"Thanks!" to so many of you, including Shana, as well as imbachick & pixelant (in this post), who let us know about a post over at SideWalkHustle (click HERE to read in its entirety) about J.Crew's grand opening in Toronto, Canada.
There are lots of incredible images of the merchandise inside the store. And it looks like Jenna Lyons made it to the party too (she is the one in the screen skirt, can't miss her!)
How did Hawley get to take pictures inside the store?! I snap three photos and I get an SA rushing over to ask me to stop, with a side of shame. I thought there was a "rule of no photos inside"? Okay, I am not bitter or anything... ;)J. Crew Launches in Toronto
by Hawley
August 18, 2011
Last night we attended the launch of the beautiful brand spanking new J.Crew store at (le sigh) Yorkdale. Filled and merchandised to the brim with pastel cashmere, cropped trousers, silk blouses, luscious leather goods, and even a shoe salon, the store was more than we imagined it to be, especially in its gauche mall surroundings.
The lovely creative director Jenna Lyons welcomed a who’s who of fashionable guests into the perfectly prim shop to enjoy summer treats while previewing the colourful fall collection before the stores official public opening today. Sneak a peep at the displays and launch photos below.
But seriously, the store looks amazing. It is so great to see what it looks like inside. Although it is smaller than I was expecting it to be. I don't know why, but I pictured it bigger.
For more info on this, check out fellow JCA Louise @ Cosmetic Bee in her "J.Crew finally opens in Toronto!" post. She has tons of great photos that are worth checking out. (She is adorable too! I love her for waiting in line early. I would have done the same.)
What are your thoughts on the new store in Toronto? For those who live by, will you check it out soon? Or will you wait awhile?
The store is beautiful, I guess by making me pay $200 extra for shipping in Canada is funding their store.
ReplyDeleteAnd all this talk about the JCrew new site made me curious.
I am someone who spends thousands of dollars at jcrew a year and I am from Canada. Doing this calculation has really disappointed me. I guess I will not be ordering from jcrew ever again :( Unless I happen to be at the US and shopping. *sigh*
As a sample order, I clicked on the Vintage tweed jacket and Biella loafers on the CDN site.
Sub-Total: $492.00
Shipping: 9.95
Tax: 65.25 (BTW I don't know why they are sharging tax on the items as well as shipping)
Total: 567.20
As I log-in and complete the check out, the final total goes up by $100!!!! Here is the breakdown I get before entering my credit card info:
Sub-total: $492.00
Shipping: $9.95
Tax: $164.04
Total: $665.99
Now I switched to the US delivery site and put my NY state UPS depot's address in and here is what I get:
Sub-Total: $426.00
Shipping: 8.95
Tax: 29.82
Total: 455.82
Why should I pay $200 extra???????? Stupid jcrew. I am so pissed off because I really want that tweed jacket. Now hopefully I will be doing a cross border shopping trip in the near future. But the closest B&M is 4 hours away :( Really ruined my week jcrew. Way to go!
The French Made: From your comment, and other international JCAs, I am really surprised that J.Crew would hike the prices up so much and include the additional tax & fees. It really is awful and I hope they reconsider it.
ReplyDeleteBig thanks for the shout-out, Alexis!! :-D
ReplyDelete...But yeah, coming home and checking the website to find the prices and the shipping fees have jumped up to the point of ridiculousness, definitely put a big damper on things.
The price hikes are truly awful. If I lived in Canada, I would be LIVID!!! I am angry anyway that J.Crew would conduct business this way. No one is going to pay such a premium for their clothing which is of questionable fit and quality these days.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like J.Crew, in all aspects of its business, never does the reasonable, customer friendly thing. Something is wrong with that way of doing business and it will catch up to them.
The store looks amazing, I love the fact JC finally came to Canada however I hate the way JC is marketing itself here. There was an article in one of papers saying Canadians do not have to pay duty anymore which is a load of you know what, we are paying more than we were before.
