Joe Fresh

I love the concept behind Joe Fresh. I love the idea behind simple, easy, just classic and wearable men’s design (this review is for the men’s clothing specifically) that isn’t too over the top, too flashy or too trendy. Joe Fresh is great for that.
Basic tees, basic track pants, simple but cool sweaters and baseball ¾ tees, and flannel pants to lounge in at home in comfort. I love all the ideas of basic, easy and very comfortable clothes. I really think that both men and women like this very simple idea which is not represented out there In the retail market today.
I’m reviewing the store at 60 Carlton St. specifically, which is contained in the old Maple Leaf Gardens which is now a massive, well done everything store you could want grocery extravaganza! They did this Canadian historical building justice; that’s very important.
Joe Fresh is located on the 2^nd floor easily accessible right at the front door with an escalator or elevator (thanks for keeping people with accessibility issues in mind).
I’d say that this is probably the second largest Joe Fresh. There is a larger one on St. Clair West but fir us downtown people, travekking out to St. Clair West isn’t in my playbook.
That being said, and here’s where some negative criticism comes in but with the amount of space they have (it IS a large Joe Fresh), I would say the stock for men vs women on the floor is about 30% — 70%, respectively. Retailers these days are odd — they believe that men do not seem to understand that men enjoy shopping as well so like usual, like every retail store or retail chain out there, Joe Fresh has given literally a small cut out section of the entire floor to men and the rest is of course women’s clothes. (I guess good for women, of course).
But that is typical retail floor planning and Joe Fresh does the same thing very well.
Joe Fresh, take into consideration that there are plenty of men, especially in this neighborhood, who love shopping. You have to give the male audience just as much air time as women. Joe Fresh, when they started off, I thought they were going to finally go that route but at this location, stock for men, space allotted for men is again, compromised.
A couple of quick notes, the store is no more than the old concrete shell of the Maple Leaf Gardens, and that’s concrete floor, concrete beams and columns which is kind of modern but the floor is very hard in your feet and legs (may sound trivial but it’s not) and that they cannot change, I get that. This is a historical building so many things they cannot just rip out and I don’t think, like many Canadians would want that per se.
Second, customer service, like many others Joe stores I’ve read about and visited is not wonderful; hell it is sparse. Finding someone generally is not easy unless you get help at the cash register; there were no staff around, floating on the floor for assistance. Joe Fresh, take note, YOU REALLY NEED TO HAVE YOUR ENGAGE YOUR CUSTOMERS MORE. Those customers are there, spending and in turn, laying your employees and keeping store locations alive. I think from the start, and reading others’ reviews, this has been a big challenge and I don’t know why. I can say it drives nuts when you see, literally, no staff on the floor. Oh, my bad, as for the maybe 40 minutes I was in the store, I saw one person on the floor but he was stock I think more so than a sales person.
Joe Fresh, you really have to train staff to not be afraid of customers — or at least have sales people on the floor. I couldn’t find my size in a men’s awesome basic tee; after a while, I just put it back on the shelf because I needed someone to come to me (that’s what customer service is) and see if I needed help. I mean someone at the cash must have seen me looking like I wanted help but no one approached. Lost sale there.
Oh, an interesting observation, and I don’t know what it is but the 2 people at cash were so completely bored, I assume with nothing to do (you could have come and helped me, lol !), they both had some pretty sour looks on their faces — they were utterly bored, and you know what? For a retailer, that shows big time. It sets the vibe for just not a very fun or entertaining or friendly place TO shop.
Not much else to say. Prices are great but you do get what you pay for so keep in mind — I walked out with 2 sweaters and socks for about 35 $. Not bad at all. Just watch the quality, and hold onto your receipts.
Oh, one very cool thing. You can use your PC points for shopping.
So for this location, in this historical building, I rated it a ³⁄₅.
Definitely the largest store (all being relative) downtown and worth a visit.

