Wednesday 24 August 2011

Dear J Crew...

Is J Crew mocking those with glasses 
or those without?

A while back I expressed my views on J Crew and how much I would love them to open up in the UK. Imagine my excitement when straight away one of my clever readers told me that such a thing would be happening this summer. I have been eagerly awaiting this and checking their website for updates. This week, they proudly greeted me with this message.

Well hello indeed, J Crew

Now I'm not a great one for letter writing. That being said, I did email the council 3 years ago to ask them to sort out the blocked drain at the end of the road because every time it rained we got a puddle the size of Lake Geneva. It seemed to be pretty effective as 2 years later they came and cleared it, no more lakeside views for us. So I am aware of the power of a letter. Dear J Crew, here is my latest request.

I love them too J Crew, but they are going to 
cost me a gazillion pounds to buy

Look at the lovely clothes, and then look at the not so small print. £9.95 flat shipping rate, that sounds a bit steep. It's because they are shipping from the US and so you will still be stung by horrible customs duties making clothes that are already pricey, pricey x 2 + £9.95 shipping + customs + VAT.


£9.95 shipping x 16 = a gazillion pounds to buy these outfits

Furthermore, help is provided in the FAQ page by 'Julie and her team' This worries me a little, there are over 62 million people in the UK. What happens if we all decide to buy something say on a Friday night after payday, Julie might be having a day off (because let's face it - she'll need it after dealing with 62 million people) and maybe her second in command had to go home early to take her cat to the vets. Is the rest of Julie's team going to be able to cope?

I'd love to buy this dress for my daughter, it is a mere £71.80, 
add on £9.95 shipping, import  duty, VAT, Parcelforce fees, 
and it would cost a gazillion pounds - is my maths right?

Another US store that opened the UK is my favourite - Anthropologie. Not only did they open an actual store with a living wall and glorious decor, oh and it has clothes too, they have an excellent online shop which is actually in the UK. So,

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Dear J Crew, please open a proper UK web shop with proper postage charges and the pound equivalent of your US prices (the above dress costs £47 on the US site). Because I don't have a gazillion pounds and neither do my friends.

Thanks everso,
Kate
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10 comments:

  1. This made me laugh so much! That's awful pricey, and lets face it, you're in the business of knowing how much fabric costs and then just add in the notions, labour and a decent profit and I doubt very much the gazillion pounds is really worth it, however pretty that apple print dress is! You could whip up a lovely dress just like that one I'm sure.

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  2. Yippeee! Roll on 2013! You so impress me with your ability to move mountains. Between the blocked drain & the initial (fake) UK store opening you are a one-woman whirlwind of wonderfulness who can be counted on to make things happen. Go, Kate, go! X

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  3. This made me laugh so much! Oh, how disappointing. I wonder how many Brits are actually going to buy from this (masquerade) of a UK service...so, so, so expensive.

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  4. That seems like a good site.
    It does seem a bit expensive for what you get.

    You could try www.yesstyle.com they also have a wide range of clothes (it is from an East Asian market so sizes aren't often available in med / large)

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  5. Yep, markups are a total pain in the arse. We even get them in Ireland and it's not exactly the other end of the world. Pah!

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  6. Hmmm, apparently there are plans to open shops in the UK. I suppose it depends how successful the website is.

    In case you haven't seen this article from Vogue:
    http://www.vogue.co.uk/news/2011/08/24/j-crew-jenna-lyons-interview---website-launch

    (sorry for the bulky link)

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  7. hmmm interesting Gracie, it certainly sounds hopeful, fingers crossed that after they read my blog post, we'll have a UK store in a couple of years...!

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  8. I love this. It's just pure brilliance. x

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  9. Thanks Kate - I totally agree this is madness (yet exciting that J Crew is coming here!) Thank you for leading this cause!

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