A big "thanks!" to S who shared the following news with us: J.Crew is having a Warehouse Sale in Richmond, VA from January 6th (8AM - 8PM), and January 7th-22nd (10AM - 8PM).The location for the store is:
(Former Boarders Bookstore)
9750 W. Broad St
Richmond, VA 23060
9750 W. Broad St
Richmond, VA 23060
I am unsure if the new [restrictive] rules for shopping warehouse sales will be in place for this particular event. If you plan on attending, you might want to check out the comments in the "Mark Your Calendars: J.Crew Warehouse Event {Dec 1..." post to give you an idea of what to expect.
*PLEASE NOTE* Read the comments from fellow JCAs in this post before you attend. There are some informative tips that you should be aware of.
If you are attending this sale, please share with us! Let us know if it is worth going and what deals you found. Also, please let us know if there are any shopping rules/ restrictions. Thanks! :)
In talking to staff, customers cannot sort their items until they are at the register, may only have one bag of merchandise that is no more than $500 and cannot try anything on. After the purchase of these non-tryonable, potentially damaged (isn't that why they are in the sale?) and very minimally sorted goods, a customer must sign a statement at the checkout stating they will not sell the item to anyone else, try it in a consignment shop, list it on craigslist or on the wedding site “the knot” etc. So if your new wear to work dress doesn’t fit or the coat you bought for your sister isn't to her color taste and you try to sell them you will be in violation of a JCrew policy and they could refuse your business in the future. Evidently they are now keeping a database of all the names/signatures which someone on the last sale blog referred to as 1930's Nazi Germany.
ReplyDeleteI got this great Christmas email from Mickey Drexler thanking me for my business and asking me to come back in 2012. Really, this is how I am welcomed back? I am pretty sure Mr. Drexler didn't sign off on these policies, as they are inconsistent with his phenomenal customer-oriented style.
Does this mean that I (and other JCA's) can't sell items on JCA's Weekly Exchange or I will be in violation of their new policy? I guess when I attend this sale I will need to pay cash and provide a ficticious name at checkout. I certainly don't want to be added to some mysterious "black list".
ReplyDeleteDoesn't this approach seem a little extreme? Don't they want to sell the clothing (there are hundreds and hundreds of boxes full of items)?
From what we understand, the policy that you will keep the item puchased from JCrew in your possession or give it to someone else, not sell, applies everywhere. JCrew even now has it on their website under "terms of use." In talking to my friend, an attorney, she indicated that posting anywhere an item for sale that is branded JCrew would be in violation of their policy. Furthermore she stated that by having to sign such an agreement, as noted in the blogs, at the checkout violates the First Sale Doctrine (you can check this out on wikipedia) as well as the Virginia Consumer Protection Act. So basically this is an illegal practice. She recommends not signing any statement at checkout and immediately reporting JCrew to the Office of Consumer Affairs through the Virginia Attorney General's office citing their use of a deceptive policy. Fortunately the AG's office is in Richmond just a few miles from where the sale is being held. She said she may just run down to this sale herself and take photographs and talk to some staff and do this herself. She was absolutely shocked when I asked her about this and mentioned that whoever instituted this policy failed to "talk to their legal department" before they did.
ReplyDeleteiheartjcrew: Yikes! That is a lot of rules for just buying some J.Crew merchandise! Like you mentioned, some of the items might be damaged- so one would think customers could at least check it out first! Isn't that the benefit from purchasing in-person? ;)
ReplyDeleteI understand that J.Crew wants to avoid the reseller market (who can make quite a bit of pocket change from buying low at these events and selling them for more on eBay). However, I am not sure this is the best way to do it.
J'aime JCrew: Good point about the JCA Weekly Exchange! Also, I was thinking the same thing about how J.Crew staff would verify the name given at the event is the same as the person buying it and then selling it. I guess you would know the name by the credit card used, but what happens if you give the item to someone else for a gift and s/he can't use it? I wonder if J.Crew also requires a form of ID to purchase?
L Garza: Thank you so much for the informative post!!! I think anyone attending this shopping event might want to print your comment out and show it to the J.Crew staff when checking out. I wonder if they would refuse to sell the merchandise if one choose to not sign a document.
If these new policies are being borne out of trying to shut down resellers/consigners, is that really possible and practical? Has anyone at JCrew really though about the cost/benefit to their other customers? It seems that JCrew is throwing out the baby with bath water.
