Charlotte Russe Review 2024

Charlotte Russe is a one-stop shop for young women fashion. They offer all the trending fashion trends to make you step out in style. Charlotte Russe was started in 1975 by three brothers in California. The company changed hands in 1996 when it was acquired by Saunders Karp & Megrue (SKM), and again in 2009 when it was bought from SKM by Advent International. In that time, Charlotte Russe has gone from being private to going public and back still to being a private holding.

Through all the changes, Charlotte Russe has expanded, and now operate stores (over 500) in almost every state of the US. They still focus on their original customers of young women in their late teens and twenties. There are many new additions daily, to ensure that you have all the latest trending styles.

The online store can be accessed at https://www.charlotterusse.com. The website is available in English and Spanish.

Yes, Charlotte Russe is a legitimate retailer. The company has been around since 1975 and sells a variety of clothing, shoes, and accessories for women.

Also, the website is fully mobile optimised. You can access it with all mobile platforms, such as Android, iOS, BlackBerry, Windows phone etc. All you need do is type the URL into your browser, and you’ll be redirected to the mobile shop. You’ll be able to browse through all the items in stock, place orders, and access every other service that you can access using the desktop.

Charlotte Russe makes it easy for customers to make purchases by providing detailed product description and product images. Images include close-ups and are shot from different angles, to give you a good view of the products. The products are described with clear bullet points. Where they have on-model clothes, the height of the models is given, to communicate dimensions properly.

Charlotte Russe is a French dessert. However, this is not about the recipe and fast food shops, but fashion and fast fashion shops.

This is because three brothers started a fast fashion store some decades ago and named it Charlotte Russe after their favourite dessert.

Charlotte Russe has passed through different ownership and stages but remains one of the most popular online fashion retailers in the U.S. They promise to provide you with the latest styles at the most affordable prices.

This Charlotte Russe review will also x-ray Charlotte Russe to provide the information that’ll help you decide if the online fashion store lives up to its promises, as well as whether it is worth trying.

Charlotte Russe at a glance

• Online fashion retail store started in 1975, and currently owned by Advent International
• Focuses on trending fashion for young women in their teens and twenties
• Has over 500 physical stores in the US and Puerto Rico, and ships merchandise from these service centres to only the U.S. and some U.S. outlying territories
• Provides an extensive product range which includes dresses, tops, bottoms, plus sizes, shoes, beauty products and accessories
• Offers affordable prices as well as enticing promotions
• Offers free shipping and product exchanges
• Payment methods supported include credit/ debit cards, PayPal, store gift cards, Android and Google Pay
• Use SSL technology and top-notch encryption to secure customers’ sensitive information
• Customer support available through telephone, and email

Is Charlotte Russe legit?

Charlotte Russe is legit, not a scam. When it comes to buying things online, you can never be too careful. If you walk into a brick and mortar store to buy something, at least there is a physical location you can return to if it turns out that you were played; but with online transactions, it is different. Thus, almost all the time people will ask if an online platform is legit or a scam before sending in their hard earned money.

In this section, we’ll provide the information that will help answer if Charlotte Russe is a legit online fashion retail shop or a scam. What was considered include the store’s longevity, whether it is recognized by any legal jurisdiction, the identity of its operators, existence of physical stores etc.

• Longevity: Charlotte Russe was founded in 1975, with their first shop opening in San Diego, California. This means that the company has been operating for over four decades.

Suffice it to say that no scam shop can operate for that long. The scam houses are always short-lived. In just a short time, their scamming operations are discovered; and when the spotlight is shone on them, they pack up.

• Legal recognition: Charlotte Russe is a company that is duly registered as Charlotte Russe Holding, Inc., having a registered office at 5910 Pacific Center Blvd. Suite 120, San Diego, CA 92121. In the least, this shows that the company is 100% legal.

