A big "thanks!" to Sydneygirl (in this post) who shared the following news about J.Crew's red phone:"...they will no longer allow you to have both free shipping from the red phone on full price items AND your teacher/student discount. You can only have one or the other. The red phone used to be their big thing they promoted vs other stores. Now they are taking away their discounts all over the place. I was told this was a new policy."
This is sad J.Crew-related news. It seems as though the benefits and perks keep getting reduced. With that said, I am still very thankful for the teacher/educator and student discounts at J.Crew- and I hope they do not remove it altogether. Especially since the retail industry is still hurting (just look at retailers like Eddie Bauer, who recently filed for bankruptcy protection).
What are your thoughts on this latest change? Did you know about this change? Will this have an impact on your future orders?
Thank you, thank you, J Screw!
ReplyDeleteWell, it has already affected how I am shopping with them. Much less. Mainly due to the fact that I can no longer use both discounts on sale items online AND now on the red phone../ You cannot use it with regular priced items either on the red phone. Free shipping or educator's discount. It at least used to offset the high shipping rates I paid online when shopping. Now, I really think twice. Do I really NEED this? (NO!) Before, I just bought what I wanted if the price was right b/c of the dual discount. I mean, every little bit helps. I know others don't care about paying for shipping as much as say I do...but with so many companies increasing benefits...free shipping AND extra % off--and educators/student discounts (other places I shop offer it along with other discounts) and don't make me feel bad when I ask! Very pleasant:)I mean, does JCrew want me to keep shopping there? Are they making it easy? fun? Not right now with removing more "perks" when there weren't that many to begin with!
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, Alexis, like you said, at least they still offer it on full priced items. Just doesn't offer me much incentive--I rarely buy full priced. But for others, I am sure they are still happy to have it! So cheers to you:)
I'm kind of indifferent to it, probably because those discounts currently do not apply to me. The only time I've ever used the red phone was when there was something in store that I liked enough to pay full price, but needed in a petite size.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if this has been discussed, but awhile back on the "red phone" if you ordered a full price item with sale items shipping would still be free for entire purchase. That's not the case anymore. Now you will be charged shipping rates for the total price of the sale items.
ReplyDeleteI have to say the one thing I really dislike about J. Crew is their high shipping costs. For as much as they produce, they could be like other retailers and keep it at a $5 flat rate at least for card members. Gap & Banana offer these benefits to card members. Shopbop ships for FREE. Or at least give it to the card members with the "silver" credit card. I think this should be it's own topic on your site - - Shipping costs for J. Crew
I seriously dislike this change in red phone policy. My JCrew store is small and doesn't carry a lot of the items that you may find online or in the catalog, so I often use the red phone. And as a graduate student, the lack of discount will seriously affect how much I shop full price items. I will wait for them to go on sale and probably additional 20% at that. I honestly hope this new change in policy will impact their sales b/c that seems to be the only way to get their attention.
ReplyDeleteI am bummed to hear about this new policy. However, I was at J.Crew this weekend and ordered jeans over the phone (they were full price) and I got both the edu discount and free shipping. I don't know if it's company wide or if my store just hadn't implemented the policy yet.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I do think J.Crew's shipping is way to high. Many stores do a flat rate, which I think would benefit J.Crew. You would pay $6 and be able to order as much as you'd like. They need to get their incentives back! Stat!
A year ago this would have broken my heart; now I don't even care. With all of the other recent "downgrades" and the return of the semi-permanent final sale, I have basically stopped shopping at JC.
ReplyDeleteAmazingly, life has gone on. :)
Funny thing - I actually visit this blog more often than the actual JC website! I guess I still like to know what's going on, even if I choose not to partake.
I don't get in to the store much, so I don't think this will change things too much for me, but it adds to my impression that JCrew is increasingly trying to stick it to the consumer. Aren't other retailers increasing incentives rather than cutting back on them?
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking about doing some pre-orders for fall in order to take advantage of the free shipping and educator's discount. I'm happy that there doesn't look to be much in the fall collection I have to have.
