A big "thanks!" to Kim & Soon to be PhD who were kind to share J.Crew's latest email concerning their Factory Stores. J.Crew Factory Stores will be holding a sale, where you can "save 30% off all cardigans, shorts, skirts, jewelry and flipflops". This sale will last until Wednesday, May 13th. (No coupon is necessary.)
The only thing that is confusing about the sale is the application of it-- the main words of the email state "save 30% off all" items, while the fine print of the email states the sale is "on select items only".
Will you stop by your local Factory Store to check out the offerings & take advantage of this sale? If so, please share! :)
I think I just figured out what I want to do on Mother's Day =)
ReplyDeleteLol! I wish my mom liked JCrew! : )
ReplyDeleteHas anyone been to the outlets lately (particularly Wrentham village)? I find the tees to be of poorer quality than the retail store, but I've never had any problems with capris, and I wouldn't mind picking up a few trendier pieces for less!
i wish that either the quality of factory items would go up to meet the prices OR the prices would go down to meet the quality. While I don't have a reg. j.crew in my area, I do have an outlet nearby. I get my hopes up every time i go and am always disappointed.
ReplyDeletethey are good for trendy accessories though that are somewhat cheaper.
I am going *next* Sunday when we have a girls weekend about 5 minutes from the Leesburg outlet. Bummer!! I know the quality isn't as good, but it's a good place to find some fill-in pieces that the regular stores might not be offering.
ReplyDeletei was just @ the wrentham village location last week kendra. its a regular disappointment, every now and then though you can rack up on a few items, but for the most part i always find it disappointing... i wont make the drive from boston for this promo, im a teacher so ill just use that discoutn
ReplyDeleteI love the outfit Vanessa is wearing in the picture. Does anyone know the name of that print on the skirt?
ReplyDeleteI might check it out. With extra discounts like that, it's usually easier to find good deals at factory outlets. :)
ReplyDeleteI won't be going this weekend...I actually have 2 Factory stores nearby and haven't been to either of them yet.
ReplyDeletelexiloo,
ReplyDeleteIschia kaleidoscope print. They made a dress, bathing suit and bag in this print, too! Probably a few other items I am forgetting...
Appgal & cease-- I agree about the disappointment factor-- I always get excited and am then let down.. Mostly it's the quality (e.g., the Jackies are quite thin) and the trendier pieces don't seem to be cut & detailed as nicely. I keep going back expecting something different!
ReplyDeleteI do think their button-ups are a good deal though-- haven't had a problem with the quality, and they are much cheaper than retail.
Has anyone come across some good outlet finds lately?
Sale section updated! No items I looked at had changed prices, and the update wasn't huge..
ReplyDeleteThe navy sydney dress is on sale for $49.99 though; I have it in pewter and it fits great! (TTS)
Hi Alexis, I just wanted to say that I LOVE love your blog! I just found it a couple days ago and it's great! Thanks so much for writing!
ReplyDeleteI know I'm in the minority here, but I love the outlet! I find that the chino shorts and cafe capris fit me better than the retail ones, and the quality seems to be comparable. Also, they usually have alot of nice necklaces, much cheaper than the retail stores. My husband has gotten alot of nice shorts there, and they have Crewcuts, too. I will try to go if I get a chance before next Wednesday.
ReplyDeleteI haven't hit any outlets since I've been living in MI. When I was in Savannah, I'd go to the Hilton Head outlets several times a year and I always found a gem or two. I kind of miss those treks, but it is nicer having a regular B&M within five minutes of my house. Any other Ann Arborites around to comment on closest/ best factory stores in the area? TIA!
ReplyDeleteSallyO- I also love the outlets! I have never, ever had a quality problem there, and if you shop them right, you can get some really good deals. One thing I learned is to hardly ever pick up a new arrival. They seem to invariably go on an ever bigger promotion if you can just wait it out a couple of weeks!
ReplyDeleteI like the denim at the outlets, they have a fav fit jean that fit just like the fav fit chinos.
ReplyDeletethe skirt is the paisley kaleidoscope print and they made it in a cafe capri as well which I have and love.
ReplyDeleteAs for outlets, I feel like they are hit or miss. Although, the last time I was in Limerick PA, just last week, I scored the retail version-not outlet version- of the Italian Matelasse Lucia jacket for only $46.00!!! New with retail tags still attached! It was originally $300! I think the outlets are good for staples- shorts, bermudas, t's..etc and sometimes the sale racks have some major deals!
Thanks much, tastymoog. Love your blog! (Have I said that before?)
ReplyDeleteThanks jcrewlover! You're so lucky to have gotten the capris.
