# Jos. A. Bank



## BertieW (Jan 17, 2006)

I know we're always bagging on these guys, and no one's going to confuse them with Jermyn St. quality, but with the exchange rate being so dastardly for us U.S.-based lads, I've softened my stance a bit and given the JABs of the world a second look for my more casual needs. 

I have to say, at least in my town, these guys have been utterly fabulous when it comes to customer service. Nearly unbeatable on that score. And I actually got some nice quality threads at a screaming off-season deal. 

Anyone else have similar experiences either with JAB or else another retailer who you know you're not "supposed" to like/frequent, but then when you do you find the experience surprisingly positive?


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## vwguy (Jul 23, 2004)

Where I live, JAB is about the only game in town so I do get some items there. Most of the staff are friendly & knowledgeable and their sale prices are reasonable for what you get. I bought a blazer & suit from them (on sale of course) but I don't wear either that often, decent stuff, just that I prefer a softer shoulder and a dartless front now. I want to like their jackets, but the shoulders and darts most times are deal breakers.

Brian


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## Mark from Plano (Jan 29, 2007)

I wear some of their stuff. In fact I'm currently wearing a Signature solid navy double breasted suit that I picked up off their website earlier this year for $99. No one is going to be able to convince me I wasted my money. The suit looks great, fits fine and is extremely useful for parties and such.

I find the customer service to be hit-and-miss. If you've got a good team at the store you frequent, then consider yourself lucky. I've found some folks that are very good and some that are very bad. I'm not a big fan of their alterations shop at the stores in Dallas (can't speak for elsewhere).

All in all I think they are great for what they are. I buy a bit less there than I used to, but they're fantastic as a place to stock up on the basics.


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## 16128 (Feb 8, 2005)

No problem with the store, hate the ads.

Joseph A Bank! Said like "savoring chocolate pudding!"


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## Wayfarer (Mar 19, 2006)

I buy there when they have their extreme sales Bertie. I listed that in the guilty pleasure thread. Their ties, when you can get them for $10, are a good deal. And their top line...Signature?...when the sport coats are on sale for $99 I will get the occasional one. Also, the non-iron (Travellers?) shirts on sale for $29 will go into my weekend wardrobe.


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## BertieW (Jan 17, 2006)

There's an obvious quality drop in some of the items, especially at the lower price points. But I've found some nice values on sale. In terms of the stuff I have from J Press and BB, I'm not seeing a huge difference between what I pick up at JAB--at least not in the better line. Maybe I'm not looking hard enough.

That said, I'm fortunate to work in university education, where few people have a clue about how to dress, so even when I'm slumming it with my JAB ensemble, everyone thinks I've spent a grand to pull the look together. I could probably even make Lands End gear work in the office with a modicum of effort. Crazy. 

The flip side is that my truly more high-end items are totally lost on my colleagues. They really can't tell the difference. When I travel with the dean and hang out with the president and provost, on the other hand, that's another matter. Those guys are management and know how to tie a Windsor, among other things. You quickly find yourself in a room with the occasional billionaire, but I'm not in that league, so no point in trying to do anything other than look put together and like I took the trouble to shower. For me, Southwick suits generally fit the bill, but I have to say that the $65 (sale) JAB Signature jacket looks pretty good on me, and for that price you almost just buy it to wear to the coffeehouse.


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## Laxplayer (Apr 26, 2006)

Wayfarer said:


> I buy there when they have their extreme sales Bertie. I listed that in the guilty pleasure thread. Their ties, when you can get them for $10, are a good deal. And their top line...Signature?...when the sport coats are on sale for $99 I will get the occasional one. Also, the non-iron (Travellers?) shirts on sale for $29 will go into my weekend wardrobe.


I agree. JAB has great sales. I bought a dinner jacket from them last year. I don't get to wear it that often, but it was cheap. The quality isn't the best, but it sure beats a rental, and it cost less than renting one.


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## Liberty Ship (Jan 26, 2006)

Regarding the suits, if you buy their top lines -- Signature Gold, Signature, some Joseph -- and buy them on double-secret sale, I believe you get a great value. Some of the Signature Gold I have purchased in the last couple of years have been made in Italy. 

Also, over the past year or so, they got a new buyer for ties and the in-store stock is so improved that I have started buying ties there. Previously, I went elsewhere for ties because, truthfully, I got out of prep school many years ago. Likewise, their Traveler shirts are sufficient and when on a good sale, a good value.

I pretty much buy my suits, shirts, and some ties there now. And, unless I am going to a convention of members of this forum, I am better dressed by many orders of magnitude than anyone else.


