Banana Republic

I like Banana Republic’s style offerings overall; I have casual options, work options, and event options. There is a classic and understated elegance to many of the outfits they have, everything has a simple design or pattern, and a lot of items can be mixed and matched. The quality is hit and miss, but most of the time I can tell right away what types of materials will be a nightmare to maintain.
The sales are great, they bring down the moderately high prices, to a more reasonable and affordable range. I check in on a monthly basis to see what catches my eye, and I usually buy an item or two. The sizing is not unrealistic, they measure the sizes to fit the actual (and not supermodel) standards of clothing sizes; xxs, xs, s, m, l xl, xxl — lots of choices.
I like the vibe in this particular store; men and women can shop alongside each other, manikins offer style ideas, plenty of choices, and there is something very clean and chic about the layout. Associates are helpful, even long lines move pretty quickly, and I don’t get harassed about signing up for a credit card (they ask once and move on). My Banana clothes last me at least a year or two, and if you take good care of it, it will definitely last longer.
I used to work in the Financial district of SF, and everyone my age who work business or business casual clothes, shopped at Banana. My office looked liked a Banana catalogue.

pretty standard banana republic, located in the heart of burlingame. this one has a long and deep layout, vs the wide and more spacious feel that i get at other brs in the area.
i have purchased dresses here in the past, from the sale/​clearance section, and the prices have always been fantastic… usually close to 50% off the retail ticket price. it is a hit or miss though, since they don’t always have my size. fitting rooms are pretty standard, as is customer service.
if you want rockstar parking, you’ll have to pay for it, $ 1/​hour by the meters on burlingame avenue and some of the side streets. or, park a little further, and it’s only 25 cents/​hour, a couple more blocks away, you can park along the street for free!

Rude. The sales people need some polishing. I don’t like to be smothered when I shop but simple and polite courtesies go a long way in retail. My questions about an item were answered with a clipped, brusque reply as if I should have known the answer myself. I won’t go into detail over the other deficits but I definitely won’t be back either. Easier and infinitely more pleasant to shop on line and interact with a computer than to be treated like a pos.

I love it! Everyone is so nice and friendly, even when it’s super busy!

The store manager continued to be RUDE even after I shared with her that her sales associate doesn’t know how to do a proper return and then sold me 2013 pants for full price. Get this… when I went to return it that WOMAN had the audacity to blame me that I brought in an old pair. Are you F**kin kidding me. Check your damn camera’s…I was there the weekend before. Anyways the manager didn’t care what I had to say and didn’t care to resolve this in a professional manner. When I realized she didn’t care about Banana Republic’s long time customer, I shared with her that I would contact the corporate office. She sat on the phone silent. (Corporate office doesn’t care about their customer’s either.)
The corporate office should ask themselves Is this who you want managing Banana Republic? A woman who doesn’t care about the business or herself.
How will BR resolve this issue? Their are many members of Burlingame and around who chose not to shop at the local Burlingame store because the customer service is horrible. Check the reviews on Unilocal and BBB reviews on BR… they are horrible! I’m questioning… why do I shop with Banana Republic, at all… if the quality is poor?
Banana Republic’s quality of products are POORLY made.
Banana Republic’s quality in customer service is HORRIBLE.
Banana Republic DOESN“T treat their customer’s with respect.
Banana Republic’s quality is simply BAD.
BR just lost another customer.

I feel bad giving two stars because I’ve always had great service here, but their products are so limited. This place is nothing compared to the San Francisco HQ… and all their sale items are disheveled in a back room.
And they have VERY LIMITED sizes for a lot of their clothing EVEN IF ITS NEW piece!

