Referencing {FAQ}

Monday, January 12, 2009

Update On J.Crew's Sample Sale {starts early}

"Thanks!" to Jeff who let us know some more (& new) information about J.Crew's sample sale (refer to here and here).

As indicated in the above image (found at Clothing Line's website), the sample sale will also feature Special Weddings and Parties Collection, as well as Crewmutts. More exciting, the sample sale starts a day early: on Tuesday, January 2oth!
The address for the location is:
Clothingline | SSS Sample Sales
261 W 36th Street (between 7th & 8th Ave)
2nd Floor
New York, NY 10018

Happy shopping for those in the area. {yey!} :)

35 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. Oh, how I wish I lived in New York. But maybe it's a good thing I don't -- I'd have to be restrained due to all my excitement.

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  3. It's in my calendar. It should be fun, I can't wait to see the clothes. I also want a crewmutts sweater for the puppy we are getting this spring so hopefully they will have a lot, since it is a feature of this sale.

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  4. Since i have never acctually been to one, what exactly is a sample sale?

    Last season super discounted? Up coming season? Big sale?

    Thanks!

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  5. How large do the sizes run at a JC sample sale?

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  6. Snow: in my experience sample sales usually have overstock for super cheap, items used for photoshoots (so model size), and/or one-of-a-kind items that were made for designers to test out something (e.g., a dress in blue but they produced them in black).

    e.g., maybe that floral trim ruffle astrid with ruffles on the sleeves ; )p

    if anyone picks up some cute unique size0 or shoe sz6.5 undamaged samples and wants to sell them i'd be up for paying what you did + a bit extra + shipping ; ) what a nice surprise that would be on the weekly exchange!

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  7. I was contemplating a trip up there but I'm guessing size 8 & 10 would be scarce! Maybe they would have larger shoes since all the models are tall? I wear a 10, may be worth the trip for that...
    Anyone from the Philadelphia area going?

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  8. I can't wait to go, bringing my girlfriend with me for some serious shopping.... hopefully get some great deals!

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  9. I'm going and the new start date works even better for us!!

    I was wondering about the sizes, too. I'm thinking that "model" sizes may not be just super-small sizes ... especially in shoes! Many of those girls are very tall, so I'm assuming they don't all wear zeros in clothes and size 6 shoes! Any clue?

    I'm also hoping there will be some overstock items.... I remember reading somewhere that some 'sample' sales will also have 'overstock' items, as well!

    I'm at least hoping my husband can find a coat while we're there .... it will make me feel better about dragging him to the sale!!! :)

    Either way, I have been on a J. Crew spending freeze for over a month in prep for this sample sale... so I plan to go crazy ... and also buy things I think other JCA's might find appealing and share the great deals!

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  10. Thanks!

    I'm going ot be there Jan 23-Jan 27 so i'm going ot check it out! I hope they have stuff left in a size 4 on the 23rd!!

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  11. I wonder if we'll see an increase in J. Crew items listed on ebay. I bet those ebay resellers will be there, too. I guess that will be the only way I can access things from the sample sale!

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  12. I am excited for the sale itself but I'm dreading the crowds. I dislike the way people behave during the morning commute on the subways and sidewalks and I can only imagine what containing all the aficionadas and aficionados in one room is going to do. I am hoping for good crowd control.

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  13. Too bad Tuesday is Inauguration. I'm going to see Obama!

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  14. ^ Cool. I wish I were going. Shopping is a poor substitute for an historic event . . .

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  15. Lee: How exciting! I would pick going to the Inauguration over sample sale any day! :D

    Those going to the SS in NY, have fun! Tell us about the craziness and the long lines so we won't be envious of all the super-cool stuff you find! :)

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  16. Oh I can't wait to hear all the details -- and photos please!

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  17. It may be a little early - here is the weather report as of today for Jan 20:

    Few Snow Showers
    High 33°F
    Low 25°F
    Precip 30%

    Dress warm for the kill :)

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  18. jcbellemarie is correct, they're basically just variations of clothing that was produced as, well . . . samples before mass production for retail. Samples would be made by factories overseas, which would be shipped to the ordering company & in turn would be evaluated. To rid of these samples, they would be placed on sale. This isn't always the case, but that's what I grasped during the short time I worked in the garment district. You might find styles that was never released, so if you're interested you should check it out. There should be previous releases there as well. If you're going to make the trip there, I'd suggest you go there early, if not in the first day since sizes are sold out quickly.

