*Image above is from Etsy (found through UrbanFootprintDesign)
A big "thanks!" to GigiOfCa {of the delightful Gigi's Gone Shopping blog} who came up with a brilliant suggestion for a series of post: a city guide where JCAs can suggest which J.Crews to shop at.
This post will focus on New Jersey! With so many stores in the area, it might be too much to visit them all. So if you are a local, or a knowledgeable tourist, please share what stores a fellow JCA has to visit!
Feel free to share other tidbits of advice. For example... What are your top three spots? Are there certain stores that should be avoided at certain times of the day/ week? Are there stores that have a better selection than others? Which stores have the best sale offerings?
Which J.Crew brick & mortar (B&M) stores {in the state of New Jersey} should an out-of-towner shop at? Which stores should be avoided? Please share! :)
Garden State Plaza, Paramus
ReplyDeleteThis is the store that gets everything first (I forgot the term test store?)every rollout goes in there before the other area stores.
Just be warned this mall gets really busy on Saturday so if you are going get there early. There is pretty much everything elese you might want as well. It is closed on Sundays.
AJC Blog often posts pictures from there
Just wanted to add that GSP (Garden State Plaza) store has women, men and crewcuts. Madewell is few stores away and also 'concept'. It may be worth a trip if you are visiting NYC (just across Hudson and there are buses from NYC to GSP) since there is no tax. Their sale section is also pretty big and the staff is very nice. They will match online prices, look up other stores inventory on sale items, etc.
DeleteHackensack and Tices Corner, both just few miles away have also great selection and wonderful SAs. All are closed on Sundays. Tices Corner is best for parking and big Anthro store is just next door.
Sales people at Hackensack are really nice
ReplyDeleteNo sales tax on clothing in NJ so the northern stores flood with NYers. Since blue laws close Bergen County stores on Sunday, those stores get the crowds Saturday. The ones below Bergen and to the west (willowbrook) get the crowds on Sunday. (actually crowded all the time but blue laws limit options on Sunday).
ReplyDeleteGSP is the concept store - in fact the entire mall is full of stores that try out ideas before rolling them out nationwide(proximately to NYC retail analysts) You will see stuff there that never goes anywhere because it does not test well. The crewlet in the Bergen Town Center is also their concept store but I find it small for that role.
Agree with Kate's comment about Hackensack (Riverside)- SA told me honestly that a coat really didn't work for me. suggested another style but did not hard sell me on getting it (I did get it anyway - she was spot on).
Tice Corner- big space - haven't been there in a while but found it wanting when it first opened - hopefully that changed - one of the prettier locations in "rural" NJ.
Menlo Park has nice selection and staff - often find in store "pop backs" there.
Bridgewater Commons - also nice - staff can be iffy. Joe Fresh is right across the way.
Princeton - terrible parking- off hours (close at 6 pm on weekdays) - staff is pleasant but can be a chore to get dressing room - small store - but apparently one of their premiere locations - maybe due to university and prep schools nearby? Prefer to shop there in summer school is out.
Marlton - big store - just got crewcuts back in. Find many bargains there. Staff very friendly. Outdoor mall with LL Bean retail
Cherry Hill- go there infrequently as I prefer Marlton. have wandered around more than once with hands full while staff chats amongst themselves. Find less selection than Marlton.
Freehold - Nice selection and staff -
As for Crewlets - Flemington is small but staff is super nice. Mens' section small.
Jackson is a larger store and seems to get more retail. staff friendly.
Tinton Falls - this is the newest crewlet and it was designed poorly. I have never seen a line 15 deep for dressing rooms. The dressing rooms were off this narrow corridor that had folding tables so you had to shimmy around staff, customers and returned clothing.
There are a few other stores (and I have been to all save 2) but I have gone on too long and will let another Jersey girl comment.
The Shops at Riverside(women's, mens, crewcuts)is 6.8 miles west of the George Washington Bridge in Northern N.J. It is in a sedate and refined mall(Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdales) with upscale shops and restaurants. They have the largest sale section of the 3 Bergen County stores. Three miles down the road is the GSP concept store. This store is in a maddeningly busy mall( JCPenney to Louis Vuitton) and it can be hard to find parking. Come early on a Saturday! The GSP store receives roll outs and new merchandise before the other stores, but does send out their sale merchandise more quickly. Between these 2 malls is a new J Crew outlet at the Bergen Town Center- a newly renovated outlet mall with Bloomingdales, Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom outlet shops. Ten miles north on the GSP is Tice's Corner. It is in a delightful mid size strip mall. It is smaller than the other 2 stores, but sometimes has unusual sale merchandise. Take note that all of the Bergen County stores above are CLOSED SUNDAYs because of "Blue Laws". I find that they all have courteous and helpful staff. We are very spoiled.
