Greta Jenkins

J.Crew Sample Sale Review

24 June 2015

Sales may be down at J.Crew, but their J.Crew sample sale does not seem to have lost any of its typical popularity. When I visited at around 4 pm on Tuesday there were shoppers squished into every nook and cranny of the 250 Fifth Avenue showroom.

J.Crew is known for perpetually being on sale, so are the deals good enough to tempt you from your air conditioned office? Not necessarily. The deals are generally slightly better than the discounts offered by the typical promotion, but the difference in price might not be worth the large crowds or the hot showroom. Price slashes later in the week might tilt the scales in favor of a visit.

Clothing was organized by style rather than size, so expect to do a bit of digging around. This sale was dominated by dresses and tops. There were three pricing tiers for tops; basic tee shirts and tanks cost $15, more structured tops were $25, and embellished tops were $40. Dresses were either labeled casual or work attire, and were $30 or $60 respectively. There were many more work dresses than casual ones, which disappointingly means that many of the dresses are more expensive than your typical on sale J.Crew dress.

Denim was $40 and included a few pairs of jeans from other (more expensive!) lines such as Point Sur. On-sale denim rarely goes below $60 in stores, so this is one of the better deals.

The air conditioning was not working in the showroom, inadvertently driving shoppers away from the $90 cashmere and $60 outerwear. The outerwear selection was still limited, but there was cashmere available in an abundance of fun shades. Cotton and linen sweaters are also available for $35, but the few that were left were hard to locate. Some were mixed in with the cashmere, while others were hiding out with the tops. While the cashmere is often similarly priced online, the cotton sweaters and outerwear are quite good deals.

There was a decent selection of swimwear; but skip the $25 separates unless you are a size small. One pieces came in sizes 0-8, and were $40. The swimwear occasionally goes this low online, but rarely lower.

There were a few separate racks for items from J. Crew collection. They are priced individually and are significantly more expensive than the regular goods.

Shoppers with size 7 or 7.5 feet are in luck; almost half of the selection was dedicated to those sizes. Sizes 5 through 9.5 are stocked. Heels and ankle boots are $100, while flats are $65. Most pairs are in decent shape, but I spotted some scuffed soles and scratched leather. Those prices are definitely better than what you’ll find in stores.

The jewelry selection was good, but the prices were not competitive with the online deals. Necklaces were $60, while bracelets and earrings were $25. Before purchasing, check online to see if you can find similar or identical styles at a steeper discount. At $20, scarves were well-priced but going quickly. The handbags are not in pristine condition, but many are in good shape. The prices range from $45 to $130, but lean heavily towards the more expensive offerings. There are a few boxes of $10 knickknacks, including iPhone cases, wallets, passport holders, headbands, and water bottles.

The sale runs through Sunday, June 28th. Expect discounts later in the week, although the staff was not clear whether they would be restocking.