Bank Puts Class In Casual Day
Jos. A. Bank Clothiers
After years of hearing Jos. A. Bank advertising, I am thrilled that I finally became a customer.
Cothes shopping ranks only slightly above root canals for me, but I became a staunch web shopper when clothes shopping grew up on the web. Bank was one of the stores who made service and sales easy with just a few clicks.
I started out a diehard Lands End customer. After finding two styles of shirts and slacks I preferred wearing at our casual office, I bought lots of them -- one in brown, one in black, one in blue and ... you get the idea. When something became worn or frayed, I zipped to the web, clicked some more and received replacements in days.
Bank Makes Casual Day Clothing Classy
Every day is casual day in our offices, and while I enjoy wearing jeans, the endless stream of chinos was becoming boring, and the shirts I was ordering lacked certain panache.
A coupon mailed to me by Jos. A Bank changed all that. Visiting one of their stores would have been convenient for me, but torturous. I wanted click-and-wear clothes that looked as though they were hand tailored.
Clothes jargon like herringbone and thread count overwhelmed me at first. I finally selected two pairs of slacks and three shirts, all at higher prices than I was accustomed to but reasonable with my coupon.
The shirts arrived first, several days before the pants that had to be hemmed and presumably actually touched by human hands. I wore one the next day and was greeted in the hallway several times with remarks like "Nice shirt" and "Did you do something different?" There was also one wiseguy who asked if my wife was now doing my shopping, but the silver spoon lodged in his mouth at birth has tarnished with age so I ignored him.
Then the slacks arrived. They fit well, although not as well had I actually bothered visiting the store to have them tailored. But that didn't matter because the effect of the crisp new shirts with the dressier slacks was an instant hit. No one mistook me for Brad Pitt, especially not Jennifer Aniston, but the clothes looked better, fit better and after repeated dry cleanings appear to hold up better. Having been weaned on seemingly indestructible Lands End denim shirts, the last surprised me, but it was true. This thread count thingy meant something.
Shopping At Jos. A Bank
Shoppers visiting Jos. A Bank online will quickly find themselves bombarded by sale pricing. There are enough sales that one wonders why anyone would pay full price for the regular items.
Navigation is relatively easy through the use of a menu bar that clusters clothing by type and allows shoppers to drill into more detail. I found this much easier than searching, which appears to be best used with an item number.
One of the most enjoyable features was a build-your-own shirt page that allows you to specify fabric, collar, sizes and the rest, even down to monogramming. You can also monogram stock items, which are presented with fast-loading and large graphics with vibrant colors.
Checkout is through a standard shopping cart with good functionality. My coupon was easily accepted and interface was intuitive and easy-to-use.
An order confirmation arrived in my email within minutes, followed the next day by a shipping confirmation for the shirts. The order confirmation did not have a tracking number since I opted for mail delivery, but there was that most rare of all beasts — a customer service telephone number. The order confirmation for the pants arrived the next day, and I had all items in hand in well under one week.
They arrived in separate shipments, both carefully wrapped and completely accurate. True to the company's word, shipping was also free for the order, which I carefully constructed to reach the $175 free shipping threshold.
The Bottom Line, Clicks and All
The clothes are of great quality, and the web site is easy to use. I am a little concerned about the amount of advertising email I receive. I have not tracked the email, but am comfortable in reporting at least three emails a month, each one touting bigger and better sales.
Despite the price confusion and email, I would strongly consider returning here for the durable and handsome selection.
Five Things To Remember From This Review
1. Shipping is free for orders exceeding $175.
2. You can save money and select US mail as an option.
3. The menu interface is easy to use with large graphics of the color selections.
4. Go whole-hog and build your own shirt for only slightly more.
5. Opt out of email if you are a one time shopper or you will receive enough correspondence to choke your inbox.
