Expedited shipping is $25. I cannot afford that extra expense. I don't generally think of myself as poor, but I begin to wonder when I read some posts on YLF. Perhaps I chose the wrong career path?

Thank you for your kind and very thoughtful response, Christina.

Sterling, I hear you. Trust me, I do not make a habit of it! It was for one order, and I think I paid $7 and $12 for the two other expedited orders. Money does not grow on trees for me either.

Christina, I remember ALL too well what it was like being a poor student counting my pennies. I remember saving for a pair of Levi's.

Yeah, I’m not gonna pay expedited shipping either. Either you accurately predict and communicate about your shipping and execute on it, or you don’t get my business. Gap/BR/ON does a great job of it, and Nordstrom is fine too, although not always the fastest. Even Amazon keeps you updated if something is gonna be later than expected. One should be able to order something domestically the first week of December and expect to get it before Christmas. Period.

I use snail mail parcel post for my outgoing stuff, and even with labour unrest (rotating strikes and back to work legislation) the Canadian postal service hasn't let me down. I mailed 25 Christmas cards on December 1 for overseas, US, and Canadian destinations and have received confirmation of receipt from enough to feel confidence in delivery. A parcel mailed 'slow and cheap' was delivered to it's destination within 48 hours.

I've only had one order from Boden. (This summer.) It came from the UK. Ordered late on a Thursday and in my hands Tuesday morning. I was shocked at the speed.

Update on the JCrew order (I'm tracking for fun): it is through customs and at a center an hour away awaiting pick up for local delivery. Any tardiness seems to be with JCrew (5-11Dec). I'm thinking it might arrive tomorrow?!

I'm wondering if the shipping delays could be due to J Crew being understaffed. This is a company in BIG trouble. They are quietly pulling out of Canada.....I was not aware of this until last weekend when I went to my Ottawa store and surprise!....it was gone ***so sad***. I was there two weeks earlier. They have also closed two Toronto area stores and Calgary. Canadian PR contract has been cancelled. I also read that Canada Goose is interested in J Crew's Eaton Centre location in Toronto.....if that location is in trouble then yikes!

Sterling- i have payed for expedited online shipping exactly twice...once because 4 days before an interview i realized that my tote was not in good enough condition and i needed something and fast....and once because a week before a company event i realized that i did not have shorts that were appropriate to wear kayaking and in front of work associates...it killed me both times! BUT it was my bad for not planning for these events early enough....otherwise, nope...i will not pay for expedited shipping

Seen in my local Madewell! I suppose this fits in with the problems they are having.

Yes, RunCarla: Boden UK is amazingly fast and consistent too. DHL is great!

Sorry to hear about your shipping troubles, Christina. Hopefully you get your packages soon.

I ordered a pair of shoes from Nordstrom recently, and it took 3 weeks for them to arrive . It was at the point where I no longer cared if I ever got them - and wished that there had been a 'cancel' option somewhere along the way. The tracking info was not accurate either. Thankfully, the shipping charge wasn't ridiculous, but being in Canada, we don't expect free or really inexpensive shipping . Speaking of Madewell, Hudson Bay has started offering a small selection of Madewell and JCrew Mercantile goods - and I can't get over how simply unattractive and cheap the pieces look. I though Madewell was a slightly better line - but the stuff the Bay is carrying is boring and lifeless-looking. And what the heck is JCrew Mercantile? Their outlet store line? 'Cause that's what it looks like......

smittie, I actually have received 5 out of 6 items as of right now, so things aren't too bad for me. I think many people have had it worse. So far, 1-3 items are going back. I need to evaluate 2 of them further before deciding.

lisa p, Mercantile is complicated. It's not the same as J Crew Factory, but it IS a lower price line of basics. I think they're phasing it out. Some of the stuff sells on Amazon. I wish there were a way to cancel orders that are taking too long, but often retailers say they can't do it.

Ordered online from bothASOS and Macy's in the last week with free standard shipping: ASOS arrived in four days, Belk in six and Macy's in five ( I live in North Carolina). Never had a problem with Nordstrom deliveries tho I always return to local store because the clerk there told me all returns go to their warehouse and often take 3 weeks for refunds ( plus Nordstrom was a pioneer when they created a dedicated customer service desk on their first floor near the store entrance..pop in, return, pop back out to free parking. Easy.)

I’ve placed three orders from JCREW since Black Friday and I have received all my items and actually got them earlier than expected. I live in Florida. Maybe where you live has something to do with shipping. Just a thought

Sharon, I got 5 of 6 items by now, though they took a while. The last one has finally popped up again on tracking and looks to be arriving today (based on reviews, I'm likely to be returning it). I am sure where people live has some effect. Plus USPS, if they're involved, varies in service quality from place to place, as cindysmith describes above. So many factors!

Christina F, agreed. I’m just looking forward for the holiday season to be over. It’s been a tough one for me.

It has been a tough Holiday season, Sharon.

I am happy to report that my last package arrived yesterday afternoon. Everything is now done for me. It is a relief. I won't be placing anymore online orders for a while though.

Package arrived yesterday at 6pm - 9 days after order placed.

After all the waiting, these were my keepers - a super sale red top for warmer weather (to replace something I am passing on), a festive plaid top, and a sold print top I’d fallen in love with

I passed on two pairs of jeans: a pair of wide legs that looked awful on me, and a slimmer pair of cropped boot cuts that were just too tight in the belly. The other J Crew jeans I got recently were better. I also passed on the blackwatch Tippi sweater. The dark print was over a white background (why?) that showed through in places because it was a thing sweater. Odd and kind of defective.

Marilyn -- J. Crew pulling out of Canada? Oh no. I'll be in trouble in that case. Half my wardrobe is from J. Crew. Admittedly I buy it mostly online. But so many of my essentials (plus a lot of fun statements) come from there...I'll be lost! Hmmm.

My J. Crew order took two and a half weeks to arrive. That's the longest I can remember. But I do find many things take longer to get to me here on the west coast. Whether that is due to our rotating postal strikes or the location of warehouses or both, I'm not sure.

So far, those that take longer include:

The Bay.
Altitude Sports.
J. Crew.
Banana Republic.
Old Navy (for my kid)

I haven't ordered anything from Zara but I'm betting that would take longer than in Ontario.

What comes FASTER?

Suz, J Crew is in trouble for sure. I hope they continue shipping to you, at least. Even if it takes weeks...

Anyway, my orders took about 3 weeks. I live in NYC, which is not exactly remote from J Crew distribution, which I think is in Virginia or something.

Christina -- I love those tops, especially the red and the plaid. Worth waiting for.

Suz....Yes, I'm pretty bummed about loosing the Ottawa J Crew store. It means back to paying for returns and not being about to see and try things in store. Hopefully they can turn things around......it's a go to for petites for me...especially for coats.

And first prize goes to....Amazon. Ordered online Saturday, it shipped Sunday, on FedEx truck for delivery today. Ah-maze-ing Am-uh-Sahn. One week before Christmas, too.

Yup. Amazon is definitely my go-to for so many things.

Sterling, mine too. Although we had an incident of VERY bad Amazon service this year - so the company has not made my end-of-year-best-of-list. But 99% of the time - flawless.

My JCrew items have finally shipped - looks like they upgraded them to Next Day Air (which is not always next day this time of year, but will likely get here before Christmas). No reply to my email to customer service, or a general email about the situation, but I guess they're trying to avoid making an official statement, and just trying to recover as best they can. Props for that at least.

Angie -- Amazon is truly great, but this year they too had their share of fails after Black Friday. I almost brought that up on this thread, but so many words. Just decided to keep the thread focused on J Crew.