I increasingly have a bad taste in my mouth re: JCrew, after a somewhat surreal week of three orders that were delayed, one of which I never received e-mail confirmations about, a price adjustment that was granted begrudgingly after excruciating hold times (visions of CS rep going to the bathroom, then the vending machine, chatting with a co-worker . . .), and a lost return. This had me on the phone with CS almost every day. A couple of times I felt I was being treated like the unpopular girl in sixth grade.
My husband thinks they've got all this down pat, screwing you over then luring you back. I'm starting to think he's right.
I hope some of you are getting fabulous finds and things that are making you happy-I'm done for a while, I think-or at least until the next rollout ;)
It is sad that JCrew is cutting yet another benefit. I thought it was sad when they implemented the red phone policy of free shipping on full price items only. Esp when they do not carry petite or tall sizes in the store. My husband (who is a tall size) stopped shopping at JCrew because of this. The shipping charges are ridiculous and he was sick of paying for all the shipping. I agree that they should at least provide a flat rate shipping charge (like $5) for card members.
ReplyDeleteLoving J. Screw! I hadn't thought of that one.
ReplyDeleteI am shopping a lot less than I used to and I used to put a lot of my shopping dollars into J. Crew clothing. However, as more and more companies offer much better incentives (free shipping WITH a percentage discount, frequent discounts, etc.) I am buying less and less at J.Crew. I recently bought the Strati tank which I loved...took it to DC to wear to an all day meeting...hem unraveled completely by the time my plane touched down that night! The lack of quality along with the lack of incentive really has me looking elsewhere and just shopping my closet!
This really bites - I'm not an educator, nor a student, but I could see how the 15% and free shipping would be very beneficial to many others. This concerns me as a shareholder too, because wouldn't many JCAs just hop on over to a BR or AT with better perks for educators/students? I can see yet another contingent passing by the JC stores...
ReplyDeleteIf these downgrades translate into lower prices across the board, then *maybe* I can see how this would make some sense. I honestly haven't been keeping tabs on price point introductions for new/seasonal items that Mickey seemed to talk about in some of this shareholder discussions, but if items are being consistently introduced at lower prices, that may help ease the downgrades somewhat.
Of course, then the sizing issue just cancels all of *that* out! LOL!
This really stinks! I am so tired of the downgrades going on. I only use the red phone if the store does not have my item in stock, so why should the customers suffer because they don't keep enough inventory. I really love the college discount they offer but the more they take away the more worthless it becomes. It's almost to the point where I can't use it on anything.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who deals in marketing, J.Crew is seriously losing their loyal customers. Something they once promoted so much as the teacher and student discount to get us in the store is now just a tease. I think I'm going to start taking my business else where - which is really sad because I spend a lot of money at J.Crew. Let's see how much money they lose when they start pushing away all their loyal customers.
For those who were able to take advantage of the savings, it's too bad the policy was changed. I wish J.Crew would figure out where it's going with discount, promotion, and shipping polcies.
ReplyDeleteI rarely shop at a B&M so I'm almost never able to use the red phone service. It simply baffles me that some customers are able to get free shipping on a (now full price only) catalog order merely because they are close enough to a B&M to pop in and place the order there, while those of us who shop mostly online don't have any equivalent benefit--just the sporadic high-minimum free shipping codes.
J.Crew has marketing reasons for doing this, and nothing says retailers have to be "fair" to their different sets of customers, but I as a catalog customer feel disadvantaged relative to B&M shoppers. I'm not going to huff off and complain that I won't shop at J.Crew, but knowing more about discount policies has made me a much more cautious consumer.
I wonder if reining in the discounts/benefits is part of J.Crew's apparent attempts to seem more "upscale" rather than a mere mall retailer.
I made an order through the red phone last week for a full-priced pencil skirt. I needed it for an interview I had that week. Not only was I able to apply my .edu discount (it needed to be verified by a SA), the CR upgraded to next day FedEX for free (I had requested to pay the difference). This was my first time using the red phone and it was a great experience. I left the store thinking about the outstanding customer service I had just received at J.Crew.
ReplyDeleteyou know I was just thinking about all these issues this morning. I've been on a kind of online ordering binge lately, and my packages from jcrew have been completely wrong (got someone else's rather than mine), included additional items etc. It's been a pain to deal with, and like another poster said, I was treated like a petulant 6th grader rather than a customer who had been legitimately inconvenienced.
