Friday, December 4, 2015

Seek & Find: Will you visit J.Crew this Weekend?

This is the weekly "sale watch" post, to help each other find sale items at our various local J.Crew stores. ;)

If you are stopping by a J.Crew store this weekend to see what's available (if anything!) in the SALE, or to see some NEW ARRIVALS {sigh!} in person, maybe you might be willing to share that with us in this post. In particular, if you could share with us a few of the noteworthy items that are available, at what prices, and potential sizes the store is carrying (as well as the store location)- that would be fantastic!

Also, please let us know if your local store is carrying an additional percent off sale. Thanks in advance!!! :)

P.S. I noticed that many of you have already been reporting sale items (and in which stores) in other posts which by the way "thank you!" :) I really appreciate how helpful we are for each other!

83 comments:

  1. Off-topic, many reviews!

    Sequin Fair Isle Sweater:
    I ordered the cement/ivory(gray/navy/mint) colorway and the pattern is adorable- cheerful and festive without screaming "holiday". You can definitely wear it all season long. This is a quite thick sweater and as such it hangs a bit away from the body and doesn't highlight curves the way a thinner merino would, but it is definitely not "boxy" the way J. Crew has been skewing lately, the fit is overall TTS and quite nice, especially in the shoulders (no drop sleeves!). The sequins are sewn on well. The only drawback is that this sweater is ridiculously rough and itchy! The ribbed hems are almost abrasive to the touch. It is cute enough that I'm keeping it, but I will only wear it over another layer.

    Lace Panel Cardigan-
    Ordered the marine salt colorway (gray/black/white)The one I received had a bit of a sewing error where some of the stitching of the lace panel was caught in a seam of the armpit, causing a weird pull, and I was frustrated I might have to exchange it when it is now backordered until January, but I figured it out and snipped the errant threads without causing the whole thing to unravel, thank goodness. The underside of the lace is a silky poly that will glide right over whatever under layer you are wearing, it makes it feel flowy and not stiff for having a couple of layers to the garment. The scattered edging of the lace is a great detail without shouting "I'm covered in a large-scale pattern!" Love. Also TTS for my normal Tippi size.

    Black Watch Tuxedo Pant-
    I was fortunate enough to grab these right from the get-go and the construction I do feel actually merits the full price I paid. Lined pants, it's a miracle! Fabric content of the main plaid pattern of the pant is 70% wool, 30% poly. The cut is soooo flattering through the waist and rear, though the leg is more trouser style and would look much better if it were cut slimmer through the thigh in my opinion. Definitely wider throught the whole leg than they appear on the model. I ordered the tall inseam which made them a perfect full-length pant on me at 5'4". The color is much darker than the website and the pattern is therefore quite subtle, I would definitely match with black rather than navy as the "navy" in the plaid is almost as dark as the waistband/piping. I'm torn on whether to keep them...I'm a sucker for anything blackwatch, but that also means I have a blackwatch plaid pencil skirt that seems much more versatile than these pants, which read very "special occasion" to me. And I probably would want to get them altered to take in the leg circumference and that would drive the cost-per-wear up also. That lining is both a blessing and a curse I guess.

    Madewell Bette Boot-
    I have been kicking myself for 5 years for not buying the Langford Oxford from J. Crew in 2010 and these scratch that itch, with a slightly more streamlined and versatile take on the oxford with a slightly more manageable heel. Adorable in both colorways, I might end up owning them both but am being patient and waiting for sale on the second version. They run a full size big from my usual Cece size and a 1/2 size big over what I take in the Dulci heels.

    Madewell Cape Scarf in Huntington Plaid-
    Speaking of my obsession with everything blackwatch...Surprisingly more versatile of a topper than I was imagining but then again I do own a lot of green and navy. Not overwhelming on me, which many "capes" have been this season (I'm looking at you, heartbreakingly beautiful and soft ginormous plaid Boden Helena Cape- seriously, tall girls, you need to check that one out.) I do think it will pill/fuzz after 1 or 2 seasons but it is reasonably priced even for that lifespan.

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    1. Thanks for the reviews! If you are not sure about keeping the black watch pants depending on your size I would happily buy them off of you:) I was contemplating their fit fit and before I knew it they were sold out! (ahalya.mahendra@gmail.com)

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    2. I have the Langford oxfords in black/sand (the spectator ish coloration) and LOVE them. I wear them with skirts, pants, dresses, jeans, etc. Definitely one of my most favorite JCrew purchases, of which there have been many!

