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.
Shipping is sooo slooowwww.
ReplyDeleteAnd not sure if this is a love or a vent, but offering certain newer products at 50% off online is a great way to get us (me!) to buy, even if just to try.
I agree on both counts! Recently ordered some things from Marks & Spencer and the package was delivered door-to-door from the UK to Canada in TWO DAYS! Borderfree shipments, or even direct shipments from JCrew in the old days, can take up to two weeks. Somehow, just before Christmas, they got a package to me in four days and I was shocked. Ridiculous. And the 50% off did tempt me as well today - nothing exciting, but needed some new jeans. Slow jeans. Jeans that may be walking here under their own power...
DeleteYes, my store has such limited items I'll order online and then when I stop in I'm surprised they even have any of what I'm interested in, occasionally I'll buy what I've just ordered so I have it in a decent time frame.
Deletenew Balance collabration...need I say more.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteI'm just so tired of everything. Not just J Crew, it seems like this time of year is so slow to release anything new & fun, for all retailers. Gap did have a few new releases yesterday but they're all drab colors & oversized fits. Guess I'll keep scooping up "new to me" pieces on eBay & Poshmark!
ReplyDeleteJanuary has got to be the worse time for retail. I can't wait for next week's roll-out!
DeleteI just found out that one of my go to stores is closing at the end of the month, the Northlake store in Charlotte. They have two retail stores, two outlet stores and a mercantile and they thought there was too much competition between all those stores. I agree but sad to see them go. They were always so nice and always waived my shipping. They sent me the sweetest note to thank me for shopping with them over the years. I am still devastated that the Clearance store has closed in Lynchburg as well.
ReplyDeleteThey can send a store up my way! I just cannot get over the fact that Roanoke, with Virginia Tech, Radford, Hollins U, Roanoke College, Liberty U, Lynchburg College, all within a 45 minute drive, has NO retail store, NO Factory or Mercantile store, & now NO clearance store within a two to three-hour drive. It's no wonder online shopping is killing brick & mortar stores, really.
DeleteSad to hear of another store closing. I know it's crunch time for jcrew so I truly hope things will improve for them. I'm sure they'll have to close some more stores to save money.
DeleteSorry to hear that, DD. I love the idea of the thank you note they sent you, what a lovely gesture! I'm sure they'll miss seeing their regular customers. :-(
DeletePre-Order Madewell Spring/Summer!
ReplyDelete'Some' pieces I like, but overall it's not making me jump out of my seat.
https://www.madewell.com/madewell_feature/springlookbook.jsp?sidecar=true&srcCode=MWEMBR01930&rmid=Jan_0118_Spring17Lookbook&rrid=76055&uea=9VmZAo8UIS5T1%2B9tHOij5kOoO%2B7lideBbJ3ogCWaMtY%3D
I find the overall "looks" of Madewell are a little too boho for my taste, but piece by piece, there are always a few good things. I'm glad to see they have the lace up Sandals again as I bought all three colors last summer and lived in them. I like that the look is consistent. I bought an eyelet trim blouse this fall on sale for a steal, and I tried it on last week with raw edge Levis and flats and the look is so beautiful.
DeleteThanks for the link, JSR, had fun looking at those. I don't shop with Madewell often b/c I too find their aesthetic doesn't work for my needs, but like both of you, I often see a piece or two that works. They definitely have a consistent look, very much agree. Anyways, I like how this preview offers the option to view on one page or as a slideshow.
DeleteI wish they would have included pricing
Delete@jazmine, Madewell pricing is also pretty consistent through the line. Of course it starts off higher than I want and ultimately, once they're on sale if I play my cards right, I'll get some decent knits (sleeveless tees and tanks for $20 and under), shirts/button downs for $35-55, skirts under $40 and jeans/pants can vary between $$$ too much (rivet and thread) to $50 and under.
DeleteNot a vent but has anyone tried the Jill sunglasses (the aviators)? I'm wondering about fit, quality etc. thank you!
ReplyDeleteHi Jan, I bought a pair last summer to replace a beloved pair. They're not terribly great in terms of blocking out the sun (not bad, but they're no Ray-Bans!) and they were probably not worth the full price I paid. However, I like the colors of the lens, the tortoise detail on the frame, as well as the smaller size of the frame itself. The metal used is light, not super sturdy, but I haven't had any scratches or dings anywhere. (I did have to buy a small case from Sunglass Hut because the one provided is big and rectangular and took up half my purse.) As for fit, they sit on my nose nicely, no issues. I know they were on sale during the holidays and I think they're good at the lower price. All that said, I would prefer to buy Ray-Ban next time, but the current styles at the time just didn't appeal to me -- seemed too loud for my style. HTH!