I have been so underwhelmed by this store both times that I visited I thought i would write a review with the hopes that someone in management would take note.
I had heard great things about joe fresh from my friends, great prices good designs and solid basics, sounds like a score to me. I needed new briefs and thought i would buy a few pairs and see how they were.
Upon entering the store the first time (on a quiet wednesday afternoon) I was impressed by the smart /​clean /​modern design, and the clothing on display looked good.
Could barely make eyes with anybody on the staff there and spent 10+ minutes standing over the underwear trying to find a size (if you work in retail and see somebody flailing arm’s, yelling things like «I wish I could find a Medium» that is your cue to come help them).
No one came, and I left.
ON a second trip back to loblaw’s, i thought i would give them another try, maybe the last trip was a fluke.
Well i managed to find my briefs in my size in under 5 minutes and only had to wait a minute for somebody to man the cashier station.
I chit chatted with the cashier who told me the store is 3 years old, frankly if they were 6 months old i’d understand the issues but at 3 years clearly they messed up somewhere.
the briefs are OK, at $ 6 i cant complain but wont return to the store.

Joe Fresh has a confusing exchange policy– although the back of the receipt stated that exchange only available after 14 days (yikes pretty short refund period) staff were confused about this and initially argued that I could not exchange at all. Wanted to exchange a coat that I bought for a larger size– store was out of the size but it was available on-​line. Store does not issue credit notes for exchange purposes so could not exchange the coat for the available on-​line one??. If I want to return the coat ($ 170.00) I must purchase $ 170.00 worth of merchandise immediately upon returning the coat. Stupid policy that is not customer friendly, I will think twice about shopping at Joe Fresh in the future.

I immediately found pants and tops I wanted to buy. They were priced fairly (competitive to H&M pricing). Some items were way more expensive, some less so (similar to H&M as well).
Important to know: they use sad labour overseas and poor practices, so I’ve found out.
The change room was where they lose marks from me. There was one guy (really, a kid) manning the whole thing, and poorly at that. He didn’t know how to prioritize, and he clearly had NO clothing experience (I asked him how an item was supposed to be warn and he sort of laughed and said he had no idea). You need someone back there with some helpfulness/​knowledge OR the ability to bullshit for a sale, and they should either have back-​up or be able to multi-​task with a smile.

After receiving major surgery, and attending physio up the street, my mother and I went to Joe Fresh to shop for some comfortable lounge clothing. I love the product that they have. Currently, I am on crutches and my mother clearly had her hands full, with my cushions etc. No one helped us, no one talked to us, there was no service whatsoever. I felt discriminated against as a person with a disability as other able bodies were being helped. Upon paying, the cashier was extremely rude and unpleasant. She didn’t even smile. I love Joe Fresh product but their service at that location is terrible. I’ve been to other locations where this was not the case, so I hope they learn to step their game up.

flashy and fun, but horrible fits and very cheap quality. I ended up buying nothing… the $ 8 shirts just weren’t worth it.

Have had to endure some bad press lately despite the fact that the whole industry is in the same boat. Their product is very good with some beautiful colors and designs. All at a terrific price.

I went in to get some cheap flip flops that I had been eying, when lo and behold, they had been taken off the shelves.
I asked an employee if they had any in back, and after a couple of questions on size and colour, she came back with what I needed. AND she told me they were on sale. Score.
The store was busy and she was clearly in the middle of merchandising but she went out of her way to help for a sale that amounted to a few dollars.

Si vous passez par Carlton street East de bon matin, ce Loblaws sera un bon point de départ pour:
— prendre un café et un petit déj’ plus ou moins copieux…
— faire quelques emplettes pour préparer un piqué-​nique quand vous irez vous baladez dans Toronto…
— vous ravitailler en fruits frais, cup cakes faits maison ou en spécialités canadiennes… (je recommande la marque Président Choice, abordable et de bonne qualité)…
Autre chose: un médecin sans rendez-​vous au fond du centre, 60 € environ la consultation si vous en avez la nécessité !