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    3. Ahayla, I've posted them on the J Crew and Madewell buy, sell, trade, facebook group if you want to see pics.

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  3. GIVEMORE gets you 30% off $150+ and so I was able to get a PA on an order I placed for the husband last night. Decided last minute to throw in the cashmere double faced scarf (it caught my husband's eye first but I have a feeling I'll be borrowing it!) and JC customer service was able to send it separately, apply the discount, and waive shipping. They're the best!

    The PRESENTS promo before this snagged me a chateau parka at $180 and a bunch of other sale items for 40% off. Not to mention Ebates is offering 6% cash back!

    JC is getting a ton of my $ this holiday season!

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    2. This is an interesting promo in that some of the fine jewelry is included, which very rarely happens. I got a couple of things with my gift card that I was thinking about getting earlier -- very glad I waited!

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    3. Ahhh you find a promo that worked for the chateau parka?! The new one (MERRYCARD or GIVEMORE) doesn't work! And I've tried the last few and it was excluded from those as well :-( :-(

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    4. Jamie7, I'm not sure but she might be talking about one from the sale section? The past few mornings I noticed their were a few sizes available (from last year I guess). You might want to check with your store. Occasionally, they will include them in the promo.....

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    5. hi Jamie7 - the PRESENTS promo worked for the chateau parka coats that were on sale in the Deep Forest and Dusty Ginger colorways. However, I don't see any chateau parkas on sale now and the current colors are all excluded from the GIVEMORE promo...

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  5. A couple of questions:

    Anyone try the side slit floral dress (e5880)? I love the pattern but it's poly so I'm hoping for a better sale/% off. It's also quite long (I'm 5'4") and I'd have to chop a few inches off. Also hoping it'll be appropriate for a wedding I'm going to in NOLA. I have to travel for it so in hoping it suitcase friendly.

    Also. Can we expect better % off sale stuff soon?

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    1. ^ sorry... i don't think that was totally clear... if anyone's seen the dress, i'd love an opinion on the material and quality... TIA

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    2. Yesterday....40% ...today 25% to 30% depending on how much you spend. I always dislike these types of promos. I am waiting on the next few promos.

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    3. its not good for sale...but some will find some winners in the reg section. good luck JCA's.

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    4. Miss JR - The side slit floral looks like the same cut as the drapey perforated from spring of this year. I have pictures, but I haven't been able to find them since I took them so no review. I think I tried a 6 and it was a nice drape, but too long. I recently tried the 8P and there wasn't enough drape in the torso area for me. Without a defined waist, the look just wasn't there. If I were going to get it, I'd probably go for a regular size and have it altered. I did think about the dress regularly after trying it on. I kinda wish I'd tried different sizing thru ordering to figure it out. But y'know, sometimes that gets to be tiring.

      See the perforated dress on shoperarach in orange and walnut and black. This blogger put a narrow belt at the waist on Alicia Tenise.

      If the floral one works on your figure, it will look amazing.

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    5. Wow! Thank you, Gigi! That helps lot!

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  6. Again, not a good quarter for JC: http://fashionista.com/2015/12/jcrew-fiscal-q3-2015.

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    1. Notice the quote from Mickey - "....J.Crew level of design, style and value that our customer expects." No mention of the quality. Looks like that's no longer on their list?

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    2. Yeah, think Mickey is in a bit of denial. When your quarterly loss is approaching a BILLION dollars, you're in trouble. Here's a Bloomberg article.
      http://www.businessinsider.com/j-crew-sales-down-2015-12

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    3. Oops...that was Business Insider; here's Bloomberg. Hope JC figures it out; I have been able to find pieces to add to my closet.

      http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-12-03/j-crew-taps-ann-inc-s-nicholson-as-finance-operating-chief

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  7. IRL pics and reviews of the Perfect Cable Sweater and Factory Tailored Tweed Blazer in Charcoal Navy on my Instagram @lolcatgurl.

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  8. Thank you....I need all the reviews I can get my hands on....much appreciated. C

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  9. You can't get any of the holiday catalog items cuz they're sold out (slaps knee), but there are still FA15 sale items. Two reviewed on Gigi's Gone Shopping. The silk clover top and lace appliqué sweater.

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    1. Suzy, I'm sooo curious to see what's going to pop back after Christmas.