DeleteHi TM93, thank you so much for your input! You are so helpful as always! I think I'll wait and buy some Ray bans later on. My current ones are getting old and a bit dinged up so I was curious about the Jill. I have the Ryan ones and agree about the case, while it's very sturdy its huge! My ray ban aviators have a slight wrap so they block the sun nicely. You've helped me stick to my shopping ban so thank you again!
DeleteMy vent is the sad selection available in my stores. I feel bad (though the SA's are super nice about it) because I can't remember the last time I purchased something in-store; I only go there to make online returns. For me it's a combination of no collection items, no tall items, and being almost exclusively a sale shopper (so much easier to buy when something goes on sale online vs checking to see if my store has it). I think if J Crew is going to strengthen store sales, they are going to have to reevaluate the mix each store receives.
ReplyDeleteI am the same, only replacing tall with petite! I want to support the local store, but when something is $168, but is on sale online for 84, I can't justify it. And I realm dislike returning things to the store. I like to go see what they have, but it really is so limited. I picked up two things today, but that is rare.
DeleteAnyone know when J.Crew will have their Q4 2016 earnings release? I'm curious how they did.
ReplyDeleteNot sure if someone posted this already. Pretty much a summary of the retail industry struggles.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/intelligence/gap-j-crew-abercrombie-trouble-americas-mall-brands
Hi Jazmine, This was a good, informative (albeit depressing!) article, I posted here a week or two ago. I hope JC figures out a formula that keeps them in the game & keeps us happy as well!
DeleteThis is completely off topic but has anyone ever purposely shrinked a long sleeve tee from a size large to a size small or xtrasmall size? If yes, can you please share how to do this? thanks (i know, a very odd question)
ReplyDeleteIt looks to me like the SIGNET BAG IN ITALIAN LEATHER is excluded from all promos. Will this ever go on sale?... or is this one of those things that will always be full price?
ReplyDeleteIt was included in most of the holiday promos last year. Not sure about spring or summer.
DeleteI see one in bright cover for $56.99, shows three left in stock.
DeleteI see one in bright cover for $56.99, shows three left in stock.
DeleteThis bag has never been included in a promo as far as I know. In fact, at one point when jcrew was offering 40% off "everything" (not this bag), Nordstrom had it marked down on their site in the brown and light pink colors. I was able to get the brown one before it sold out on their site. Their have been certain colors that have been marked down (like the clover one as anon mentioned above). Also, a red color one was marked down.
DeleteThanks all! Very helpful!
DeleteAfter waiting and waiting for the black tweed cropped Lady Jacket to go on sale, I finally caved when they sent me a birthday $25 card. It was my first full price purchase in who knows how long. When it arrived, one sleeve was an inch longer than the other.
ReplyDeleteWomp, womp, womp..... 👎🏻
DeleteNice to see you, Hexicon. Sorry about the jacket fail.
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DeleteThat is disappointing for sure. It's definitely up to J.Crew to control quality, and I think they, and other retailers, typically demand too much in terms of production time and costs. I wish things would cost a little bit more and be done properly. I always feel badly when returning something because it wasn't made right, because it makes me think the person who made it didn't have enough time to do it right. That totally stinks.
Deletemaybe they will tailor it?
DeleteFinally received a few eagerly anticipated items, including the Ultra wide leg chinos pants (that look like the wide leg wool pants, but chinos), the pixies with the front snap, and two pairs of the skirty short in Linen.
ReplyDeleteReviews of the ultra wide leg chinos were really mixed, but since I like the wool ones I gave them a shot. Most reviews said they were (a foot!) long and ran big. So I ordered the smaller of my sizes, and figured I could hem if needed. They fit totally fine, and length on me is just what I'd need to wear with a low heel, not long at all. The fabric though is a stiff chino fabric, not drapey. Some reviews said it was thin. What bothers me most is the lack of drape in the fabric. Then, I thought they reminded me of Z Cavariccis with the inverted pleats. I'll have to try them again with a real shirt and shoes but I don't think they work.
Next disappointment, the skirty short in Linen. Both sizes fit, but the inverted pleat part juts out in a weird and unflattering way. I think this might work for you if you don't have a defined waist line, or if they sit on your hip so the pleat lies closed. I don't think they will work for me. Too bad. :(
Thank you do your reviews! I was interests in the skirty shorts, but hesitated because I have some shorts in a thick fabric from last year that are similarly unflattering. The prints are amazing, but they don't treat my curves as well as they could. I know J Crew designs more for bodies without curves, so it's always a treat to get a piece that's both appealing on its own and looks good on my curves. I'll pass on the skirty shorts.
DeleteI don't usually have an issue and find my waist to hip differential works, especially with higher rises these days, but these shorts are odd. If there was an extra piece of fabric in the middle, similar to the skort from spring 2015, they would be fine. The leg flares out nicely which usually works better for me. Oh well.
DeleteYes, that is too bad, Suz. It's a cute and classy short.
DeleteI just received a cashmere shell in stripe- shipped from a store, security tag included :(
ReplyDelete