If ever a banana republic was in need of a revolution, it’d be this one.
I cannot grasp how this location stays in business. It has nothing to recommend it over the Hillsdale location — in fact, it has less of a selection, with no special items that you can only find there. (Often, chains will save «boutique-​y» items for standalone stores… I see none of that here.) Special sizes? I don’t think so. Unique layout, or special displays? Nuh-​uh. Charming environs that set it apart from other locations? Nope.
I often pop in here if I’m on Burlingame Avenue, just for kicks (because I do like BR in general). And usually, as soon as I do, I question my decision. Why? Because service is offputting.
Case in point: my last visit. I came in and the salesperson was so busy folding clothes that she didn’t even look up for a standard «hello and welcome to Banana Republic» (or whatever the employee guidebook instructs them to say). I wandered around a bit… still no offers to help. Then, as I looked at their jewelry, another staffperson walked by, with nary a word. On other visits, I’d encountered similar indifference at the register.
As I mentioned earlier, I like BR and their clothes. I regularly shop at the Hillsdale location. When I go there, the staff approaches, greets, offers assistance, and well-​nigh hovers — usually I find that annoying, but at least I know they’re available to help me out on the off chance I actually want help. And at the checkout, they’re always upbeat, and looking to help you out if they can. But coming to Burlingame, and not even getting a «welcome»? SO weird. That HAS to go against the grain of Gap Inc.‘s corporate customer-​service policy.
I’m giving this one-​star review in the hopes that someone reads it and takes note. Because saying «hello» is free, and turning off customers – who can very easily drive a few miles to another location (or heck, SHOP ONLINE) – costs.

Smaller type BR store on buringame avenue is a great spot but lacks alot of space to have a full inventory like what you are gonna get at Hillsdale. Good service, just not enough space and merchandise.

ALWAYS A GOOD EXPERIENCE!
I’ve been shopping at Banana Republic for years and I can’t remember having a bad experience. My ratings are for two reason:
1. EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE
2. EXCELLENT QUALITY ON ALL CLOTHING!
I buy all of my «boxers» here — as I found them to be the brand with the most comfy and most durable! They also have insane sales here — sometimes you drop in and they hand you this extra card and you can get up to 40% off instantly on everything at their entire store. I really like their slim khakis! Great value and again — excellent made!
The staff here are very attentive. The Burlingame location is exceptional!

I was in search for a specific pair of suit pants and the woman at BR Customer Service did a nation-​wide check and said Burlingame had it! I quickly called Burlingame and they actually searched around the store until they found it. From my experience, most stores just put their customers on hold and return telling them they don’t even have it without a thorough search so I was very impressed by this location’s service.
I swung by shortly after and a friendly associate rung up my items swiftly and I was in and out within minutes! Perfect service, smaller store and slightly difficult parking. I would suggest you calling in for your item first if you know what you want because this seems like a smaller branch and it looks like they run out of sizes fairly quickly.

The place was like a ghost town when I visited on a Monday morning. Staff was not attentive or helpful and beyond getting me a room they didn’t help at all with my shopping needs. Like the clothes, disliked the attitudes bordering on rude. Almost didn’t buy the pair of pants I had because of it. Hillsdale has better selection and MUCH better service.

It scares me that every time I walk in here, there is a sale sign on the door. Great for the consumer, but not so good for the retailer.
As long as you are here on the Avenue, I promise to continue to buy the most boring v-​neck sweaters and add them to the most uninspired wardrobe in the Bay Area.

Came here at around 7 on a Saturday night, and unlike Hillsdale’s Banana Republic, the clerks here were very patient and treated the customers correctly! Katherine helped me with the jewelry and was super friendly and sweet! I didn’t hesitate to ask any questions. Definitely recommend this Banana Republic more than the Hillsdale one– with poor service. They also had a wider jewelry selection here, and I actually found earrings that were suitable for me! TWO pairs!

Banana Republic in Burlingame is in great location and parking is easy, thats the only plus. The men’s section is quiet limited in selection, quantity and is taste. Every time I went there, I found myself leaving within minutes. I really find limited choices. The 25% off sign is just a hook to get in the store.
If you want real selection with a huge clearance rack go to B.R. in union square in downtown SF. You find more choice selection with this multi floor store.

I love Banana Republic because their clothing is high quality and always have a classy fit.
The Burlingame store is smaller than most others and the set up is constantly changing which is a little annoying. It is also pretty crowded and its a little confusing where to line up to get rung up.
The real redeeming factor of this location is the customer service. I have always had positive experiences with the sales associates. Recently I came in with my family looking for Christmas presents. Seeing that my sister was looking at a scarf that was on sale I knew that I had to get it without her knowing. The sales associate, a young girl, approaches us and let us know that there was an additional 25% off on everything purchased that day. Score! My sister walked off and the girl asked if she could help me with anything. She very discreetly put it on hold for me and when I came back several hours later, she helped me as soon as I stepped in the door and knew exactly what I was there for. Such great service! I will definitely be back soon.

