From now until March 31st, shop in all J.Crew stores with your personal shopper and receive 20% off your entire purchase of $125 or more!

How exciting! This is perfect for dressing up your spring wardrobe.

Have you used a J.Crew personal shopper before? If so, tell us about your experience!

And before you head out to your store, browse J.Crew items with the iGoogle gadget below. You can even add it to your own iGoogle page! I created it so let me know what you think.

J.Crew sent out an email to card holders to remind them of the Personal Shopper service they offer.  (In these economic times, I am not sure how many J.Crew customers require a personal shopper.)

To get a personal shopper, you can click here to fill out a form, call 1-800-261-7422 or send an email to erica@jcrew.com.

Do you already have a J.Crew personal shopper? Are you considering getting one?

It’s another personal shopper event at J.Crew!

Now through Monday, October 13th, make an appointment with a J.Crew personal shopper and receive 20% off your entire purchase!

The offer is only valid on full price merchandise and your purchase must be $175 or more.  Click here to schedule your appointment or click here to print out the email.

This is such a great event to take advantage of!  There are so many great items for the fall!

Happy Shopping!

I have had a J.Crew personal shopper for years and I can tell you that it is a great relationship to grow. For the J.Crew lovers out there who do not yet have a personal shopper, I highly suggest getting out. During the holiday season, my personal shopper is a life saver. He keeps my J.Crew card on file, finds those hard-to-find items all over the country and ships them to my home free of charge. It’s the best!

Use the store locator to set up an appointment with a personal shopper at your local store.

$495.00, Item 97737

I have been eyeing up the Sonia Snakeskin Clutch ever since I saw it in the catalog.  I have been checking up the website relentlessly for it ever since the Fall Collection appeared online.

Today, I received an email from my personal shopper that it is available and will be shipped to me this week.  I am super excited!

I was not surprised to see this email in my inbox from J.Crew this morning as the same message was posted on the front page of the website since last night.  With the update of their new system, customers have had to endure long waits on the phone and vague replies from their contactus@jcrew.com email address.

I have only encountered some minor challenges since I placed a few orders last Friday morning.  Here are the gory details.

I placed order #1 for two wedding dresses, the Fontaine and Madison dresses.  The only dress that arrived yesterday morning was the Madison dress.  It arrived in a huge box so I assumed that both were in it, but there was only one.  However, the packing slip said that I was charged for both.  I called customer service, where I waited 20 minutes before I was connected to a special occasion consultant.  She immediately apologized and shipped the other dress with free overnight delivery.

The same thing happened with order #2 which arrived today.  This order was for two Ecole Jackets: one in the Herringbone and one in the Donegal tweed.  Again, I only received the Herringbone.  This time, the packing slip only listed the one jacket, but the order total reflected that I was charged for two jackets.  It was quite frustrating to see that.  After another 20 minute wait, the customer service representative apologized and shipped the missing item with free overnight delivery.

Overall, I was satisfied with how they handled my situation.  The shipment of both orders was very timely.  I placed the order on Friday and here I am on Wednesday, with both of my orders completed.  I know that others may be very frustrated, but a little patience, everything will work out.

I am happy to see that J.Crew is willing to admit their faults and attempt to resolve issues as they occur.

Help for the busy or baffled consumer
Personal shoppers at local retailers can outfit you in style and ferret out the best bargains
by Kytja Weir

To some people, even the thought of scouring sales racks of clothes to find the right look is daunting.

Personal shoppers can help. You don’t have to be a movie star or a corporate titan to afford one. While some charge an hourly rate or a percentage of the items purchased, others offer free advice with no strings attached.

The Globe tested four free services, offered by Macy’s, Nordstrom, J.Crew, and the online personal shopping service Shop It To Me. The testing was conducted anonymously, using the same parameters and budget for each service.

Tory Johnson, chief executive of Women for Hire, a New York-based recruitment service, said many of her clients seek advice on clothing, whether they are a busy professional who doesn’t have time to shop, someone just graduating from school, or a stay-at-home parent returning to the workforce.

“We know what feels good. We aren’t always the best judge of what looks good,” she said. “We are our own worst enemies. It’s definitely valuable to get the opinion of someone else.”

But sometimes friends and significant others can’t give the best guidance, Johnson said. Personal shoppers, however, can be more objective. They also understand how clothes fit on different body types, and they have knowledge of a store’s entire inventory, not just one department.

“Give yourself some time to let the person do the magic,” Johnson said. “Let them take something off the rack that you’d never try.”

In fact, in our testing, personal shoppers were almost magical – they discovered cut-rate deals and encouraged some unexpected but successful choices. Two offered some unsolicited advice beyond fashion. But much of their guidance was welcomed and spot-on.

Still, some items were clear misses. For someone who sticks to earth tones, a puffy silk fuchsia blouse with large white polka dots and turtleneck-style collar may seem too fashion-forward. And a recommendation for a pistachio-colored Hugo Boss suit did not seem practical or age-appropriate even if it was heavily discounted.

Johnson cautioned not to be swayed just because something is on sale. If it doesn’t look good at full price, she said, it won’t at half price either. And, she added, beware of the personal shopper who says everything looks fabulous.

“At the end of the day, it’s important not to make a purchase you’re not comfortable with because it will sit in your closet,” she said. “It’s a prescription for money down the drain.”