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## KenR (Jun 22, 2005)

I have never had a problem with their merchandise or their sales people. They do a good job for what they are, a middle of the road traditional men's clothier.


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## Acct2000 (Sep 24, 2005)

I like their store in Lansing, but on the other hand, I occasionally purchase at the Dreaded Men's Wearhouse. I buy most of my clothes from a local retailer, Holden Reid, and occasionally pick up a pair of pants or jeans at Casual Male Big & Tall (although someday, I hope to be too small for them.) 

I still can't go to Sears, etc. for pants, although I can get shirts there.


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## obiwan (Feb 2, 2007)

I have a few of their Signature and Signature Gold suits, the limited edition ties are nice, traveler shirts are so so, I have noticed the pleats on the cuffs are wearing through.

I just picked up 5 Signature suits @ $199 each, 3 of them will probably go back as the pattern looked better online than in person.

They are by far not my best suits in the line up but they do take the load off by having more suits in rotation.

People I work with don't have a clue as to suit quality so, a JAB gets the same comments as a BB GF.

As for customer service, I shop the Sutter St. store in SF in person, my salesman (Peter) is great, always helpful but, he always tries to up sell me. I do appreciate that you can return online purchases in store, something that Hickey Freeman does not allow you to do.


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## jkreusc (Aug 14, 2006)

The only thing I don't like about them is that they are by no means a "browsing" store. Thier sales people are very helpful, but are by no doubt on commission.

Sometimes I just like to look around quietly and not be bothered. Sometimes I go in, there's 4 salespeople and I'm the only one in the store. I feel like I'm being watched. 

If I've got money and go in intent on buying, they are great.


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## Asterix (Jun 7, 2005)

Decent clothier, very reasonable prices and so serves their purpose in the average man's wardrobe. I have 5 of their Signature line suits plus 2 Sportcoats that I bought about 3 years ago and they all still look as good as new.


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## SpookyTurtle (Nov 4, 2007)

jkreusc said:


> The only thing I don't like about them is that they are by no means a "browsing" store. Thier sales people are very helpful, but are by no doubt on commission.
> 
> Sometimes I just like to look around quietly and not be bothered. Sometimes I go in, there's 4 salespeople and I'm the only one in the store. I feel like I'm being watched.
> 
> If I've got money and go in intent on buying, they are great.


I have found this to be true at other commision based sales stores too, especially department stores. At some stores they are hourly but get a commision on shoes or suits etc. If you just want to try things on they are not interested in you, even if the store is empty.


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## BertieW (Jan 17, 2006)

jkreusc said:


> The only thing I don't like about them is that they are by no means a "browsing" store. Thier sales people are very helpful, but are by no doubt on commission.
> 
> Sometimes I just like to look around quietly and not be bothered. Sometimes I go in, there's 4 salespeople and I'm the only one in the store. I feel like I'm being watched.
> 
> If I've got money and go in intent on buying, they are great.


This is true in my case too. I didn't feel overly pressured or anything, but after you have four people helping you for 40 minutes, you (or at least me) know you are going to walk out of there with a purchase or three. And that's not a big deal as far as I'm concerned, especially with the corporate card discount that takes 20 percent off the price to start. I can't recall the last time I walked into /any/ clothing store just to look. I'm always thinking that I can pick something up--even if it ends up being a few pairs of socks and/or a tie.

Our store is almost frighteningly adept at making you feel both comfortable and valued. And their approach is more on the soft-sell side. I'm sure things vary from store to store.


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## Wayfarer (Mar 19, 2006)

BertieW said:


> This is true in my case too. I didn't feel overly pressured or anything, but after you have four people helping you for 40 minutes, you (or at least me) know you are going to walk out of there with a purchase or three. And that's not a big deal as far as I'm concerned, especially with the corporate card discount that takes 20 percent off the price to start. I can't recall the last time I walked into /any/ clothing store just to look. I'm always thinking that I can pick something up--even if it ends up being a few pairs of socks and/or a tie.
> 
> Our store is almost frighteningly adept at making you feel both comfortable and valued. And their approach is more on the soft-sell side. I'm sure things vary from store to store.


Tucson only recently had its first JAB open. About a year to 1.5 years ago. I was in the very first day, signed up for a corporate card, dropped about 1k on the huge multitude of sales they were having, from some decent golf shirts to a pair of AEs, all deeply discounted. To this day, even though I only visit about every 4 months, most of the staff greet with a hearty, "Hello Mr. _____" even when they're with other customers.