ReplyDeleteI am through with on line ordering which is a shame because I love the new arrivals.
Louise @ cosmetic bee: You had a great post that I just had to share! :)
ReplyDeleteJ.CrewJD: I agree- I don't know what J.Crew was thinking with that customer unfriendly move.
Casual-Crew: It really is misleading to say customers do not have to pay a duty when the prices are so much higher. :(
Congrats to all the JCAs who were able to attend the Toronto store opening. I'm not surprised that things were flying off the racks, it's likely that many customers were holding off purchases just waiting for the new store. I hope they will eventually open in Calgary. I can live with the 15% price markup in store but the reedonculous markup online is another story. I'm not priced out of it but do I want to pay $300 for a cashmere cardi from J.Crew? I would rather buy from Brora where I know quality is there, or send a bit more for a designer label that will hold up better. Same for a $230 acrylic skirt. Uh, no thank you.
ReplyDeleteI think it comes to about 32% tax. I have written them. Hope they have some kind of reasonable answer.
ReplyDelete*sighs* and dreaming of the tweed jacket.
The French Made:
ReplyDeleteI totally agree!!! I couldn't believe it when i went to the website! its a total moneymaking scam!!!
I too spend thousands....and i mean THOUSANDS at J crew yearly, and now i'm quite sure that i won't be spending any money on their website (Unless they have another 40% final sale or something) but even still i am pissed off just on principle!
Really scamming us for no reason?! and we are the ones who have to pay all the taxes, duties and expensive shipping! Low blow!
Total ludicrous! And i'm sure they will notice a loss with this because Canadians like to stock up and purchase more winter items (eg, expensive items) and are probably less likely to return stuff because it costs so much that its not worth it.
The French Made, I called and it took forever to get the details but apparently it is not a glitch, the higher pricing + duty/brokerage is correct. The cost of doing business internationally is what they say.
ReplyDeleteI can say with confidence that I will never order from J. Crew and ship to Canada again (unless they open a Canadian warehouse to eliminate the duty charges). I will buy in-store at Yorkdale or when I'm in the US, or if I MUST have something I will ship it to a depot across the border and pick it up - although right now I am so cranky about all of this that I am not at all keen to do that. These prices are *completely* ridiculous for the quality of their merchandise.
ReplyDeleteAnd I don't buy their "cost of doing business internationally" line at all -- Canadians have gone years paying the US prices plus very high duty charges, and I find it hard to believe that J. Crew was suffering as a result of that.
xoxo: I understand the cost of doing business internationally if the warehouse was in Canada, but it is still being shipped from the US so prices still should have remained the same as before including the taxes and shipping but in many cases they have not they have been bumped up which is a cash grab on JC part.
ReplyDeleteCaitlin, ITA. And I'm nowhere near the U.S. border so it's not an option to ship south of the border and pick it up. I occasionally use a parcel forwarding service for retailers and ebay shippers who will not send to Canada and it is not cheap - about $45 to ship a pair of shoes from an Amazon seller. That is before any customs/duty/brokerage charges, if they are applied. Yuck.
ReplyDeleteSo:
ReplyDelete-the warehouse has not changed
-the Duties and Tax rates have not changed
-J Crew has been " doing business internationally " with me via the website for years
Yet because they opened a store in Yorkdale today, things I ordered yesterday will cost me 15- 18 % more today???? For no good reason????
Gouging. Plain and Simple.
I have e mailed as well, not that I expect it to do any good. :(
Sad day.
casual-crew and TJ, ITA with what you are saying. It just seems wrong, especially compared to other U.S. retailers doing online business with Canada. It's either higher prices initially OR customs/duty/brokerage fees added on top. Not both.
ReplyDeleteAlexis, I apologize for being such a thread hog today and multiple threads at that. I am just so annoyed and seeing other Canadians bothered by the changes I do feel the topic and information are relevant. Thank you for providing the forum to allow the discussion. If I am going overboard and you want me to cease and desist then you can comment here, or let me know, you have my email.