In addition, choose a store that matches your budget, she said – a high-end department store is going to have high-end prices. And make it clear from the start how much money you can afford to spend.

In our testing, the two department stores offered more options than single brand J.Crew. In addition, the Macy’s and Nordstrom shoppers selected items in advance, having already asked about sizes, needs, and taste. The online service Shop It To Me offered great deals, but expects buyers to already know the designers and brands that look good on them.

The shopper at Nordstrom scouted for fewer deals than the one at Macy’s, so we chose Macy’s as our favorite for its separate fitting rooms, attention to detail, and hustle. In the end, we purchased some lovely items – and spent more money than we should have.

Macy’s
Chestnut Hill
PROS: The personal shopper interviewed us in advance to learn sizes, preferences, and budget, and had an array of mix-and-match outfits with accessories waiting in a private dressing room. Many of the items were already deeply discounted, including a cashmere wrap cardigan for $132 that was originally $378. She also stayed late and searched the store high and low for an alternate size of pants on sale.
CONS: The store’s phone system was cumbersome, so reaching the personal shopper was hit or miss. She encouraged us to buy some items that didn’t fit as well as others, so some pieces were later returned.
FINAL WORD: The private room, advance scouting, and persistent quest for good deals won us over.

Nordstrom
Burlington Mall
PROS: The personal shopper e-mailed a questionnaire in advance to ask about sizes, colors, and budget. At the store, she was honest enough to tell us a pink shirt was the wrong shade. She also modified her selections to match our taste and helped to cull a final array of clothes to fit a budget, noting that a particular style of pricey pants often goes on sale and could be purchased later at a better price.
CONS: She didn’t select as many sale items as the other personal shoppers, or point out as many other discounts.
FINAL WORD: A good service that offers organized advice in a semi-private area, but it is best for those seeking the right clothes, not necessarily the best prices.

Shop It To Me
Online shopper based in San Francisco
PROS: The online shopper lets the customer pick brands and sizes of interest, and sends e-mails when those brands have items for sale. The average discount for apparel is 41 percent, according to founder Charlie Graham. The service also allows customers to solicit input from a friend, with a “love it,” “try again,” or “maybe” vote.
CONS: Obviously, customers can’t try on clothes in advance. And they need to have an idea of what brands they already like.
FINAL WORD: It’s a good bet for the shopper who already knows what they want, but doesn’t have time to search for discounts. But for someone needing clothing advice, it’s best to consult a real person.

J. Crew
Atrium Mall
PROS: The personal shopper responded within two hours to set up an appointment and offered a flexible schedule, including before or after the store opened. He steered us to a suit on sale and noted another special discount. Ultimately 62 percent was knocked off the suit’s original price.
CONS: He didn’t question us in advance about sizes or colors, so he didn’t have anything ready when we arrived. The store also didn’t offer a separate dressing room, so other customers who needed help kept pulling him away with questions.
FINAL WORD: As a single brand store, J.Crew does not offer as many options as a bigger department store. And because its stores are smaller, they don’t offer the same privacy as department stores with private fitting rooms. Ask for pre-opening or post-closing fittings.

I sometimes think about my J.Crew personal shopper and I have become such good friends.  I remember shopping at the local while I was in high school with my mother.  At that time, I simply picked out clothes that she was willing to let me wear on my teenage body.

As I got older and left the nest for college, I shopped on my own, with my own finances.  I think Matt and I just met one day.  I always have a difficult time finding my size on the racks and a surplus is almost always in the back.  He helps me to put ensembles together and track down items all over the country.  And I always appreciate it.

This article in Boston Globe made me appreciate him even more.

Hello!  The fall collection is so beautiful!  I am glad that you found some items that you love.  Our system has not been updated to reflected the new merchandise quite yet, however I have submitted a request that your order be processed as soon as the merchandise is available for purchase.  I will be happy to use your J.Crew credit card for the purchase.  Please let me know if there is anything else I may assist you with.

I was very frustrated yesterday when I received my Fall catalog and learned that it was useless as I could not order anything from it. I immediately emailed my personal shopper at my local J.Crew store. He is a great asset to the me and the company, always reassuring me that he will find my items and searching the entire country for them. The response I got from him this morning is below.

Hey Leigh!

Great to hear from. Our  Fall Collection comes in on Thursday so I will make sure I keep an eye for these items.  I will e-mail Thursday with what we will have.  Have a great weekend.

Matt

It’s great to know that new arrivals from the Fall Collection will be in stores.  I really do thank Matt for that heads up.  I can’t wait to try the new clothes on and provide a preview.  I am not sure if my store will have all the items I want, as most of them are J.Crew Collection item pieces.

I think my relationship with Matt is one of the best aspects of shopping at J.Crew.  He knows me on a first name basis and is very friendly whenever I shop at J.Crew.  I am not just a customer to him.  We always chat about current events and new happenings in each of our lives.  I feel like this has enhanced my shopping experience and I know I can rely on him to help me find items and put together great J.Crew outfits.

During the holidays last year, he even sent me a thank-you note with a J.Crew gift card tucked inside.  It wasn’t much, but that small gesture let me know that he appreciated our friendship.  I enjoy shopping at J.Crew more because I know Matt will always be there for me.