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## dfloyd (May 7, 2006)

*At my local JAB..*

I'm on a first name basis with all the sales people, and they do not bother me until I request something. I have several Signature suits, but like the Joseph suit best for its English cut with such features as side vents, bemberg lining, pick stitching, super 100 fabric with less wrinkling than Signature line. I work directly with the alterations person to get a more suppresed waist and other alterations I like. Just bought a Signature peak lapel Tuxedo for deep discount. I've heard they might discontinue the Joseph, but I hope not. It's fairly comparable to BB Regent which I also buy; however; the Signature line is full cut and I prefer the slimmer Joseph. If they discontiue it, I will probably go 100% to BB. Signature ties are getting better, and I have found a few comparable to Robert Talbott woven. Forget their made in China ties. I also like the working cuff buttons on the Joseph. In summary, I am very particular about alterations, but now that the alterations person knows what I want, I get excellent fit with 1/2' inch of shirt cuff showing. Buy all my shirts on Jermyn St (Harvie & Hudson) so don't buy accessories except the random Signature tie.


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## Jordan Ross (Feb 4, 2005)

Liberty Ship said:


> Regarding the suits, if you buy their top lines -- Signature Gold, Signature, some Joseph -- and buy them on double-secret sale, I believe you get a great value. Some of the Signature Gold I have purchased in the last couple of years have been made in Italy.
> 
> Also, over the past year or so, they got a new buyer for ties and the in-store stock is so improved that I have started buying ties there. Previously, I went elsewhere for ties because, truthfully, I got out of prep school many years ago. Likewise, their Traveler shirts are sufficient and when on a good sale, a good value.
> 
> I pretty much buy my suits, shirts, and some ties there now. And, unless I am going to a convention of members of this forum, I am better dressed by many orders of magnitude than anyone else.


I this this thread about sums it up. We all recognize that there is better, but we all rely on JAB for a good chunk of our wardrobes. They do a quite decent job and for most of the swine we have to associate with it works just fine - and the Signature lines are really damn decent.


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## mdellison (Sep 24, 2005)

The darts and padded shoulders remain a nagging problem with me.


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## SartoNYC (Feb 22, 2005)

*The problem is ...*

JAB is crap.

No matter how cheap it is, its still crap.

You like wearing turds?


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## vwguy (Jul 23, 2004)

Somehow, I knew SartoNYC would chime in on this.

Brian


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## dfloyd (May 7, 2006)

*Talk about NYC attitude...*

but what else would you expect from a NYC A**H**E. Probably would'nt be caught dead in any haberdashery less than Paul Stuart, but buys most of his clothes in an alley in the garment district.


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## SpookyTurtle (Nov 4, 2007)

JAB and Menswearhouse sell a lot of clothes in total. Not the best quality, but they have a lot of customers who must be happy with their goods. Is that so bad? I simply don't buy anywhere that I don't like the quality or price, but I wouldn't belittle someone who does frequent those places.


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## stuman (Oct 6, 2005)

DFLOYD,
Hey, wait a minute, not all NYC men are A**H**E when it comes to clothes. I have lived and worked in Manhattan for the past 30 years. I pride myself on finding good buys when it comes to clothes. I've purchased clothes from BBs as well as JAB. I try to look for quality and value. In fact, most of my suits and sportcoats have been purchased on Ebay.


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## KenR (Jun 22, 2005)

I shop at Brooks, J. Press, Paul Stuart _and _JAB. As a matter of fact I have some coupons to spend at the Madison Ave store this evening. Looking forward to it. :icon_smile:


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## PJC in NoVa (Jan 23, 2005)

The only JAB suit whose cut suits me is the Joseph. I had a gift card to burn and picked up this one on sale. It's currently in alterations turnaround but I think will work well:

https://www.josbank.com/IWCatProduc...=1&Section_Id=13223&pcount=&Product_Id=370511


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## dfloyd (May 7, 2006)

*I didn't mean to imply that all New Yorkers...*

have an attitude, but this respondent using the scatological language certainly does. Most of the Brits that are forum members are polite gemtlemen, and London is even a bigger city than NY. This NYC guy has no manners or respect, so I said what I thought was what he deserved. If you can't disagree without resorting to foul language and unsubstantiated retorts, you woul be better opff not posting anything. Again, my apologies to all the New yorkers who don't have anything in common with this ungracious poster.


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## KCE (Nov 13, 2006)

Liberty Ship said:


> ...and buy them on double-secret sale...


Is this like double-secret probation?


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## mdellison (Sep 24, 2005)

Are the JAB wrinkle free Traveler shirts really the best of that type shirt? Comments please.


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