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.
Another epic "J. Crew screws up" vent: I ordered an item and it arrived snagged. I ordered a replacement, it arrived even worse, with a huge snag in the front. The third replacement, which actually had a request for a quality check (which was skipped since the store was pressed for time per the 24-7 team) actually had a dime size hole in the side seam. Currently waiting on replacement number 4. It was supposed to ship yesterday but the person packing it had a second person double check it to make sure and the second person found 2 stains on the item so they had to fulfill it from somewhere else. That still doesn't take away that the first person missed it completely after promising me that it was in "excellent condition".
ReplyDeleteWhy do I even shop at J. Crew anymore?
For those of you wanting the cliff notes version, I was sent 3 items (subsequent replacements of the same item), all damaged. Got a minimal one line apology from the customer service team whose idea of going above and beyond was honoring the initial price I paid, but it's been three weeks and several trips to my local store to return since my original order. Oy vey.
That's terrible, shouldn't a quality check be a standard thing especially when it comes from a store? I wonder if the entire run of the item has manufacturing flaws that makes for easy snags/holes.
DeleteI am curious to what item has had so many defects/ A delicate sweater? did the item look new or used/ AS in were returned by others?
DeleteIsn't that a red flag to be sent multiple of the same item all damaged....Might say something about the quality of the item..Might be a good idea to pass on it at this point.
DeleteThat's awful. I hope they're providing overnite shipping!
DeleteIt's a cardigan, not delicate. Not used. Brand new.
DeleteI got my 4th replacement, thoroughly checked by a store associate. 2 snags and an unraveling sleeve. I give up.
Which cardigan??
Delete@Cass Your favorite, the Jackie cardigan 😂
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ReplyDeleteJ. Crew Group Inc., the struggling apparel chain, will shake up its management ranks and cut 250 jobs in a bid to revive growth.
ReplyDeleteAs part of the overhaul, Chief Operating Officer Michael Nicholson will begin overseeing the J. Crew brand, including marketing and design decisions. Nicholson, a 50-year-old former Ann Inc. executive who joined the retailer last year, also has the job of chief financial officer, giving him a central role in the attempt to turn around the business.
Chief Executive Officer Mickey Drexler, who previously ran Gap Inc., is taking more drastic steps to reinvigorate the former retail darling. The company is coping with shrinking sales and a broader shift away from mall-based retail. Same-store sales—a key benchmark—fell 7 percent last year and 8 percent in 2015. The company also has a heavy debt load tied to its 2011 purchase by TPG Capital and Leonard Green & Partners LP.
Among the other changes announced April 25, Lisa Greenwald will become chief merchandising officer for the J. Crew brand, putting her in charge of men's, women's and kids’ products. She previously oversaw merchandising at the company's Madewell division. Libby Wadle, who had been president of J. Crew, will take that same role at Madewell.
The job cuts will include 150 full-time positions and 100 open slots, mostly at the company's New York headquarters. The move is expected to eventually generate $30 million in annual cost savings, though it will bring a one-time charge of $10 million for severance payments and other termination costs in the first quarter.
The latest upheaval comes about three weeks after J. Crew announced that longtime creative director Jenna Lyons will leave the company at the end of 2017. Drexler also is talking with creditors about restructuring the company's debt. One of his proposals, a plan to shift the J. Crew brand name to an entity in the Cayman Islands, has riled lenders. They say the change could prevent them from demanding the intellectual property as collateral or lower the value of their holdings in any restructuring.
Apart from the 250 job cuts, there's also this:
Deletehttp://www.gq.com/story/frank-muytjens-j-crew-menswear-part-ways
Here's an excerpt on the main point of the article:
As part of a corporate restructuring at J.Crew, Frank Muytjens, the longtime head of menswear design, has left the company. As first reported by Business of Fashion, the company is eliminating around 250 positions, mostly on the corporate level, in an effort to scale back the business, which has been dealing with financial struggles in the past few years.
Yikes. The Women's department may have fallen in quality over the years, but Men's seems to have stayed consistent. Wonder if this departure will change that. (This news also reminds me of Ema's comment the other day about how perhaps Jenna left bc she wanted to abandon the ship with a drunk captain at the head. Maybe the same is true here.)