Scam platforms never obtain relevant licenses as registered companies. At most, they fake certificates to present to customers who are wise enough to ask. Don’t go wondering if Charlotte Russe’s certificates of incorporation are faked because the company went public in 1999 and traded stock in the stock exchange. Suffice it to say that there is no way a scam company will file papers with the Securities and Exchange Commission. It would also interest you that in 2009 the company was led back into a private holding for about $380 million (with shares bought at a price of $17.50 per share). Do you still doubt the legitimacy of Charlotte Russe?

• Operators: Though started by three Brooklyn born brothers (Daniel, Frank and Larry Lawrence), Charlotte Russe has changed hands over the years, and is owned by Advent International since 2009. Advent International is a global equity firm that focuses on buyouts and strategic restructuring of companies. Apart from Charlotte Russe, the company has successfully completed the buyout of some other 335 companies in 41 countries all over Western and Central Europe, North America, Latin America and Asia. Suffice to say that scam platforms have hidden operators.
• Physical existence: Charlotte Russe has over 500 physical stores in over 45 states in the US, including Puerto Rico. From these stores, they ship out merchandise. On the other hand, scam platforms, have only virtual existence. Usually, there’s no warehouse or physical stores holding the merchandise, and that is why they cannot fulfil orders.
• That said, the question of whether Charlotte is legit can be put to rest because with so many service centres, you’ll most definitely get your orders.

Is Charlotte Russe safe?

Charlotte Russe is safe to use. You want to also make sure that the online shop is safe. Being safe means that your shopping with them will not expose you to cyber criminals and information phishers.

For example, when you use Charlotte Russe, by visiting the website, placing an order, and/ or contacting their support team, they collect sensitive information such as your name, email address, postal address, phone number, and credit card details. If this information is not adequately protected, it can be captured by hackers (of the underworld). You definitely will not want your personal information or sensitive information like your credit card details in the hands of these unauthorized third parties.

Charlotte Russe says that they take precautions, to protect the security of your personal information and to provide you with a safe and convenient shopping experience. This includes the use of encryption technologies and authentication tools, as well as organizational and managerial safeguards.

On the technical side, they use secure socket layer  (SSL) technology. SSL is the security industry’s standard for establishing a secure link (between a device and a web browser) over a public network like the internet. In essence, a secure link is created between you and Charlotte Russe, and unauthorized third parties cannot peep in to see any of the data exchange in the secure link. Also, the data is encrypted before it is sent through the link, ensuring that even if it is captured by hackers, it cannot be read.

Organizationally, Charlotte Russe pledges to respect your privacy and use your personal information only as necessary to provide you with essential services, or to comply with laws and regulation.

That said, with the use of industry-standard security certificates and encryption, as well as a love act friendly policy, there is no doubting that Charlotte Russe is safe.

Product Range

There is a reason big supermarkets get more customers than smaller stores even if they offer similar prices. One is that customers will rather visit one store where they can find all the items they want to buy, rather than visit multiple stores to get different items.

Apart from the convenience offered, there’s the prospect of cost savings by taking advantage of promos which gives discounts if total expenditure reaches a particular amount.

It’s the same with online stores. You should want to buy everything you need in one place not only because of the inconvenience of visiting different stores for your fashion needs, but also so that you can take advantage of promos linked with the size of total expenditure. Therefore, it’s important to consider if an online fashion store has a wide product range that will cover all your fashion needs.

In this regard, Charlotte Russe is focused on females in their teens and twenties; and they provide every fashion item for that class. The various product categories (as well as some product in each category) that you’ll find in Charlotte Russe are as follows:

