Referencing {FAQ}

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

"Looking to VENT" with J.Crew

This is the weekly "Looking to VENT with J.Crew" post, a place to share our not-so-stellar experiences with J.Crew.

If you have recently experienced a frustrating situation with J.Crew, maybe you might be willing to share that information with us in this post.

Please feel free to share your story on almost any topic— including poor experiences with purchases & orders, promotions/ offers, in-store visits, transactions with store associates, etc.

73 comments:

  1. I am not happy about the inconsistent shoe sizes, final sale, and the long SHOP175 promo (now through August 17)

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  2. I am tired of the declining quality on the majority of their merchandise. If J.Crew cannot produce items with the same construction, high quality fabric, and attention to detail as they did several years ago, then they need to seriously lower their price points. It is really no wonder the sale sections are always so huge...the quality and construction on the majority of the merchandise nowadays does not warrant paying full-price. Seems to me they would be better off to invest the time and $$$ making better quality merchandise that would actually sell at full-price and not be returned (to spend months in the sale section), than to continue to produce mediocre to poor quality items that they can only sell at a deep discount and final sale so that returns cannot be made. Not to mention that then they could get rid of their ridiculous 30-day in-store return policy since customers wouldn't constantly feel the need to return and wait for sale.

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  3. ITA with you, FFM. I'm tired of very few of their items meeting my expectations (expectations based on their own clothes from several years ago!) and all of the shortcuts - acrylics, polyester, thin fabrics, splitting seams, cheap buttons, plastic shoes, etc. The clothes simply don't hold up anymore, even to normal wear and tear, and I just don't have that kind of $$ for disposable clothing that I may now mistake for ON or F21. Seems to me like a lot of JCA's are engaged in the return/rebuy cycle, myself included, because we don't feel that the clothes are worth full, first cut, or sometimes second cut price - and then, not without a % off. It's very telling how quickly the stuff moves out of the sale section when there's a % off - and even then, we've still gotten burned. Doesn't JC analyze any of the data on their sales? (Ha, I know the answer to this - it's gone the way of inventory and quality control) I'd be happy to run some numbers for them.

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  4. Quality across the board is down due to production costs and the rapid rise of the price of cotton. J Crew is not the only retailer turning out poor quality items,have you seen ON cotton items for Fall? they are not even worth the price tag!

    Having said that I have been pleasantly surprised with the quality of the Summerweight Shorts far superior compared to previous seasons, and the Sun Drenched Sweatshirt.

    I do agree JC price points are too high it seems like they are being priced for upcoming sales.

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  5. Very much in agreement with you FFM. While I can find bright spots here and there with their pieces, it is very, very rare now to find anything worth paying full price. I would much rather pay the original retail for an older item of higher quality on ebay. It just is completely baffling that they don't see how much they are missing the mark here. I was encouraged that they seemed to be listening, at least in an aesthetic sense, with their fall rollout (hemlines, color, etc), but once again, have been disappointed with quality.

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  6. Cotton has dropped dramatically over the past month, so let's hope that's reflected soon in the quality (hope springs eternal). I have bought so much less at jcrew the past two years because of cheap materials used/shoddy workmanship.

    My other vent: Give me a break on the inventory failures, j.crew. I ordered a no. 2 skirt early during the day it showed up on the website, and it's gone from wait-listed to cancelled. But oh, I can always assuage myself with one of their ubiquitous sequined mini-mini skirts and a $1,500 Collection item, I guess...

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  7. My vent slow catalog mailing or none at all. Has anyone received the August 2011 catalog mailed to their home? I get impatient and pick one up at the atore sometimes and then it usually shows up a few days later in the mail. What a waste. Doesn't JC know that those catalogs drive us into the store to buy! Mailing should be timed to correspond with when the merchandise hits the store & in my mailbox the same day the catalog is availabe in store!

