Monday, December 21, 2009

J.Crew Email: Need a present in a pinch?

J.Crew sent an email this morning reminding us about their e-gift cards (click here) as the perfect last-minute gift to give.

They are also reminding us that tomorrow is the last day to make purchases with expedited holiday delivery.

I have received e-gift cards from J.Crew in the past. It is definitely a quick way to send the gift to someone. As the recipient, you just get an email (like a receipt) with the gift card number and amount. Nothing more, nothing less. However, I do miss receiving that brown envelope with the latest catalog & gift card wrapped in ribbon. It was like getting a physical gift plus a gift card to spend. :)

Also, I am surprised to see there is not one promotion for adults being offered. No 20% off Knits & Tees, or 15% off full priced Sweaters. Not even free shipping on orders of $150+, or even $175+ for that matter! Hopefully, J.Crew still has an awesome promotion up their sleeve for tomorrow (and please, let it not be "final sale"). ;)

Will you get/give a J.Crew e-gift card? Do you prefer e-gift cards? Were you surprised to not see any new promotions being offered today? Do you think J.Crew will run another promotion soon? :)

45 comments:

  1. Not sure how I feel about e-cards. They feel so impersonal! Although I would have had to take advantage of them at this point if I planned on getting gift cards over the weekend since I was snowed in :P

    I am kind of surprised that there are no additional offers, although personally, I would feel a bit irritated had I taken advantage of the 25% off one and some amazing promo was offered today. Maybe they figure it's so last minute at this point that people don't need incentives to make purchases? I just got a GAP email with a coupon code for 25% off sale items, and they added plenty of new stuff to their sale section...

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  2. I would love to get an e-card or giftcard, but I don't think it's happening this year. I kinda like to keep my JCrew addiction under wraps :)

    I'm VERY surprised there's no new promo. I wonder if the last one was it before the post-holiday mark-downs? I've been hoping to get a couple of skirts marked down, but I can live without them.

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  3. I prefer the old fashioned gift card and can only hope I will find one in my stocking:)
    I am suprised there are no promos today- perhaps jcrew is counting on those last minute shoppers paying full price? I guess I will wait for an after christmas promo...

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  4. I've received a gift card for $25 from JCrew! The reason? The shirred wool Deco skirt I ordered back in October is never going to materialize for me. They phoned me last night to apologize and are gifting me the $25. I am impressed, that is very good CS!
    I am wondering if any other JCA's have had a similar experience?

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  5. A co-worker of mine gave me my Christmas gift on Friday, including a e-card. She told me by printing out the gift card information listed on the website and said the e-card should be arriving in my inbox on the 18th. Guess what??? No email yet! I am so disappointed as I wanted to use it during the sale over the weekend.

    Anyone have this experience?

    I'm not too bothered by the e-card, as there isn't a store near us. I just wish it would hurry up and get here!

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  6. Yep..I think true to fashion it appears they are sticking to their "we don't need your business that much" attitude. Pretty surprising. I still think having the last promo prior to Christmas as % off sale was pretty lame as there wasn't a huge inventory update in the sale section. IMO it should have been off of anything.

    The theory that it's the last chance for procrastinators who are typically willing to pay big $$ due to their tardiness probably stands true.
    Lauren S...LOL, I can relate to you but I am not so sure it's a good thing! I think WE have a problem;)
    DaniBP-awesome! Now, the question is..do you get to spend that under the ban?

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  7. So surprised there are no promos when others have them all over the place! I think the promos are over where JC is concerned....no big ones left. Too few a days until Christmas. Bummer.

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  8. E, be sure to check your junk mail folder and put @jcrew.com in your contact list so your e-card doesn't get diverted!

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  9. I am a little surprised that JC did not offer any promos. Oh well. More money for my wallet. Plus, there inventory is not that stellar. If there were to be a promo, I probably won't buy anything anyway. IMO, no promo is a good thing.

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  10. I wish JC did e-gift cards for returns instead of having to wait for a physical gift card to show up in the snail mail.

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  11. Sweetsy: LOL! The cursed ban! That was my first thought, but I have an out. My trip to the Palm Beach B&M JC in January, which was already going to be a shopping frenzy. I'll be bringing my gift card along, let's just hope they have some nice things in store! ;)

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  12. My hubby would offer his advice against this! Last week he apparently tried to order me an e-gift card and checked the option "do not send now." Well they did it anyway so I knew immediately that I had an e-gift card. I don't know if it was his mistake or theirs, but he wrote them a REALLY NICE email and they sent a complimentary $25 card. I'll take it....LOL

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  13. I agree e-gift cards are a bit impersonal, but very useful :)

    I am also very surpised there was no new promo - of any kind?! And nothing new in sale? I do have word that there will be something later on Wed (might be in-store only?) and that resort will show up the 27 or 28 in-stores.

