Monday, March 16, 2009

Jeans Jeans Jeans!

Alright. I have a confession. I had never been to Jeans Jeans Jeans before Saturday. When asked my opinion about this crazy denim outlet in the basement in the heart of the textile district, I always had to spew out second hand information: "I hear it's a good deal" or "I hear they're really helpful" which always illicited a "You haven't been?! But you...you've shopped every store in this city!"

Thanks to my friend Nancy's need for jeans, I had the perfect excuse to check it out on a beautiful spring-is-in-the-air-Saturday. Which apparently was the thought everyone else had in mind, though I think it is safe to assume that Saturday afternoons are always chaos and confusion at Jeans Jeans Jeans.

Let me tell ya, nothing prepared me for the experience. Not even running into friends who had gone in and left due to sheer overwhelm. As we descended into the denim abyss and were confronted by the 30-person change room line up, Nancy began to panic and suggested it'd be better to return another day. I thankfully had my shopping wits about me. "We're already here", I insisted. "And I bet the line up is shorter at the changeroom in the back". It was. (Smart Shopper Tip: Use the most remote changeroom in a store to avoid a lineup) And we did. And here's what I think...

Customer Service. 5 stars
We squeezed into the tiny aisles with everyone else and headed for our favourite brands. Everytime we grabbed at a pair of jeans and started to find our size, a friendly girl would pop her head in and ask "What size you need?" and get it for us, even if her arms were full and other salesgirls were calling her name. "I'm busy!", she'd yell across the floor in the direction of her name. "Find me a Parasuco skinny in a 29 with diamond bling back pocket!" Some floor girls even took the time to explain the colour codes for sizes, though I couldn't ever find the navy blue hangers and ended up looking at tags anyhow.

The staff at the changerooms are even more helpful, if that is possible. If they can't flag down a floor girl for your bling pocket whatchamacallits in whichever size, they'll go get it themselves. And they will not hesitate to tell you when a pair of pants is perfect for you - their method for assessing this is to tell you to turn around so they can see how your bum looks while the line-up looks on.

When I noticed that I was still holding a pair of ill-fitting jeans with some seriously bad backpocket bling instead of my perfect fit Second Yoga Jeans, (I had accidentally dumped the wrong pair on the reject pile) my changeroom girl disappeared for ten whole minutes and didn't return until they were located. That is customer service.

Doesn't end there: they also offer on the spot tailoring, 20 - 30 minutes wait time! She does it right in front of you, squeezed between racks of denim. Even the guy who cashed us out was a stand up comedian and somehow got Nancy to offer to take me for coffee at Olympico! What a prince.

Staff Knowledge: 5 Stars
Though I like to stay on top of which brands design for which body types (don't worry I'll write about that soon enough) there is no need to go in there with any idea of what jeans you want/like/need/fit - they are experts on what brands and fits suit flat bums/booty/small calves/big calves/hips/bellies and on. They can also tell you if something will shrink/stain/retain/loosen and soften. I was informed that my Second Yoga jeans have a four way stretch. Fascinating.

Selection: 5 Stars
Obviously, Jeans Jeans Jeans is reknowned for its selection. But my biggest doubt about Jeans Jeans Jeans was whether they would have a conscious consumption selection. Would it all be made in China brands? Oh my, were my fears put to rest! Not only do they carry our homegrown Guido and Mary (yup, made right here in Montreal!), I found other brands, like the pair of Seconds I purchased, that were made in Canada as well!

Price: 4 Stars
I should probably give them 5 Stars, but I still haven't come to terms with the exorbitant price of denim today. Seeing as most of the jeans are under $80 when they're $120 everywhere else, perhaps my 4 Stars is harsh. I don't know how much the tailoring cost but I imagine the convenience is worth whatever they think is reasonable to charge. They also have a bunch of sales racks (I got a pair of skinny green jeans off of those for $30) and some good Buy One Get Second Half Price deals.

Hours: 5 Stars.
Open from 9 - 4 on Saturday, it is a good idea to get there early! Jeans Jeans Jeans is closed on Sundays, which might inconvenience a lot of people, but they are open 9 - 9 on Thursdays so if you can, go then!

Honestly, I don't know if I'll ever buy my jeans anywhere else unless they are a special fit, or from a local designer. Jeans Jeans Jeans I say!

Jeans Jeans Jeans is located at 5575 Casgrain.

