Sought & Found: Did you visit J.Crew this {past} Weekend?

This is the weekly "sale watch" post, to help each other find sale items at our various local J.Crew stores. ;)

If you are stopped by a J.Crew store this past weekend to see what's available (if anything!) in the FALL sale, or to see some new FALL/WINTER arrivals {sigh!} in person, maybe you might be willing to share that with us in this post. In particular, if you could share with us a few of the noteworthy items that are available, at what prices, and potential sizes the store is carrying (as well as the store location)- that would be fantastic!

Also, please let us know if your local store was/ is carrying an additional percent off sale. Thanks in advance!!! :)

J.Crew Factory Email: Holiday wow: 40% OFF THE ENTIRE SITE, new arrivals and even more savings

"Thanks!" to many of you, including Irina, who shared the following news: J.Crew Factory (click here to shop online) is open for Holiday Shopping with 40% Off all Factory Store items (including new arrivals)!

They are also offering a stack promo: 25% off & free shipping on $150+ and 30% off & free shipping on $250+ with the same GIFTS promo code for J.Crew.com. The fine print includes:

*Prices as marked. Offer valid on Factory online merchandise only. Offer cannot be redeemed for cash or applied to previous purchases. Offer is subject to change at any time.

**Offer valid at jcrew.com only. Offer is not valid at J.Crew Retail or J.Crew Factory stores. Discount does not apply to previous purchases, alterations or the purchase of gift cards. Certain product exclusions may apply. 25% discount applies to qualifying purchases of $150 to $249.99 and 30% discount applies to qualifying purchases of $250 or more before shipping, handling and taxes are added. Offer includes regular shipping of purchases of $150 or more. Offer valid through Sunday, December 4, 2011, 11:59pm ET on Internet orders shipped via regular shipping (3 to 6 business days). Savings and free ground shipping are applied at checkout with code GIFTS. Offer not valid on phone orders. Cannot be combined with any other promotion or redeemed for cash. Limit one promotional code per order. Terms of offer are subject to change at any time.

As always... if you live near a Factory Store, check them out first. The B&M Factory Stores tend to have better promotions and sale prices.

What are your thoughts on J.Crew's Factory Holiday offerings? Will you check them out?

Seek & Find: Will you visit J.Crew this Weekend?

This is the weekly "sale watch" post, to help each other find sale items at our various local J.Crew stores. ;)

If you are stopping by a J.Crew store this weekend to see what's available (if anything!) in the FALL sale, or to see some new FALL/WINTER arrivals {sigh!} in person, maybe you might be willing to share that with us in this post. In particular, if you could share with us a few of the noteworthy items that are available, at what prices, and potential sizes the store is carrying (as well as the store location)- that would be fantastic!

Also, please let us know if your local store is carrying an additional percent off sale. Thanks in advance!!! :)

P.S. I noticed that many of you have already been reporting sale items (and in which stores) in other posts which by the way "thank you!" :) I really appreciate how helpful we are for each other!

J.Crew News: Fiscal Third-Quarter Earnings

The following article from the Wall Street Journal & Market Watch (click here & here to read in its entirety):

J Crew 3Q net slumps 43% on higher debt costs
By Mia Lamar
December 1, 2011

J. Crew Group Inc.'s fiscal third-quarter earnings slumped 43% as debt costs related to the clothing retailer's buyout earlier this year masked improved sales.

The company went private in March in a $3 billion acquisition by a group of investors including private-equity firms TPG Capital--a former owner of J. Crew--and Leonard Green & Partners LP. J. Crew became a favorite on Wall Street during the economic downturn as penny-pinching shoppers continued to buy the company's embellished cardigans, skinny jeans and cargo pants.

For the quarter ended Oct. 29, J.Crew reported a profit of $21.6 million, compared with prior-year profit of $37.8 million. The latest period included $25.3 million in interest expense, compared with $2.1 million a year earlier.

Revenue improved 12% to $479.6 million. Same-store company sales--which include comparable store sales, direct sales, and shipping and handling revenue--were up 5%.

Gross margin narrowed to 42.1% from 43.5%. Inventories at the end of the third quarter totaled $291.7 million--including $1.7 million of inventory step-up from purchase accounting--compared with $261 million last year.

Over at Seeking Alpha (click here), there is the transcript of the conference call on the Q3 2011 Results. Interesting conversation below:

Karen Eltrich - Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Research Division
And how was traffic for you guys on Thanksgiving weekend?

James S. Scully
We actually don't comment on that Karen.