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  14. DaniBP-
    LOL..I was not aware of that trip..go crazy, girl;)

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  15. This is a great solution for a procrastinator like me. I like that you can leave it to the laaaaast minute but still have something for xmas day.

    Oooh, I know what you mean about the promo. I was really hoping there was going to be a little last minue sum-sum this morning...

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  16. I think I figured out why there's not promotion this morning. . . the snowstorm in the east boosted online sales. Perhaps they don't need one? Maybe there was one planned that was cancelled?

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  17. I bought a few things over the weekend with an e-card. What I thought was a website snafu caused me to have to call and request a credit for shipping. I noticed they have issued me a hard card that they are mailing to me for the shipping amount instead of crediting my e-card - weird. I now realize I really got away with something. The front tie cashmere cardigan was listed both in the sale section and the regular section when the 25% off first went online. The sweater sale was over but they left it in the sale section for $139 by mistake. I had called because I was having trouble putting it in my cart from the regular section at $198 and they said it was sold out. Minutes later I was able to put it in my cart from the sale section at $139 (with 25% off it was only $104!!!) so I called and said that if I had been able to put it in the cart with my original order I would have been over the $150 limit for free shipping. They credited me the shipping charge but the sweater is only available now at $198 so I think I go away with a steal!! This has never happened to me before. I'm going to start looking at the site late at night when they are transitioning. I don't mind the physical card refund but I think it's weird. E-there is definitely a problem with you e-card - you should call them. Mine was right on time. You may be happy for the delay if there is a better sale tomorrow :)

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  18. One thing that shocks me is that the Dolce sweater is still available at only $39.00! I bought mine at $49 w 25% off. I bought the charcoal and it is lovely. Very delicate and pretty. I was hesitant because I knew it would be scratchy but I'll wear a perfect tee under it. It's so light and floaty. I encourage everyone to check it out.

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  19. I think they consider their offer of expedited shipping for regular shipping price to be their current promo. They'll probably offer something else tomorrow.

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  20. I like e-cards. They're wonderful for last minute gifts. I've relied on e-cards from Amazon for years. And, as a recipient, I'll happily take a JCrew gift card in any form I can get it!

    Jane, I agree that the Dolce sweater is very pretty, but the acrylic is off-putting for some of us. Virtually all synthetic fibers give me a terrible rash. I suppose it's the petroleum.

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  21. That's funny. I thought it was the wool that people would have a problem with. I have a huge problem with any kind of wool except cashmere. I don't think I've ever had an issue with acrylic but I don't have much of it because it isn't very breathable. I wore it all the time when I was a kid.

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  22. Sorry, OT: Banana is offering $25 good for January 2010 for every $100 spent between Dec. 21- Dec. 24....

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  23. last-minute shoppers may have been procrastinators in prior years, but this year i think it's people trying to find the best deal for the scant resources they have, or just trying to find the best deal period. and plus so many people are living on unemployment and reduced paychecks that they probably have to time their purchases to the paychecks. i'd think j crew is missing out by not offering a last minute shipping code/% off code. especially for all the people snow bound this weekend. but as sweetsy said, it feels like more of the "we don't need your business" attitude.

    banana meanwhile put a bunch of stuff on sale upto 40% off AND has codes for 20% off on top of that plus free standard shipping with no minimums (which means your item would arrive after christmas, but still...).

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  24. Dear J.Crew Santa I need a free shipping code no minimum.....

    Has anyone tried the midnight beaded tunic? I was thinking of ordering it and it might look nice belted. Thoughts?

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  25. OT: i placed on order on friday with the 150 free shipping code. i checked my order status today and saw that i had 2nd day air shipping, not the ground 5-7 business days as i had expected.

    i don't know if it was a fluke or not...but thought it was interesting.

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  26. OT: Gracefully, I do not see the extra 20% offer on the website. Is it only offered to select customers. Thanks, I'm thinking about placing a small order :)

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  27. I have the expedited ship on the order I placed last week. I had to call the other day when a sweater was cancelled that I KNEW was in stock. After a twenty minute hold, the problem was corrected, and the CS rep mentioned all orders were getting the "before the holiday" ship treatment, since the way the promo was worded. I think it was X number of days to order with standard ship to get it there by Christmas, and they'd ship it however they needed to to get it there.

    OT: if anyone wants 20% off any Gap order, one time code is PWLFW6D4NL4Q, today only.

