This is the weekly "Looking to VENT with J.Crew" post, a place to share our not-so-stellar experiences with J.Crew.If you have recently experienced a frustrating situation with J.Crew, maybe you might be willing to share that information with us in this post.
Please feel free to share your story on almost any topic— including poor experiences with purchases & orders, promotions/ offers, in-store visits, transactions with store associates, etc.
New arrivals are up, and there's not a thing I really want ... it all looks like what was already there. I guess that's my vent.
ReplyDeleteI forgot to mention, free shipping on all orders with code FREESHIP.
DeleteYes, new arrivals!!! But... nothing exciting. I haven't been excited about new arrivals in a while. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteWhy is it every time you have a code or an extra % off that the item you are lusting after pops up the day after the code expires. I think they hold back pieces just to torture me!
ReplyDeleteI KNEW that the Jules dress would appear online this morning in the beautiful new paisley because the special 25% off promo expired last night. I KNEW it!
DeletePlan to try it on today. I saw it yesterday but was in too big of a hurry to try it. It is gorgeous!
DeleteSo true, the Pamela Love jean jacket popped back today in sale but of course after I used my 25% off last night. I have stalking it forever!
DeleteThey must have found a forgotten stockpile. The Savina Stud Sandals just showed up in sale section again in all sizes. However-priced $179. :(. I have thse and they are pretty!
ReplyDeleteLoved the cute new wool crepe V-neck dress. . . until I called for the measurements on length, 32 inches in a size 6. That's the same as the Jules. Absolutely obscene on me, grrr! Please make some longer lengths in great silhouettes like the Allie and even the Jules.
ReplyDeleteThe warehouse is super slow processing returns. Anyone else experiencing delays? Last time they processed half of the box of returns, and never finished. I had to contact cs & they had me send them a list & processed the returns manually. They used to be lighting fast and dependable. Now I've lost my confidence in them. I'm about to make a call to see what has happened to my latest return.
ReplyDeleteAnyone catch the prices on Talbots sale - up to 90% off and final sale. Got a $200 sweater for $19 - that's how you do a final sale. There was even a coupon and free shipping code. Great prices and no regrets in the morning. I'll either love it gift it or consign it and still respect myself in the morning. Are you listening J. Crew?
ReplyDeletePTO Prep, amen to Talbot's sale! That 25% off and free ship coupon didn't hurt, either. I got a long wrap sweater and two merino sweater dresses for like, $35. So awesome. And you're right, if I don't like them, oh well, it was worth the risk, and clothes mentor will likely give me more than what I paid for the dresses and sweater. Win-win!
DeleteBut can you imagine if J.Crew did such sales? It would be a frenzy! I wish they would.
Thanks for the heads up on the coupon and free shipping. Nothing in the sale section for me, but I got a good price on some new arrivals that are on promo.
DeleteI have been so frustrated with J crew lately. I am considering not shopping there anymore. I have ordered 3 dresses in the past month and two of them were sent with defects. One dress had a hole in the side and the other, the zipper broke the first time I tired it on. I have noticed that quality has gone down completely while there prices seem to inflate a lot. Will probably not be making another J crew purchase :(
ReplyDeleteI know Talbots really knows how to put on a sale. JCrew is HORRIBLE. I cannot stand final sale and their even still high prices. Missed out on a skirt that I wanted b/c it was too expensive and on final sale. Others can chance it but I won't waste my money EVER AGAIN!
ReplyDeleteWhat has JC done to the Super 120s pencil skirt this season?? I'm seriously so distraught because it is my favorite skirt and I wanted 3 colors this season, but when the first one arrived - and mind you I sized down because I've lost a little weight - it is, at the very least, 2-3 inches too wide around the hips, so the entire shape of the skirt has changed from prior years. My ones from prior years fit way better and they're a full size larger! I think JC needs to consider size along with body type, because while I imagine having more room in the hips would benefit many, many women whose curves would be accentuated, I don't know a lot of petite 0s or 00s whose hips are a good 3" wider than their waists. It's just a matter of proportions.
ReplyDeleteTo contradict my vent with a love, I'm surprisingly pleased with the fit of the No. 2 pencil skirt in double serge wool this season. I considered taking the same size as last year based on the comments I read here about it running a bit small, but after reading that some women found it generously fitting at the waist, I sized down and it fits great (for a petite, I think it could be half an inch to an inch shorter, but hey, a little too long is always better than a little too short so I won't nitpick). I bought a FP color with the 25% cardholder discount and just picked up the berry pink during the 30% off sale promo - haven't tried on the pink one yet but I'm crossing my fingers that the fit is the same, as it certainly should be. At least it was a promotionally priced item not marked FS so I can return if need be. I also bought the sale printed wool scarf thinking I would pair it with the berry pink skirt and a flax (I think that's the color?) Tippi sweater but the pinks don't match so my verdict's still out on the scarf. It is pretty though.
