Jacob

I hope this is the Jacob in Pacific Centre because I don’t want to rag on other stores that are probably not as bad as this one. But oh my god they were extremely rude here! I really should have given the snobby clerk a piece of my mind but when I get really mad I tend to stutter and turn red, plus I didn’t even hear the EXTREMELY RUDE thing she said to us under her breath at the very end of this unpleasant encounter. So here goes:
I received a coat from Jacob for Christmas, but due to size/​colour issues I decided to get store credit in exchange for it. I went in, expecting to come back out in a good mood about the return. Now, I’ve done this quite a few times, and know the drill of returning things. I walked in, wandered around for about 5 minutes, looking to see if there was anything worth buying at the moment. There wasn’t. In fact, everything in there was kind of ugly and low-​quality. I mean, it’s the end of the season, so obviously it isn’t their best stuff in there. I get that. So I wanted to wait for spring or something to spend my money. So I went up to the desk. There was this lady there, glasses, curly blond/​reddish hair, stubborn looking face. I was there with my mom and sister, and my mom doesn’t speak English that well, but she started explaining about the coat. She explained about the whole gift thing, and that we wanted to return it. The lady says we can only get store credit or exchange.
Up to here it was alright, but once we said store credit she got all pissy. She repeated store credit three times, peered disdainfully at the coat (I mean, I’d only gotten it the day before! Geez), and didn’t smile once during the whole exhange. And that’s not even the stupidest part. She suddenly asks me «reason for exhange» so she can punch it into the computer. I stare at her dumbfounded because we already explained in length about the gift thing, and she stares back at me, then smirks to the clerk next to her, like «she doesn’t even have a good reason»…so I stutter «because it was a gift but I don’t want it anymore.?» and she repeats that, then suddenly goes «change of mind» and puts that into the computer! If she had said something like, «Oh, so you changed your mind about it?» then I would’ve known she wanted that answer, which is what ALL OTHER STORES DO. I have never been to a store that puts in something else into their comps for reason for exhange unless there was something wrong with the item, in which case they say «ripped» or «damaged» or something like that. I started laughing at that point in sheer amazement. The clerk next to her laughed too. I think he thought she was being over-​the-​top snobby as well, but he seemed to be a lower-​level clerk than her. Should’ve had the manager out on the floor.
Lastly, this is what my sister heard the b**** say as we left. I, unfortunately, did not hear this, or else I probably would have exploded and had a right fit in the middle of the store. And I would’ve gone back in too, except my sis told me what she heard once we were rather far from Jacob… anyway. We had a couple huge empty bags that would’ve been inconvenient to carry around, so we left them on the counter. We had told the girl it was garbage, but she either didn’t get the point or she just felt pissy. Either way, it was unacceptable that she muttered «Well thanks for telling me» and threw the bags down after calling after us «Do you want the bags?»…didn’t see what the reaction of the customer after us was but I saw her looking at us out of the corner of my eye.
Good grief. Don’t ever go in this place! You will never get your money’s worth here! Spend it somewhere with better service. They like you when you’re spending, but try returning something and they’ll treat you like dirt. The salespeople act like they’re above the customer!!!
Whew, that was a good rant. Still wish I could’ve humiliated her to her face like she did us though.

For years I was not a fan of Jacob. I had a very bad experience with the staff and almost left without the item I really, really wanted. So when I went in last night, I went with very, very, very low expectations. With my expectations so low, one would not be surprised at a 4 star review but they deserved it.
The store is nice, airy and has good product placement. Upon entering I was greeted by one of the sales ladies and a reduced price for two on shirts that were exactly what I was looking for in other stores. I meandered a bit and then decided to try on the shirts I had picked up. Now if you have boobies, the shirts are going to have a funny gap. I guess they are all made that way as when I asked for a larger size but the sales girl in the fitting room told me that it wouldn’t make a difference because it does it to everyone. On the up side I was looking for a shirt to go under a cardigan, so the gap doesn’t really matter to me but it did cause me to only buy one but that’s ok with me.
When I got to the check out I was helped by a delightful cashier. She asked if I knew about the reduced price for the shirts if I bought two but didn’t push the issue when I said I just wanted the one. As I was paying she helped with the balance on my gift card by calculating how much I had spent at other stores as well as Jacob, which was so nice of her to do. My nail polish was also complimented on by the other cashier. If you are reading this it is Revlon in «Beach».

I’ve always loved Jacob for their simple, wearable clothes, reasonable prices, and frequent sales. They have things you could wear to the office, as well as pretty things to wear to parties, and sweaters to keep you warm. Most clothes here are good quality; they’re relatively cheap, but they stand up. Sure, it’s not the latest European design, and Stella McCartney has never done a collection, but you can buy it, grab it, and wear it.
My favourite thing about Jacob is the lingerie section. They always have lots of cute undies, bras, camisoles, and PJs that are sexy in a comfy-​cotton-​T-​shirt-​and-​flannel kind of way. Again, Jacob Lingerie is good quality — much better than the flimsy cheap stuff that La Senza sells.
Though they could stand to turn down the wattage on the light bulbs, it’s so bright, the store is always clean and well-​organized. Plus, the salesgirls are around, but they tend to leave you alone to shop. I like it here.

As Vancouver heads into winter I found myself needing some sweaters. Jacob is a store I’ve been to many times for «business casual» attire, like most women in my office. They have quality basics and the odd cool/​different item. But usually you end up wearing the same thing as everyone else (especially if you work in an office).
But the sweaters were a great deal. I got a zip-​up sweatshirt with a cool collar on sale for $ 25. I got another zip-​up knit sweater with 3% cashmere wool (which makes it extra soft) for $ 40. I didn’t get any service at all until I went to pay, so if you have trouble with decisions, take a friend.