ReplyDeleteRealistically, if JCrew wasn't able to sell these items for various reasons, why not let others do so? Most of this stuff is last season or no longer sold online. Many of the items have issues, such as they may need cleaning, mending or new buttons, etc.. In the past, if the merchandise does not get sold after several sales, JCrew donates the clothes to a charity in a third world county. While that is a nice final solution to JCrew's overstocks, how many of us have been thrilled to find an item we wanted (Alexis -- your lobster print dress) but could not get through the traditional JCrew channels and later found it on eBay or the Weekly Exchange postings? Regardless of whether or not the new policy is legal, I don't think its fair to dismiss or limit shoppers based on what they want to do with their items after they purchase it or as an attempt to try to weed out a few select shoppers.
LOL, this is a class action in the making. Someone clearly did not run this by legal.
ReplyDeleteSomeone should call a tv station to get it all on video.
Upper management needs to become aware of this, that is if they do not know already. Absolutely crazy! What if every place had this rule?? If you could not resell your old furniture or appliances from various places? Once you buy it, it is yours!! This must be reported to authorities ASAP. They are breaking laws and making up their own. Get real, J Crew!
ReplyDeleteThis does sound illegal. I am not a lawyer but I would not sign something like this. Its not worth it! J Crew needs to at least get sizing right before telling buyers they cannot try things on and then even worse sell them to a friend if they do not fit. I can wear anything from a size 8 to 9.5 in J Crew shoes so how the heck am I supposed to shop this sale?!?! Anyone have any advice (maybe from the last sale) on how to get around signing something so ridiculous?
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone have the friends and family warehouse coupon this yea pretty please share! :)
ReplyDeleteLast night when I went by the sale location there were huge signs in the windows stating JC's new policies. When I arrived this afternoon, all the signs were gone and there was no statements to sign at checkout. Yea!
ReplyDeleteYou can discretely try on clothes (please don't try to strip down) and you can sort your items before getting in line. There is a $500 limit, but they are being flexible if you go over a little bit so that you don't have to put something back.
I hope this means that J.Crew's senior management finally realized that the "new" policies were a bad idea and that they won't try to reinstate them at a later date.
I just left the sale today. They hand you a list of new rules and policies stating a lot of the things already discussed here. However, no one enforces them. It seemed as long as no one was causing any problems there was no issue. I tried things on, sorted through my bad several times and was never asked to sign anything at the register (which is actually illegal, so don't do it if you're ever asked). Obviously the rules are there but no one is babysitting you, I had a good time today. I'll be back tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteSister in law just told me the store is packed. They are having everyone sign a waiver (to make sure you don't resale) ... Also there is a line to sort your merchandise. She was only able to go through one box. Left empty-handed ... Will try again tomorrow. Oh how I wish I was back home!!!
ReplyDeleteI went this morning and waited for the doors to open at 8AM. The first hour was the best – quiet, enough room to move around, everything was folded. I’d suggest going in the morning vs. peak hours (lunch hours/early and late afternoon). By 10:45-11, the “warehouse” was packed, lines were somehow winding in and out among each other, and with just the amount of people, it was hard to comfortably shop. Still doable though, and definitely worth it.
ReplyDeleteThe majority of the sale is Women’s Tops. There were quite a few coats too (assuming J.Crew is getting rid to get ready for the spring/summer seasons). Surprisingly lots of men showed up today. Skirts were very limited. They continued to restock shoes as the day continued. Lots of dresses as well.
No one was signing anything that involved the resale of products, although they do give you a letter with your price list when you enter, stating the J.Crew policy (being that they can refuse business to anything who is found reselling their products). I don’t know exactly how’d they figure that out, and many women in line early this morning did talk about how they purchase J.Crew merchandise and make a profit online. Who knows.
Wear a cami and leggings and you can definitely try on anything and everything. The staff encouraged it. They just didn’t want customers to be sorting through their items, especially in the middle of the store for safety reasons. When the store surpassed capacity, I definitely understood why. My bag ripped, and the staff was more than willing to give me another one – the man even lifted my stuff into the second bag. This ended up proving to work well to “sort” – when I tried on items (along a wall to appease the staff), I could put the items that I wanted in the inner bag, and iffy/not sure/no’s on the outside bag.
I was really impressed with the staff this morning. Maybe they were really nice to us who waited for the doors to open, but it worked out.