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  10. TeriLyn13 was kind enough to provide a link to a Fashionista story about J Crew's declining sales (see vent thread). Here's an excerpt:

    While results are "still not where we'd like them to be," Drexler noted that the customer has been responding well to recent product and merchandising strategies; in particular, women's blazers, dresses and suiting have performed well, as has men's shirting, outerwear, suiting and denim. He also emphasized the success of J.Crew's "iconic classics with a twist" and heritage items. "Overall, we believe the product is where it needs to be," he said. "And again, our goal and focus is to maintain the J.Crew level of design, style and value that our customer expects."

    Two things: JC makes most of its profits historically on sweaters and knits, not mentioned above. Is that whey they're still losing money? (Blessedly he did not continue to blame the Tilly).

    Second, Mickey says that the product is where is needs to be - then says that the "results" (financial) are not what they need to be. Pretty big disconnect there IMO.

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    1. On this note I was considering picking up some new Cambridge sweaters with this promo, I live in them in the winter. When I started reading the comments about the changes made in the fabric for this year's version and the lack of quality overall, these business decisions are what is hurting the sales. I'm heading to consignment or another retailer. I would love to see someone who has new and old to do an IRL comparison.

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    2. I don't have a recent Cambridge turtleneck, but I have one from a few years ago and it pilled badly under the arms / where your arm would swipe against your side. Quality on these wasn't all that great even a few years ago.

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    3. Hi TeriLynn - Cambridge cables are basically that crappy "dream" yarn in cable form. Garbage.

      There is so much qualitative data in the form of reviews on their site (and even more here, but you know...) and it is frustrating to see it constantly ignored. Here's a tip, JC - just extract the text of all your reviews, dump it into a file and generate a word cloud. It will take you 5 seconds, and I guarantee that the biggest word (most frequently used) in that cloud will be QUALITY. Then if you want to get fancier, start coding the responses and see how many of them fall under "not what it used to be", or "cheap shortcuts on a previously great item". Just sayin'.

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    4. The fact that he said the product is where it needs to be is quite disheartening. That tells me that the quality and fit problems are here to stay.

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    5. Hi Violet - I agree, that's disappointing to read. I do think that things are getting better, but there's still a way to go. Also, it's problematic to change up fit and construction of previously released (and popular) items (Tippi, Minnie, cashmere T, Cece, Majesty, Pixie, etc.) and keep the name, thinking the changes won't be noticed. Just call them something else. From a lot of reviews I've read, this is really annoying customers.

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    6. I have several versions of Cambridge Cable Turlenecks spanning 7-8 years. I love the slim fit and winter workhorse nature of it - just the type of sweater I live in during our Midwest winters.

      My oldest ones actually look better than the two new ones I bought last season. (That won't surprise most JCAs who have been around a while ...). The new ones are crap and they pill and stretch out after the first wear. F21 quality.

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    7. Oh and on J Crews recent earnings report ... It actually sounded much worse than Mickey is letting on. Third quarter loss of $760 million, 25% worse than last year and the fifth straight quarter of losses. Also, the company slashed the value of "goodwill" as the result of declining brand equity.

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    8. I had to get rid of the cambridge cardigans that I bought in 2010. One looked like a pilled rag, sadly. I tried to hang onto it because of the beautiful shade, but I had to let it go. The 2nd shade did a little better, but I think that's because I never wore it under a coat or jacket. I haven't bought another.

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    9. I think all of the rapid expansion J. Crew has done the last few years has necessitated cost-cutting measures and now they're in trouble. This sounds familiar. They've over-reached.

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    10. Yesterday I was wearing a long wool, thinsulate lined, toggle coat that I bought from J Crew in probably 2002 or so. Other than the thinsulate thinning at the interior seams in some places and the zipper coming away slightly at the bottom {my fault} there is no piling or deterioration of the wool and the toggle buttons and hood buttons are intact. I have worn the heck out of this coat and tortured it by all accounts and it still looks good. I haven't felt the need to buy another. Maybe J Crew knows this so when things fall apart quickly people might buy more frequent replacements. I would rather they produce less variety and higher quality items at a higher price point even if it is less than exciting I guess. Factory could churn out the variety at a higher speed like Old Navy while J Crew stays the course. That's my two cents Mickey that you probably won't get this year for the bank.

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    11. Terilynn, I still have coats from that era too, and they have worn like iron! Sadly, no retailer these days is making garments like that (though LE is killing it w their revamp this year).

      Fast fashion is destroying JC, causing this deflationary force. Clothing is getting cheaper and cheaper and consumers aren't willing to pay JC prices when they can get the same quality at Zara and F21. I see improvements in design, definitely, but for the low quality being churned out, I want 50% off or I'm not buying.