This is a very big deal, this gouging of us loyal Canadians! Good point too that we do buy expensive coats and sweaters by the load as we are freezing after all!
ReplyDeleteI'm going out for a drink, I guess a glass of wine will make me feel better. Then tomorrow I email Mickey. I have his email if anyone wants it.
^ Alexis, I meant to say that you can comment here and I'll stop. What I said seems a little bit stupid, this is *your* blog after all, why am I telling you that you can comment here - doh. I think you know what I'm trying to say.
ReplyDeleteDani - would love his email. I wrote to general customer service but wouldn"t mind sending him a note!
ReplyDeletexoxo: By all means, please continue! Since J.Crew reads this blog multiple times a day, I want them to see how upsetting their recent actions are. I think you and the other international customers have every right to be upset by the ridiculous mark up in prices. Especially the Canadian customers, who just one day, were able to pay less for the same item!?! The UK customers don't even get to see the Sale section. It's really crazy. It's like, for every positive move J.Crew makes (like flat shipping fee), they have to counteract with one negative move (like high markups).
ReplyDeleteTo think, I was all excited for international customers having their own websites yesterday!
Hi everyone,
ReplyDeleteI actually just got a call from customer service @ j crew a moment ago. They gave the same line "price of doing business", "prices needed to be consistent with T.O. store" etc. I was very nice, but explained that there was absolutely no justification for doing the price change unless they were also eliminating duty. I encouraged them to visit Bananarepublic.ca and other more sensible e-retailers and told her how sad I was not to be able to shop at her store very much anymore. I also told her to check this blog if she wanted to see canadians reaction to coming to Canada and told her to please not encourage me to visit the T.O. store, as that would be like someone from NYC being told to pick up milk in Chicago on the way home! She offered to honour yesterday's prices for me and I thanked her but said no, I could not take an offer like that as it was not fixing the problem, just trying to make me feel better. I also told her that this will have a huge impact on their canadian business and encouraged them to rethink their strategy very quickly. She was very sweet and I felt sorry for her having to make these calls! She said to keep an eye on the site and I said, I used to twice a day, but sadly, there would be little point now...
Alexis, thanks! I always appreciate how you offer such an open forum. I am with you, yesterday I was excited for what was to come, but today I feel burned. How bad is that?!
ReplyDeleteThere were always lots of comments about the high prices not aligning with the quality and now the prices are even higher outside the U.S. What are they thinking!
DaniBP, I'd like Mickey e-mail address as well. Can you post it to this blog? I am really at a loss for words at this point (which rarely happens). I can't believe J Crew has done this to us Canadians! I can handle the price increases provided they are done to negate the duties and taxes, but both? No way! And to say that it's the "price of doing business internationally"? That's a load of crap! How come Torontonians pay one price at the store but the rest of us get hijacked by excess taxes? ARGH!
ReplyDeleteNow that I have had a chance to look over the numbers, it looks like the price hike amounts to approximately a 20% increase on what it was originally (which was around 30% of the value if you used UPS shipping- now the mark up is closer to around 50% of the value). It's insane. In just one day, Canadians are now being forced to pay 20% extra on the same items, if they want to order online?! They are punishing customers for their loyalty, which is a bizarre way to run a business. Based on the current pricing system, I can no longer afford many of the items, and for the quality I would be getting, my money would be better spent clothes from elsewhere. From the excitement of this morning down to very grave disappointment!!
ReplyDeleteWow, they really put the Crew in screw. Thanks JC, you just lost ANOTHER customer. For those prices, I can buy pieces from Theory and The Row that are of much better quality. Hmmm, I think that's just what I'll do! Taking my funny-coloured money elsewere.
ReplyDeleteJ. Crew is definitely not getting my business any longer until they change their practice.
