Today, J.Crew sent an email reminding customers that a new J.Crew Factory site will be available on Thursday, October 11th.
Even though this email does not mention it, I believe JCAs need to sign up (click HERE) to join the club (is this now called "Factory First Program"?) You can add a new email account or log-in with your existing J.Crew account.
I am excited to see what the new Factory site will look like, what extra features it will offer, and what the Factory First/ Club entails! For example, I love to see more outfit ideas than the few they currently offer. I think that actually helps sell Factory clothes to customers like me, who are infrequent Factory shoppers.
From the email, it sounds like the J.Crew Factory site will be down from October 8th through the 11th. I can only hope that the site goes live without issues. (Let us hope they learned from J.Crew's website upgrade failure from a few years ago.)
Did you sign up for the J.Crew Factory Club? Are you loving the perks? Think J.Crew should extend the club to its other sites?
I still don't understand what factory means, do they make the same clothes but cheaper to sell there?
ReplyDeleteHi Tabitha - I think factory used to mean overstocks from retail and seconds at reduced prices, but now it's mostly past-season items specifically produced for "Factory" stores with a few retail items here and there. The Factory items are typically cheaper in quality (ie, their wool pencil skirts are a wool blend and their Jackies do not have nylon/spandex in them) but the prices are largely comparable to retail on promo/sale. Over the last year or so there have been reports of Factory items that are identical to or better made than their retail counterparts (icon trench and Winnie/Minnie pants for example).
ReplyDeleteAh, thanks Silver Lining.
DeleteAlexis,
ReplyDeleteI had the same thought when I read about the site going live! It was a traumatic event; I think about it whenever I encounter issues w/the site. lol
Yes, I signed up! Even if I don't buy much from factory, I like to know what is going on! I wonder if this was the reason for the interviews/surveys conducted w/customers a while back.
HA! It is amazing how many of us remember that upgrade fiasco. I hope it does *not* happen again.
DeleteI am excited about the pink blouse the model is wearing. I hope the website is good, there is alot of potential for failure here given J.Crew's history of website "upgrades".
ReplyDeleteI think it sucks that we won't be able to order factory and retail in the same order anymore. Boo. But I guess giving us free shipping for a few weeks is supposed to soften the blow, ha. I am excited for that.
I never realized that: that we will no longer be able to purchase Factory and J.Crew items in the same order! Good catch.
DeleteAlthough, that revelation is unfortunate. I order online (b/c the stores are too far for me to frequent) and add an item to my regular order. If I have to order them separately from my regular J.Crew, then it means I will do it even less because I won't pay the additional shipping. Sad for me. Probably good for my wallet.
Hopefully they will allow us to order together like the gap/BR family brands. After all it's all coming from the same warehouse too.
DeleteI, too, love that blouse and the whole outfit. Looking forward to the new site!
ReplyDeleteI have to wonder if this is Mickey's way of taking J.Crew more upscale along with higher prices and making Factory a stronger brand for most cost-conscious shoppers.
ReplyDeleteI feel like this might be the case as well....
DeleteI wouldn't be surprised at all.
DeleteI stopped getting factory skirts because they are always shorter than the regular store versions. Plus the fabrics are never the same. The cottons are way thinner and the wool skirts are actually wool blends with other fibers in them. What I still like in the factory stores are the slub cotton tees. They seem to last much longer.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait for the free shipping perk, I hope it also means free returns. I rarely order from factory because returning stuff is such a hassle for me but I am pleased with the quality of what I ordered so far and I would certainly order more if they offered free shipping on a regular basis...
ReplyDeleteDumb question: What exactly is "Factory"? I know I used to make excursions to a B&M factory store where they had overstock and irregular merchandise offered at a discount. Is this the same thing? Discounted, older/irregular stuff, like Marshall's?
ReplyDeleteCopied from the "About J.Crew" page on jcrew.com:
ReplyDelete"J.Crew Factory, which launched in 1988, offers the J.Crew style our customers love in stores across the country and on jcrew.com/factory. All of our J.Crew Factory items are exclusive designs—featuring casual classics, cool colors and bold prints (never last season's leftovers). Our Factory clothing is based on great styles and favorites from past J.Crew collections, though in order to keep our prices competitive, we sometimes slightly change the designs, fabrics and washes (but we always make sure to maintain the quality and integrity that our customers expect from J.Crew). We also design crewcuts Factory, our collection for kids—it's the same style you love for yourself, only slightly smaller. "
Except sometimes they do have "last season's leftovers", on the clearance rack and at steeply discounted prices. I just got a tee from Holiday 2009 last week at my factory store for a whopping $7. Random.
DeleteOh no, it can't be going well...currently, some of The Factory sections are available in the sale section of the regular site, and you can search on factory and it returns results on the regular site.
ReplyDelete