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    12. I concur with all of your statements. I was in a store last night, and nothing tempted me. There were no luxurious sweaters or fabulous coats in amazing colors. I felt a little let down by the merchandise. Ironically, there is an H and M across the way. I am not an H an M shopper, but the same flitted through my mind. Why spend JC prices for inferior merchandise, when the other retailers have them for a fraction of the price. I was just hoping that there would be some amazing sweaters at J Crew for the holidays, and I haven't seen even one.

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  11. Hi Miss JR- I did try the floral splash side slit dress you mentioned. I'm 5'7" so the length on me was fine but I felt that the side slits were higher above the knee than I like, at least for my personal preference. I really liked the pattern and colors. The vneck was too low for me to wear without a cami which would ruin it IMO (I'm quite small chested though so a larger chest might fit it better). I tried my usual size 0 and it was a bit snug around the hips but a size 2 would make the vneck worse for me.

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    1. ^sorry this was a reply for Miss JR above I don't know why it didn't work. :)

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    2. Thanks!

      I think I will take a chance on it... As long as it's not final sale. :)

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  12. If I can get up around 6:30am tomorrow I will be heading to the clearance store for probably my last trip of the year. Don't know if I will make it or not but I can tell you that my local store has nothing so the clearance store is my only hope.

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  13. Has anyone tried the Sloan Sequin Color Blocked D'Orsay Flats (item e5045)?

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    1. I wear a solid size 8 in these shoes which is my normal J.Crew shoe size. I have at least 4 pair of Sloans, suede and calf hair. I did see a pair of these at the clearance store and they were very pretty but they were not my size. The quality looked nice and I would assume they would be TTS as well. Love a beautiful party shoe. I could see these with so much...

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    2. the 30% promo today would've been perfect for these but they sold out of my size already. Sigh.

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  14. obviously I am bored....because I am wondering if there is a small rollout next week?

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  15. No store trip for me this weekend. I probably won't place an online order, either...still waiting for the one I placed last Friday to arrive.

    On another note, Madewell is offering an Extra 30% Off Promo-Priced Items & Sale Style until 12.7.15. I've updated the Madewell Promo Items & Markdowns list with the latest additions...there are a lot of them, too. Click Here To See the Updated List.

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    1. thank you so much for sharing this and compiling lists! quite a few of my wishlist items are eligible so this is fantastic :D

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  16. Does anyone have sizing feedback on the Reid jeans in black wash? After my success with the vintage cropped jeans this week, I'm thinking of ordering those as well.

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    1. I have the Reid jeans in Black Wash (B1268) and the Reid Cone Denim Jean in White (B3581) and found them to fit TTS. I own a couple pairs of bootcuts from JC which tend to run large, but took my normal 29 in these. Actually, I liked these jeans so much I reviewed them for the website :-) Good luck! Jennifer

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    2. Thanks, Jennifer. The Reid are not in my size on the site so I'll have to wait for popbacks. I got the vintage cropped one size down after reading reviews. Good to know Reid will work in my normal size. Although with vanity sizing, I'm not sure what my normal size is anymore!

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  17. Excellent shoe day at the clearance store...Collins tortoise loafers, leopard gladiator flat, and black studded suede sloans. Also found a pair of flannel pinstripe pajamas from last year that I missed, couple of sweaters and the longer sweater knit skirt in navy. I think it will be awesome with boots. I don't have anything like it and I really like the longer length.

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    1. ohh. You are so lucky to live close to one. I am envious but still love to hear about your sprees. C

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  18. Hi JCA'S,

    New rollout scheduled for Wednesday December 9th!
    Happy Holidays!

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  19. I went to the Factory store near me to make a return and browsed around a little. I haven't been in 6-8 weeks, but the last time I was there they had a huge selection of merchandise I recognized from the 'regular' store on the clearance rack. And when I went today, it was the same! Has anyone else seen this lately?

    That being said, both times I've seen this I've tried on 12+ items and bought none. Inconsistent sizing!

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    1. I would love to have my closest factory do this but I have not seen this. What items did they have ? ...curious as to what they would move to factory stores.

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    2. I stopped by the new factory store in Asheville when I went to the clearance store yesterday. They are only about 3 miles apart. I walked through and honestly everything just looks like a bunch of junk, poor quality retail repeats and the stuff they are doing on their own is bad too. There was a Vinyard Vines outlet just accross that had really cute stuff but I gave up whales back in the 80's. Too young and preppy for me but would love it for younger people. The SAs looked adorable all dressed head to toe as they should be. Hint, hint J.Crew.