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  8. ITA that quality has declined across the board for all retailers. However, JC continues charging high prices for the same quality one could get at lower priced retailers. Furthermore, the crazy return policy and lack of consistency in prices between retail and online makes me lose faith in them. If I buy something online, is someone else getting it for $$$ less in store or vice versa? Furthermore, the lack of consistent customer service both online and in store makes it hard to shop there. Now, I shop JC only when I can get deep discounts, because that's all I'd pay for their quality.

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  9. Good point about eBay, M. To me, it's much more worth it to stalk eBay for older items that I missed out on. Too bad some of the sellers realize that as well - there are Lexingtons and Borge Garveri bags on there for $300+ now! Anyway, I've definitely gotten some great pieces on eBay. I wouldn't even bother putting any of my '10-'11 things on there - they look more Salvation Army/rag bag bound.

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  10. Amen to all the quality comments. You'd think J. Crew would get tired of all the markdowns, and that those at least would be some incentive for improving quality. I was so excited by the fall look book, until I actually saw the items IRL. I used to spend way too much on J. Crew, and would easily do the same if the quality were what it used to be. So sorry I didn't buy more pieces years ago before the quality went down; now I have to look on Ebay!

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  11. I haven't received a catalog either and it's not on the site so this leaves me out of the game. :<

    Agree about the prices and poor quality. I am sooooooooo selective about what I buy b/c of poor quality materials that don't hold up.

    I was looking at their sale shoes....are you kidding me? Shoes from last year are still over $150 on final sale!

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  12. I agree about the catalogs - I didn't get July or August. I also called about the taupe briefcase bag w/two clasps seen in the preview photos - apparently they decided not to sell this item - I would have loved this in the flame color.

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  13. I experienced the new schoolboy IRL yesterday and wow, y'all were not kidding about the thinness of the wool. BOOO. Pass! Maybe I'd buy the red on sale but that's about it. :(

    The only new rant I have to add to my revolving stable of rants about poor customer service, patternless promotions, cross-channel price discrepancies and declining quality is the Poppy King lipstick. :( Although my online order isn't set to ship until 8/11, I saw the lippie in store yesterday and snapped it up. It goes on quite a bit more orange than red, which is odd because it looks so pretty in the tube. :( I'm going to continue to experiment with it, but since my skin is mostly cool-toned, this might not work out at all. $18 down the drain, boo. :(

    Also, the only color of FACE Stockholm nail polish that I wanted to buy (Bright Dahlia) was not present (grr). My Hot Pepper np did arrive by mail yesterday, and I love it.

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  14. The quality issue is changing customer behavior, IMO.

    Sadly, J. Crew is starting to take on a "Kohl's"-like quality. Those of you familiar with this retailer know that you NEVER, EVER pay full price for anything there ... in fact, you pretty much disregard the item's FP completely and look for the 20-30-40% off sales and then stack it with an additional 15% promo until the selling price actually reflects the item's real worth.

    Mickey is going to have a devil of a time getting customers off their sale/promo buying habits with the quality of the fall rollout. Longer hemlines and lovely colors are nice, but I don't think that will be enough.

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  15. I agree with everything people have said about the declining quality at shockingly high prices. I think the womens' suiting is still good quality...but I wonder how long that will last.

    I was in the Tyson's Corner, VA store last week returning a sale item. The cashier insisted it was final sale and she wouldn't take it back. One item in that order was final sale, but it wasn't what I was returning! I asked for her manager, who confirmed I was right, but I didn't appreciate her attitude, nor the lack of an apology from her or the manager. My reasons to shop at J Crew are dwindling by the day.

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  16. I don't understand what happened to the sale sections in all of my local stores. Literally - disappeared. I can't find a single sale item. Things that are on sale on the website are even full price in the stores!

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  17. I found it annoying during the last store promotion that some stores had 40% off their sale section while others had only 30%. When I asked about this at one of the B&Ms only offering 30, I was told by the manager that stores with more sale inventory were offering the higher discount while those with less offered the lower one. That just doesn't make sense to me...it is all J. Crew inventory and it all gets shipped back to the same company warehouses when it doesn't sell in the stores, right? I just couldn't bring myself to buy any sale items at the lower discount knowing that a store 45 minutes away was offering a better deal.

