Jos. A. Banks in general and my experience in Newton, MA

Guys,

I bought 2 suits for ~$350 on Saturday from the Jos. A. Banks in Newton, MA, which is just outside of Boston. Their prices were outstanding, and I bought two "entry-level" quality Executive Suits, as opposed to the very premium Signature or Traveler level.

I'm getting it slightly modified by tapering the back and also lengthening the sleeves.

Here are things that I was unpleasantly surprised about with this place:
1. The sales man, George, was very nice, but he wasn't a clothing enthusiast .
2. The suits - even the most premium Signature Models - were made in countries like Colombia, Indonesia, and Bangladesh. They look great, but I expected them to be made in Western Europe or N. America.
3. George, the associate there, didn't take my measurements. He only said for me to try on the jackets. This is not professional, but luckily I knew my size.

On the good side:
1. Their 80s 2-ply shirts are $20 (actually $40 for 2), and this is MUCH cheaper than ModernTailor, which would charge about $60 for one. Of course, these shirts are much less customized, but they're still remarkable.

You are truly living up to your username.

Well done.



- B

I was walking through the local city center on the way to dinner last week, and a man on a bench wearing a suit said to me "You look like you should be working at Jos. A. Banks." My initial response was almost "I really hope not" but I took a second and realized we were right outside of a Jos. A. Banks so I just said "Thanks." Turns out he was a regional manager for them, so I'm glad I bit my tongue and didn't offend.

Originally Posted by BostonElitist

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Guys,

I bought 2 suits for ~$350 on Saturday from the Jos. A. Banks in Newton, MA, which is just outside of Boston. Their prices were outstanding, and I bought two "entry-level" quality Executive Suits, as opposed to the very premium Signature or Traveler level.

I'm getting it slightly modified by tapering the back and also lengthening the sleeves.

Here are things that I was unpleasantly surprised about with this place:
1. The sales man, George, was very nice, but he wasn't a clothing enthusiast .
2. The suits - even the most premium Signature Models - were made in countries like Colombia, Indonesia, and Bangladesh. They look great, but I expected them to be made in Western Europe or N. America.
3. George, the associate there, didn't take my measurements. He only said for me to try on the jackets. This is not professional, but luckily I knew my size.

On the good side:
1. Their 80s 2-ply shirts are $20 (actually $40 for 2), and this is MUCH cheaper than ModernTailor, which would charge about $60 for one. Of course, these shirts are much less customized, but they're still remarkable.

Originally Posted by voxsartoria

Click to expand...

You are truly living up to your username.

Well done.



- B

At first I thought "Vox is bored and engaging in a bit of puppetry" but then I saw that Vox was the first person to reply and I reconsidered. Now I think that perhaps his response is a clever ruse. But does he know that I know that he knows? It is all very confusing.
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Originally Posted by BostonElitist

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Guys,

I bought 2 suits for ~$350 on Saturday from the Jos. A. Banks in Newton, MA, which is just outside of Boston. Their prices were outstanding, and I bought two "entry-level" quality Executive Suits, as opposed to the very premium Signature or Traveler level.

I haven't dealt a lot with Jos. A. Bank (correct spelling), but I have bought a couple of suits for my stepson and a few other items there. Two Executive suits for $350 doesn't sound like that great a deal. Nothing Bank offers is "very premium" (except maybe their Signature Platinum, an example of which I have never seen). The Signature Gold suits are quite decent buys when they're 70% off, which puts them at $328, as I recall. Some people here would disagree with me, but I think they're quite nice for that price.

Here are things that I was unpleasantly surprised about with this place:
1. The sales man, George, was very nice, but he wasn't a clothing enthusiast.

Click to expand...

A lot of the salesmen I've encountered at more upscale establishments than JAB have not been "clothing enthusiasts," either. A few weren't even very nice.

2. The suits - even the most premium Signature Models - were made in countries like Colombia, Indonesia, and Bangladesh. They look great, but I expected them to be made in Western Europe or N. America.

Click to expand...

What do you expect at those prices?

3. George, the associate there, didn't take my measurements. He only said for me to try on the jackets. This is not professional, but luckily I knew my size.

Click to expand...

It's fairly rare for salesmen to take your measurements anywhere unless there is considerable uncertainty about your size. A good salesman can usually assess your size just by eyeballing you.

JAB doesn't get much love in this forum, but I think it is okay for what it is--a purveyor of modestly priced, classic, conservative menswear. I would rate it slightly above Macy's and considerably below Nordstrom in the retail hierarchy. Many find their practice of constantly having some sort of sale galling, but if you play their sales shrewdly, you can get some good buys.