ReplyDeleteWhy do online prices have to be in line with store prices? That is complete and utter BS. MANY companies sell for cheaper online than in store. Why? Because they are shipping direct from a warehouse and thus, do not have the pay the same overheads. J.Crew...what a lame excuse. Do you think we are stupid?
A perfect example is Indigo, a Canadian book retailer like Barnes & Noble, etc. in the states. The prices online are at least 20% if not more cheaper online than in store. Are they competing against each other? No. At the end of the day, if I needed something ASAP, I buy it in store and cough up the high retail. But if I don't, I buy online and often buy more than I actually intended to. It works VERY well for them. Either way, THEY are taking my money. What about you J.Crew? With your move, you're not getting my business online OR in stores...
Bad strategy. Bad BAD strategy.
Wow, I am shocked too. The worst part is that when you have items in your cart and add your postal code it shows a total with taxes (i.e. HST) and shipping. BUT then as was metioned by The French Made when you actually sign in and go to complete checkout all of a sudden all this extra tax appears. I cannot cannot believe this. I was already paying an insane amount of duty. Now, this is ridiculous. ie. The Jardin skirt by itself would cost me $152.
ReplyDeleteAs was mentioned, Banana, Gap etc. have higher prices but don't charge duty on top.
I have been such a loyal customer and totally feel screwed. I don't live near the Toronto store but even if I did think of how many items they wouldn't have. Now if we do a WWFIFY or order from the red phone we are still totally screwed.
How is it that Coach keeps the same prices in Canada as in the US and leather often has the worst amount of duty?
well now it has become quite obvious that J Crew is here to milk Canadian customers big time. Business is business and they did not come up for "Niel Young, Ginger Ale or the Flights to Cuba..." ;
ReplyDeleteAfter all someone has to pay teh free fresh peach basket deliveries and free shipping over 175 USD to the US Customers,
Well done J crew, what a marketing stint.
whoa i did notice the canadian pricing on the website this morning, but i didn't think that we would have to pay those canadian prices and pay duty and taxes. about three years ago i was such a die hard jcrew fan, but since the decline of their customer service as well as the quality of their goods i am proud to say i've been crack-free for a year now and i intend to keep it that way.
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to chime in, even though it sounds like we are all in consensus. I am a student and can barely afford my JCrew habit as is, being a Canadian, nowhere near Toronto, and not being able to use my student discount online. I was sure not to get my hopes up about the changes today, and it looks like I was right. I'm announcing my official retirement from JCrew. Except when I visit the Toronto area once a year, then I might be able to make the trip to Yorkdale. Otherwise, I guess it's madewell or nothing for me. Sad for me but happy for my bank account.
ReplyDeletesub
ReplyDeleteHere's the e-mail response I got from J. Crew:
ReplyDeleteAs we continue to expand internationally, you may notice that our retail prices in the U.S. differ from prices in the various countries where we do business. Price increases take into account foreign exchange rates and other costs of doing business internationally. Here at J.Crew, we are committed to bringing you the best possible quality and design of product. With that, we strive to price our products at a rate that is fair and commensurate with the level of materials and craftsmanship involved. I have forwarded your comment on to the appropriate team for
review further.
If there is anything else I can further assist you with, please feel free to respond to this email, or call me via my contact information below.
Best,
Steve
1-800-591-3802 ext. 53077
Any one who wants to contact Steve, feel free!
I can't add much to the conversation, but wanted to commiserate with everyone else here.
ReplyDeleteI had placed a couple of items in my shopping cart yesterday, but decided to wait for a day for the flat-rate shipping before completing my purchase. Today I was surprised to discover that, despite the switch to "cheaper" shipping, my total cost was nearly 20% higher! I actually thought I had discovered a bad bug in the updated website (especially given the big difference between the "estimated" and actual taxes). I sent an e-mail to contactus@jcrew.com to let them know, and in response I got the same nonsensical exchange-rate/cost-of-doing-business lines already recounted elsewhere here. I deleted everything from my shopping cart immediately.