• Clothes – these include tops, bottom, coats and jackets, and others including intimates and swimwear. The tops you’ll find include: Tees, sweaters and cardigans, sweatshirts and hoodies, shirts and blouses, casual tops, going out tops and more. The bottoms you’ll find include leggings, wide legs, trousers, joggers, shirts, skirts and more. Coats and Jackets include blazers, anoraks, faux fur, bomber jackets, moto jackets, denim jackets and more
• Dresses – you’ll find dresses for every occasion including Home Coming dresses, Holiday dresses, Party and Cocktail dresses, Wedding guest dresses, Bridesmaid dresses, Nightout dresses, Casual dresses, and Formal Dresses. These dresses different styles such as skater dresses, jumpsuits and rompers, bodycon dresses, sweater dresses, button-down dresses, T-shirt dresses, wrap dresses, long sleeve dresses, shift dresses, off the shoulder dresses, maxi dresses and more.
• Jeans – products here are grouped by style and fit. In style, you’ll find ripped jeans, cropped jeans, refuge jeans, and colour jeans. In a fit, you’ll find skinny jeans, high waist jeans, push up jeans, bootcut jeans, mom jeans, and more
• Plus sizes – this include plus dresses, plus jeans, plus bottoms (leggings, pants, skirts etc), plus tops (shirts and blouses, bodysuit, sweater and cardigan, casuals and going out tops etc)
• Beauty – this include lips product (such as lip gloss, lip balm and more), eyes products (such as eye shadow, eyeliner, mascara, and more), face products (such as contour kit, powder and more), nails products (such as nail polish, fake nails and more), perfumes, and tools & accessories
• Shoes – this includes boots and booties, heels, flats, sneakers and more
• Accessories – this includes scarf, bags and wallets, hats, belts, socks and tights, hair accessories, sunglasses and more
• Jewellery – these include necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings, and jewellery sets

From the different product categories and a wide variety of products in each category, Charlotte Russe will get you stepping out in style no matter the occasion or season. But that is only if you are a young woman.

For everyone else (older women, kids or men), Charlotte Russe is not the place to shop for your clothing. This might be a disadvantage where a customer needs a one-stop shop for family fashion.

That said, Charlotte Russe is a one-stop young women fashion shop.

Prices

It is a no-brainer that you should consider the cost of products in any store, be it a brick and mortar store or an online store. Prices need to be pocket-friendly. Even when you are willing to pay top dollar for top quality, you’ll still want to make sure that the particular item is reasonably priced.

In this regard, Charlotte Russe ticks all the right boxes. You’ll be able to step into the store and come out in style no matter the depth of your pockets.

For example, you’ll find a lot of elegant dresses at just about $20 or under; you’ll find that almost all the top quality boyfriend jeans are below $25; there are excellent tops costing $15 or under, and almost all the leggings are $10 and under. Even shoes have attractive prices; with $15, you can get an array of flats, and with about $25, you’ll be killing in some exotic boots and booties

Charlotte Russe Shipping

Two important shipping considerations are shipping cost and delivery times. You don’t want the total expenditure on items to soar when shipping costs are added, and you also don’t want to wait forever for your orders to be delivered to you.

In terms of shipping costs, online retail stores know that reducing shipping costs gives them a competitive advantage. As a result, many have employed various strategies to bring down the shipping cost, which includes offering flat shipping rates as well as free shipping. Thankfully, Charlotte Russe is no exception.

First, you should know that Charlotte Russe ship only to the United States, Military (AA, AE, AP) addresses, Puerto Rico, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands and Canada. This would come as a big disadvantage because it means that if you live anywhere else, there’ll be no luck ordering from Charlotte Russe.

In terms of delivery times; Charlotte Russe offers standard (ground) delivery for all addresses, but for US addresses they have additional shipping options such as economy air, expedited delivery, and express delivery.

To the US addresses (except Hawaii and Alaska), Standard delivery takes 5 – 10 business days and cost $5.00; Economy Air takes 3 – 4 business days, and cost $13.99; Expedited delivery takes 2 – 3 business days and cost $17.99; while Express delivery takes 1 – 2 business days, and cost $24.99.

To Hawaii and Alaska, standard delivery takes 5 – 15 business days, and cost $15.99, while Expedited delivery takes 2 – 3 business days, and cost $29.99. Only standard delivery is available for all other addresses that they ship to. To Canada, it takes 5 – 12 business days and cost $19.99; to Puerto Rico, it takes 5 – 15 business days, and cost $15.99; to Guam and the US Virgin Islands, it takes 15 – 20 business days, and cost $15.99; while to military addresses, it takes up to 24 business days, and cost $19.99.

