The Washington Post has a write-up of Jos. A. Bank; seems they're doing well despite the recession.
If I haven't said it already, the vast majority of my suits have come from Jos. A. Bank, including my first black suit I bought for college-related purposes. The article says it all--a good- (sometimes great- , as with the Signature Gold line) quality product at a great price point.
I learned a few things from the article:
1. They're from Baltimore. Neat.
2. My store--at 19th and M downtown--is their flagship.
What I already knew: They get through the lean times with sales and bank on people paying full price when there's no sale going on.
For example: They just wrapped up a "buy one suit, get two free" sale, which is definitely the right price point. Now, they have a "buy one at full price, pay $99 for the second, get the third FREE!" which is identical to the previous sale but $100 more expensive. I don't begrudge them it, but their tactic appears to have been "generate interest with our best sale, then ratchet it back slightly to see how much buy-one-get-two business we can get despite a $100 premium."
Rule of thumb: never settle for less than a 66% discount off the list price for a JAB suit.
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Love the Signature Gold line. Dollar for dollar the quality just can't be beat. However, I find they need significantly more alterations than a Brooks Brothers suit.
ReplyDeleteFor example, besides the usual pants hem and waist adjustment, I needed the shoulders re-cut by my tailor to eliminate the 80s shoulder-pad "sack suit" effect. Its a $40-$50 alteration by itself, but the shoulders of the jacket are now perfectly shaped to my body -something you only see in custom suits.
P.S. - the tailors at the store won't touch the shoulders. All the more reason to just buy the suit there and take it to your own tailor.
ReplyDeleteThe tailors at the 19th and M store are terrible. I also dislike the overly aggresive salesmen at that store.
ReplyDelete