I thought I'd share this Dear Leader chuckle with you all today ... courtesy of a New York Times article on the rebirth of Starbucks (it's an interesting story)....Two words: Love it!Friends and colleagues agree that he is as fanatical as ever about Starbucks. Millard Drexler, the chief executive of J.Crew, recently e-mailed Mr. Schultz to complain that the coffee lids at a Starbucks on Astor Place in Manhattan kept spilling coffee on his shirt. Mr. Schultz’s reply: “On it.”
Mr. Drexler, who has a habit of e-mailing C.E.O.’s with complaints, says: “I can give you many more examples when they say, ‘I’ll send this to a research department or a gatekeeper.’ ” But, he says of Starbucks, “to have that kind of quality control they have around the world is pretty extraordinary.”
What are your thoughts on the quote about Mickey Drexler?
Dear Mickey:
ReplyDeleteYour tee shirts get holes in them after two washings on the delicate washing cycle and hanging to dry
Thanks
Cathy
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ReplyDeleteDear Mickey:
ReplyDeleteYour buttons keep falling off the sweaters I bought at J Crew.
Lily
Mr. Drexler,
ReplyDeleteI learned early on that lining up the hole in the lid with the seam on the cup creates the space that makes coffee spill on blouses (or in your case, shirts). So now I rotate the lid 180 degrees so that the hole in the lid and the seam on the cup are opposite. No more spillage.
You're welcome!
He complains about the quality of a free lid? How about fixing the quality of a $100 shirt?
ReplyDeleteChristy - Right on sister! No one should EVER feel embarassed about contacting JC about defective items after reading this article.
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ReplyDeleteMr. Drexler,
ReplyDeleteYou're selling a $950 leather dress with crooked seams.
SL
I found this to be hilarious! You are all 100% right. Mickey, how about proofing your website before advertising a Collection jacket with two broken buttons. How about making sure that the customer gets what they order the first time (not smelling like perfume). How about looking a pricing... not selling a paper bag for $78.00 that one can buy on the street for $5.00. Wow - Nervy!
ReplyDeleteHilarious since I just received a Drapey Striped Hoodie with a non-centered pocket for a SECOND TIME!! Online PS said about half of them were botched. Really? Half? And that was good enough to go ahead and sell them? Wow.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I worked at Starbucks for years and gernerally the lids leak when you place the lid on the cup with the drinking hole lined up over the seam of the cup. There. Seriously. Problem solved!
Rose: I hadn't yet read all the comments when I posted! EXACTLY!! It's not a problem to go to the CEO about! Come on! :)
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ReplyDeleteDear JCAs, may I gently and respectfully suggest that you just might be missing the point. Mr. Drexler is a Merchant Prince. As such, his strength is not design. His strength is not production. His strength is not operations. His strength is not attention to detail or quality control. His strength is not procurement. We have all observed the foregoing, often and to our cost. What then, you justifiably inquire, is this person's strength? Why, it is publicity. His PR is so strong and pervasive that he even believes it himself.
ReplyDeleteI am LOL at all of you! :P
ReplyDeleteLOL, WFF. And the emperor was convinced he had new clothing. It can be done!
ReplyDeleteDear Mickey:
My open merino sweater was unwearable after one wearing. My lace panel tee developed a hole after I had it on 5 minutes. My rose vine perfect shirt came apart at the placket after a couple of wearings. My Blaine skirt streched out 2 sizes on the first wearing.
I love my suckered gingham shirts (but I a starting to feel like I am the sucker). As a result, I still pick up a piece once in a while, but other stores are getting most of my spring budget. Would you believe, Talbots and Ann Taylor can actually send me things that aren't damaged on arrival, survive the season and are worth packing up for the next year? A lot of the J Crew I purchased for the winter won't be back next year.
I'm curious - I've given up J.Crew for all of the reasons you JCAs have mentioned. Why haven't you?
ReplyDeleteHi Raina - Oh, I'm working on it - not so much a giving up but a gradual phasing-out. I've purchased 3 items from them in 2011. There are some decent things but so many stars have to align - it's gotta come from online (to avoid shopwear), the fabric content has to match the item description, the measurements have to reflect what the CS rep says, the color has to look like the online/catalog pic, the seams have to line up and buttons be tightly secured, and the price has to be right... not marked to final sale 8 days after purchase, or be $50+ cheaper in the B&M, etc, etc. Suffice it to say, this hasn't happened much for me this year, and I expect that my purchasing will likely decrease even further.
ReplyDeleteBut back to our letters to MD!
I have to agree with Raina. I remember the days when I would wait with bated breath for the new seasons additions, back in days when I would actually get a catalog. I actually gasped out loud in the Spring of 2008 when I saw the Veruschka dress. I paid full price for the Italian Jacquard Fiona and I would gladly do the same today.
ReplyDeleteI don't want 10 spring rollouts with sub-par quality. H&M already fills that niche. Bring back the beautifully tailored pieces and gorgeous prints. Oh, and please feed the models, they can't even stand up straight for goodness sake!
Sorry for going OT, realized after I started typing that maybe it belongs in the vent section ;-)
hi, Raina, yes, it's a complex and dysfunctional relationship, and I'm working on finding replacements… but "just when I thought I was out… they pull me back in."
ReplyDeleteI feel like I'm watching that SNL Update segment "Oh really?!" JC quality was great...five years ago. I would love it if the Starbucks CEO had emailed back saying, yeah, well my wife bought one of your featherweight cashmere sweaters and by noon she looked like a cat toy.
ReplyDeleteSorry o/t but I too am soo feeling the way these last posters feel.
ReplyDelete@Raina's comment, my purchases are waaay down. I'm fading & not on purpose. JCrew is basically "slim pickings" for what I deem worthy of buying (guess I could 'ditto' Silver Lining). Especially the cost vs the quality of these items - it really floors me when I see the actual item.
(Note so I don't look like a hypocrite, I did place an order for the black eyelet shorts & another pair of the trouper pants. After careful consideration, I cancelled an order for the eyelet top.)
LOL at everyone . . . I've curtailed my JC purchases substantially in the last 18 months but I keep checking the website and reading all the JC blogs hoping that the old JC will come back to me. No matter what the occasion, I used to be able to find what I needed at JC, and I loved the one-stop shopping! As of yet I haven't found another retailer to fill that role in my life.
ReplyDeleteIt is a complicated love/hate relationship. There are some things like coats, jackets and shirts that do unlike anyone else. I have pieces like my merino sweatshirts and gingham shirts that I adore, but they are getting me to buy less often. And I practically review every purchase with a magnifying glass.
ReplyDeleteUnlike a lot of the posters here, I actually prefer the newer styling (as long as it doesn't get too crazy) over the old Crew. And I don't love the old bright color. What I do miss is the old quality.
I definely borrow some of their looks, but often do so with mostly pieces from other retailers.
how i love the jcas!! you guys crack me up!!
ReplyDeleteseriously, elizabeth :)
I can't give it up. I'd be naked (NOT a pretty sight, I assure you!). I have tried, believe me I have tried. Everywhere I go, I'm always on the lookout for alternatives. I just can't find anything else I like nearly as much.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth...cat toy...lmao!
ReplyDeleteLOL Lindsey B.
ReplyDelete