AmEx Gives $50 If You Shop {at J.Crew NYC}

"Thanks!" to many of you, including JC (in this post) & TweedyBird, who shared the following promotion.

American Express is giving its customers a $50 statement credit when they use any registered American Express® Card to make a total of $300 in purchases at three or more NYC Extreme Local Store participants from now until 12/20/09. One of their participants is J.Crew! (Click here for more information on this offer.)

"Thanks!" to TweedyBird who also let us know that the J.Crew Store on Prince Street is hosting a shopping event 12/11/09, from 7-9PM for American Express cardholders. There may be something extra for customers who purchase over $150+. {wahoo!}

Happy shopping to all those in the area! :)

J.Crew In the News: Mickey, Stock Price, & More

There are a few recent articles that mention J.Crew that I thought had some interesting notes to share. :) The first article is from Seeking Alpha (click here to read the full article) which discusses J.Crew's recent success and prediction for the future.

Cramer's Mad Money - The Next Pins to Fall (12/1/09)
December 02, 2009

Even though J.Crew (JCG) is up 397% since last year, there is still room for upside on the fundamentals, and the technicals agree. The charts indicate that J.Crew is on the way to $50 from its current $44, but may take a detour down to $38 first. Cramer thinks the predicted decline is a buying opportunity, especially with Mickey Drexler, who made Gap (GPS) into a fashion and business force, at the helm of J.Crew.

The company reported an increase in same-store sales and a decrease in inventory going into the holidays, but these facts matter less than what Cramer calls "The Mickey Drexler quotient" - the CEO's talent for keeping his company in the public eye. First Lady Michelle Obama appeared on the Tonight Show wearing J.Crew apparel, and her daughters are regularly photographed in J.Crew clothes. Cramer recommends buying half a position at its current price and the second half when the stock dips.

The next article is from the Chicago Tribute (click here to read it in its entirety) about shoppers this holiday season.

Holiday shoppers to take a breather: Retailers are bracing for slow week following a flurry of sales at the end of November
By Sandra M. Jones
December 2, 2009

Now comes the holiday shopping lull. After a surge of shopping the four days after Thanksgiving, retailers are bracing for a week of nail-biting as consumers recover from a long weekend of deals.

Retail sales are expected to rise slightly for November, bolstered by the bargain-heavy shopping days of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, along with easier comparisons with the year-ago period when the financial crisis drove shoppers into hibernation. Still, there is plenty of caution to go around. ...

J.Crew Group Inc. CEO Mickey Drexler told investors last week in an earnings conference call that retailers typically get "a little depressed" the Tuesday after Thanksgiving as shopping activity slows.

"Then two weeks in front of Christmas, we'll all get a little happier," he said, "and we'll know within five days before Dec. 25 how good it will be."

What are your thoughts on either article? Do you agree or disagree with any points made? Do you think shoppers get a bit "depressed" after Thanksgiving? ;)

J.Crew Email: We're celebrating in Phoenix + 20% off

A big "thanks!" to Kelly who let us know about another wonderful offer from J.Crew. The J.Crew Factory Store in Phoenix, Arizona is celebrating its birthday. J.Crew is offering local customers 20% off any purchase of $150+. This offer ends 12/13/09.

Just click on the image above or here (which will take you to a larger version of the image) and print it out (so the associate can read the email).

The location for the store is:

Outlets at Anthem
4250 West Anthem Way
Phoenix, AZ 85086
(623) 465-0178

Congrats to all those in the area!!! :)

J.Crew Email: Last day. 20% off all sweaters + FREE SHIPPING.

"Thanks!" to many of you, including Marietta, who shared the following email sent this morning.

J.Crew is reminding us about their offer for 20% off select women's full-priced sweaters (click here to shop women's online) *and* 20% off select men's full-priced sweaters (click here to shop men's online). J.Crew is also offering free shipping on orders of $150+ with promo code HOLIDAY. Both these offers end today, 12/2/09, at midnight.

