly more than gap.) I love clothes and have a great time planning my wardrobe each day :)

    At least one person (either another teacher or most often a student) asks me each day where I got my sweater, or necklace, or skirt.... and they hear over and over J crew. It does get a lot of the younger girls in there to check it out. They all seem to have certain preconceptions of it, but after they see the clothes on (and put together in a not so basic way) they find themselves venturing in the next time they pass it in the mall.

    You're right--it's not a bad marketing ploy and I for one am glad to be of any help :)

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  84. ANON 7:49: I don't think it was a sweeping generalization the person was a J Crew employee who deals with the public day in and day out.

    Just like Shannon said do not be surprised by peoples reaction if you are going to post abuse of policies here.

    I guess blaming J Crew for their inconsistencies policies is how people live with themselves for being dishonest.

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  85. Hrmph - I'll believe it when I see it. I'm guessing this is just one employee's *opinion* about the policy, and actual application of the discount will be as hit-or-miss as usual.

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  86. Anony@7:41

    This is not one employees take. I have heard this same thing from 5 employees and P.S. and others confirm on this post (if you read them) this is the official policy but not all CS are aware of it and/or choose not to follow it.

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  87. I've placed three orders in the last week and called CS about a different situation. After we got the other situation taken care of, I asked her about retroactively applying my educator's discount. At first she said no, it couldn't be combined, but then I (nicely) explained that I believed the policy was (what was quoted in Anon's origianl email). She put me on hold and came back after about 3 minutes and gave me the discount on all the orders I'd placed on final sale stuff for the last month. She admitted that even for them, the policy was confusing. Perhaps more JCA's should try this as, if JC gets enough complaints/requests, it might force them to get their act together on this (admittedly ridiculous) problem.

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  88. I haven't been able to get my student discount since before Christmas with my online orders that I used a promotion for, but I nicely e-mailed about a sale order I placed this week explaining how CS told me the discount could be applied since it was not a global discount and they "gladly' applied it! My first time in a month or so! So happy there is a consistent policy now that we can reference. It seems as if this policy is making its way down the CS chain and hopefully they will get it all straight. I am very grateful for the discount but it absolutely needs to be followed the same way for each customer. I hated thinking that I was being denied a discount when other people were getting it and how it was the "luck of the draw." Nice to see j crew taking steps to fix some of their problems. BTW I got my starfish bathing suit and it's GORGEOUS!!! Can't wait to wear it on my cruise in April!!

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  89. hooray! I had placed on order online w/ just using extra20 after calling and having a CS associate tell me that extra20 + the student discount couldn't be applied together. I just called j.crew and managed to have the student discount applied to my order retroactively. There was resistance at first, and the CS associate told me that the previous associate was right, the two could not be combined. I asked her to verify with her supervisor and she came and gave me the discount retroactively.


    I'm so grateful for this blog!

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  90. I just (01/17/08) placed an order over the phone and the cs rep applied the student discount to my order. I just had to provide my school .edu email address.

    I appreciate J.Crew making this discount available to students (just wish I'd known about it earlier.)

    -Satisfied and Loyal J.Crew Customer

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  91. ^^I also purchased at a B&M store in the LA-area last week and they applied the student discount as well as the additional 30% off promotion without my having to ask or say anything. I merely presented the clerk with my student ID card.

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  92. THANK YOU for this code, I just placed an order and instead of paying $39.99, I only paid $31.99. So.. that pretty much was getting free shipping! Thanks! LOOOOVE your blog because I LOOOOVE JCREW!

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  93. Wow - I am an SA and totally disappointed in Stacy's deceptions. Whether she believes they are deceptive or not. I am also really sad to hear that others do this. As a veteran, I am disappointed that we do not offer a military discount. As a business member, I realize that teachers and students are quite a large chunk of who J. Crew appeals to, and that that discount is an amazing marketing and traffic driving strategy. Our store is quite strict on the policy. You must show a valid student and or teacher ID to get the discount. If you do not show the ID, we will not provide the discount. However, we will adjust your receipt if you cme back to the store with it and your ID.

    Also, I am not sure about other SAs, but I DO NOT buy things for other people and then get reimbursed. I am no goody two-shoes, but am a huge beleiver in karma.

    Stores can combine the discounts with no issue on their system, so do not let anyone tell you otherwise. However, keep in mind, JC Management gives their managers quite a bit of freedom. Higher priced areas might not feel the needs to combine discounts the way other stores might. (this is just a theory though.

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  94. I am so glad I could help you guys get the discount in the last few posts!

    Cheers,
    Anonymous in IL:)

    ReplyDelete
  95. Anonymous in IL:

    Thank you so much for this helpful info!!