Yikes indeed! Frank seemed to strike a perfect balance between current and classic on the men's side. I hope JC finds a way to maintain that sensibility.
DeleteNoooo! Frank left?! He's my favorite men's designer. He's been with the company for yearssss. Love his aesthetic. I follow him on IG. His house is beautiful.
DeleteWith Jenna and Frank gone, what will be the look of JCrew? Is Gail gone, too?
This might be the biggest 'Mickey fumble' yet. Frank like Todd Synder before him as the head menswear designer put J.Crew on the map for men's clothing.
DeleteWhen something is working so well why monkey with it? Poor choice Mickey.
Agree that if this was a corporate decision, it was a bad one. TM93 may be right that Frank sensed big, unpleasant changes and decided to head out.
DeleteOverall, I've no issue with scaling back, as I think it reflects many people's personal economies, and is in line with where people are putting their money instead. I'm in favor of fewer, higher quality items. I'm not sure that major changes in design are what's in order, though. This feels like cutting a bit more of the heart out of J Crew.
Investors are demanding this. Cost cutting and mgmt changes will buy Mickey time and perhaps give them a bit more patience for debt restructuring. That debt load is a time bomb and it unfortunately increases the risk that the company will not survive the retail apocalypse.
DeleteI think Mickey has six months or else.
What a shame! My husband has loved the men's line, and we've been particularly impressed with the suiting given the price point. We've often joked about the fact that the men's line was the only thing keeping the brand afloat amidst plummeting quality and design on the women's side. Shame!
DeleteNot a vent. Decent sale update this morning.
ReplyDeleteYes...but everything I clicked on was only available in very small sizes.
DeleteI'm officially done with the jackie cardigans. All mine look worn and ratty after one wash on the delicate cycle in woolite. I refuse to buy plain cotton cardigans that need to be hand wash to keep looking good after a few wears. If they ever change the ugly gold buttons, I will try out the merino wool version.
ReplyDeleteSorry, Cass. I do a lot of hand washing, and don't mind too much with woolens and linens. But it is ridiculous to have cottons that can't stand up to machine washing. Sometimes with J Crew I feel like I'm buying quality, but then I remember that I can't wear and wash anything like a normal garment. T-shirts will lose their shape, cotton sweaters will get fuzzy or shrink, silk camis will become super rough, etc etc. My two merino Jackies have flaws. One has a significant hole that I noticed after hand washing, before ever wearing. Stupid.
DeleteThanks for the sympathy. :/
DeleteI agree on the gold buttons. I would love the wool Jackie but those gold buttons are a big turn off. They are not modern at all. Every now and them I think of buying one because the colors are great, but I know I would have to replace all the buttons.
DeleteCheck out Boden. They have washable CASHMERE that holds up and looks way better than cottons from J. Crew. (That's true of most of their items these days, in my opinion.) They cost more than a Jackie, but I'd rather have one nice cardigan that holds up than 4 that fall apart in the wash!
DeleteAnother thumbs up for Boden. I have a cashmere cardigan from them that I washed a few times and a seam by the collar began to unravel - the kind that if left unchecked will unravel the entire way and separate from the rest of the cardigan. I bought it in November and discovered the unravel the next October. I emailed their CS and they immediately sent me a return label for a refund. Otherwise, the quality was nice and thick (and soft) and I loved that it was washable. I immediately reordered.
DeleteVENT: I don't usually shop facorty for various reasons including pricing games and the fact that I don't have one nearby for returns, but found a few accessories I like. Unfortunately, if you use your J.Crew card, you can get 20% off but not free shipping, which is the current promo. I kept adding a few items to my cart and I was at 99.59 and then I told myself this was ridiculous. So I bought nothing.
ReplyDeleteGood for you in not caving trying to reach a minimum! I've done that before and always regret the hassle or wasted money.
DeleteStupid. And the sad part is, if I could get 20% off AND free shipping it would be a "no brainer" and I'd probably spend $50ish.
Deletei do think the $150 min for free shipping is a little high... i think even $100 would be better.
DeleteI think with factory it's $100 but they are offering free shipping, EXCEPT if you use your J.Crew credit card 20% off, then you have to pay shipping.
