W♥C Impression (ducks & covers)
Monday September 27, 2010
I have a confession to make.
My W♥C love took a real hit on my trip.
It has nothing to do with their clothes, or adorableness or even lovely Chinatsu. It’s… THEIR LACK OF STOCK!
I went to all 3 Tokyo stores.
Yes, Shibuya 109’s, WEGO’s, and the one in Lumine Est and all 3 were major disappointment stock-wise. I suppose it’s my own fault. I had this (now apparent unrealistic) expectation that, unlike the webstore, the actual stores would have more of their newer items IN STOCK.
But sadly it wasn’t the case. And even worse, all 3 stores were basically identical in what they DID have.
I must have hit them at a really DEAD week.
A sell off before autumn item arrivals.
I checked their site when I got home & sure enough they barely updated during the entire time I was there except for this monster green suit, that I actually DID see on my second trip to the Lumine store later in the trip hoping they had more items come in.
They had many of their great original staples which was good because I really wanted the shorts & petticoat skirts. But they lacked nearly anything new! Maybe they were all trying to push the rest of their summer stock sale? I dunno~~ 1/2 the store (which calling micro-sized would be generous) were older t-shirts and skirts at 50% off. GREAT! I got the jacket & a black skirt on sale!
But none of the new tanks, tees, cardis, or even new accessories I really wanted!
No socks, frames, leopard sneakers… shit, NO sneakers at all!
Nor their lace heels both of which I was dying to buy.
It’s like when you happen to have a really bad experience with a food you like. You just happen to have gotten sick the night of eating said food and barfed it up so now every time you smell it, it makes you nauseous but it doesn’t mean the food isn’t good it’s just linked in your brain with unpleasantness.
Well, that’s a harsher than needed analogy, hahahaaaa!
But you know, I’m not saying they’re bad & you shouldn’t like them or that I no longer like them myself even, never, but that.. just now I pause when I find myself wanting to pine for their clothes… because of the disappointment I felt with all 3 stores :(
I’m sure that feeling will pass eventually? I dunno~~ but that’s OK :D
Anyway~~ :eep: :eep: :smallcry:
The WEGO store was the biggest of the three. And since it IS WEGO the “W♥C” store carried a bunch of extra collab/refurb’ed tops. But… I really wanted something more iconic W♥C so I passed. They all sorta had that vintage WEGO feel to them only with a higher price tag than the other WEGO items.
Cool thing about WEGO was they had the W♥C purikura there! Me and my friend took some after I perused the W♥C section and returned with bupkis
OK, so I’ll blab about my first visit to the store~ It was the first clothing store I darted to on my trip! Seriously, because I knew I’d spend (thought I’d spend) the most money there!
My first experience with a W♥C staffer didn’t go as well as planned either. I’ll just describe it. Because I’m bored with nothing to do, LOL (well, THAT’s a lie! I’m drowning in work/tasks/errands.)
First visit wasn’t so disappointing because they had many of the items I still wanted and I figured the other 2 stores would have more choices (lol, fail, ignorance is bliss!)
I picked up a bunch of things to try on. A staffer approached and asked if she could take them. I had practice saying things like “May I try this on? I’d like this one please, May I see that item? What would you suggest?” and so on, so I asked if I could try them on. :cutesy: She stared blankly at me. I figured I had failed my Japanese (despite practicing on my friend first) and asked again. Again no response. So thankfully that night my friend was with me. I called her over. She then told the staffer I’d like to try these on. Blank staring commenced! Then it seemed she finally understood after more explaining and she took the clothes aside. We figured she was waiting for me to get in the change rooms (which we were standing right next to) LOL, I feel bad saying this but, this girl was kinda dense! HAAHAA! It took a couple of tries to get her to realize I wanted to try it on FIRST. She was already ringing it all up! :
So whatevs, whatevs, I try on a ton of stuff. I put aside 2 skirts, shorts, jeans, jacket, boots, and some accessories to buy. I LOVED the white dress I tried on but decided not to get it because I was planning on other W♥C store stops too. Glad I waited because I found one at WEGO for WAY cheaper that looks nearly exact! Haahaa. :bow:
I really loved the blue pinstripe shirt too and I had planned on getting it, and it even fit great! But,.. but… the buttons are impossible!! The staffer started unbuttoning it for me and even SHE couldn’t get it to UN-button! She got really embarrassed and ran behind the counter. Eventually she gave up and my friend took over and finally got all the buttons open! I then, of course, had to re-button it to try it on and it was IMPOSSIBLE to get it back off. Bananas do NOT make a good button shape.