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  28. Cheesy, that reminds me that I need an Old Navy online code.
    Anyone have one? I don't find one on the promo code sites and I have some extra time due to celebrating later. I am resorting to a few items there for my niece as I have given up the hunt for her few wish-list items! TIA

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  29. It looks like they are expediting all the orders. I placed one on Friday which shipped 2nd day and another on Sunday that is coming Next Day air saver with no additional charges. I really appreciate the upgrades and the fact that I will have the orders tomorrow instead of Christmas Eve(especially since most of my Christmas gifts from DH are in them.) :)

    BTW: I ordered the Large Metallic Georgie Satchel in Pale Gold and it is HUGE. I love big bags and carry them most of the time, but even this one is too large for me. It's diaper bag size, actually...definitely going back.

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  30. Oh and I have 3 of the Gap 20% off codes for one time use, so email me if you want one. The first 3 to respond get them. :)

    FabulousFloridaMommy@cfl.rr.com

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  31. Question for you all:

    I ordered the Annalise cami from another store and confirmed with the sales associate that it was 19.99 but when I received it today - I was charged the full price of 79.50 plus shipping. It must have been the 19.99 price as I was only charged the 6.00 but the cami wasn't marked and the date of the receipt was the date following my call. Is it possible that whomever did the transaction entered the price?

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  32. Wow, I just tracked my recent order and I got upgraded too! How nice! And I got my planner today, which was also a nice little treat.

    FFM, thank you for mentioning that about the large Georgie. The Georgies are on my "interested in" list and now I know to scratch that one off :0

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  33. DaniBP - I had the same thing happen to me, a waitlisted item has been cancelled so they are sending me a $25 gift card. Thanks JC, I really appreciate it! :-)

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  34. I'm annoyed. Never mind that there's no percentage off, no sale, no free shipping... but they didn't update the site!

    So now the people who waited until last minute not only do not get free shipping, but they also have to pick from leftovers. I guess that's one way to get rid of merchandise...

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  35. I noticed last year (and not just JC) that the best deals are early on in the season...sometimes even before black friday. The later you wait the deals disappear. They have you....

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  36. For those still looking for last-minute Xmas gifts for others (or themselves -- no need to feel ashamed!), Stanford shopping center in Palo Alto had the following items:

    Stardust sequin pencil skirt in grey sz 6
    several duffle coats in navy blue and one in olive green
    perfect pencil skirts in orange (pumpkin spice?) and black, mostly sz 0 and 2 ($79.99)
    several field coats in black XS and one in green S ($59.99)
    several collier tops in dusty rose-type color and navy, mostly larger sizes but at least one 0, 4 and 6

    Hope this helps someone!

    I listed prices for items that were marked. My impression was that the oher items were also marked down to sale price but had not been tagged accordingly.

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  37. If anyone still needs last-minute gifts, Bluefly is having an extra 15% off the entire site and $2 for 2-day shipping. I just ordered a cashmere cardigan that looks like the JC dream neck-tie cardigan from last year, but this one is all cashmere. They also have what looks like an exact replica of the JC cashmere heirloom henley. The brand is CeCe, we'll see if its cashmere holds up better than JC's.

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  38. Cool idea for the last minute shopper.

    If any of you were unsure of what to get me .... this works!

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  39. That is really interesting, Heidi. I never would have guessed!!

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  40. My local J. Crew store has so many coats and even catalog only ones too. The store is really empty of merchandise right now, but their resort collection will be on the floor on Monday. LOTS of Evie tops and sherpa hoodies. Picked up the aubergine long sleeve button down for only 19.99. Been eying that for a while.

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  41. OT -- Banana Republic coupon code:

    20% off $75 or more thru 1/6/10

    one-time use

    BVQP8869PTLN

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  42. FFM - I ordered the SMALL Georgie in Pale Gold, and it is the perfect size, still very roomy. The gold color is subtle and beautiful,I am very pleased with this bag!

    I was "bag" shopping w my mom at the mall at the usual suspects (Coach, Cole Haan), and I was reminded that JC bags really are great quality and style, esp on sale.

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  43. I find it hard to believe that J. Crew ships more than Amazon- just seems odd.

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  44. FFM-I agree, got the large Georgie and it is HUGE! Pretty sure this one will go down even more than the bargain price I paid with add'l % off sale. I think that's why it's on sale for less $ but twice the size of small Georgie. It is a very nice bag, tons of pockets, ideal for laptop, great soft metallic and well-made (not worth full-price IMO) but truly AMAZING for travel. I might keep it for that reason(and you are right..a great, stylish diaper bag:)

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  45. If J.Crew is the largest shipper in the U.S., then why such high shipping costs? Shouldn't the sheer volume of packages shipped provide enough profit? But are they greedy as well and have to also charge higher amounts for shipping as well?

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