DeleteFor the items I wanted it ends up costing about the same either way, but as a long time card holder, why can't we get the additional benefit of 20% off WITH free shipping?
OOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! i totally misunderstood that.
DeleteWhat kind of deal is that?! yeesh.
Yeah I thought it was 20% and free shipping for cardholders. Misread that too because it makes no sense not to include the free ship.
DeleteThat I really annoying, Suz Has. It's no real benefit to cardholders then. Boy. Similarly, I haven't shopped Factory. Until today. I was driving in an unfamiliar area and saw a J Crew Mercantile. I stopped out of curiosity. I ended up finding a must-have (Drapey Oxford shirtdress in Blue Grotto). Super , excellent fit and easy to wear. I hadn't budgeted for this spontaneous item, and I was surprised by the high prices. They seemed as much as retail. I decided to hold off, and figured I would check the reviews as well, just in case. Well... it was $20 less on the website, plus free shipping. I probably could have got a price match, but I'm not a haggler. Not buying in store. I never would have loved this item online, but it's not worth $20 more to try in store. B&M stores are just hurting themselves.
DeleteSarah, exactly. I have that experience with my retail stores sometimes too. Higher prices and final sale on sale items that aren't final sale online. (And yes, they often take them back, but who wants to take that chance all the time?)
DeleteDoes anyone know when the rollout in May will be? I wish it would be before Mother's Day but highly doubt it.
ReplyDeleteWeek of the 15th!
DeleteYay thank you, Ina!
DeleteAre Rewards being delivered by turtles again? Why can't they find a way to get them out in a timely fashion?
ReplyDeleteI just sent back the new neon tweed suit. I needed a spring work work suit, but I hung it up in my closet next to the 2009 blushed tweed suit with the Collier jacket (the skirt Michelle Obama wore in Vogue) and realized the neon tweed looked cheap AF. No wonder it is so marked down.
ReplyDeleteI first saw the jacket in the brookfield place store and my initial reaction was that it would be making it to clearance. Thin fabric with pulls off the rack, weird neckline. It's now in full size run for almost 75% off. Save your money for something better!
DeletePETITE FAIL. I ordered both a regular and petite in the eyelet shirtdress from the last rollout. Fabric wasn't the greatest, which is not surprising given the price point. The big problem: the regular was far too long in the waist for me, as expected. The petite waist hit me at exactly the right point, but the lining clearly had not been scaled down for the petite version--the top portion of the lining (which looks like a spaghetti strap camisole) is so low-cut that almost my entire bra is still exposed. It's obvious they simply chopped it off at the waist from the regular size instead of scaling it down by shortening the straps and raising it accordingly. Another cost-cutting measure that totally ruined the dress for me. Shame! On a happy note, I love, love, LOVE the Drake's elephant print sundress. Wish the finishing were a little nicer (ragged exposed serged seams on the inside--par for the course these days) but the print is lovely and vibrant and the top fits well, especially with the adjustable straps.
ReplyDeleteAdded some sale things to my cart this morning, then checked and a couple things were sold out. But my dollar total still reflected those items. Spent so much time hitting the remove button that two other things sold out, couldn't remove those items either....finally said "screw it" and closed out of the site. GGGRRR!!!!
ReplyDeleteStray Cat, there is that ridiculous feature of the website. You *cannot* remove Sold Out items from your cart. Ever. They 'disappear' halfway through checkout. The price total doesn't change until the very end. This is terribly annoying and makes checkout calculations difficult.
DeleteSame thing was happening to me so I just went ahead and they deleted from my cart before the order went through. I didn't want to miss out on the drakes scarf!
Delete@Stray Cat, that's happened to me, too, but during the most recent time when an item sold out of my shopping cart, i saw that there's a note that says, 'Item will be removed during checkout.' Like Sarah says, it can't be removed for some strange reason. (& makes figuring out your balance at that point annoying!)
DeleteI think we are all witnessing the slow painful death of a once great brand that has underestimated its loyal customers that chose J Crew for its quality, classic with a twist of style, great design and consistent sizing. I have slowly being buying less and less over the last couple of years after being a loyal customer of the brand for over 20 years. I have returned more items for poor design, quality and sizing in the last couple of years than I have in the previous 18 years. Time for me to move on.
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