Um, okay... (I thought that was a fair question to ask.) Some other note worthy tidbits:

• "merch margin was negatively impacted by a $2.8 million reduction in shipping revenues versus last year... If you were to exclude shipping revenues from both this year and last year, we would have experienced an 80-basis-point improvement in merchandise margin"
• "in our future plans, to actually take factory.com and have a separate site for factory.com"
• "our factory store strategy remains to grow our square footage by approximately 10% a year over the next 3 to 5 years through a combination of new units and expansions in existing centers where we see potential upside"
• "we continue to be very pleased with the results in customer feedback from our Yorkdale Centre store in Toronto, and we are now completing plans to open additional stores in Canada next year"
• "we also expanded our direct reach in the third quarter, launching international shipping to the U.K. in August, followed by France, Italy and Germany in mid-November"
• "saw improved results from our women's business, while we continue experience strong performance in men's and accessories"
  
• "as always, our #1 focus remains our products"

What are your thoughts on this news from J.Crew? Anything surprised you from their third quarter earnings?

J.Crew Updates Website with New Arrivals!

"Thanks!" to many of you, including wellfedfred & Desert Flower (in this post), who let us know that J.Crew had an update to its website today (click here to view online).

There are some new arrivals for men (click here) & women (click here). {wahoo!} It looks like Crewcuts (click here) has been updated, as did the J.Crew Collection (click here).

The latest HOLIDAY catalog (click here to view) is now available to view. So happy to see that this feature is back, right where it belongs!

I am off to check out the new arrivals!

What items are you most excited about and why? Which items are you surprised (or not surprised) to see? Which items did you hope would be included? Were you expecting a bigger roll-out today? Also, did you receive the latest catalog? :)

Up to 30% off & Free Shipping at J.Crew

"Thanks!" to many of you, including Audreys (in this post), as well as Irina, who shared the following offer from J.Crew this morning.

J.Crew is offering 25% off & free shipping on purchases of $150+ *and* 30% off & free shipping on purchases of $250+ with promo code GIFTS. The offer expires Sunday, December 4, 2011. The fine print of this offer includes:

*Offer valid at jcrew.com only. Offer is not valid at J.Crew Retail or J.Crew Factory stores. Discount does not apply to previous purchases, alterations or the purchase of gift cards. Certain product exclusions may apply. 25% discount applies to qualifying purchases of $150 to $249.99 and 30% discount applies to qualifying purchases of $250 or more before shipping, handling and taxes are added. Offer includes regular shipping of purchases of $150 or more. Offer valid through Sunday, December 4, 2011, 11:59pm ET on Internet orders shipped via regular shipping (3 to 6 business days). Savings and free ground shipping are applied at checkout with code GIFTS. Offer not valid on phone orders. Cannot be combined with any other promotion or redeemed for cash. Limit one promotional code per order. Terms of offer are subject to change at any time.

This is a great offer if you are interested in a full priced item and worried about it selling out. Also, it is so nice to see all these promotions from J.Crew. It makes me wonder what the post-Holiday sales will be. (I already know, it will be dangerous for my wallet!) ;)

Will you be checking out J.Crew? Are there any items you are interested in getting? If so, please share. :)

Surprise! Log Into Your J.Crew Account {yey!}

"Thanks!" to so many of you, including Suzy & Fabulous Florida Mommy (in this post), who let us know the latest promotion from J.Crew.

J.Crew is offering select customers free shipping, monogramming, and/or gift boxes when you log-into your J.Crew account. Best part? No code required! It's automatically applied online. (Please note: Customers may receive one, all or a combination of these free offers.)

I rushed to log-in and found nothing for me. {sigh} I was again, not selected. :( However, "congrats!" to those who have the offer! :)

Madewell Email: Gift well: what's new for the holidays (+ free shipping on all orders)

"Thanks!" to many of you who shared the following email from Madewell this morning.

The email titled "12 Days of Christmas" (click here to check it out online), showcases 12 different gifts customers could share. It's a cute concept from Madewell.

What are your thoughts on the email? Do you think you will take one of their suggestions to checkout?

JCA "Help Style Me!" Weekly Post

This is the weekly "Help Style Me!" post, where we can share items we are having trouble putting outfits together with. Elaine (in this post) says it best, "You know, that thing you bought because you love it and you keep pulling it out and then putting it away without wearing it?"

Please share your J.Crew item (either that you own or are thinking about getting) that you would love help creating an outfit with.

Also, please help out by offering your styling advice. Feel free to include links to your blog (where you incorporated that piece) or to Polyvore (where you showcased an outfit with that piece). Thanks in advance! :)

"Looking to LOVE" with J.Crew

This is the weekly "Looking to LOVE with J.Crew" post, a place to share our favorite experiences with J.Crew.

If you have recently experienced a positive 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 stellar experiences with purchases & orders, promotions/ offers, in-store visits, transactions with store associates, etc.