There were also a surprising amount of babies. Like seriously, try to find a sitter or something. I even saw a mom yell at her toddler for losing his shoe while sitting in a stroller. Like if you’re not going to watch what your kid is doing for hours at a time, what do you really expect?
Also, you go to the “tally” table first, where a staff member tallies your stuff before you enter the line for the register. I don’t think many of the staff were trained to correctly identify the products. I ended up overpaying for one pair of ballet flats, but it evened out when they marked my jewelry ($10) as accessories ($3). Also, I got a men’s t-shirt ($10) for the price of a women’s ($8). So you could possibly save more. But watch that they don’t mark a blazer as a winter coat, or ballet flats as regular shoes.
Like I said, I’d much prefer waiting 45 minutes earlier in the morning to get some comfort and elbow room. The “boss” (the lady who appeared to be in charge) also said there are more shipments coming in, so I’d like to figure that out. I reaalllly shouldn’t go back, but maybe just one more time at the end of the month.
Now if they just sold bottled water and snacks, they’d make a killing!
I agree with everything Jessica said! Was really surprised how friendly & helpful the staff was after reading some of the posts about other sales. I was there from 2-4 today. Not too bad at 2, but when I left it was pretty packed. You do need to inspect carefully. I left 1/2 the sweaters I originally had in my bag because they were snagged, had holes, seams were wonky, etc. The coats/kids room was a good spot to sort & try on over leggings/cami. Staff was continually restocking. I won't go back because I've spent enough & it was a bit overwhelming for me. If you go, have fun & good luck!
ReplyDeleteScore! I'm in post shopping afterglow. I was there in the evening. Staff was helpful. They were handing out free bottled water to anyone who wanted one!
ReplyDeleteI did attend the sale today and like j'aime jcrew I noticed all the signs with the new policies from yesterday were removed and there was no statement to sign at checkout, unlike mentioned at the Lynchburg sale a few weeks ago. Interesting.
ReplyDeleteSorting was loosely monitored. The one bag policy was adhered to and the $500 limit was pretty well followed. Several temp workers walked by my bag and reminded me "only $500 at a time" after it appeared 3/4 full. Tryons were allowed if done over clothes. One lady was escorted out by the police for stripping down to undergarments to try on a wedding gown, but it seemed to be done very discreetly after she wouldn't comply with their request to remain dressed. Staff were extremely courteous and helpful. A guy nicknamed "new york" tallied me and he was efficient and correct. The gentleman that manages all the sale smiled and said hello as people entered the door.
Perhaps it was due to the checkout / register set up but for a sale, where the goal is to get your money (let's be real), it didnt seem like there were enough people to accomplish this. I waited for almost an hour while 4 employees rang up at the register. There appeared to be jags in the shopping crowd and I could have gotten caught up in this. There are still "limits on purchases" signs everywhere that state "they do not authorize their purchase of merchandise for resale purposes" but no signatures at checkout agreeing to abide by this, so I didn't have to take this issue up with anyone and was able to focus on grabbing some fabulous bargains.
Does anyone happen to have a price sheet from this sale? I am heading there tomorrow. :)
ReplyDeletei can confirm what MarchAprilMay has said. sales staff seemed friendly, i did not feel like i was living in some kind of police state. overall experience was okay. although the women who venture into the mens section can be quite unpleasant. not much to choose for men sadly. Tons of medium/large shirts and pants. not enough small shirts for slimmer guys like me.
ReplyDeleteWas there much in the way of outerwear, suiting, or footwear for men?
ReplyDeleteI had a great time at this sale. My friend and I got up really early to be there for the first day of the sale. The prices were great, although the tall boots were $75 which is cheaper than in stores, but, I've been to these sales before in college where tall boots were under $50. I don't know what's up with the price mark up... though I really can't complain. It's quiet and not too packed during the early hours in the morning. We got there at 8 just in time for the store to open. It was calm and there weren't any problems. We stayed for hours. There were so many boxes to sort through and we did get a lot of great stuff. It got really crowded around lunch time, but by then we were happy with our finds and ready to leave. The lines were long, but they seemed pretty organized.
ReplyDeleteThat said here are a few tips:
1. Wear a tank and leggings. There isn't a place to try on clothing so if you do this, you can go in a corner and try on clothes over your clothes. There was a lot of talk about "the rules" on this site, but so long as you weren't disturbing anyone and you weren't in anyone's way - it was fine.
