Gap

I’m a New Yorker — aka: natural born shopper — and have always been a big fan of Gap and Old Navy. I am also a part-​time Massachusetts resident. While I’m surrounded by the chain here in Manhattan the one Gap I enjoy shopping in the most is the one in Longmeadow, MA.
Not sure if it’s the welcoming fung shway layout, the appealing eye-​candy displays, or the super friendly managers/​sales-​help who I always seem to be in sync with and are more than willing to get me anything I ask for. All I know is I walk in the door and I always want to not only try items on, but I usually end up buying something. Maybe their 3 way mirror makes me appear taller than my 5′ 2″ frame, and everything looks better on me out of Manhattan. Whatever… somehow it all works.
Per the disappointed comments I saw here, maybe you hit the wrong person at the wrong time. They did try marketing changing their departments in the past (men’s versus lingerie) which I know because I asked them about it. I should think that’s a corporate decision. But I’ve never experienced anything super terrible, and if something irks me I’m not shy about stating it. The same goes for the opposite. So here I am.
A real pleasure to shop there.

This Gap location has been perfect for my boyfriend. The selection is great and every time we have gone there is always a sale going on. In the fall we were able to find a variety of sweaters and long-​sleeved shirts for him that were ridiculously discounted (while still great-​looking.) The sales associates are always happy to help, but they definitely keep their distance if you don’t want to be bothered, which I appreciate. If I want help, I’ll ask!

I went there for Black Friday. Came later in the day to avoid the crazy rush. But the 50% discount was still going. I just moved here from Hawaii and was looking for a winter coat. There was not a huge collection when it came to pea coats, but I did find one that I fell for. Only paid $ 75 for it, which I was stoked about because I was going to purchase one from Jcrew that was 4 times more. As soon as I was looking through the racks an associate came up and asked me if they had sizes that I needed that wasn’t already out. I loved that they were very attentive, same thing happened as soon as I was in the kids section. Now I’m giving them a four star because the store may look as if it is in chaos from the mad shoppers that probably hit it up before I did. I’m not sure why the rankings are so low, but it seems that the reviews were from awhile ago. My fiancé said that the men section was fairly reasonable. No one asked if my fiancé needed any help, so that’s why it’s a four vice five star.

I walked past Gap yesterday, (Bliss Road, Longmeadow MA) and there’s a sign outside which says «Gap Kids,» so I thought they still didn’t have a men’s department. But in the storefront window, there were some men’s items on display, so I walked in, and sure enough, there is a men’s section. To my recollection, this particular Gap eliminated the men’s department about two years or more ago-​I have no idea why? I don’t know who runs the store, or who runs their marketing but they honestly don’t have a clue! Their merchandise is fine-​I mean, I’ll probably be back in there, but– another complaint I have is there are no mirrors in there. It’s not a vanity thing-​seriously-​but it would be nice if you have a coat in there that you try on if there were a mirror somewhere that isn’t halfway across the store. The staff in there seem nice enough, but then again, they are all oddly focused on re-​arranging stuff rather then focusing on customers. I think I was in this Gap a few years ago, and I did buy a few things in there every now and then-​I did buy some socks yesterday-​but why did they decide to get rid of the men’s department a few years ago? Why don’t they have a sign out front that says what they actually sell-​not just «Gap Kids?»

Can I rate with negative stars???
On Friday night I had one of the worst shopping experiences of my life. I went to the Gap in Longmeadow, MA, to purchase an outfit I intended to wear on an important date later that evening. The store was fairly empty when I walked in, but for one or two customers and about six sales associates. As soon as I broke the threshold into the store I must have become invisible, because I was ignored from the start. I made eye contact with every associate as I struggled my way thru the length of the men’s section trying to find an outfit for my date that night. After about six or seven minutes of frustration I finally broke down and asked for assistance. I believe I must have spoken with the manager, but I’m not sure. She was wearing a headset and seemed to be a bit cold or focused on something else. She immediately pawned me off to another associate. This new associate was of no help, because she lacked enthusiasm and was unfamiliar with my needs as a result of working in the children’s department. Associate number two summoned a third associate after resigning to her own struggles of not helping me. This new associate wasn’t much better, tho she was at least a bit courteous and gave it half an attempt. I couldn’t take this ineptitude any longer, but I was on a time constraint and had to buy something. I resorted to calling another store in Columbus, GA, 1133 miles away for assistance.
When Stephanie answered the phone on the other end of the line I was relieved. Stephanie is my subject matter expert on all things fashion, and has actually become a good friend of mine as a result of a pleasurable shopping experience about a year ago. Her enthusiasm for fashion, and genuine desire to make people happy by matching them with the perfect attire is without rival among her peers. She does not sell clothes, she sells confidence! I was happy to spend close to $ 2000 on myself this year based on her recommendations alone. Anyway, before I digress too far (I can easily write twice the amount of positive feedback about her and the entire Columbus, GA, crew as I can write negative feedback about the people in Longmeadow) I explained my situation to her and she began to advise me on what to look for over the phone. She described a few items (the really cool items were not stocked) that I was able to pair up, and once I got a visual on them I loved it! But, it just wasn’t in the cards for me. The perfect outfit was not available in my size. Completely disappointed, I thanked Steph for her help and hanged up.
As I was about to leave I was approached by one last associate. She was the most pleasant of all I had interacted with up to this point. She took a minute to listen to my concerns and then attempted to help me find a resolution. She understood that I had an important date in less than hour, and I was running way late. She said that what I was wearing at the moment was fine, but that I could dress it up with a crew neck shirt/​v neck sweater combination. Her suggestion looked good so I immediately made the purchase, thanked her and went on my way. Thanks again cashier 2 075 102, but for your last hail mary attempt my visit would have been a complete loss.
I guess the morale of this rant was that personnel and customer service make a world of difference. I thought I really liked the GAP, but I guess I just really like the Columbus, GA, GAP. Clothes on rack are just that, but the right clothes on the right person is art. Without people like Stephanie or cashier 2 075 102, the transformation process from plain canvass to da Vinci’s Mona Lisa cannot be appreciated. As a consumer I can and have told people about all the good aspects of the Columbus, GA, GAP, and will tell others about all the poor aspects of the Longmeadow, MA, GAP. The first step is this discussion post, the second will be Unilocal,and the last will be word-​of-​mouth.

It’s a Gap!
It’s a Gap with a small men’s section!
It’s a Gap with a really small and not very good discount section.
They don’t have argyle boxers.
Basically, a below-​average Gap.