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    3. I have not purchased at factory for about three years now. I agree it all looks bad. after it recently changed (mercantile) I was optimistic. sadly now not so.

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    4. They had loads of denim matchsticks with patches/distressing, some white matchsticks, navy Minnies, and some skinny black 'work pants' that I couldn't name. As for tops, there were tons of styles! It seemed to vary widely what tops they had depending on the size, but I think the top I saw most of was the flutter peplum top in white.

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  20. Off topic...my cyber monday order FINALLY shipped today. for the record, that's an order on november 30 and a ship date of december 5. why can everyone else ship within 48 hours except j crew!?

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    1. Thank you for sharing the information! Mine placed on Dec, 1st hasn't been shipped yet.

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    2. I placed a kate spade order on 12/2 and it's "still processing" as of 12/6. Shipping seems to be slower during promos over there.

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    3. Gigi, I placed an order from KS on 12/1 and got the shipping notice early this morning. Hopefully, you'll get yours soon!

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    4. I'm still waiting for Thanksgiving weekend orders, but I'm okay with that. It was free shipping so it wouldn't be fair for them to pay UPS extra to expedite it. I understand it's a higher than normal volume. I still honestly believe J Crew in general provide very fast shipping and I have been spoiled by the often 3-4business day shipping I receive in the Modwest when I qualify for free shipping. As I get closer to Christmas, I will pay for expedited shipping if necessary. I can't have my cake and eat it, too. The only thing that annoys me are the dreaded wish we had more messages.

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  21. I will be going tomorrow. Some Factory store reviews here.



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  22. Still waiting!! Placed an order on November 26 and still waiting for part of it to be delivered. Says Dec 8th. So that's 12 days. Geez.

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  23. How can we rely on them to get out packages on time especially during the holidays? That's awful Stray Cat. Hoe something comes around for you tomorrow.

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  24. Nov 26 - Dec 8 is 8 business days, which satisfies the 6-8 business day promise of economy shipping. It feels like forever on the West Coast because as a customer I'm counting all the days.

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  25. My stuff from 11/30 hasn't even shipped yet. It still says open. I'm on the east coast about 10 miles from NYC!

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    1. Meanwhile Sephora shipped out well within 24 hours.

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    2. Same here, Suz. Has anybody received orders that were placed after 12/1?

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    3. My 12/03 order was shipped (from a store, but originally was supposed to be shipped from distribution center) while my 12/01 order is still open. This morning, I placed an order for the exact same item as what I ordered on 12/01.

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    4. I haven't had many issues with my orders as others have experienced - my post office is usually pretty fast with the deliveries. That being said, I placed an order on 12/3 and it hasn't shipped yet. Everything I ordered over Thanksgiving weekend (three orders on three days) arrived together in only a few business days so who knows what's going on!

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    5. My 11/30 stuff hasn't shipped either. I ordered from 3 other companies on the same day and it has all been delivered. My JC items haven't; even left the warehouse. Grr.

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    6. Spoke too soon, not long after I posted my order from 12/3 shipped. I have found that the items that ship from the stores take longer to ship but then they will ship them overnight/2 day to make up for the lag. Frustrating nonetheless...

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    7. My order from 11.27 is finally supposed to arrive today, but only because I have another package that shipped via UPS scheduled for delivery. Otherwise they would have given it the post office to deliver tomorrow. I understand that the shipping is free, but plenty of other stores offer free shipping/no minimum on a daily basis, and manage to get my packages delivered to me in 3 or 4 days. I think the whole 6-8 days for delivery is quite ridiculous, personally.

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    8. Items that ship from store always ship next day for me and because they're usually closer arrive in 3 days.

      I placed an exchange order on Dec 2 and it's set to arrive this Wed, so it seems that any order caught up in Black Friday/Cyber Monday probably got stuck in processing.

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    9. My Thanksgiving order shipped quickly; however my cyber Monday order just shipped today. I think that's a record for me, without the dreaded cancellation email. Plus it was a pair of patio pants that I could have got at the store around the corner, lol. Anyway if your orders from beginning of last week haven't shipped yet, there is still hope. Incidentally H&M had a backlog during Thanksgiving and my order only shipped today. However they sent an email with a 40% off one item to apologize to customers who were experiencing delays.

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  26. Still looking for the Plaid d'Orsay flats. I'm stalking the website consistently to no avail.

    Heather
    Partial to Pink

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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! :)