An interesting takeaway from the shipping rate is that Charlotte Russe offers flat rates. Thus, you can order a lot of items at the same time without worrying that your shipping cost will increase with the number of items ordered.

Apart from the flat shipping rate that Charlotte Russe offers customers, it will interest you to know that they also offer free shipping. The only catch is that your orders must be equal to or more than a particular amount; and the amount is not set in the skies, as it is just $50.

If the total value of your order is equal to or more than $50, after all, discounts and promos have been applied, you’re not charged a cent for the shipping. Offering free shipping is impressive, but it’s more impressive that you do not have to spend over and above to qualify for free shipping. However, the free shipping offer is available to only US customers, excluding those in Hawaii and Alaska.

Returns Policy

Another important consideration when shopping online is whether the store has a returns policy that will allow you to return (to them) and an item that you do not like when you receive the delivery.

This is important as there are many reasons why you might not like an item when it gets to you. For clothing material, there’s the issue of sizing. The item might not be the right fit, and therefore, unusable by you. There’s even the possibility of the quality not meeting your expectations, or the item getting to you damaged. Whatever the case, a shop that prioritizes customer satisfaction will have a returns policy, and that’s what you should go for. Thankfully, Charlotte Russe is that shop.

If you are not completely happy with your purchase, you may return it to Charlotte Russe within 30 days of the delivery date. They accept both returns by mail, and to any of their stores near you.

However, there are certain items that they do not accept returns on, these include jewellery, electronic gift cards, physical gift cards, swim, intimates, fragrance, nail polish, opened beauty products, and any other item noted as final sale.

To return items that are allowed, the items must be in their original conditions, with all tags still attached. This means items should not have been worn or washed.

Charlotte Russe makes returns very easy by including a returns label with every package. To make returns by mail, you can make use of the pre-paid returns label, and not worry about the cost of return at that point. It is when issuing you your refund that $6.99 is deducted as the cost of returns.

However, if you’re returning any item because an incorrect item was delivered, or because it is defective or was delivered to you damaged, the cost of returns is borne by Charlotte Russe. They also allow you free returns for bridesmaid collection dresses. But for other reasons (such as sizing), you’ll bear the cost of returns or use the returns label at $6.99.

Charlotte Russe also allows exchanges, that is returning an item and getting another as a replacement. However, exchanges are only allowed in the store. It’s a good thing as exchanges are allowed at all because not many stores allow exchanges. The stores will require you to return the first item, get refunded for it, and place a fresh order for the other item. Exchanges make for a smoother buyer’s experience, as it gets you the desired item faster. Therefore, it’s a plus that Charlotte Russe allows exchanges.

Also, after receipt of your returns, Charlotte Russe will process a refund of your payment and will issue the refund to the original means of payment. The refund can take between 2 – 3 weeks to get to your bank account.

I was blown away by what followed. If returns get to Charlotte Russe after the allowed 30 days from the date of delivery, or the returns is without a packing slip or shipping confirmation email, you will still get a refund. Only that it will be issued as a store credit, instead of cash in your bank account.

This is super impressive. Many stores do not issue any refund if your returns do not get to them within the returns window. But, Charlotte Russe issues your merchandise credits which you can use to make purchases in the store.

Promotions

Almost every shop offer some form of inducement to attract new customers and to make former customers return to the shop. Online shops are no exception. The promos that these shops run should interest you because they slash the prices of items in the store, allowing you to get the items for less than their full prices.

Charlotte Russe, like every other online fashion retailer, run promotions from time to time. These promotions are varied and are both products specific and time specific. That is, they apply to particular products, and only run for specific periods. So at each particular time, you should check to know what promotion is running.

At this time of writing, some of the promos that were on include a 30% discount on dresses, shoes, plus sizes, jeans and accessories. Also, it was open to everyone, both first-time customers and others. Another promo was free shipping for orders over $30. This knocks $20 off the total expenditure required for a customer to get free shipping.

Promos that Charlotte Russe had run in the past included “buy one get one free” offers, as well as huge discounts of up to 50% on certain items. If you open their website, you’re greeted by any promo running at the time. If the affordable prices of Charlotte Russe do not give you enough reason to buy from them, their enticing promotions which further knocks down their prices just might.