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ReplyDeleteGreat detailed reviews of the stores!!! Thank you for sharing. :)
ReplyDeleteShort hills mall... It sometimes has a reputation of being elitist, but the store is always clean and the SAs are very helpful and I've never had a problem. Good selection of clothes and shoes and if you're there on the right day, good sales section. But it gets picked over quick! The whole mall is high end name brands so if you want old navy, shop elsewhere. They have valet parking... That's how upscale it is. My j crew VPS or whatever they're calling it now is super nice. Her name is Carol if you want to say hello.
ReplyDeleteAnd to clarify, I park my own car and only shop at that jcrew because it's the closest mall to me. Aside from Starbucks, anthropologie and gap, the rest of the mall is useless to me.... I just wanted to say that in case I came off snobby before. ;)
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ReplyDeleteI live closest to Marlton and Cherry Hill. I love the Marlton store. The staff is super nice and helpful!
ReplyDeleteI am a oh too frequent customer at the Marlton store. As PTO Prep said, it's a large store with Crewcuts in an outdoor shopping center. Every single person is so nice and very helpful. They know both my son and I by name and always call when there is a sale on something they think I would like. Even my husband loves going in there for clothes for work. He will call ahead (we have a personal shopper, Colette, who is wonderful and works with both of us!) and our VPS will put clothes aside for him to come in and pick up so he can try them on at home, then he just brings back what doesn't work! She has even opened the store early for me to help me pick out outfits for my husband's work events I have to go to. My son can run around and I don't have to worry! Can you tell I love this store? :)
ReplyDeleteThe Cherry Hill store on the other hand, has much less stock and I think I have met one sales associate who wasn't rude. I am never greeted at the door, in fact, I have been met several times with an eye roll if my son is with me! Hello! Do they not realize he is one of their best customers?! lol. I try to not give that store my business.
I've heard good things about Bridgewater Commons. I've only been there once, and the girls working were very sweet and helped my bestie pick out a cute outfit fourth of July party she was going to.
*for a Fourth of July Party* :)
DeleteFreehold usually has a good sale section.
ReplyDeleteMenlo Park - Sale section stinks but they are very nice there.
Love Short Hills generally. It is like shopping on 5th/Madison, only in a mall. And they've had a Madewell there for a long time.
There is also a store in The Grove in Shrewsberry, NJ that is a "high-end" outdoor mall. They've got a crewcuts. Nice big store. Also, if you drive up the road a bit you're in Red Bank and they've got nice little shops and places to eat.
Can we talk about outlets? Jersey Shore Crewlet is great. Whenever I am at my parents' house I go there and have a "treat yo self" day and end up with like 6 things for $100. Kate Spade outlet there is also dangerous to be in.
I've only been to the Freehold store (DH is from there and we visit family and friends around the area; we live in Missouri). I always find some great bargains there in the summer when we visit. Which usually follows a visit to Federici's pizza and/or Jersey Freeze.
ReplyDeleteJust for all of you J.Crew Fasionistas, We are now allowing 15% OFF STUDENT/TEACHER discount on wedding merchandise when ordered thru your local J.Crew store!
ReplyDeleteSo excited to see JERSEY represented! Love to shop for clothing in a tax-free state! I often frequent GSP, Tice's, Hackensack, Willowbrook, Short Hills and SOMETIMES Menlo Park. I consider myself fortunate to live roughly 30 min away from all of these J. Crews AND a Factory store in Paramus!
ReplyDeletethe short hills store is great and the SAs are always nice and helpful. i also like the GSP store - very good sales there. The Princeton store is nice too.
ReplyDeleteWe shop a lot in NJ
ReplyDeleteAh, you all made me a little homesick for NJ, left in 2001 but certainly miss the no sales tax. I try to visit a least 1 J Crew when I go to NJ around Xmas time...
ReplyDeleteI live five minutes from the Short Hills location and it is great. Debbie (the blonde one) is my favorite, and always greets me by name when I'm there. They have a great selection, and usually a pretty good sale area. Chester is TINY (women only, no men or crewcuts) and has a much smaller selection, but since it's so small, stuff usually goes on major sale pretty quickly so they can turn over merchandise.
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