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  18. You said it, Ruffles! Lord knows I would never ever set foot inside a Kohl's without an extra % off coupon, and I'd certainly never buy anything that wasn't "on sale" ... and you are right, JC has now done the same thing to me. I'd have to be half crazed to buy anything at FP, more so now than ever before. I'm a promo monkey, and they made me what I am!

    The company basically has done every single thing the OPPOSITE of how it should be done, and this is making me increasingly angry. After more than 20 years, the love is fading at an alarming rate. One SA from my local store recently jumped ship to the gap after NINE years of working for JC ... a sign of the times, I guess. Although I hate to see his talents wasted at the Gap, which aside from offering lots of promos isn't much better off.

    WAKE UP, MICKEY. WAKE UP! Depart the Hamptons on your private jet, put on your big boy pants and fix the damn company! Watching things deteriorate across the board is like watching someone/something die slowly and painfully right in front of your face. :(

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  19. I know it's been at least 5 years since they did... but WHYYYY did they stop making size 10.5 shoes!?!?!? Lately, the 10s are too small! My feet haven't gotten bigger, but it seems their shoes are getting smaller, and so now I'm screwed. The 11 is usually too big. I mean really, is it that big of a deal to make a few 10.5s!?!?!?

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  20. Elaine, I am laughing out loud at that last little bit to Mickey. WELL SAID!!! (ps have you gotten the Maggie yet!?!?!?)

    I have to say, I have never bought anything full price from J.Crew, and I never will. I always get what I want eventually... on sale after all the initial hype about an item dies down, or later on eBay for dirt cheap. It pays to be cheap when it comes to J.Crew. But I hate how the cheapness and unreliability of merchandise makes it so foolish to pay FP. They need to step it up, for sure!

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  21. And another thing! What's with all the hidden merchandise in the sale section? There are lady day coats, puffers, collection gloves, and all sorts of other goodies hiding in there. For cheap, from last year. Grrrrrrrrr. I hate having to do 10 different searches to see everything they have on sale.

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  22. Not yet, JCrewJD, but hopefully soon! In the span of 5 days I grabbed that deal and .... drumroll ... a freaking WOOL JULIETTE for $50. FIFTY DOLLARS. I died! I think I have exhausted all my luck for the month, lol.

    And ITA, the games with the inventory are just ridiculous.

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  23. ITA with your comments ladies. I also think JC is playing inventory games making people buy items at FP w/ 30 days return policy at B&M since it's so back ordered online or sold out.

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  24. @Appy: I went to my nearest B&M yesterday for a quick trip to the mall. This JC had no sale section...not even a single wall. The SA thought it was unusual since they always have at least the women's side going on. They said it had been shipped back to the warehouse. Anyhow, I'm not ready to buy anything for fall yet since we're still in the high 80's here.

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  25. SIGH. I agree so much with what everyone has said.

    This weekend I saw some of the Fall rollouts in store - at first glance, so pretty! But the silk blouses are all so thin, no practical but pretty work tops, buttons on the jackets felt cheap, and an overall lack of structure...for example, the school boy blazer felt so flimsy. And the cuffed cropped pants? Unlined wool, and the wool is is super thin and lightweight. I was expecting the material of last year's double serge skirts. I adore the Mona pumps, but they don't feel like a $200 shoe.

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  26. Like J.crewJD, I buy +90% of my crew items at clearance prices. If I am patient, I can always find what I want on sale.

    In the past, I always felt lucky getting such attractive, well-designed, high-quality items at bargain prices. Now, I feel like the clothes are barely worth the bargain prices.

    I was recently thrilled to approach an entire wall of sale items with an additional 40% off --I left without trying on one thing. It wasn't the quality that turned me off, it was the drab colors, overdone embellishments, too-short skirts, and huge tops.