This whole thing is such an utterly bewildering decision that part of me still doesn't believe that the J.Crew customer service folks actually understood what I was trying to report: I feel like they just skimmed my message and interpreted it as a complaint about higher prices. I'll check again in a few days, but if nothing's changed I guess that will be my last visit.
Fortunately, there are plenty of other great online US retailers that welcome Canadian customers and don't feel the need to make us pay extra for the privilege of buying from them.
So sorry to Canadian JCAs that you guys are getting hosed...dear leader probably just wants to see how much canadians are willing to pay for the "novelty" of J.Crew. Based on all the articles i've read, it always seemed that mickey gets a kick out of seeing just how much some people will shell out for things. We have seen some collection pieces put out at insulting prices, then had the "regular" price lowered by a few hundred dollars (i.e. not put on sale) because no one was buying, but they didn't want to look like they were discounting it. This is why I never buy anything FP at JC; I always feel like I am being ripped off by cackling corp execs. I think if enough people revolt they will relent and put the prices back down, or include the duty in the prices but then not charge it again on top of your order.
ReplyDeleteThis really is quite outrageous for a company that just opened in Canada and professes to want to expand in the Great White North. I've been shopping through the catalogue and online from J.Crew for over a decade and witnessed the steady decline in service and quality and rise of prices. It's really disheartening when a store I considered my favourite for so many years pulls a move like this. I can't imagine I'll be buying much anymore, and when and if they open a store in Vancouver, I will probably still think twice about shopping there because of this. I always thought I would be so, so, so excited the day J.Crew opened in Canada. Wow, what a letdown.
ReplyDeleteOn top of the ridiculous online pricing gouge, it looks like they will no longer ship Alden shoes to Canada either. Not sure what other "value add" things they've done for Canadians.
ReplyDeleteThere is a thing called NAFTA...
It would be one thing to charge duty on US prices, but adding duty to already duty-charged prices makes pretty much ZERO SENSE (the only thing that I can come up with is that the Canadian price includes SOME of the shipping charges, but not all. For example, a $135ish dress bought from Canada on the US site will cost about $25 shipping plus duty charges). Not sure if we can suggest that they visit bananarepublic.ca, since it's an actual Canadian site, reflecting Canadian store prices and shipped from Canada. Comparing it to, say, Anthropologie or something might be better. Actually, using a non-clothing site - Crate and Barrel - will probably be the best example. Their Canadian price listings actually include duty.
ReplyDeleteI think what it really comes down to it that they have been overpricing for the last couple years now in order to turn a side profit and with the economic change people are being less frivolous - so here's a way to accompany and indulge enormious corporate greed! Or i guess you could always charge people $500 for a sequin tank ready to ravel or maybe a $1700 calf hair jacket! oh wait...
ReplyDeleteGive me a break J crew! I could find the same pis aller quality of their regular apparell at any mall - especially in a jcrew world of "FINEST ITALIAN" with the small print "made in china"!
Hmph!
Kinda makes me want to start a blog comparing similar items that look like Jcrew but are from a company that doesn't gouge customers for the sake of their flailing sales! Boycott!!
I am so sorry for all the Canadian JCAs! I really hope J.Crew rethinks this decision!
ReplyDeleteinput from the UK:
ReplyDeleteI just did a currency conversion on a double cloth lady day coat
on the US site = $325.00
on the UK site = $493.00
This isn't including the shipping or VAT fees!! Do they think we are stupid? Just knowing about JCrew over here means you are probably American and have been shopping JCrew for sometime. Why would we all of a sudden pay 2.5 to 3 times more for items?
on a double cloth lady day coat
ReplyDeleteon the US site = $325.00
on the UK site = $493.00
This isn't including the shipping or VAT fees!! Do they think we are stupid? Just knowing about JCrew over here means you are probably American and have been shopping JCrew for sometime. Why would we all of a sudden pay 2.5 to 3 times more for items?
sorry for the double post
ReplyDeletePenny, that's a good point. And I would like to add that as J. Crew is mostly unknown in Europe do they really think that they are going to do well with those prices? They are not at all competitive with some great European brands that also offer much better quality.