The only things I generally buy at the outlets are the retail pieces that wind up there. I have gotten some $300+ things for like, $20 at the outlet. But otherwise, most of it is poor quality. The outlet cafe capris do seem to be the same quality thought... I have one pair of those and I like them.
ReplyDeleteI might go to the Blowing Rock, NC or Gaffney, SC outlets within the next week. I hope they have some good stuff!
Hello everyone!
ReplyDeleteI'm in Canada so I can't get out to a B&M or outlet. Does anyone know if outlets carry discontinued/damaged/older items from retail stores, or just the J Crew "outlet" label? I wonder where the ebay resellers get their "black mark through label" shoes & boots. There's a pair of boots I've been stalking since fall 08 on the website and they're still $229, and $159 on ebay. sigh.
PS. Thanks to Alexis for this wonderful blog!
I also agree that the quality in the outlets is poor. I did stop by my nearest outlet about a month ago. I was pretty disappointed overall - but I did find a really cute slub-cotton gray t-shirt with a pink flamingo on the front. Very cute!
ReplyDeleteDon't trust things on ebay saying the "tag has been marked to prevent returns" I never have had J Crew mark any tag on any item. These resellers seem to have items that are always sold out and often times have had items on ebay even before they are sold in the stores or on the website. If you love the boots, pay the extra $70.00. If you need to return them for any reason you won't have a problem.
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely checking it out, I'll let you know if it's worth it!
ReplyDeleteI'm stopping on my way home from work tonight. I'll report back.
ReplyDeleteOff T: Has anyone else noticed how fast the Poppy Floral Jacket is selling??? I heard it is the surprise BIG seller of the season from my PS!
ReplyDeleteOn T: I would love to go to an outlet but there are none near me. I think it would be worth checking out...you never know!
Connie and Susan, I wrote J.Crew asking about a particular ebay seller of bags. The seller had MANY listings of current merchandise, all with black marks through the label. I have never had a black mark through the label on any outlet or sale item. I thought something was fishy so I wrote and asked about the mysterious BLACK MARK. This is the response I received:
ReplyDeleteDear Jodi,
Your email was forwarded to me for review, the information you see noted on the Ebay seller’s auction site is for items that were most likely purchased in one of our clearance stores or from a liquidator. We have two clearance stores, one in Lynchburg VA and the other in Asheville NC. Items in those stores are final sale, no returns are accepted and lines are marked through the label by our associates to assist us with any possible returns.
We also sell to liquidators from time to time and those items have a line marked through the label for the same reason.
Items sold in clearance stores and through liquidators are not necessarily first quality. Therefore, I highly recommend shopping with us directly to insure you are receiving first quality goods.
Thank you for contacting us with your concerns, we look forward to serving you in the future.
Best regards,
Carolyn Fellers
J Crew
Loss Prevention
Road trip to VA or NC anyone?!!!
ReplyDeleteI just love JCrew's response: shop with us! I have countless items with black marks through the label in my closet. The only other people who know this work at my dry cleaners! I'd like to know who their liquidators are! Sorry, JCrew, some of us are a bit savvier than you hope . . .
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteJodi, thanks for posting that info.
ReplyDeleteNothing wrong with J.Crew's statement. Why else would the items be marked? To prevent returns to the clearance center for sure. To be positive you do get something that can be returned if defective, buying directly from them is the best - it's just not the only option out there. I've got some great stuff from ebay too, definitely worth a look. And for those highly-coveted items, sometimes it's ebay or if you're really lucky, the Weekly Exchange. Otherwise, if you wait you may be SOL.
Hi Everyone,
ReplyDeleteIf you spot a Cotton Poplin Sydney dress in Navy size 8 - would you let me know (item #97372)
Thanks!
marymoo86 (at) live (dot) com
No kidding road trip! Boy would I love to get in on the clearance center action. I would NOT mind having a black label through my dream boots if it means I can save lots of $$.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the email Jodi!
whoa...where is this clearance center in asheville? anyone know? that is my nearest shopping town!
ReplyDeleteAppGal - it's probably near or attached to the distribution center I imagine.
ReplyDeletePaige & Connie: Thanks for the nice words- its super kind of you!!! :)
ReplyDeleteHaha yes road trip please! Do the clearance stores have regular store hours or do they just occasionally hold events?
ReplyDeleteRe: a'ville clearance center: yeah looks like it's just a couple of miles from the biltmore village b&m. i'm driving through there in a couple of weeks. i'm so stopping by.