    I have an issue with vanity sizing too. Maybe JCrew thinks they are doing me a favor by making the clothes bigger and bigger, but it's just letting me gain weight without going up a size!

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  27. My mom said she got an e-mail saying there was an extra 50% off sale? Did any one else receive this!?!? Was she hallucinating?

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  28. May I chime in from the men’s side:

    I would agree that the overall quality of the merchandise is not up to par, especially for the full retail prices being charged. I hold J Crew to their supposed standard and return items when I’m not 100% happy. I have done this with 3 pair of shoes (shoe quality has gone to hell. I doubt I will ever buy another pair of men’s shoes). The cashmere = pill city after a few months…returned two sweaters.

    Secret Wash shirts have developed holes after minimal wear. Returned some of them.

    A pair of $145 selvedge jeans was so poorly constructed I had to return them as well.

    Must say that I have never been given any problems when returning items. Full refund given. This is a major reason I keep coming back.

    I love the styling of their men’s suits but this quality issue keeps me away. No way I am dropping $600 on a suit made in China, from a company who I have quality-control concerns about.

    Best regards,

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  29. JCrewJD: It's not 50% off. The email says:

    "Let's Go Dutch On This One.

    Up To 50% Off - New Styles in Final Sale.

    Online Only. Shop Now>"

    There is no new code...still the SHIP175.

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  30. Also got the "up to" 50% off email. Had a Leslie lace shell in my cart from before... got to work and it was gone. Sad! It was about the only thing I noticed that significant of a price drop on.

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  31. I got the email as well. 50% off, but the usual restrictions

    *Previous purchases are not eligible for this discount. Free shipping offer valid through Wednesday, August 17, 2011, 11:59pm ET on Internet orders shipped via regular shipping (3 to 6 business days). Free shipping applies to online-only orders of $175 or more before shipping, handling and taxes are added. Free ground shipping is applied at checkout with promo code SHIP175.

    **No exchanges, no returns on items marked as final sale.

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  32. OH FFM and Miss Madaket, you are so right! With only up to 50%... its nothing extra and not worth the risk (for me anyways) of getting shop-worn items

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  33. Elaine, that's hilarious and spot on!

    I was in another city this weekend and stayed across the street from the downtown JCrew. Went in with a friend because she had a return (an item she ordered twice because it had a further markdown after the first order), checked out the Old Navy quality items at the Brooks Brothers prices without buying, then booked it to Anthro, where I found some great sale and fall items. THAT I BOUGHT. Ground control to Major Tom (Mickey)!

    My "new" fall JCrew will probably be from the vintage store in my city (or ebay!), not the JCrew store at the mall.

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  34. Speaking of hiding? There is a rimini cardi for $49.99, in cobblestone, size L. That sweater is a gem!

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  35. I don't like how the store assortment is basically the same in every store, and it's limited. There are so many items online only. I just placed a really big order for what will essentially be an at home try-on session for numerous items that are online only or not in-store yet. Since I don't intend to pay full price for any of them and the first markdown will likely put them in final sale, I have to order just to try on to avoid getting stuck with something final sale once it is marked down.

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  36. Another hidden item - the cashmere marabou cardi in rose dust in case anyone wants one. Size S only and only that color, $79.99, item #29007. Mine fits on the large side, but is a cute cardi. Online color is fairly accurate, it is not pink, just pink toned.

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  37. JB,

    Thanks for the input. Good to have a guy's perspective. I used to buy a lot of my husband's clothing from J.Crew from 2005-9. Now it seems he cannot find much he likes there anymore. He has found some basic tees at the outlet and so far no holes after many washings.

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  38. The inventory issues are crazy! I ordered the paradis paisley bikini in old red during the 40% off sale, they sent me the bottom and cancelled the top. Then I go online yesterday and there are tops in ALL SIZES. How is that ok!? They honored the sale price and sent me the top, but total FAIL making me jump through hoops to get a matched set bathing suit!