I have not taken advantage of either offer. Although there are some lovely new sweaters being offered, I am shopped out at J.Crew for awhile. I might have changed my mind if I got free shipping with no minimum for logging in ...but alas, I did not receive that offer yesterday (& clearly I am not bitter about that, not at all). ;)

Will you be taking advantage of the sweater promotion? Are there any new arrival sweaters you are interested in getting?

Madewell Email: Shine on this season

"Thanks!" to Marietta who shared the email Madewell sent yesterday.

The email features the Cascade Stone Necklace which is described as "swingy, sparkly and impossibly stylish: it's the necklace of the season".

I rarely say this (when it comes to Madewell, let alone their jewelry), but love, love, love the necklace! Although I would not pile on a thousand necklaces like their stylist does, I think two strands of the Cascade Stone Necklace would look absolutely lovely with any outfit.

If I am not mistaken, I also believe this is the necklace that J.Crew's Jenna Lyons wore while on the Martha Stewart Show last week (refer to the "J.Crew's Jenna Lyons to Appear with Martha Stewart..." post).

What are your thoughts on the Cascade Stone Necklace? Do you like or dislike the style? Are you a fan of Madewell's jewelry? :)

Quick Poll: What do you think of Madewell's Cascade Stone Necklace?

J.Crew + UPenn = 20% Off at Century City (Los Angeles, CA)

A big "thanks!" to Christine who who let us know about another wonderful offer from J.Crew.

The J.Crew in Los Angeles, California is teaming up with the PennClubLA and WhartonSoCal associations for a fabulous shopping event. The event promises shoppers: " a morning of holiday shopping, and light refreshments at a private shopping event. Personal shoppers will be on hand to help you with all your shopping needs" . To celebrate, J.Crew is offering 20% off any purchase of $125+.

The event is planned for Sunday, 12/6/09, from 10-12PM (the store opens to the public at 11AM, but J.Crew will have a special section for attendees). Click here to RSVP. (It's unclear if this event is only open to alumni only or friends of alumni.)

The location for the store is:

J.Crew at Century City
10250 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90067

Congrats to all those in the area!!! :)

J.Crew Email: For you & only you -a little holiday help

"Thanks!" to many of you, including Just Visiting, Lilac Cupcake, JBird, as well as Elizabeth (in this post), who shared the email J.Crew sent this morning.

The email announces to {select} customers that they will be receiving some combination of free shipping, free monogramming and free gift boxing (no minimum & on all orders!) by logging into their registered J.Crew account online. The {unlimited} offer expires 12/25/09.

This offer is similar to past offers, where customers would get free shipping (on any order) by simply logging into their J.Crew account. Once again, I think this is a fabulous promotion. Once again, I got left out. C'mon J.Crew! I keep hoping I will be included in the next round of "log-in" offers, and I am always unpleasantly disappointed. :( Since I am sucker for J.Crew, I will think positively and hope that the next time I will be included. :) {fingers crossed}

Did you receive this email? Are you planning to take advantage of this current offer?

J.Crew Email: Ladies who lounge + FREE SHIPPING

"Thanks!" to Marietta who shared with us the email J.Crew sent this morning.

The email showcases J.Crew's sleepwear for women (click here to shop online) with the tag phrase: "Beauty sleep redefined ...encouraging some winter downtime in our luxuriously cozy PJs".

The email features the Vintage Pajama Set (Item 20806; $69.50) in Lavender, paired with the Pretty Poplin Chemise (Item 20831; $39.50). Moreover, I should add that one of J.Crew's {holiday} sleepwear staples is back too: the Classic Union Suit (Item 21422; $69.50 ).

Incidentally, did anyone else notice that the photo used in the email (shown above) has an odd placement for those ornaments? {huh} ;)

What are your thoughts on J.Crew's sleep & lounge wear? Are you a fan of their styles & offerings?

J.Crew & Cyber Monday {a year later...}

The following article from Crain's New York (click here) shares some interesting tidbits, including J.Crew and its technological infrastructure.

