JC Penney and Kohl's, in fact they used to be at exact opposite ends of the mall I used to go to (always was amusingly annoying having to get from one end to the other).

Gap, because their regular length clothing runs taller than most other brands.

Thrift stores can also be good but yes, that means some heavy shopping.

What style are you aiming for? Can you wear jeans or is it more a "slacks and heels" version of business casual?

Uniqlo always has good, plain, affordable, business casual options.

Khakis and a dress shirt. If you want to go fancier, go to stichfix or something.

https://a.co/d/h2pOn4t I'm obsessed with these pants from Amazon. They're comfy like yoga pants but they look put together. I wear them with a body suit and a cardigan that hits around my waist or just above my hip bone. I hate picking out work outfits so I basically wear the same 5ish outfits on a rotation.

I recently had to build out my business casual wardrobe as well. Madewell has taken so much of my money for both regular clothes and business ones. Decent deals on sale and generally a great quality. I'm also tall, and they tend to offer a tall version of everything which is so lovely.

Zara on sale had some decent deals of meh quality stuff, and I did some last bit of filling out with h&m stuff since the clothes budget was blown. H&m has some stuff that will look good for a bit, but long-term quality isn't great.

I am so glad I work in a industry without serious professional dress requirements. I don't think I've ever worked with someone who dresses as fashionably on the clock as my current GM, and all my contact with corporate has entailed jeans and company logo t-shirts. Apparently once a year or so they send off personal clothing items to be vinyled or embroidered with the company logo to make them officially work clothes. I could never dress "businesses casual" and maintain my current level of performance.

I get pretty much everything from Value Village, but I am also signed up to Reitmans so I can watch for sales in case a sale lines up with extra money. A lot of the girls in my office have gone the Shein route, and while they are technically business casual it looks like obviously cheap, shitty clothing.

I know there's a fair amount of dislike for Shein, but my girlfriend and her daughters use it frequently and have been pretty highly satisfied so far. Also, Uniqlo.

Everlane is a solid choice. They focus on styles that are timeless and well constructed so you can shop less. I have clothes I bought from them 7 or 8 years ago that I still get complimented on wearing and look fantastic. I find them affordable - but I realize that won’t be for everyone.

My girlfriend went from being an RN to working at a business casual tech company.

She buys stuff from Madewell, Everlane, J Crew, Old Navy, Ann Taylor, and then one-offs from other brands she doesn't frequent as much.

(Also, if you commute via public transit - she has sneakers for walking like Hokas and ON shoes, and then keeps a couple pairs of flats in the bottom drawer of her desk cabinet. This is something I've seen a lot of women do at the tech companies I have worked at.)

My partner buys hers at NY&Co, because they have the tall dress pants.