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  39. This is a VENT/LOVE story:

    I ordered the garden lace pencil skirt in size 2. I took a risk since it was final sale, but based on my previous experience with the pencil skirts from JC and the measurements I got from my friend ABC, I was convinced it would fit. I was wrong. The waist on this item was 26 inches. Measurements mailed from CS said it should be 29 inches. I then called them and CS said I should mail it back and then THEY will determine whether my return is justified after they have taken a look at the item and measured it themselves.

    I didn't want to take the risk of mailing the item back, so then I decided to write CS forwarding the measurements sent to me for sizes 2, 4 and 6. The CSR promptly replied and authorized my return of the final sale item. I popped into the store for the return and the note was already on my account. Problem solved. Luckily I found another skirt in a size 4 and ordered it. Hopefully this one will not fit too large, because I will have to start the process all over again. :)

    Bottom line is, I think the item was wrongly labelled. The skirt looked tiny when I took it out of the package. It looked more like a 00!

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  40. I have a sizing vent... was gifted the waterfront cover-up size small and it is huge. I am 5'10", on a good day 135, and I am absolutely not an xs, anywhere. I even size up to a medium occasionally. And while yes, it is a cover-up, the dress is not modeled on the website as a gigantic trash bag.

    In case anyone was wondering additional details about it, it is a VERY thin, sheer, stiff fabric. Glad it wasn't my own money spent, especially since it is now final sale (no idea when it was purchased by my gifter).

    And on top of that, I was not given a receipt. Anyone have any luck on exchanging without a gift receipt? It very well may have been a final sale item, but I really don't want to bug my poor grandmother about it. This is the closest she has every gotten on an appropriate gift for me (isntead of something meant for a 10 year old, bless her heart). It has the tag, clearly never worn... think I can get the "just this one time" out of them?

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  41. I am really disappointed with my newest short sleeve Broken-in T's. I absolutely love these T-shirts as they are imo the most comfortable T's I have ever worn. Anyways I buy a ton of them as I practically live in them during the spring and summer. The latest batch of T's I purchased are losing their color around the collar. Its almost like a slight bleaching effect. I have never had this problem before even with my J.Crew t-shirts so I dont know what J.crew has changed that would cause this effect. I have already had it happen to 5-6 of my newer t-shirts. Very disappointing.

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  42. I also have to rant about my Belstaff bag experience.

    I purchased the Belstaff Colonial Shoulder Bag (556) and absolutely loved it. So I turned around and purchased the Belstaff Colonial Travel Bag. I got it during one of the last sales that you could get designer collaborations at discount prices (late December 2010). A couple weeks after that they excluded designer collaboration items from sales. I got the bag at 30% off. The bag was on back order for months, I ordered it in late Decemeber and I still didn't have it in early March. Anyways I had a financial emergency rear its head and I was forced to cancel the order for the bag.

    A month later (Mid April), with my finances back to normal, I emailed J.Crew and asked them if there was any way that they could resubmit my order for the bag at the 30% off price that I originally ordered it at. They basically told me it wasn't possible as they no longer sold designer collaboration items at a discount. The fact that I ordered the bag for that price before having to cancel and the fact that I had spent over 8,000 dollars at J.Crew over the last 16 months didn't mean anything to them. I emailed them back expressing my disappointment that they couldn't do this one thing when I had clearly ordered it for that price and waited 2 months for the bag to be delivered before having to cancel. They sent me a 2nd email again apologizing that they couldn't sell me the bag at that price but they would be willing to give me free expedited shipping if I ordered the bag at full price, lol.

    A month later a good friend of mine and fellow J.Crew junkie told me that he had been on the J.Crew website checking out the current sale and that some of the Belstaff bags were eligible for the sale. Sure enough I logged on, put the bag in my cart and proceeded to try and check out and he was correct, it was eligible for the sale. Needless to say I didn't buy it on principal alone. Since this happened...well, lets just say the amount of money I spend at J.Crew has gone down significantly.