That said, I was disappointed to find that Charlotte Russe was not offering student discounts. There’s actually a “student discount” tab on their website, but the excitement it brought died when it opened to a page that declared “discount not available”.

This unavailability of a student discount is also surprising since Charlotte Russe targets the student age bracket (females in their teens and twenties). Also, this put Charlotte Russe a little step behind the competition, as many of the competing stores give student discounts. There are some that give 10%, while there are others that give as much as 20%.

That said, a students discount will surely give the target crowd more reason to come to the Charlotte Russe.

Charlotte Russe Payment Methods

Making payment for your items in a brick and mortar store is as simple as dipping your hand into your pocket/ purse/ bag and bringing out bills or your credit/ debit card.

If you’ll also want a hassle-free payment process when shipping online, then you’ll want to consider the payment channels that the online store supports.

Charlotte Russe does support a wide range of payment options, which ensure that making payments for items in the online shop is convenient. You can pay with a host of credit and debit cards, such as American Express, Discover, JCB, MasterCard, and Visa. You can also pay with Charlotte Russe Gift Cards and E-Gift Cards. They also support PayPal and PayPal Credit, as well as Apple and Android Pay.

Understandably, they do not accept Checks. They do not support cash on delivery and layaway plans, so you’ll have to pay for your items at checkout, and your payment must be in full.

However, though it is not significant enough to be a deal breaker, it’s disappointing that Charlotte Russe does not support web wallets or cryptocurrencies. Web wallets are increasingly becoming popular for making payments online, while cryptocurrencies (like bitcoin) are even threatening to replace fiat money in the future.

Customer Support

When shopping online, one service that you should not overlook is the customer support service of the store.

You may have questions that you want to be answered, or you may have issues with your order that you want to be resolved; and when you contact the support team with your questions or issues, you wouldn’t want to be left hanging.

First, Charlotte Russe provides an FAQ on their website. This answers many of the frequently asked questions that have to do with shipping, payment methods, and more.

If you rather contact a support team for assistance; there’s no problem as Charlotte Russe has set up a responsive team for that. The team is available every day of the week to attend to customers inquiries/ issues, but you can only reach them between 9 am – 10 pm (EST) on weekdays, and between 10 am – 7 pm (EST) on weekends.

You can reach the support team by phone (using the line: 888-211-7271) or by mail (using an online support ticket available on their website). It would interest you to know that Charlotte Russe does not keep you waiting forever when you send them a support ticket/ mail. They answer all mails in just a few hours; most times even under an hour. The telephone support is also impressive; as not too many online stores provide this.

I liked

• They have a wide young women fashion product range
• They offer affordable prices
• They offer convenient payment methods
• They offer flat shipping rates, as well as free shipping
• They allow exchange (in store) and returns (by mail and in-store), within 30 days of the delivery date, and they issue the refund in cash
• They include a prepaid returns label in order packages for use in making easy returns
• Even if returns are made past the 30 days returns window, they still issue refunds (though in merchandise credit)
• Customer support is available via telephone

I didn’t like

• They do not accept payment using web wallets and cryptocurrencies
• They do not ship internationally
• They do not offer a student discount
• They do not have s men’s wear range or kids wear range

Summary

There are many reasons to like Charlotte Russe. There’s the fact that the online store is legit and safe. Also, they have a wide variety of excellent clothing and accessories; and there are daily additions to their inventory. Every young woman, no matter your fashion preference, will walk into the store and come out glowing. Most importantly, you don’t have to break the bank to get that.

Charlotte Russe also runs attractive promotions, offer free shipping, and allows returns and product exchanges.

There are only a few disappointments, which include that only young women are served, as there are no fashion products for men or kids. Also, Charlotte Russe serves a very limited market, as they ship to only the U.S., and some U.S. outlying territories.

Do you have experience with Charlotte Russe? Good or bad, kindly use the review section below to give us your brief Charlotte Russe review.