J. Crew employee discounts. What can they be used on, how can I get one

May 6, 2015 7:21 AM

Would like to buy a new pair of shoes for my wedding in July. J. Crew Alden's would be real nice but are on the pricey side and don't seem to ever be a part of sales. Does anyone know if the J. Crew employee discount can be used for these shoes, and if so, what is the discount amount?

Secondly, does anyone know how one could go about finding an employee who would be willing to use their discount for a stranger to buy them?

posted by rbf1138 to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (20 answers total)

In most retail businesses, people can be fired for misusing the employee discount.
posted by BibiRose at 7:23 AM on May 6, 2015 [6 favorites]

Considering this would get an employee fired, no, you are not going to find someone to do this for you.
posted by celtalitha at 7:24 AM on May 6, 2015 [2 favorites]

Best answer: My former mother in law indeed did manage to unintentionally get some poor girl fired from J. Crew once for sweet talking her into giving her her employee discount.

The term is "Sweethearting" and companies tend to take it very seriously - J Crew in particular. It's one of the biggest forms of shrinkage that a company can actually track down and do something about so it gets a lot of attention in corporate security circles.

damn, those are some pretty pricey shoes, though...
posted by Naberius at 7:25 AM on May 6, 2015 [3 favorites]

Response by poster: Well, that settles that, lol. Thanks!
posted by rbf1138 at 7:27 AM on May 6, 2015

Now ways to find those shoes at a better price, or good looking, less usurious alternatives - that might be something askme could help you with.

Have you taken a look at Allen Edmonds? Nice, still kind of pricey, but not that much.

Damn, J. Crew, when did you decide you were in Prada territory?
posted by Naberius at 7:30 AM on May 6, 2015

You might be able to find the shoes on EBay or Poshmark.
posted by Hermione Granger at 7:32 AM on May 6, 2015 [1 favorite]

You will occasionally find Alden sales, tho not through J Crew so much. But as a general rule its not something you find often, and the % tends not to be super big - especially in classic makeups.
posted by JPD at 7:32 AM on May 6, 2015

if either you, your fiance, or anyone you know happens to have a student ID, J Crew offers a 15% student discount. Not as good as the employee discount I imagine, but something else you could look into.
posted by anthropophagous at 7:42 AM on May 6, 2015 [4 favorites]

Agreed that, in my retail experience, this would be a huge deal that could get someone fired.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:44 AM on May 6, 2015

Nthing that an employee can easily be fired for misuse of employee discount. Witnessed it happen myself to an employee who had his mother use his own money to purchase some items with his discount. If he would have literally had her hand him the cash and let someone check him out he wouldn't have lost that job. It is taken VERY seriously by most companies.
posted by Twain Device at 7:46 AM on May 6, 2015

You can get small discounts if you use the right credit card: ShopDiscover does 5% Discover cashback rewards for J. Crew, and American Express has a $25 credit for $125 spent offer you can sign up for.
posted by almostmanda at 7:55 AM on May 6, 2015 [1 favorite]

You can buy discounted J Crew gift cards online from various retailers. They're legit, and that can save you a decent amount of money, especially if you get the student discount as well.
posted by Slinga at 8:10 AM on May 6, 2015

There are lots of places that sell Alden shoes. I'm not sure if J. Crew has exclusive styles, but I'd look around at other Alden sellers to see if you can find what you want at a better price (though I've never seen Aldens at a deep discount).
posted by primethyme at 8:18 AM on May 6, 2015

Get a part-time job at J. Crew. Use discount. Quit.
posted by mskyle at 9:09 AM on May 6, 2015 [2 favorites]

if either you, your fiance, or anyone you know happens to have a student ID, J Crew offers a 15% student discount. Not as good as the employee discount I imagine, but something else you could look into.

J. Crew also gives a 15% discount to teachers, if you are one or know any.
posted by gatorae at 9:46 AM on May 6, 2015 [1 favorite]

This isn't J.Crew specific, but see what discounts they'll let you stack. I once got an expensive piece of furniture for 40% off by stacking a student discount on top of a discount offered for opening a store credit card.
posted by MsMolly at 9:46 AM on May 6, 2015

Sign up for their email list. All the major clothing retailers give regular discounts, often 30% or 40% off.
posted by radioamy at 10:33 AM on May 6, 2015

For what it's worth, J.Crew's third-party items (like Alden) are not only excluded from all of their regular sales, but also from employee and student discounts. A cashback credit card, a site like ebates, or a discounted gift card are your best bets.
posted by brozek at 10:35 AM on May 6, 2015 [1 favorite]

j. crew credit card gives you 10% off. also, they occasionally have days where all full priced items are 50% off if you have the card.
posted by monologish at 11:15 AM on May 6, 2015

The store manager where I worked got fired for abusing his employee discount. In mid-December. It is Serious Business.

I did start working at the store for the employee discount and only for the Christmas season ... and ending up working there for 12 years.

YMMV
posted by hmo at 12:04 PM on May 7, 2015