On a side note, I haven't tried the Sterling skirt before and I just received it in the crimson maple color. I know it's been discussed that the fit is quite different from prior seasons. Could anyone shed some light on what's changed? I *think* it's a keeper but it's one of those items I'm just not 100% about given that the slant pockets hit me right at the hip bones (accentuating curves: good; accentuating bones: not so much).
Jenna,
ReplyDeleteI hear you! That is why I am only purchasing one or two items each season from JCREw when I used to purchase one or two a week! I got so sick of receiving defective items. Their quality in the past 2 years has been so disappointing. Who has time in their life to deal with REPEATED defective items. I sure don't. I still buy the occasional piece but my expecation is LOW so I don't get disappointed as much anymore. It is a SAD state of affairs!
JustVisiting,
ReplyDeleteI have had 3 experiences with JCrew only procession PART of my return and have had to make the same call. CRAZY!
Good Morning! I was in Destin, FL last week and visited both the J.Crew Factory and the J.Crew @ the Beach stores. When I walked into the Beach store, no one spoke to me. I was the only person in the store and no one bothered to greet me. The next day, I went back to the factory store where I was greeted and bought several items. This was the first time I experienced a rude J.Crew store!
ReplyDeleteThis year's version of the classic cafe capris are just SO CHEAP. Ugh. I am wearing my white ones for the first time today and the SINGLE HOOK that is the only closure just broke. So now my pants are held together with a binder clip, haha. It is actually working quite well. But seriously? My 2008 classic cafe capris have two big hooks AND a button closure. One hook = not enough. Also, the material is much thicker. Sigh. Glad I paid less than $20 for these POS pants. But sad because they are my favorite style of capris and I fear I will have to resort to scouring eBay for older used ones!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I am really disgusted by the prices of some of the new items. Calling something "collection" does not make it worth more than double the price of a similar item that was just released a season ago (Paisley blouse, I'm talking to you... it is not the exact same thing as the printed talitha/scoopneck blouses?). It's ridiculous. I am actually mad, because I love J.Crew and I want to shop, but I will not pay $300 for a printed silk blouse.
ReplyDeleteI said the same thing on the New Arrivals post. It's ridiculous. Plus, some of the same silk blouses are hanging out in FS right now where you can see the original price from last season! They must think that their customers have extremely short memories.
DeleteYes, that makes it even worse. Compare to feather paisley blouse that was in the sale section this morning. Ridiculous! And I don't care if the silk is thicker in the new top, it is still not worth $300 and I just don't even know what they are thinking charging that much.
DeleteIs there anything in this new rollout that is under $100? Where's the color? Where's the Collection? None of the pieces go together. Nordstrom here I come...
ReplyDeleteI finally bit and went to place an online order with the 25% off cardholder code that came in the art deco necklace email this past weekend, and the code did not work. Sigh. So I emailed J.Crew and told them about the issue. Someone very nicely wrote me back saying she was sorry the code did not work but I could place the order and then email them the confirmation number/code and they would apply the 25% off retroactively. I did that, and the response was "we are typically unable to apply promotional codes after the order has been submitted, I’d be happy to honor the promotion today. Please be aware we may not be able to honor this request in the future". No kidding, J.Crew. If you had sent me a code that worked in the first place, it would not have necessitated 6 back and forth emails and you chastizing me for applying a code post order when it is J.Crew's issue. Get it together!
ReplyDeleteThat would really annoy me, too. They should be apologizing to you, not scolding you.
DeleteI was looking again at the new arrivals, and marveling at the sky-high prices. Of course, even at a discount, there isn't a lot I would buy just because of the decline in quality.
ReplyDeleteFor example, I ordered all five of the promo-priced No.2 pencil skirts with the extra 30% off code a couple of weeks ago. It came out to $68 each, and I planned to keep at least two. I returned all five of them, because they were thin and just not as well-made/well-fitting as my previous skirts, for all of which I paid full price.
Another example is the jewel-collared sweater that is inexplicably sold out now. The fit was just strange; I had to size down to get the correct fit, but then it was too short. I would have tried to make it work but wearing a cute layer underneath, but the ITCHING!! It was unbearable. I would have happily paid full price for it, but with how horrible the fabric was I would't even have bought it on deep discount.