Kind of a funny story about a poplin suit I bought from JAB earlier this (on sale for $99.00). Anyhow, the suit is for a not so formal wedding I'm attending this coming weekend. I ordered the suit with hemmed trousers. The suit was supplied with cuffs. I called customer service and the response I received was "the trousers are pleated and most people prefer cuffs with pleats". I said I wanted hemmed and the suit was returned to be supplied as ordered. A week later, I received it and guess what? Again supplied with cuffs. This time I got a bit heated and said I wanted hemmed. The third time, it was supplied as ordered.

Originally Posted by BostonElitist

Click to expand...

Guys,

I bought 2 suits for ~$350 on Saturday from the Jos. A. Banks in Newton, MA, which is just outside of Boston. Their prices were outstanding, and I bought two "entry-level" quality Executive Suits, as opposed to the very premium Signature or Traveler level.

I'm getting it slightly modified by tapering the back and also lengthening the sleeves.

Here are things that I was unpleasantly surprised about with this place:
1. The sales man, George, was very nice, but he wasn't a clothing enthusiast .
2. The suits - even the most premium Signature Models - were made in countries like Colombia, Indonesia, and Bangladesh. They look great, but I expected them to be made in Western Europe or N. America.
3. George, the associate there, didn't take my measurements. He only said for me to try on the jackets. This is not professional, but luckily I knew my size.

On the good side:
1. Their 80s 2-ply shirts are $20 (actually $40 for 2), and this is MUCH cheaper than ModernTailor, which would charge about $60 for one. Of course, these shirts are much less customized, but they're still remarkable.

It's called a paycheck, most people who work for a living do not have the luxury of being an enthusiast. If that were the case, I'd review strip clubs for a living.

If I were with you and a wild siberian tiger ripped my arm off, the worst part of that trip still would have been having to go to Newton.

Originally Posted by JLibourel

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JAB doesn't get much love in this forum, but I think it is okay for what it is--a purveyor of modestly priced, classic, conservative menswear. I would rate it slightly above Macy's and considerably below Nordstrom in the retail hierarchy. Many find their practice of constantly having some sort of sale galling, but if you play their sales shrewdly, you can get some good buys.

Stated perfectly, as only Mr. Libourel could.

I don't think JAB is some sort of hot **** by a long stretch, but I get sick of the bashing it takes here.

If half the guys in my office would wear JAB, the world would be a much better looking place. Compared to what 85% of the male professional population wears, their clothes are very nice.

Just b/c it doesn't meet our absurd standards doesn't mean its garbage.

Originally Posted by The Louche

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Just b/c it doesn't meet our absurd standards doesn't mean its garbage.

The issue people have with JAB is not their quality. It is their absurd retail prices which are then set to 65% off the next morning. At their official retail price, it is a complete joke.

Originally Posted by taxgenius69

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The issue people have with JAB is not their quality. It is their absurd retail prices which are then set to 65% off the next morning. At their official retail price, it is a complete joke.

But nobody takes their "official retail prices" seriously. I think, to judge from the threads here on Bank, a lot of people do have issues with their quality. Sure, it's not Oxxford or RLPL quality, but you're not paying anything remotely close to Oxxford prices. And, yes, you can doubtless get more for your money by shrewdly shopping eBay or outfits like STP, but that takes a fair amount of knowledge, perseverance and luck. All I am saying is that Bank is not a bad place to go for a guy who wants to buy a suit and not spend much money on it.

Originally Posted by JLibourel

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But nobody takes their "official retail prices" seriously.

That in itself is an indictment of JAB. Why advertise a $600 suit as a $1,050 suit, when in reality it's not worth even $600, let alone $1,095. Also, what about the poor SOB who drops $1,295 on one of their suits not knowing that he is being raped?

Originally Posted by voxsartoria

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You are truly living up to your username.

Well done.



- B

Originally Posted by voxsartoria

Click to expand...

You are truly living up to your username.

Well done.



- B

I thought you had that copyrighted?

Originally Posted by The Louche

Click to expand...

Stated perfectly, as only Mr. Libourel could.

I don't think JAB is some sort of hot **** by a long stretch, but I get sick of the bashing it takes here.

If half the guys in my office would wear JAB, the world would be a much better looking place. Compared to what 85% of the male professional population wears, their clothes are very nice.

Just b/c it doesn't meet our absurd standards doesn't mean its garbage.

Lots of guy I work with wear JAB suits and the clothes are toast in a year or two. I'm 53, born and raised in Baltimore, and for years JAB was Baltimore's version of BB and made good clothes right here in MD. It saddens me to see what has become of the company. Oh my God, I think I've officially become a curmudgeon.