Wednesday, May 29, 2019

"Looking to VENT" with J.Crew

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.

12 comments:

  1. The wild differences in prices from one day to the next and promos are very discouraging without PAs. I really don’t see any incentive to buy at 25-30% knowing or hoping that a 40-60% might be a day away. Are they trying to discourage sale shoppers?

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    1. Agreed. Nothing for this savvy shopper (if I do say so myself!)
      The funniest increase I saw was the double breasted cardigan coat fo4 $124.99. I bought it at $49.99 minus 50 or 60% several months ago and unfortunately had to return because it was too large but I know several others got it at that price of $20-$25!

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    2. The prices are all over the place. A necklace that I got for under $30 is now $119.99 ON SALE. It makes absolutely zero sense. Wish they'd just price kill the velvet tank tops so that we don't have to look at them anymore.

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  2. Good morning, this may already have been shared, so my apologies if it's a duplicate post: https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2019/05/can-j-crew-find-itselfand-its-customersagain?verso=true

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    1. I hadn't read that and really enjoyed it, thank you.

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    2. That was a super entertaining read. I'd always like Mickey but that article didn't do him any favors. I find it difficult to believe someone with his retail background could or would ignore understanding ecommerce and its importance. That explains why the website still feels like it's years behind others.

      I have to say the stuff about the marketing direction of the company etc doesn't really affect whether I buy from a company. I get that some people like Everlane for its concept and their so-called transparency from material to product, but ultimately I just care whether their product works for me. With JC I didn't really care about whether they had "how to" guides or that now they want to know how I style their products - I just want a quality JC item. That other stuff is just distraction. Are people really sold on that stuff? I had always thought that at end of the day what pushes us to buy something is a quality, well designed product - something that makes me think that someone put a lot of thought into it and came up with something relatively unique.

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    3. That was an interesting article but I still quibble with the idea of "Lyons Magic" although I guess from a notoriety standpoint that's when J Crew became more pop culture. I know a lot of folks really enjoyed her and the style she brought to the brand but I personally feel the years between 2003 and 2008, before she became creative head, were the best years. I think Marissa Webb had a lot to do with that when she was there. The point they brought up, about the hole in the $220 sweater, is key. They alluded to the fact that people want a new sweater frequently, not always one that is well made that lasts, maybe that's true for some, but a core group of loyal customers are still waiting for the old school quality. Enough retailers have the fast fashion thing nailed. Otherwise, why would I have the appreciation for "vintage" J Crew clothes I see in IG posts or spend the shameful amount of time I do spend hunting for them on Poshmark and Thredup? I wish they would dial back these secondary lines, focus on core items, get their IT and pricing jumps managed, and issue catalogs again. Even if they were digital only, I miss them terribly. I have bought the least ever from them this year. The one piece swim I wanted is sitting in my shopping bag with price jumps from $98 to $86 to $60% off FS in about a week. Today it's back to $94.99 and no longer FS and I'm still not buying it.

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    4. I also really think the styling of the clothes and some of the models need some work. Love the diversity in body shapes but then why reduce the amount of sizing options you have from clothes and make all the details hard to see on the webpage.

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    5. Terilyn13 I totally agree with you. Not everyone wants fast fashion. There is still a void in the market - those of us who want good quality, well-tailored, classic clothing with a twist - that is what J Crew used to offer. No one offer this other than maybe Tory Burch - but hers is bit pricey and it does not fit me as well as J Crew once did. I miss the old J Crew. Wishing it would return. But not holding my breath.

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  3. Received a popback of an Italian Cashmere sweater which does not have any paper hang tag, no interior seam tag with fabric content/care instructions/season and item number, and worst of all, has a hole in it which is highlighted by a PIECE OF SCOTCH TAPE OVER IT. Why was this item sold and shipped?!?!?!?

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  4. I bought the MIXED EYELET POPOVER
    Item L7822 during one of the promos which actually included it. I also used a reward on it.

    I'm really sick of the games JCrew plays. First, it's been yes/no for including that shirt in the promo. Second, the tag on the site shows JCrew but it's actually point sur. Third, sizing issues. Why do I have to buy at least two sizes to try on every time? I figured I'd just go with small since a review said TTS. nope. Now I have to go to the store to try on XS but even if it fits, the material is super sheer so I don't even think I'd want to keep it.

    So annoying. It's just one shirt!

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