I was looking at Kate Spade, which I feel J.Crew is trying to match. The prices on KS are high, and I only own a few items, but looking at the fabric content combined with the quality construction explains it. I looked on the KS website and I couldn't find an item with polyester in it. I'm not saying they aren't out there, but they are rare. Most of what I see is 100% silk, 100% wool, 100% cotton, 100% cashmere, or some blend of the above. Sometimes there's viscose which I don't mind because it is usually very soft and breathable. The pieces are well-made and last from year to year, so you are actually getting something for the price you pay. Unlike [insert recently purchased J.Crew item here] which pills dreadfully/develops holes within a season/is uncomfortable to wear.
So with this in mind I'm looking at all these tired "new" designs, and I'm skeptical about the few items that do pique my interest. I know all about the J.Crew sale shuffle, so if there is something that I want and get to verify in person that it is good quality, then I will wait for a sale. If I miss out, no big deal. There are plenty of other things out there for me that I will love.
I have been completely underwhelmed by the fall rollout. The prices are INSANE. And I'm really annoyed that I got the 25-percent cardholder perk AFTER I had just placed an order. Not to mention it expired minutes before the new rollout. I'm so over the J. Crew shenanigans. I feel like Jenna Lyons and her minnions are sitting in their J. Crew glass tower in NYC laughing their ass off at me in an evil cartoon villain voice.
ReplyDeleteI think most of my fall purchases will be coming from Anthro and Banana and Gap this year. You lose, J. Crew.
I am just baffled that people will spend $250 on a boring little blouse. I can understand that much for a good bag or coat, but a blouse?! Say what?!
Went into B&M to return a few things. One of the SAs was wearing the multicolored tweed skirt. The hem was falling down and there were large stringy pills of wool hanging off the sides. What a terrible advertisement for the product. On the other hand, another SA looked super cute in the hen shirt. Now I am actually considering buying it, when before I thought it would be too cutesy for me.
ReplyDeleteI bought the blue tippi in the store last week. It was on promo, and it's my favorite color: kentucky wildcat blue. It's a small and fits fine. When I got home I decided to order the neon fuchsia tippi. It came today, and it's huge! I don't know if it's missized or if there's that much of a difference in sizes. Either way it's going back and I'm afraid to order an extra small. Too bad because it's a beautiful color.
ReplyDeleteJessica: Oh no about your sweaters. Do you live in Lexington, KY?
ReplyDeleteI have no idea what pant size I am at JCrew, Madewell, and possibly just in general (unforgiving hipbones). I ordered a pair of high rise skinnies in what i thought was my size and they are way too small! (Be grateful you B&M custies) I was totally bummed because they are final sale but then I looked down and saw a hole in the seam. Hoorah for bad sewing! I'm hoping to call and get a switcharoo w little hassle. Fingers crossed!
ReplyDeleteI'm so over the Jules dress. I wish Jcrew would make some A-line dresses and skirts so I could have something besides pants to wear to work.
ReplyDeleteRynetta: I live 30 minutes outside of Lexington!
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of synthetic fabrics... Updated Cambridge cable yarn: now it's mainly viscose? Was it that way before?
ReplyDeleteI went into my first Jcrew store (normally I shop online) but for whatever reason, I ordered a 0p and they sent me a 2p instead. I had no clue that the store itself didn't sell the petite sizes, so I drove 45 minutes with 3 kids for no apparent reason. Anyway, the sales associate just grabbed my items... then went to the red phone (which is SO new to me) and just left. Didn't say anything... just handed me the phone. I felt like someone receiving a call from a scary movie. Anyway, the women on the phone was helpful. But a 45 minute drive and a rude non-friendly sales associate who just passed me to a phone.... I could have called from home for all that!! Thats my vent from the Jcrew store in King of Prussia, PA.
ReplyDeleteI am buying less and less there
ReplyDeleteToo expensive then right to final sale
bleh
But the stores are so lovely to go into and browse aren't they
What is bothering me most is how they are just shortening EVERYTHING to ridiculous lengths. Not just dresses. It is so obvious they are trying to cut costs but this is a bizarre way to do it! M from Shopping with M blog, tried the new popover peacoat. She is 5'5"--it looks too short. Imagine if you are taller? You are going to look like you have your tween daughter's popover coat on. The shawl collar sweatshirt looks too short, the peter pan collar sweater, too short. And those items become boxy looking because of it. Now I am finding that they are even making the shirts & popovers shorter in length along with shorter sleeves! We always talked about how they are sizing out the real size 0 and now they are sizing out those taller than 5'5". WTH?!
ReplyDelete