Forget Cyber Monday, now it's Cyber Week: E-tailers are expected to offer discounts all week long as customers flock to the Web to shop in greater numbers.
By Adrianne Pasquarelli
November 30, 2009

The keyboard tapping and mouse clicks heard in offices today might be the sounds of online shopping. On Cyber Monday, traditionally the Monday after Thanksgiving, consumers utilize strong workplace Internet connections to shop online. This Monday, more than 96.5 million shoppers are expected to make a purchase, up nearly 14% from last year, according to Shop.org.

“A lot more retailers are offering more aggressive promotions,” said Larry Joseloff, vice president of content at Shop.org. The organization is predicting 87% of retailers will offer Cyber Monday promotions, versus 83% last year. “One trend we're seeing is retailers lifting restrictions for free shipping [like threshold amounts of spending],” added Mr. Joseloff.

Retailers such as Gap, Barnes & Noble, Bloomingdale's and J.C. Penney are all offering Cyber Monday promotions, ranging from 30% discounts to $50 off some purchases. Some retail experts predict the promotions will continue for the rest of the week.

“It's definitely ‘Cyber Week,'” said Sucharita Mulpuru, a retail analyst at Forrester Research. “Now is a good time to go online and get what you need by the holidays.”

With Black Friday treating online retailers well, some are predicting strong sales to continue. In the New York area, eBay had nearly 19,000 buyers and over 15,800 sellers, and predicts stronger results following Cyber Monday. Additionally, consumers spent $595 million online on Friday, an 11% jump over last year, according to tracking firm ComScore.

Even so, questions remain as to whether retailers are prepared for the influx of online shoppers this year. Last year, technical snafus knocked out e-commerce sites for stores such as J.Crew and Bloomingdale's for hours during Cyber Monday as traffic surged.

This year, Web pages at retailers including Barnes & Noble, Toys R Us, Saks and Kohl's are taking over 2.5 seconds to download, according to mobile tracker Gomez. Ms. Mulpuru says even 2 seconds is considered slow for page downloads in the industry. Gomez listed J.Crew's response time for page downloads as a fast 0.799 seconds this year.

Some retailers have signed on for additional Web support. GSI Commerce, which provides e-commerce and marketing services to retailers and also recently purchased members-only shopping site Rue La La, has seen a spike in retail customers, eager to expand their online strategies. GSI currently serves 500 retailers and brands, double its number of customers this time last year, according to executive vice president of strategy Fiona Dias.

“In the last year, we've greatly expanded our service offerings,” Ms. Dias said.

Like many of you, I was not "blown-away" with J.Crew's Cyber Monday promotion of 20% off select sweaters and a code for free shipping on $150+. I thought the 20% off Holiday Sale offer that ended this last Sunday was more enticing. However, J.Crew is one of the few retailers performing {very} well. So I can't begrudge them too much. Instead, I tip my head in acknowledgment of smart management. :)

Lastly, remember those days last year when JCAs (including me!) weren't sure if J.Crew's website would have that dreaded "be back soon..." sign? It's nice to see the website fully functioning again. I have even gotten use to the new search features, including the additional sale categories (from "tops" to "sweaters", "knits & tees", etc.).

What are your thoughts on the article? Thoughts on J.Crew's website (now that it is finally recovered, from the upgrade of last summer)?

Madewell Email: Denim After Dark: 20% off jeans + Donate Your Denim

"Thanks!" to Marietta who shared an email Madewell sent yesterday.

The Madewell SoHo store (in NYC) will be hosting a special Denim after Dark event this Thursday, 12/3/09, from 7 to 9PM.

Moreover, Madewell stores across the country are celebrating Denim after Dark events.

Some benefit events include:

• 20% off all jeans
• Festive sweets and treats
• Great tunes

Lastly, Madewell is running a Holiday Denim Drive. You can drop off your old jeans at any Madewell store and they'll donate them to a charity. In return, you'll get a special discount of 15% off your first pair of Madewell denim in the new year. This offer expires 12/31/09.

Will you be attending one of these Denim after Dark events in December? If so, please share. :)