ReplyDeleteIn short, it's a pain in the butt to shop there now!
Conversely, I made an order from BR this week. It arrived as it should have - no extraneous items - and several of the items had gotten further marked down. I called, they adjusted it, it took about 1 minute, and the SA was very pleasant.
I'm definitely trying to cut my spending at J. Crew, and the lack of being appreciated as a customer is one of the major reasons. I'm tired of "working" in order to buy their clothes.
Just to clarify, my remark above about going off in a huff and refusing to shop at J.Crew was not meant to be snarky or a comment about anyone else's posts.
ReplyDeleteInstead, it was an observation about my own habits--realistically, I know I won't stop shopping entirely, because it would take a lot worse than this to get me off J.Crack, but their policies do mean I purchase more carefully and less often.
Susan,
ReplyDeleteGlad you had a good experience. Some of use are just a bit jaded. We have shopped with JCrew for many years and I have had good experiences recently but the bad ones have definitely outweighed the good ones for me...which is sad. It is just a matter of time before this new policy becomes more widespread, across more stores. It took a while but the removal of the 15% educ./stud. discount on sale items is in full swing.
Summerilla,
I totally hear you! What good is the discount if there are all these limitations!
This could be another attempt by J.Crew to try and move *upscale*. It seems as if they are purposely trying to make it harder and harder for the average consumer, as well as the sale shopper to actually purchase from them. As much trouble as they have with the website, quality control, as well as cancelled and messed up orders...it seems as if they would try to bring in as many customers as possible, not continue to alienate them.
ReplyDeleteI hear the comments about J Crew going upscale, but even the upscale retailers have fantastic shipping incentives. Things usually boil down to money, so someone must've figured they could save some bucks by making the most recent changes to policy. I guess they are making *that* much on shipping to keep it where it is. Where else do you pay $8.50 to have a $44 rolling ruffles tank mailed to you?
ReplyDeleteITA about the true upscale retailers Gigi! As far as shipping goes...J.Crew is making a BUNDLE on it, and has no intention of changing anything.
ReplyDelete(Other :) ) Em: I totally agree that I have basically stopped shopping at JCrew retail stores/online, and I definitely visit this size more than jcrew.com! As a student I certainly can't afford full priced anything, ever. Now that they've taken away the discount on sale items, I feel insulted and it makes me not want to buy anything.
ReplyDeleteI haven't used the red phone since, gee, 2003 or 2004. I wear talls so I presume it was for that. Seems like the SAs were much nicer and accomodating back then, as was the company in general.
This is ridiculous. I just tried today (after reading this) to have my discount applied via e-mail onto an order I made from the online website. SAME THING. This doesn't just apply to the red phone - they won't let you use the discount if you made an online purchase with a free shipping or promo code and then e-mail asking to have your discount applied.
ReplyDeleteFirstly - this is just silly. It takes me away from shopping on their online site since I'll simply return the new arrivals I had ordered in-store and then if they exist in-store, buy them with the discount then.
Secondly - isn't it fair to ask them to notify a customer of a policy before changing it and refusing service? I checked the online Help page and couldn't find anything on it (not sure if I'm just missing something!)
I feel silly getting all worked up about it, but no one wants to feel like they wouldn't have purchased something if they had known. And if I didn't have this site, I wouldn't have known!
This has nothing to do with moving "upscale." Most of the upscale retailers are much more accomodating about shipping, transferring from other stores etc. I truly think this is about trimming back in a tough retail climate. Mr. Drexler has indicated time and again that his preference is to sell merchandise at full retail or as closely as possible. He has also indicated that he would prefer not to become associated with the extreme markdowns that happened at Christmas. This might upset the J Crew "fan" but will be pretty transparent to the casual shopper and therefore, not a big deal to their bottom line.
ReplyDeleteYou know where J. Crew is always on sale, and the shipping is always on the house? Thrift stores. :)
ReplyDelete(I just got back from my favorite thrift store in California, where I got a $2 ruffled-placket cotton blouse from '06 in navy, and one of my favorite perfect-fit long-sleeve tshirts in a great shade of blue they don't do anymore, great condition, for $0.75. Standing in the dressing room, I had this fantasy about starting my own J. Crew thrift store in my sunroom. If I lose my job in this recession, I think maybe I will.)
i think they are being cheap. it actually hurts their biz in the long run.