    ReplyDelete
  96. You can't combine a shipping promo code with your student discount either. I tried through online customer service to do this, and they informed me that the shipping code is not combinable with the student discount. However, when discovered that the student discount would result in a larger discount than the shipping code, I asked them to remove the shipping code and apply the student discount. I was then told that my order had progressed too far to make any changes.

    So in order to use your student/teacher discount online, you must not use any other promo codes, and then contact customer service to get your discount.

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  97. I love this site--I just discovered you. You just saved me an additional $11 (teacher discount) on top of the $18 (extra20 coupon)!!!(THANK YOU!

    ReplyDelete
  98. Dear JCrew Customer Services,

    I am a frequent shopper at JCrew stores and online. Recently, I've been provided with different information regarding the applicability of the student discount to my online/phone orders. In stores, when I make a purchase or order (through the red phone), regardless of the current promotions, extra percentage off, I am always able to show a valid student ID and get an additional 15% off my entire purchase. However, on the phone, this seems to be extremely inconsistent and confusing. At times, I am able to apply my student discount without a problem, but during other times, the associates give me an extremely hard time and does not allow me to use the student discount, making the shopping experience very unpleasant.

    When trying to place an order on 3/10, a sales associate from the Lynchburg call center told me I would NEVER be able to apply my student discount if I am to use ANY other promotion codes. This was inconsistent with what I experienced on the phone on my previous orders are well as the shopping experiences in stores. To address this concern, I called customer service on 3/10 and 3/11, and I was told that I would not be able to combine "same" types of coupons (e.g. coupons that applied to my entire order), but I would be able to apply the student discount if the coupons applied to "specific" items in my order (e.g. a specific final sale item). I was also told that IF I made my order ONLINE myself and not through the phone, I just have to send in an email from my student address, and the discount would ALWAYS apply - is this true? If this is true, I would certainly not want to go through explaining to the sales associate over the phone if I can apply the student discount to any purchases or types of orders I make online. To reiterate, all this information is extremely confusing and laced with inconsistency, especially when the information provided by the associate on the phone (can never use student discount with any promotions) and in-store (can apply student discount to ANY purchase) don't even match up!

    Before writing to voice this concern, I did some research online, and I noticed that many other students are also having this same issue with online/phone orders:

    "After spending $600, I was extremely disappointed that J Crew would not apply the 15% student discount. I was told that because I used the TURKEY code, it could not be applied. However, I had a friend who received the discount on top of the TURKEY code the day before. The thing that irks me is that nowhere on their website does it say that the student/teacher discount cannot be applied w/other discounts, which they readily admit. I will think twice the next time I want to make a J Crew purchase. 15% for a student desperately needing business casual attire adds up when you're spending a significant sum."

    "As a store associate, we've heard great responses to this and we DO combine BOTH the teacher's discount as well as the student discount with sale promotions such as the additional 30% that's on now."

    "But, they DO need to be consistent. Some cs will give the extra (in addition with other discounts) and some will not. This is the aggravating part. BE CONSISTENT. I do have to say that I have no trouble using it in my b&m, just online and over the phone (both home and red)."

    "I was recently told that I could use the student discount if I didn't also use a free shipping code, and then after I placed the order (without free shipping), I was told that I could not apply the student discount after all!"

    "Never had a problem combining discounts in the store. I recently got a J Crew Credit Card and used the 10% new card discount + 15% student discount + 40% final sale at my B&M store and didn't have a problem. I have had a problem getting them to combine discounts for online orders. I usually just try for a different CS until I one that will apply all the discounts. A little time consuming...."

    As you can see from the compilation of comments I retrieved from various online blogs, alot of other students have been experiencing the same issue. I am writing to suggest JCrew Online/Phone to have consistent policies with the stores. If the stores are able to apply a student discount to ANY orders made by a student with a valid ID, why is it that students are given such a hard time when making phone or online orders? I understand that promotions could vary between stores and online; however, students are still students when we make phone or online orders, I don't understand why the policies are so discrepant and inconsistent. If there is a consistency in the applicability of the student discount to any phone/online/in-store purchases, our shopping experience would be more pleasant. Thank you for your time.

    **Reading all the responses, I am guessing I will probably be provided with another set of "inconsistent" reponses from customer service...

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  99. Btw, this is still a problem. I ordered from FS using my edu discount 5 days ago, and then when I put in a huge order yesterday, I was told I couldn't use the discount on any non-regular priced items! :(

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  100. After trying to figure out how to use Teacher-Student Discount online, I received this response:

    "We are happy to apply the 15% teacher discount
    to any qualifying item on your order. Please place your order as is, send us an email from your school email address containing your confirmation number and your request for the discount, and we'll refund
    your card for the difference as soon as your order is available for updating. Branded partnership items and Final Sale (ending in .99) items are not eligible for this discount. Please note that the credit
    may not appear on your statement for 1-2 billing cycles.รค

    ReplyDelete

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