2. Don't carry around a purse. You will have to carry a huge trash bag full of clothes. Bring a wristlet and don't hoard cash. They do take credit card so that's a plus.
3. There is a $500 spending limit, but for the most part it seemed like everyone was able to stay under.
Overall, I would say this was a great sale. I got a lot of great things that I wanted and saved so much money. This was my friend's first J.Crew Warehouse sale and she had a blast. We would definitely travel the long distance again to go to one of these. The staff was incredibly kind and courteous. The police officers are there just to make sure things don't get out of hand. It's surprisingly civilized in there! I didn't see any fights and there is certainly enough to go around.
I just got back from this sale in Richmond. It was crazy crowded, but I got lots of good deals. I will definitely go back. I did not have to sign anything about re-selling (for those who have mentioned it and asked).
ReplyDeleteI went to the sale this morning and overall it was great. The staff was warm and friendly. I saw a few uniformed cops but nothing intimidating. I did see people sorting through their stuff in the corners...and after about 90 minutes I was ready to go, but needed to do the same. I headed to the kids' area which was less crowded. A young lady approached me and said I could sort through the things but I could not take them out of the bag unless I decided not to purchase. I said "ok" but when she walked away I did take things out, discreetly keeping them close ...people were trying items on and then getting their friends to snap cell phone pics to see how it looked....mirrors would have been wonderful. Anyway, a few minutes later another staff member walked by and said that we had to be standing "for safety" it wasn't well enforced. So the loot: I got two great pairs of shoes, a cream-colored cocoon coat, several cashmere sweaters, a cotton sweater, lace-front long sleeve t, natasha top in polka dot (which I've been coveting for months) several pieces of jewelry, 1 pair of jeans and two brightly-colored capris that I could not resist. Plus shirts, a hat, red cocktail dress, sox and pajamas. I nabbed a few items that I've had my eye on recently from the website (not even on sale yet) so the inventory is up to date and I was delighted with those finds. Great selection of almost everything but watch the jewelry as a lot of it was broken.
ReplyDeleteFor the men -
ReplyDeleteThere was absolutely nothing left today except pants and trousers. There were lots of very nice italian wool trousers in many sizes, however.
Apparently yesterday there was still a wall of outerwear and suit jackets for me but they all sold out.
Also, here's the price sheet:
http://imgur.com/iQ081
I assume you can't use gift cards at this sale?
ReplyDeleteI was there Sun/Mon and they have one register that CAN accept gift cards!! YEAH!!!
ReplyDeleteI went to the sale earlier today (Friday). Just like previous J.Crew warehouse sales that I have attended in the past, I found it to be a treasure hunt! There was definantly a great selection to choose from-- It just took a little time and effort to find my favorite J.Crew merchandise at amazing prices! Best of all, I found the staff that was working the sale extremely helpful and welcoming! I also hear that the sale gets restocked sporadically. Hopefully by the next I shop there will be new items to choose from (let's keep our fingers crossed)! I strongly encourage anyone in the area to stop by!!
ReplyDeletedoes anyone know if they've started the "extra 20% off" sales at the j crew warehouse sale? i'm not based in richmond :)
ReplyDeleteYes, they started the extra 20% off yesterday (Friday)!
ReplyDeleteI now understand why they ask you don't resell items...my husband spent hours there yesterday and people were just grabbing items and shoving them in bags and checking out....and guess what they are now on ebay! It ruins it for those who really want/need clothes. It's a shame!
Yes the 20% is in full swing. And there is still so much to be found! Womens suiting is now $15, shoes $20, pants $15. There are coats everywhere, literally hundreds of them. If you need a winter coat get there tomorrow before the sale ends!
ReplyDeleteThere was a rush of people that got off after work who were quite exhuberant about buying. I witnessed a few people being asked to leave for pulling stuff out of boxes before the staff could put them down or grabbing clothes out of customers hands. This happened only after staff warned people to follow the guidelines. Good for you, JCrew! I will say there is some fun in seeing a freshly folded box come out and hunkering over it with a dozen women to see who will find a treasure. Wouldn't the sale be boring otherwise? I watched many customers in the tally line leave with full bags and big smiles. The staff was very friendly and kept bringing out boxes and putting them in different places so all customers had a great chance to get something. With what appears to be over 30,000 pieces of clothing (my best guess) still on the floor, I don't undertand how anyone would be unable to find something for them unless they were so overwhelmed with the seemingly endless boxes everywhere they didn't know where to start..... Happy Shopping!