ReplyDeleteI just emailed them about the red phone and this is what they said:
ReplyDeleteWe apologize for any concern we've caused in regard to placing orders
from the red phone in our retail stores.
It is our pleasure to confirm all full-price items are eligible for free
shipping for orders placed from our retail stores red phones. We are
pleased to continue to combine the free shipping with the student
discount on full price items. Only items that are on sale are not
eligible for free shipping nor the Student/Teacher discount.
For your convenience, we have provided the additional following detail
regarding the student discount:
We have been delighted in providing the education discount for those of
our customers living and working in the academic community, and look
forward to continuing this service. As of May 1, 2009; however, the
basis for determining qualifying orders has changed.
The education discount will continue to be applicable to all regularly
priced and promotionally priced merchandise selected for purchase at our
J.Crew retail stores, at jcrew.com, or via a phone call. Any
merchandise that is reduced to a price ending in 99 cents will not
qualify for the additional 15% price reduction.
We hope you will continue to enjoy the ongoing, money-saving aspects of
our student/teacher discount program, and we look forward to continuing
its benefits to you during your active status in the academic community.
Miss Pants:
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing the email. I didn't think they had changed their policy regarding the red phone! :)
No problem! The thought of them doing that really upset me, so I figured go to the source!
ReplyDeleteWell, once again inconsistencies. I still foresee problem ahead...I once got an email like this but after that I found out the person from CS was wrong and everything in the email was wrong!
ReplyDeleteHi Everyone,
ReplyDeleteFirstly know that I did not intend what I wrote to be a 'featured topic' ?! I was just passing on something I was specifically told on the red phone last Friday. And I asked to clarify this and if it was a new policy. So, now that I see the CS email saying it is NOT true it is a bit upsetting - first because I don't want to be passing on incorrect information to everyone, and second, the store manager was standing with me and verified to them that I had the an educator ID card, but I got my item today and they didn't combine the discounts. I mean what are we supposed to believe...? Items become significantly cheaper when you get that 15% as well as free shipping, but now if I want that I'll have to do a whole lot more emailing them to see if they offer to credit my account.
Oh well, again I apologize if my information was wrong...? I was just passing on what I was told.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI've used the red phone a few times and have always been given free shipping, sometimes priority shipping without asking. Never qualified for the discount but I can understand how disappointing it would be to have it suddenly yanked. Hopefully J.Crew will clarify the policy and set things straight.
ReplyDeleteYes, it will definitely affect my JCrew purchase habits. JCrew stores carry a VERY limited inventory, so I would usually go to stores to use the red phone and order items with the 15% student discount and FS. I generally do not mind paying full price for certain JCrew items that I consider are worth it (mainly swimwear, shorts and some tees). But most JCrew items are IMHO overpriced. So I will not be buying as much from them. Sad, sad, sad.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I feel like I need another LLM to figure out the ever changing (and rarely clarified and posted) JCrew policies!!!!! Upscale retailers such as Ralph Lauren also have standard FS over $175 (same minimum as JCrew) BUT under that is a flat $5 fee. I have been buying more and more from them (mainly the lower priced Lauren line) and so far, so good!
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know if they've always rejected a student discount if you've used a free shipping offer online (i.e. the purchase was over $175) on a full price item? I think they may have - but wanted to check since I was rejected by J. Crew customer service when I e-mailed asking to use my discount (but i don't remember having a problem in the past!)
ReplyDeleteI am neither an educator nor a student, so this will not affect my JC shopping at all.
ReplyDeleteBut, I just wanted to add that I do NOT pay for shipping as J Crew's rates are too high in my opinion. I wait for the free ship codes or I don't order. If a wider selection of merchandise were available in stores I wouldn't need to use mail order at all.
I have already commented on this, but I think it's really sad - Genny has a good point. On a teacher's salary, I really need all of the help I can get. Since they have stopped the teacher discount on sale items, I really do ask myself if I need the item.
ReplyDeleteI also believe they need a flat rate shipping cost...I can tell you right now that I would order a lot more online if they did that.