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  43. Orangecrush, I guess they change the tees... I have some long sleeved tissue tees I bought on sale in 2007. I got about 10 in different colors and saved some of them in the plastic for several years/wore some right away. I didn't buy any new tissue tees until this past promo when I bought 2. They are still called tissue tees but I saw they had changed to 100% cotton. That was ok as I like cotton tees, but now I have them, when I compare them with the tissue tees that are 5 years old - there are a couple that I have worn a lot - and that I have accidentally put in the dryer sometimes (it says you can but I try not to to increase their life), there is no way the current will last the way the old ones will so I'm glad I only paid $14 for these ones. They are nothing like as nice as a) the 2007 tissue tees or 2) the cotton tees I got a few months ago from Anthro. Frankly they look like el cheapo tees I could have gotten anywhere....(and I am not the complaining type)

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  44. I love Jcrew! But here are the following personality flaws that I feel I need to poke at (no one is perfect right!).

    -quality going down hill on many items, its getting harder to justify paying more than rock bottom sale price : (

    -the sale roller coaster. I would think a better retail price to begin with or managing the inventory to prevent huge discounts would benefit the bottom line (maybe I am wrong)

    -still waiting for the day I get a catalog....I have requested it 7 times in the past 4 months.

    Love ya, but as is human nature, I have to pick at you too Jcrew.

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  45. Aw! Samantha! Bless your gramma's heart, she tried, right?! My mom does that to me all the time, lol.

    And yes, their coverups / tunics do run absolutely huge.

    You should always at least attempt an exchange / return. Consider it like your 'get out of jail free' card, lol. Let us know how it goes!

    OrangeCrush, I don't blame you for being mad. I'd be livid, esp. at that price point! This is the problem. The customer is not at the center of what this brand does. Which is just ... so backward I don't even know where to begin.

    I myself am debating re-ordering something that got canceled on me during the extra 40% sale and now POOF has magically reappeared as in stock. GRRRRRRRR.

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  46. Does anyone happen to have Dear Leader's e-mail address handy?

    I am thisclose to actually contacting him. I don't even expect a response. I just think he needs to hear from us, quite honestly.

    I can't believe that he / they read this blog daily. If they did, we would not be venting about the things we're venting about.

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  47. Elaine, I'm pretty sure it's millard.drexler@jcrew.com.

    Let us know what you say if you send an email!

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  48. Elaine,
    I actually contacted Mickey for issues I had with Alden shoes I ordered. He responded back very quickly (more than once) and was thankful for the feedback. Apologies but can't find his email at this time.

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  49. Pretty sure it's mickey@jcrew.com. I hope he responds!

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  50. I used 24-7@jcrew.com before.

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  51. Argh- I bought the twist-front swing tank top in peacock blue in a size small and it is WAY too big (no, ginormous is more like it) and they forgot to include the strap that's supposed to come with it! And of course it's final sale. I'm so annoyed by J.Crew's extra big sizing.

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  52. Why has sizing been SO OFF the past year??? I've had to size down from a normal 0 to 00 or petite 0. I'm not a loyal customer enough to Jcrew to wear and receive baggy and ill-fitting clothes. This change needs to happen asap in order to retain customers and I sincerely hope jcrew makes adjustments to existing purchases and merchandizing awaiting purchase.

    Lastly - quality has DEFINITELY gone down. Enough with the crepe de chine and cotton linen. Bottom line, clothes do not look as good IRL as the made-up catalog and online pictures do. I find everything from basics, to "silk" blouses to be overly sheer and see through. Don't skimp on fabric quality.

    This last thought especially goes for Jcrew factory items (which I've only purchased online). Quality is terrible and you can tell they manufacture cheaply made products to match the reduced price.

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  53. Isn't it a better business strategy to delight your customers, even if it means they pay a little extra?