ReplyDeleteThank goodness for this blog I have others to commiserate with! I've just read through all of the comments, and yes it seems CS has been groomed for this. I'm not even going to bother to phone, I might blow a gasket!
ReplyDeleteI am going to post Mickey Drexler's email here (this is where I found it originally, on a post a couple of years back) as I think this is indeed a "love-it or leave it" issue for all of us up here in Canada.
millard.drexler@jcrew.com
Let's let him know how we feel!
@Karenina: You're right, I'm totally taking my J.Crew budget and shopping at Holts with it. Theory? Yes please! This actually might be a good thing. Force me to diversify my wardrobe. I just got an email about getting a personal shopper at the Toronto location. LOL as if I'm paying these prices.
ReplyDeleteI'm echoing Alexis - to think, yesterday I was excited about the Canada and international changes!
ReplyDeleteThis is an awful thing to do. Charge higher prices OR charge additional duty. Not both. Well, this just about seals it. Banana Republic and it's comparatively awesome Canadian customer service is getting my business from now on. And time to seek out new retailers - shopbop, asos etc.
I decided to send mickey an email and this is what I got back:
ReplyDelete****************
I am currently traveling until Thursday, August 25th. In my absence, please contact Katie Kokenge at katie.kokenge@jcrew.com.
If you are a customer and need immediate assistance please contact my associate, Brittany Sydnor at brittany.sydnor@jcrew.com.
****************
I am still so disappointed, I don't even want to go on the site anymore. Perhaps this is a blessing in disguise, I spend way way too much money on jcrew. I think I will shop madewell and look at other sites.
I had emailed customer service and my response justified a price increase for doing business internationally. My email explicitly stated that I don't argue a price increase but we should not pay higher prices plus duty for online shopping that on Wednesday would have cost us at least 20% less.
ReplyDeleteI replied to emphasize that I wasn't asking about a price increase and explained again the double charging going on online. Just compare it to a Canadiann shopping in store in Toronto vs online. How are they not getting how unfair this is?
At first my husband was laughing at how upset I was as he simply said 'just don't buy from there anymore'. But once he thought about it, he understood how much I love JCrew and how upsetting this really is.
I am so sorry to hear this, Canadian shoppers. You should all write to Mickey to complain. I agree with Cass's sentiments about J Crew testing to see just how high you will pay. Don't just react with your wallets but make sure your complaint are heard by the top tiers of management. If they are smart, they will change their policies.
ReplyDeleteI also noticed the online price increase and e-mailed J.Crew yesterday (then I found this blog and was so happy to learn that other customers were upset). Here is the response I received today:
ReplyDelete"Thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback on our brand new Canadian venture (store/online).
The reason for the increase in pricing is to match pricing in our Toronto store, with the flat rate shipping intended to help offset the difference between US and Canadian prices. The details provided below, along with your comments, have been forwarded to the appropriate team for additional review and consideration.
We very much appreciate your comments and will use them in our continuing assessment of our new Canadian venture.
If there is anything else I can further assist you with, please feel free to contact me directly. I have provided my contact information below for your convenience.
Best,
Jim
1-800-591-3802 ext. 53075"
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI raced to Yorkdale yesterday and spent more than $700 in under an hour. In my excitement, and because I already knew by heart (or at least thought I did) the price of the Tippi sweater, for example, or the wool Café Capri, it didn’t occur to me to check the price tags. It was only when I got home and was about to start removing tags that I saw the mark-up. And then I went on the website and was shocked and appalled by what I saw. To charge that much more and then duty on top of it? And to offer us flat rate shipping like it is some kind of benevolent gift, when in reality what they’ve done is take away the free shipping option we used to be able to qualify for on purchases over a certain amount – what do they take us for?