Rotten Neighbor.
It’s very satisfying to see that this store and its impertinent staff routinely generate so many hateful reviews by customers. Truly, deliciously satisfying. However, the focus of this review is about the Burlingame Banana Republic store as my noisy, disrespectful neighbor across the street. (Yes, I’m one of the foolish few who nests directly above the yuppie din of Burlingame Ave.)
So it’s Thursday morning, 3AM, and I’m awakened for the umpteenth time by the shotgun-​blast sound of a truck lift-​gate being slammed onto the pavement in front of my building. And then the noisy chatter of little palette-​jack wheels clattering down an aluminum ramp and onto pebbly sidewalk as the shipment is pushed through the FRONT doors of the store; the anti-​theft sensors serenading the street with loud BEEP-​BEEP-​BEEPs. The delivery crew is, of course, oblivious to both the noise and the fact that there is a REAR entrance to the store.
I’ve called the store – numerous times – and spoken with the ineffectual manager about having deliveries made in the rear, to no avail.
I’ve called Banana Republic’s headquarters and was told by an arrogant gatekeeper that she «would tell her business associates» about the issue. Right.
I’ve repeatedly filed noise code violations with the Burlingame Police Department and the City Of Burlingame via the «Citizen Connect» website. No luck.
Maybe being shamed in public will help.
Update: So ultimately it took knowing someone higher up at the Gap to get any results, so a deal was struck with the delivery company (who has been very cooperative) and deliveries will begin no later than 10:30PM and be done by 11PM.
I can live with that.

Banana Republic — the new Walmart???
1. TERRIBLE, RUDE service from the counter staff and especially management
2. Tried to return/​exchange two items I bought 33 days ago that are both falling apart already. Sweater has a two-​inch hole at the neck and skirt has pilled on the backside after two wearings.
3. Within thirty seconds, manager BELLA told me to call customer service since there was nothing she could do because the merchandise had been worn. Period.
4. Got store relations on the phone. They express shock and awe, then went with another manager’s CARLOS determination that the products were not «defective.» WHA???
6. Good news is that Store Relations offered to file a complaint on my behalf — she obviously heard how awful these people were. And also told me to get a second opinion from another store.
Shame on you Banana Republic, Shame on you.
Is it really ok for your staff to behave like this? Are WalMart’s clothes better made than yours?
You need to be accountable if you are going to charge those kinds of prices.

At times, this location seems like an outlet store. You walk in and seems everything is on sale all the time. The tables in the womens section at the front of the store seem to always be in disarray. Ditto the womens belt rack.
It’s dinky in size, there’s no petite sizes and the customer service is the shits. The salespeople are extremely self-​absorbed (which appears typical of a lot of the stores on Burlingame Ave).
All around distasteful experience.

Note the two star is for this location, not the entire chain.
I spend a lot over the years on BR, mostly for business wear… multiples of thousands in binge years… this store has appalling enough service I’d consider not buying again… get over yourselves.
I’d have to concur with some of the other reviewers comments… one of the reasons I used to like BR was much of their stuff was slimmer cut, more European like… tired of being punished for lack of selection b/​c my waist size isn’t 8 inches bigger than my leg size, and BR has been slipping here.
Their supply of men’s stuff continues to shrink it seems, and get more boring.
R.I.P.

For years, I’ve really love Banana Republic clothes. I generally like the way they fit, the various styles, and the quality. I must however admit, that I’m not in love with their prices, but I guess I can’t have everything, despite my best efforts! :)
I’ve been shopping at this particular BR for almost 10 years, and have seen staff & management come and go, and countless remodels and «upgrades». However, they are now at an all time low, in terms of their men’s department. As I sit here writing this review in my cubicle, I’m reminded just how small that men’s section really is … it’s not much bigger than my cubicle. How said is that?! I think we’re limited to about 2 walls for our selection. I know that men aren’t the shoppers that women are, but damn, how can we be, if we don’t have anything to choose from! I’m really disappointed with what they’ve done, and just how limited this formally «flagship» store is.
No thanks!