    The wasted time and disappointment caused by the merry-go-round of price changes, hidden items, poor quality, making returns as the norm rather than the exception, and FS, all add up to a cost to customers in time, money, and ultimately loyalty.

    There are just too many "friction points" in doing business with J.Crew.

    I would much rather pay more upfront if I got a quality item and an enjoyable shopping experience.

    It would work out cheaper for me and more profitable and sustainable for JC.

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  54. Here's my 2cents; Mickey says they don't do customer research, well it SHOWS! I think this is a big reason their merchandise has tanked. I don't know a THING about marketing or merchandising, but I do know this, you can't sell a polar bear to a man in the desert,he wants a camel and you need to listen to your customers or you are just losing touch and losing your sales! I would also suggest that you actually have a variety of real women try on the clothes you are making. I read over and over that there were good ideas but POOR EXECUTION! I'm not going to buy that pretty printed skirt if I can't bend over without showing the world my goodies. And, look at the ages of your customers when creating your products. It is the 20 somethings that wear the mini skirts so don't make them in a more mature jacquard print or granny lace. They want color and fun prints and texture. Oh, and sequins, but not at $300! Oh boy, now I am all wound up again!

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  55. nyc gal, call customer service and ask them to put in an accessory request for the missing strap. they'll probably give you a 'tude, but they'll do it. it's their error, not yours!

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  56. I suppose this should go in the Looking to Love post, but to follow up about my return - they let me exchange! Were hesistant at first, but eventually gave me the "I am not supposed to, but...". No attitude at all, very friendly. Dallas North Park store, if anyone was curious.

    Would have liked to exchange for another swim cover up to use on my vacay in a few weeks (yippee) but got the Pique Stripe Tee in deep cobalt, so happy they were willing to do this for me!

    Not one single sale item in the entire store though. Very odd to me.

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  57. Totally pi@@ed!! My chambray bermuda shorts that I have worn maybe 5/6 times have completely ripped at the waistband! I feel like shipping them to Jenna and asking her if this quality is acceptable to her and Mickey!

    To the garbage pile they go!

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  58. I finally got my catalog yesterday, August 3. The JULY catalog.

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  59. more on the price increase front... their "signature leggings" went up in price $10, from 29.50 to 39.50. 40 dollars for jcrew leggings..? i might as well buy the nice Splendid ones that are made in the U.S...

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  60. Thanks, Elaine. Any chance you think JCrew will just take back the bathing suit top? Am I asking too much?

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  61. My first perfect fit boatneck tee came with a hole and now the replacement one I ordered came with big snag! Postage to send it back, from Canada, will cost as much as the tee shirt. I'm stuck with a snagged tee that'll only be good for rags after a few wears. J Crew's tees aren't even worth $10 IMO. Slightly less annoying, I'm finding many of my items have small pieces of left over thread stuck to them.

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  62. I think my last review belongs in the Vent section. I am hoping it has a happy ending but I am not optimistic about it....

    Click HERE to see my latest review on the Factory perfect shirt in washed chambray

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  63. I agree with all of the above statements about quality. I purchased shorts at the beginning of summer, which the stitching came loose after one wash. I brought them back and they gave me a $10 credit to cover the cost to have them fixed. I purchased two more in different colors because the shorts fit perfectly, but had the same issue. To me, it was worth the hassle just because I love the shorts but it is getting very old, very fast. I love J.Crew as a brand and almost exclusively wear their clothing but the quality of products is detererating as fast as my Artist T's!

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  64. I have a gripe. I bought the derrie skirt on promo, and wanted to exchange for a smaller size. It is now on final sale (for more than I paid with the percentage off and promo price). I was told by TWO SA's via phone that if I process the exchange the new skirt will be final sale. WTF, right? That doesn't make any sense. Their loss, I am returning instead and they out the sale. I think thats a lot of BS that you buy something not final sale and just to get a smaller size they stick you with final sale. I wouldn't have bought final sale to begin with, why now would I want it to be final sale when I clearly am already unsure about the fit. Really disappointing.