ReplyDeletei want to go to there. (30 Rock reference, anyone?) :)
I was really impressed with the selection and the prices at my local outlet today which surprised me because it's been awhile since I've bought anything there - lately everything has just seemed really blah and overpriced.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, almost everything in the store is on promo for anywhere from 20 - 50% off. The city fit chinos were half price, making them about $25. The store I went to had these in seven colors: dark green, khaki, stone, white, gray, pink, and coral. Chino crops were also half price and pretty much all skirts, shorts and sweaters were 30% off. They had a huge selection of shorts in different fits and colors, probably at least 30 different pairs.
So I think it's definitely worth a look if you're near an outlet.
Appgal, have AT, woman! Mmm, clearance center-y goodness...
ReplyDeleteI went to a JC Outlet last weekend and was overall not impressed! I tried on TONS of stuff that looked cute at first, but nothing fit like the regular JC clothing and I ended up leaving with nothing... which is not normal for me at a regular JC store! If I NEEDED clothing, I could have loaded up, but there was nothing that I LOVED!
ReplyDeleteI stopped by my outlet this afternoon and was also impressed by the quantity and quality of the inventory. In addition to everthing Hyphenate_Me listed above, mine had the distressed boyfriend jeans and matchstick jeans (each $59.50 plus 30% off), lots of slub graphic tees, slub artist tees, and perfect fit tees. There were also a ton of adorable summer dresses (didn't recognize any specific styles, but there was a huge variety, mostly halter and strapless styles), a big round table with Jackies in every color imaginable (I believe these were 30% off $49.50), and some really cute print and solid v-neck cardis (30% off $69.50). I picked up a couple of ADORABLE printed strapless tops that were called "strapless slub top" on the receipt, but they are a more structured slub cotton, not soft t-shirt material. They were $49.50 plus $10 off each.
ReplyDeleteAlso saw several Belle skirts (navy/white and black/white floral prints). The clearance racks were stuffed but I didn't see anything terribly exciting there except for some cute cardis with rhinestone-studded chiffon rosettes on the neckline (I bought a lavender one, marked down to $44.97 from $69.50).
Mine has never before stocked jewelry (other than a few bracelets at the checkstand), but they had a big display of necklaces, mostly made-for-outlet knockoffs of the silk ribbon and bead necklace. There were a few of turtle necklaces and some other nautical-themed ones - I didn't look very closely at those. I did pick up an enamel Magnolia necklace for $15, however.
Bottom line - best sale & inventory I've seen at my outlet (in CO) in a looong time. I had to hold myself back from seriously overspending.
Kind of OT, but I know some people like to hear about other stores that sell clothing in similar styles to J.Crew.
ReplyDeleteI just returned from the mall and scored some great deals at Benetton. 2/3 of the store, the early spring line, was 50% off. I bought a couple of tops very similar to J.Crew's short-sleeve stretch broadcloth shirt, which I have in the blue stripe. The benetton version came in pink, white, lavender, pale yellow and a slightly different styled version in both navy and pink gingham. They have a basic collar compared to the ruffle collar on J.Crew's version.
I really like the J.Crew top, which I got on the 20% promo. Regular price is $59.50. The benetton versions I picked up were $23 each and they are just as stylish, very cute. They are nicely tailored in a quality cotton stretch broadcloth that is a little heavier than J.Crew's broadcloth.
I also got two linen button-down shirts for $35 each and a linen-cotton short skirt for $33.
Talbot's had some cardi's similar to the Jackie, but no shells. Has anyone tried the "Jackie" from Talbot's? The cotton blend felt much nicer than my latest from J.Crew this spring but I didn't have time to try on for fit. A little more expensive than the J.Crew version too, but if they are good quality and fit I'm fine with that. Love to hear opinions from those who have tried these.
Sorry for the long post!
Does anyone have any info on what crewcuts items are at outlets right now (boys)? I know only 10-12 outlets carry crewcuts. Just curious what they have and price ranges. TIA!
ReplyDeleteAppGal - please report back about the asheville clearance center. I'm from Asheville and fly back there occasionally to visit family. I had no idea there was a clearance center there!
ReplyDeleteAppGal - Documentary on making pies?! I love that show too.
ReplyDeleteYes, do report back on your findings, and if you see the boots that have been haunting my dreams (the grey fabienne flat boots in 6 or 6.5) - I would LOVE to compensate you for your time & shipping! Thank you thank you thank you!
chyleung@gmail.com
I would like to check out the outlet at least once. The nearest outlet is about one hour away so it would have to be a day trip. I love the print on the skirt also.
ReplyDeleteSO SAD! I days away from an outlet store!
ReplyDeleteAppGal: I get you! LOL
"That's a deal breaker ladies!"
I just looked closer at the pattern on the skirt and the little girls dress. It was used in Spring 08. I have a purse with this pattern. Heather just styled the yellow dotted purse in the same style on her blog. Now I really want that skirt.
ReplyDelete