9 comments:

  1. This all sounds great, but do they sell jeans for men? With a nice round bum and a little beer belly?
    (BTW, Nancy's photo of you, combined with my bad need for new jeans, is what got me here… ;-)

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  2. Ha ha! Yes yes yes, they have a HUGE men's section. I would venture to say it's equal to, IF NOT BIGGER than, the women's section. Ask Nancy!

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  3. My friends went to Jeans, Jeans, Jeans and can not stop talking about it. I have to admit I immediately noticed how great my friend's jeans looked on her even before I knew where she went.
    My question is do they have plus sizes? I need their expertise more than anyone, but I doubt they would have my size.

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  4. Hi Anonymous, I'm not sure, actually. Best to email info@jeansjeansjeans.ca or call 514-279-3303 to ask!

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  5. Great write up on Jeans Jean Jeans - However, I would have given them a 5+ on price. I have found that generally the price of brand name jeans run at least 20 if not 40$ less than other stores. In addition, I end up usually paying another 10 to 20$ for hemming. So really it saves BIG.
    How much do I like the store and the people who work there? So much that when I lived in Ottawa I would drive there sometimes bringing my girlfriends from Toronto. I don't even go to the racks. I go straight to the sales people and they pick out the perfect fit every time. They are geniuses regarding denim. I put total faith in the staff at Jeans Jeans Jeans. Seriously - LOVE them!

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  6. Great comment, Anonymous, thanks! Like I said, I would have given them 5 stars, I just needed to get over the current market prices for denim. Over it! 5 stars!
    Also, going straight to the staff is definitely the way to go!

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  7. I went to Jeans Jeans Jeans for the 1st time on Dec. 31... what an experience! My girlfriend had been buying her jeans there since she was 12 (some 15 years ago) and told me I would be overwhelmed. Boy was she right! I bought 3 pairs (2 Guess and 1 Fidelity) and a sweater. When we got back home (in Quebec City), I thought it was a little expensive, so I searched for my receipt, but couldn't find it. My Guess jeans were respectively 60$ and 65$ (109$ and 119$ in store) and my sweater was 25$ but there wasn't a price tag on my Fidelity jeans. So, on Jan. 2nd, I called Jeans Jeans Jeans and talked to the Borys, the "boss". I said "Remember me? I was there on Dec. 31, at closing and bought 3 pairs of jeans and my girlfriend bought 2". "Sure", he said, "you bought 2 Guess' and 1 Fidelity". (!!!) So I asked him the price of the Fidelity jeans, he looked it up and told me they were 140$ (they're 179$ in store). "Wow! Ok, that explains the total", I said. "Had I known...". He replied: "Yeah, I know, they're pretty expensive those ones... listen, send them back, I'll reimburse you". "But the hems are already done", I said. "Don't sweat it", he said, "I want you to be happy and for you to come back". Sure enough, I've sent them back to him and he credited my credit card the next day! Now that's customer service! -- Sébastien

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  8. Isn't he great?! I love that guy. So glad you like it, Sebastien!

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  9. FIRST TIME HERE...AND I AM ONE OF THE PICKIEST PEOPLE EVER WHEN IT COMES TO SHOPPING....AS SOON AS I WALKED IN THE DOOR A GUY NAME LEO STARTED HELPING ME...HE GUESS MY SIZE RIGHT OFF THE BAT AND WAS RIGHT HE LOOKED AT WHAT I WAS WEARING AND KNEW MY STYLE RIGHT OFF THE BAT...IM 36 AND BEEN BUYING MY OWN CLOTHES SINCE I WAS 16 AND IN 20 YEARS I HAVE NOT HAD A BETTER TIME SHOPPING THAN HERE...THE SALESMAN LEO WAS THE :MAN: I COULDNT BELEIVE THE SERVICE I GOT...IF I DIDNT LIKE A PAIR HE WAS RIGHT BACK WITH 2 MORE FOR ME TO TRY ON....I CANT SAY ENOUGH...IT WAS AMAZING...I WILL ONLY BE BUYING FROM HERE UNTIL THE DAY I DIE...AND I WILL RECCOMENED EVERYONE I KNOW THATS FOR SURE...EVERYONE SHOULD GO YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT...ALSO EVEN THE GIRL THAT HEMMED MY PANTS FOR CUTTING WAS DEAD ON..AND THE SEAMSTRESS CUT THEM PERFECT...THEY EVEN LOAN ME A PAIR OF JEANS TO WEAR WHILE I HAD A SMOKE OUTSIDE AS THEY HEMMED MY OTHER JEANS EVEN THO I DID NOT BUY THEM THERE....ALL 10,S GUYS ..KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.
    TONY

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