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  65. I just found my peeps! I thought I was all alone in my discontent for the "new" J. Crew. This past week I sent a scathing email to JC regarding their decline in style,quality,policies, and lack of customer service.
    Response: "We are so sorry for the disappointment you have encountered with us....let us offer you a $25.00 gift card"...blah, blah, blah. Are you kidding me? I had to respectfully decline their offer.
    As silly as this sounds (or rather reads) looking though the pics Alexis posted of 2007 season made me want to cry. What happened?
    J Crew, if you are reading, please start taking your meds...and come back to us.....please?

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  66. Did anyone have problems ordering online last week and using the J.Crew card? I tried to place an order several times online and then on the phone and had to use a regular card instead. I hope I still got my points! They customer service rep. said I would...is she right?

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  67. Mickey Drexler actually does respond and very quickly...I had a catalog problem for about six months and got it resolved with one e-mail to his office. Any of the addresses offered will work: mdrexler@jcrew,or any variation thereof...I don't really have a vent this week. Am enjoying my final sale + 40% off items as we speak from a few weeks ago. That's good enough for now. Oh maybe one thing: The August catalog is super duper meh.

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  68. OK, I changed my mind. I DO have a vent: Just went on the site to look up the Comrade pant and thank goodness I did! I don't think it said in the catalog that it has an elastic waist! Sorry, but I'm not at the age where I need an elastic waist. WTF?? I didn't know they were taking style notes from Chico's now.

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  69. The J Crew here in Richmond, VA has the worst customer service I've ever seen. And I am a store manager at the same mall and I compete with them for sales. I have been into the store multiple times, never greeted, I have to try on tops in the store and I am very rarely asked if I would like a fitting room. I can spend 5 minutes in the store and no one says a word to me. I've written them emails concerning the complete lack of "service." However, I have gotten the BEST customer service ever at the Tysons Corner J Crew store. They can really make you feel wanted at that location.

    Concerning Final Sale items; every retailer should have some sort of final sale return policy. That's how we get rid of merchandise that we are clearing out and will not be buying into for the next season. I never take back final sale merchandise; try it on before you buy it!

    PS... when is the next warehouse sale? I'm trying to get some Mister Freedom gear on sale!

    -Drew

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  70. OK, so this starts off as my fault. Some how I setup my JC credit card scheduled payment for 8/24, it was due 8/13. I have no idea where I got 8/24 from since I did this on 7/31. So when I realize my mistake, I go to delete my payment and pay immediately. No...you can't do that with JC. So they say to call, but it was after 9pm ET on Saturday and no Sunday Customer Service. What's up with no 24 hour Customer Service and not being able to delete a scheduled payment, last time I checked this was 2011. Very frustrating, so I have a note to call JC Customer Service first thing in the morning and try and change my payment and hopefully beg for some mercy on the finance and late charges.

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  71. Let's face it, the quality of JCrew merchandise has gone downhill while their price points seem to have increased. I bought a schoolboy blazer from them and the buttons fell off within a month of my purchase. I also bought a few of their vintage tees which after about 8 washes developed holes in the armpits. WOW! First of all, I can go to Wal-mart and buy a t-shirt that is thicker and of better quality for $3.00. And they sell their junky tees for $29 a pop. If I wanted a sheared t-shirt with holes I'd buy one from Abercrombie for $100.

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  72. The "Perfect T" is no longer perfect. It's not even wearable. The fabric feels like some horrid synthetic. The shape is lost once out of the bag. The fit is atrocious. I'm glad I stocked upon Black, White, and Navy before these fine products devolved into cheap trash (silver lining) :)

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Dear J.Crew Aficionadas & Aficionados: Please feel free (and encouraged) to share your thoughts and opinions. :) However, please note that this is still a personal blog. So comments that are considered inappropriate (e.g. obscene, racist, homophobic, personal attacks, rude, and just plain mean) will be removed.

And now back to J.Crew! :)