Everything was great until 2 days later when I went through my purchases in my room. Yea, 2 days because I was crazy sick remember? And I noticed she didn’t include the shorts or jeans I had wanted to buy. I picked the shorts up later on in my trip of course. :) Passed on the jeans and figured fate didn’t want me to have them or something, haha.
The other stores’ staffers weren’t so… um… errrrrr daydreaming? LOL, I dunno. The girl was super sweet just not very focused I guess, haahaaaaaa! The other staffers had no problem understanding me and were super helpful. :)
Though the first girl I think knew she was being a bit scattered brained. She asked me which W♥C bag I wanted and in the end she was SUPER sweet and let me pick the 2 large patterned bags THEN said “they’ll get dirty” and gave me 2 extras of each of the large patterned bags again inside the bags so they’d be clean! AWE~~~ that was really, really sweet and totally made my experience OK in the end
I wish I had gotten more but I kept holding off thinking if I just go back 1 more time they’ll have the cardigans, made in WC tee, or sweatshirt I really really wanted… :(
Now I see their stores all stock and I’m just like “suuuure! You’re stocked now but the second I get on a plane & fly to you my bad luck will have you cleared out to all the 50% off crap no one wants!”
LOL, bitter-much? You know it, hahahahahahahaha!
So that’s it! I’m just a cursed soul really. I know others have super wonderful luck, but not me, haahaa. It’s OK, I’m used to it at this point :)
Here’s to BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME!
Tags: japan trip, travel
75 Responses to “W♥C Impression (ducks & covers)”
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Because I was in Japan for a total of 10 weeks this summer I was kinda able to see how stock went in and out of W*C, and yes they generally just have the basic items and not always in season. I did see the frames at the 109 store, but it wouldn’t shock me if they sold out quickly because they only had like 9 pairs displayed. I remember seeing things in the store and coming back later in the week and they’d all be gone.
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That is SO disappointing!! ;o; & then to not be feeling well on top of it… Poor Jenny!
I wonder if it was just a marketing ploy to sell off all the old spring/summer merchandise, like you said~ like maybe they DID get some stock of new fall items in, but it was SO LIMITED they sold out completely & just left the old stuff for people to buy off? Whatever it is, it sucks though!
& omg, I would have been sooo frustrated with that first staff-chan, lol~ I think I might have just stormed out & not bought anything XD You have way more patience than I do & lucky your friend was with you! -
Wah, seeing all these pics make me want to go to Japan even more~ WC is definitely the gyaru brand that made me fall in love with the fashion and it’s so inspiring to see all the bright and colourful pictures!
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The purikura look really cute, but it’s too bad that your store experience wasn’t so great. It does look like a fun store to visit, though! Plus it seems like whenever you try to order something online it seems to sell out quickly (seems the same in store too!). ;(
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LOL funny stories about staffers @ W♥C. The first girl sounds such like a dum-dum but who is also very aggressive about getting fast sales! Haha, I have experienced shopping in foreign countries, especially ASIAN countries, where the staffers are not very nice and like to push you on sales. The worst thing I’ve encountered before is when I tried on like maybe just A FEW pieces of items at a store and then when I came out from the change room, the girl asked me how did it go and I said I didn’t like them as much. Then she takes the items off my hand and goes say to her co-worker: if you don’t like them then don’t try it on, wasting my time! I was like in COMPLETE shock!! I was almost about to like say what b*tch? I don’t have the rights to try things on now before buying them?! And then when I left the store they didn’t even bother saying bye to me. In fact since the moment I said no to those clothes I tried on, they STOPPED serving me. -_______-”
But I never would have thought service in Japan could be bad though, since I always hear positive reviews from people about how the workers at the stores in Japan are usually very friendly. Maybe it’s the W♥C store you went to has customers who usually just buy things without trying them on? lol. Otherwise she’s pretty aggressive about making the sale. But maybe the store’s business has been dead for weeks that she’s trying to make a big sale out of you. lol.