I was waiting in line to check out today when I was waved over to a register. As I arrived the phone rang. The cashier picked it up and proceeded to talk to the customer on the phone as she rang me through. She went through a checklist of what they had in stock as well as the store location and some parking tips. I waited and waited to pay but she just kept talking to the customer on the phone. If she had bothered to make eye contact with me, show would have seen how unimpressed I was.
Finally my partner grew impatient and pointedly called out «It’s on debit.» Without breaking the phone conversation, making eye contact or even giving me a total, she punched a few keys and tapped the debit terminal to indicate I should insert my card. I completed the transaction and she handed me the bag. As I was walking away fuming, she finally hung up.
I was there first and should have been served first. I don’t know who trained her but where I work you deal with the customers standing in front of you (the ones actually making a purchase) and ask the person on the phone to hold. It was very rude and made me not want to shop there again.
The menswear selection is already less than ¼ of that store and the sizes on what is there are almost always limited to S, M or XXL. This sort of terrible customer service makes me want to forgo the store altogether.

buyer beware
the fall jackets with the detachable hood with a zipper and snap buttons
the material it is made from really makes you sweat especially with the unpredictable weather we have had
they are made in Viet Nam
also the pockets are too small not deep enough can’t even hold your cell phone
I swear every single company who makes coats should have a hidden pocket in the chest area for your cellphone

This Joe Fresh is right near my house and I check check it out on a weekly to bi-​weekly basis. A lot of the clothes are incredibly cheap and the styles are constantly changing. However, the fact that they change over so quickly also works against it. If there’s something you see that you may want, you have to BUY IT NOW. If you go back, even a week or two later, you’re almost guaranteed not to find the size you need. That happened to me a number of times. However, there is usually something else that will tickle my fancy instead!

Eye opening, really. Bright fabrics, clean white walls, smartly laid out lightening… Jorge L was right suggesting you bring your sunnies!
H&M is probably the closest thing I can use for friends in the states to compare to. The price point is such that you don’t need to be worried if your über trendy tops and pants aren’t hip and with it next month. I joke with folks that H&M is disposable clothing, in that you’ll wash it once and it’ll fall apart, but Joe Fresh is different. Quality is much better, fabrics are much studier, and the bright red jeans I purchased on a recent vacay are holding strong!
I do wish there was more of a selection. It seems there are a few pants styles, a few shirt styles and a few sweaters in a bajillion bright colours. I also noticed on my recent April trip they were a season or so behind. Sweaters and coats lined racks and I figured by this time JF would be getting ready for summer. Other than that, I’m a fan. The staff that helped me in the changing room and ringing me up was wonderful. They answered care questions with ease and talked to me a bit about sizing (helpful for this American who can’t really read French).
All in all, a great first trip. And they’re in a grocery store. What more do you need?!

Bring sunglasses.
The store is bright and colorful and it’s inside Loblaws… that’s Joe Fresh.
While I like the style, the quality of jackets is quite poor. You can’t wear this to impress your date. You will look like a walking IKEA — sporting trendy fashion manufactured in 5 minutes by cheap laborers.
Joe’s sense of style is similar to LACOSTE and Ralph Lauren — hip, fashionable professional walking down the street of New York and Toronto. Trendy but not pretentious.
This style is hard to find at a cheap price.
Zara and H&M offer a more GQish look that will make your mother squirm (and smile) if she’s not used seeing you wearing a very tight fit pair of jeans. Or can be too trendy for some people.
There are tons of good items though. Slippers, shorts and sports shirts where quality does not matter (a lot).
Do I recommend this? Oh for sure. Let hubby pick up vegetables downstairs as you try on new sports shirts.

Holy cheap clothes, Batman!
I’d never been to a Joe Fresh before, so during a recent excursion to the new über Loblaw at the old Maple Leaf Gardens, I took a quick jaunt upstairs to find out how fresh this Joe Fresh really was. When I got there, I was met with a choir of angels singing and offering Boxing Day savings on khakis and sweaters. The types of clothes at Joe Fresh err more on the side of Gap than H&M or Zara (that is to say, more focus on preppy classics, less trendy), but still very wearable. The prices, however, are in line with Old Navy. Sweet! I had to stop myself from pulling stuff off the racks. By the end of my little shopping trip, I had scored a fuzzy sweater, super-​soft cords, a cashmere-​blend tunic, and a few tanks — all for under $ 100. Score! The sales associates were also very nice and helpful without being overly pushy or aggressive. I dug my first Joe Fresh experience and will definitely be back.