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  19. The sample size for shoes is usually very small (5.5-6.5). These small shoes are used in the shots in the shoe section, they are not worn by the models. Larger shoes, those worn by the models, might be available.

    Some clothing will be model-sized, yes, but a lot will be larger, I predict. They have to see what the clothing will look like in larger sizes before sending it for production (they use fit models in various sizes for that).

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  20. Do you guys think there will be anything left on Saturday/ Is it worth going that late? I live in Boston & can only make it on the weekend : (

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  21. There's always a chance that there will be something left. Even if there isn't, there's other things to do in NYC.

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  22. Kendra
    I just looked at the website and the company hosting the sale states that often enough the sale gets replenished throughout the week. You will probably have a selection towards the end. I am seriously debating on going but the cost to get there would probably out weigh the chances of me finding something in my size...

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  23. I've been to J. Crew sample sales before, and their samples are a size 8. I'm a size 0-2 in J. Crew so the samples are too big for me, but it is fun to look!

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  24. Gwen - I am from the Philadelphia area but now live in NYC. My favorite mode of transportation back and forth is Boltbus or Megabus - if you book far enough in advance tickets are $1 but if you book now they probably around $10. Very clean, Coach buses with bathrooms, free WiFi, etc.
    Lots cheaper than the train and they drop off at Penn Station which is very close to the sale!
    Hope that helps!

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  25. I'm hoping that even if clothing samples are too big for me, the handbags and accessories should still work! I'm getting so excited about going! I do hope there will be some size 2 / smaller sizes in the sale... otherwise I guess I'll be buying stuff for other people... or getting a lot of stuff tailored!

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  26. Will there be petite sizes?? I'm in Philly, so it would be a short trip .

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  27. Hey all,

    Off topic but just got an email -- cardmembers only -- 20% off final sale with code EXTRA20 ...

    I'm on a buying freeze but hope this helps somebody!

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  28. unrelated shipping woes--

    I talked to 2 CSRs yesterday and received an email, all assuring me that my saturday morning order was fine and nothing was canceled. When I checked my email after work, I was notified that one of my items had been canceled! And the other item is still sitting at "open." *sigh* :/

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  29. I don't know about this sale, but other sample sales I've been too often have all sizes available. Some companies use the term "sample sale" to broadly mean first quality clothes at ultra cheap prices and thus will include overstock in all sizes, current and last season, as well as technical samples.

    I'll be in NYC that weekend, I'm hoping there are some good things left on Saturday!

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  30. I cannot wait! I needed to waste some rollover vacation days by 3/31so this will be one of them!!!! My Mom and I are going.... cannot wait....

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  31. I'm a bit disappointed they added that extra day at the beginning because I wanted to be there on the first day of the sale so i had taken Wednesday off from work (I work in NYC btw)..now I don't know if I should try to get Tues off to be there the first day or go Wednesday when there might be a smaller crowd but risk having very few things in my size left..I also want to watch the inauguration on TV when it's happening..but I want as much JC stuff as I can get!

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  32. I used to work in the fashion biz and our sample sales were frequently replenished every day. Those of you that can't make the first day, no worries! There will probably be something fantastic out on the day you go that wasn't out the first day. Also, "sample size" usually means an 8, although I'm sure there will be tons of different sizes there. I wouldn't be surprised if there are some catalog returns mixed in as well. Have fun!!! I will be living in the NYC area next year, so I hope JC continues doing this on an annual basis.

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  33. I've been to several other sales by this company and this is speculation, but they seem to specialize in helping mid to high end brands(Hickey, Kenneth Cole, Helmut Lang) etc. "discreetly dispose" of higher end stuff. That said, they tend not to be "sample" sales, but more like outlet shopping from the 90's where the inventory was comprised of merch that didn't sell through at retail rather than the current model of cut & sew specifically for outlets. Given that J Crew seemed to have a lot of leftovers going into the fall based on the unending final sales and such, as the marketing suggest(summer, cruise, etc) i expect this will be a ton of spring/summer 08 that never sold, but again, i'm just speculating.

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  34. I emailed the folks at Clothingline about sizes for the sample sale and got this response:

    "we will know better over the weekend. we are just starting to receive the inventory.
    we will post sizes in the j crew email (that will be sent on Sunday) and on our
    website."

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