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W♥C Space Cadet! Poor girl…
But more importantly!! Poor Jenny!!
Purikura and W♥C scarf are adorable!Just wondering…When your back home in the USA do you purchase all your Japanese brand clothing items through a personal shopper or do you know of any sites that allow shipping to the USA besides Marui?
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hey i love shibuya 109! the clothes there were so AMAZING! you know One Way?
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Awww! I’m sad to hear that it was disappointing. I was really excited that you were going to be able to go there for realz. ;_;
It reminds me of my first experience at Cocolulu. I was SOOOO excited about getting to go there, because it was my absolute favorite brand at the time. The stock was smaller than what I would have hoped for (though I was trying to not hope for TOO much because it was the Sapporo location, not Tokyo), but what made it unpleasant were the staffers. Well…maybe it was just me being sensitive/insecure, haha. What happened was I went to buy a pair of their jeans (I already had many pairs of CoLu jeans, so I knew my size) and she kept insisting that I try them on because she didn’t think they would fit (even though I’m an American size 2). I was kinda PMS’ing so of course inside I’m like “She thinks I’m fat!” or “She’s just assuming that I’m too big because I’m a gaijin,” haha. She was probably just trying to look out for me, but I was just like ughhh…it just put me in a bad mood and I ended up spending most of my money at Liz Lisa instead. :3
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Aww man! Poor you, you were soo excited and had everything you wanted to buy planned out too right? :(
At least you got some pieces at a bargain price!! :D
Shopping adventures, I think we all have that one moment. The first staff sounds really blur. XD
The purikura pictures are cuteee btw! ^^ -
This reminds me of that eeeemoooo quote from 500 days of summer: I can’t promise you that I won’t wake up in the morning and feel differently. (but about W♥C)
POO W♥C!
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i guess that’s what you get for a brand suddenly being SO popular!! it’s impossible for them to keep stuff in stock! great for the brand, awful for us =_=;;; i also feel your reaction. i’d probably feel the same ‘hesitance’ about ANYTHING if it was really that impossible to get what i wanted!! like, ok, i’m willing to work hard to get what i want, but i don’t want to have to HUNT DOWN clothing items like they’re precious artifacts or something!
ok lol slight tangent? anyway~~ i still LOVE what you did get from there! like, i can’t even pick out one item i love best haha.
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I guess W*C is so popular everything gets sold out so fast! The japanese martket can be so fast moving sometimes, when somethings popular, people just go on buying like crazy. At the moment some Chanel nail colour is being over hyped here, and it was outsold like in two hours?? Wth? XDD
Now I’ve become curious about W*C, too. I’ll check it out soon in Japan! :-)
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Awww that must’ve been so poopy for you – you were so excited :( But like you said it wasn’t all bad – so yay! Hey i see some Halloween purikura in there! radness!!
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What a bummer you didn’t get everything you wanted! I guess you’ll have some $$$ saved up for next trip, huh? ;)
Hahahaha that poooor staffer! What an awkward situation but at least you have something to laugh about now, huh? ;) -
Cute purikura! Taking them and decorating is so much fun isn’t it? It’s so expensive in Australia though…like 3 times the price of what it would be in Japan ;_;
The WC bags look so cute! Pity about your cusomter service experience though, hopefully next time you’ll have a better experience (stock and service wise) XD
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it really annoys me too when their stuff gets sold out so quickly! i guess we just have to be faster :(
like recently i wanted to buy the Ank Rouge necklace, but in 1 day after they restocked, it was sold out already! now i’ll have to wait for the next time. -
Aw I’m sorry they didn’t have more stock in :( That must have been really frustrating cos you’d travelled so far and been so excited about it. I’m glad you were able to find some stuff at least :)
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awww, so sad for you! I see the purikura you took looks really fun and cute of course! :D
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awwww that’s such a cute store!!! :) and i love how they come with cute bagssss ahhh~
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THE MANNEQUINS!!!!!!! omg so cute and cool 8D and I love that they’re yellow hehehe
everything is so pretty *o* -
Ugh, I hate when that happens! You’re all in the mood to shop and nothing is appealing!