ReplyDeleteLike others have done, I did a test purchase and found that an order I paid $260 for a month ago would now cost $385. I was expecting some mark-up, but this is unconscionable.
Even though I had a 20% off card so the prices were just about the same in the end, on principle, every single item I bought last night is going back. I won't even buy from them when I'm the U.S. Not unless they do the right thing and stop gouging their Canadian customers.
This is a sad day for JCAs.
(p.s. deleted previous post due to typo.)
Wow -- it's very interesting to se the conversation developing here.
ReplyDeleteA thought just occurred to me: Has anyone considered contacting the media about this? I know that, realistically, it's probably not a big enough deal to get any real traction. But J.Crew sure has received an lot of free press about the store opening in both regional and national newspapers. Maybe someone would like to cover the other side of the story.
If anyone will be contacting the media please also mention that the prices on the UK site have been marked up of about 50%, before taxes and duties, and that it's likely that the European site in Euro, which should open later this Fall, will have similar pricing.
ReplyDeleteA comparison with other US retailers shipping to Europe will show that J. Crew 's price increases are quite unique.
Someone I know has, in fact, been working on a media angle all day. I've just interviewed with the Globe and Mail and there may also be interest from Global News - if I hear back from them, are there any Toronto JCAs who would be willing to go on air? I am not able to.
ReplyDeleteSudu- do you mind sharing what you paid for the cafe capri's in the Yorktown store? I'm just curious as the inflated prices on the website are still in US dollars. How much are the charging in the store for them?
ReplyDelete@ The French Made: haha Mickey is in Toronto right now partying with the Canadian fashion crowd. Little does he know there's a small scale riot with his customers!
ReplyDeletesudu - why does it need to be someone in Toronto when the biggest snafu is for online? XOXO should do it since she has the issues and examples!
ReplyDeleteWOw! You go Sudu!
ReplyDeleteI am just so depressed about this all, as I am nothing if not a creature of habit! Dani - the Brora prices on cashmere are looking just fine now, hee hee!
WMM: I know they look absolutely reasonable don't they? And made in Scotland as well, eesh.
ReplyDeleteI am also a creature of habit. It's back to school, where will I go? I guess it will be Gap online for my Rascals this fall.
They have screwed around with the shipping it is not as a cheap as it appears to be.I compared an item I bought 2 weeks ago Around Town Sweatshirt and it is the same price, it should be cheaper because of the flat rate shipping it is not. What a scam!
ReplyDeleteThe "cost of doing business" is total bullshit. Honestly, if they're trying to match what is being charged at the Canadian store -- FYI TO J.CREW: THE PRICES ARE IN CANADIAN DOLLARS IN CANADA, NOT AMERICAN.
ReplyDeleteSo they've hiked up the prices, kept it at USD, we have customs and taxes on top of it, taxes that are also applied to shipping, and then of course, what the credit card company charges for the exchange rate (usually higher).
I am truly disgusted by their business practices. For a retailer that has done so well in Canada from just catalog and online sales in the past, if I had known opening a real storefront in Canada would mean that it would quash the sales from the website/catalog, I would've preferred that they never had a store in Toronto at all. And I live in Toronto. And I easily spend thousand+ dollars a year buying J.Crew clothes.
I for one find it hilarious whenever a big U.S. retailer decides to excitedly open in Canada, they put ONE store in Toronto. It seems to me that people are not aware of how big Canada is. I'm serious- one store in Canada, in one city, and over 50 stores in the U.S. It's obvious that this 20%+ price increase online is paying for the opening of this Toronto store, but why should everyone else in Canada who lives nowhere near that part of the country have to suffer when buying online?
ReplyDeleteThis whole cost of "doing business internationally" is BS! JCrew has been "doing business internationally" with me, online, at certain prices, and I should not have to pay more because a store suddenly opened in another province.
What will be truly sad is if international customers just continue to shop at Jcrew anyway....