I’m so impressed you spoke japanese to the clerk? Wow! :D
How/when did you learn? Are you almost fluent?
I’m taking a class right now and I am having a really hard time!
Any tips on how to improve? :)
Thanks jenny, you’re the best! * -
I keep hearing this about WC lately :(
I really hope it is a case of them selling off stock ready for the new seasonsI really want these Leopard sneakers like, CRAZY!!!
I hope theyre due on the webstore and I havent somehow missed them or I may die hahahaI also have the sick/food link with Subway sandwhiches Blegh :(
But yay for WC puri!! :D :D
“Bananas do NOT make a good button shape” — rofl!! XD
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How do you feel about that green suit? I think it’s illien fo sho! Its so cute, but i know ppl thinks too Fruits not enough gal, maybe I’m just not enough gal and that’s why I LOVE IT,
sorry the WC experience was crap tho. My mom had a similar experience with a fashion show she used to do when she was up and coming and decided to do it again for “hahas” and it was not as AWESOME as she remembered it was just…bad…and now it leaves that bad taste..
maybe that experience isn’t dead on…but still..I GET YOU GIRL I GET YOU!
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WC shop is sooo crazy xD I know the much you like this brand, Im happy you could go there! You bought the best items! Good choose! Want that toooo
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GOSH!! I know what you mean! I am SUCH a disorganized shopper (I can wander around a store for hours making sure I’ve seen everything) that I usually like to check stock online first before I go. It’s the WORST though when I get there and all the things you wanted to buy AREN’T around. Super lame. =/
I realize this is a sort of disappointed post but I was so glad to read it. I was having a shit day and whenever I read your blog it makes me feel better! haha So thanks!
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hahah. sorry to hear about the bad shopping experience :’( but take away the super bad parts and you had an exceptional experience!! the things you bought were really good though~ it’s a good thing your friend was there to help you~ ^_^ and yes, buttons should NOT be shaped as bananas.. O_O i’ve had a similar experience myself… anyway, better luck next time right? but no matter how you look at it, you’re actually one of the very fortunate ones~ i’d rather be shopping in japan than typing away at my computer all summer-even though that’s really fun too XD
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Aww damn :( But I know what you mean with going to every single store and not finding the item you want! It happens to me in Perth though~
Banana shaped buttons?? I’ve never seen them before :O -
Oh wow o.0; blank staring girl~ I can totally picture that whole scenario in my head right now. At least she wasn’t saying ‘irrashaimase’ to you over and over again. (OR WAS SHE)
Don’t you just love those shopping bags they give you D: so cute!
But, seriously, that first pic of the store… it’s that small??? Yowch, now you know that it’s safe to just trust the website when it comes to actual stock =x
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Haha, this is why I never check what I want to get beforehand. Like you, I always end up dissapointed if I do. Seriously even in Western high-stock stores I can never find what I wanted from the website (I’m looking at you, H&M =__= I wanted that jumpsuit…).
Hmm the service seems so-so? It must’ve been awkward when she just stared, I would’ve freaked haha. However the things with the bags sounds really sweet (:
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Jenny can I have the password? My email is [email protected]
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I just have a very simple question^^
Since I know you order from WC webshop, my question is: is the shipping free or does it cost, and if it’s not free how much does it cost?
Thank you for a interesting blog :D -
maybe you want some Japanese style? you’re so kawaii. :)
http://teeteringtoes.wordpress.com/2010/09/12/japans-kawaii-style/ -
Awe man, that’s the worst and I hate that it was so disappointing for you! I’m glad you were able to at least pick up a few things you were wanting, completely empty handed would have been epic store-stock fail. Ugh! I’m surprised though, I really thought they would be stocked up with all of the summer releases. *is confused too*
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I don’t know if you saw my twitter rants but I feel exactly the same about their stores. I visited the Lumine EST store last week and they had a few new things – I wasn’t impressed.
It’s like they don’t want to put their Summer stock on sale, either because they CAN still sell it or just don’t want to.Chinatsu stop obsessing over Big Bang and sort your stores out!! ;D
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Where do you live??
There are sooo many cute shops and things around there!! >. -
How much did you buy your WC backpack in US$?
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LOL. That sounds like quite the adventure in shopping. Can’t say I’ve ever experienced something like that, but I feel for you!