American Apparel

I personally love this American Apparel.
It’s usually the same girls every time I shop here and they’re always really pleasant. They always remember me which makes me feel valued and they will go out of their way to help me find exactly what I’m looking for. Plus they always give me a discount if a product has something on it if that they couldn’t steam it out themselves.
Great customer service in my opinion I guess I just haven’t been there on an off day yet.

Worst. Employee. Ever.
So…
I was stoked to take advantage of the 30−50% off sale at the Cary street location and after browsin’ picked out several items to try on. The girl on staff was pretty apathetic to most customers, which is fine — I don’t need A++ service, but after she unlocked a fitting room, I asked if I could move a whole one door over so my sister and I could be next to each other in rooms.
She didn’t move, stared at me like I had just asked her if I could light some merchandise on fire and after I was like «uhm, so… no?» She answered in primo rude tone «ugh, i mean, I guess if you REALLY need to be in those two rooms you can.» Still didn’t move. Just stared. Uh… no one NEEDS to be anywhere in a retail shopping situation… What? I felt like Kathy Bates in Fried Green Tomatoes, «Why are you being so rude to me?»
More stunned than anything else. Definitely wasn’t going to purchase anything.
I always assume that hey, it’s not a big deal, everyone has a bad day or moment but lawdy, lawdy this was the most bizarro rude behavior ever.
The business will surely survive without me but whew! that was surreal.

Overpriced clothing that can likely be bettered by a good thrift store. I feel like I’m in the costume area of a movie set. And not a good movie. A movie filled with d list actors set in the eighties.
Oh, and the staff is rude.

I’ll start by saying that I really do love American Apparel. While the clothing is pricey, it holds up, and its distinctive, basic look really appeals to me; however, I don’t love it enough to put up with American Apparel’s pissy staff. This has not been my experience at other locations, but at the Carytown store, the sales staff not only ignore you, but they are extremely unfriendly and not in the least bit helpful. You would think that they would be grateful that someone is willing to buy a $ 30 crop top. As cute as I think the clothes are, I’m going to avoid giving them my business in the future after multiple encounters with rude sales associates.

This American Apparel is such a hit or miss. I’ve had one-​star experiences and five-​star experiences, but mostly I’d say my visits have been simply A-​Ok, thus the three-​star average.
The product is the product, regardless of location (welcome to the world of chains!), and I happen to love some of their products. The bodysuits, for instance? The perfect undergarment for almost any outfit. I wear them under dresses, under high-​waisted jeans and crop tops, and under flowy blouses to feel a bit more covered. Really, they’re good for anything — and super comfortable to boot.
The staff, however, are incredibly unpredictable. Sometimes they ignore you completely and you wonder if they’ve actually been trained to do just that. Other times, however, they are extremely helpful and attentive. I would say the latter is much more rare, so please don’t go in expecting A+ service.
My tip would be to search the website first and figure out the styles you’d like to see in person. Then, visit the store with a flushed out sense of direction so the shopping trip isn’t too overwhelming. One thing that’s cool about AA is almost all of the racks are marked with the name and image of the item hanging on it. This makes the store easier to navigate, which is a definite plus given the lack of navigation from staff.
For basics in every color under the sun, American Apparel is a great place to look.

When it comes to planning an outfit for Halloween or a theme party, I am notorious for buying everything at the last minute. And as a result, I pay big time at American Apparel. For instance, I went to an 80’s concert and needed an outfit. I paid $ 22 for a neon pink fanny pack and $ 35 for a black thong leotard that I’ll never use again. If you’re wondering I wore more than just the leotard and the fanny pack.
I justified the expense by saying to myself that I’ll put them in a box and will surely wear them again, but just like an old bridesmaid’s dress, I will not.
They only get 3 stars because they always have what I need for theme parties. And the salespeople are actually really helpful and friendly.
I’d never shop there otherwise. It’s too expensive or impractical (to me — but who knows, maybe people really do workout in thong leotards nowadays?).

The location was cute and quaint, staff was nice, but the selection of stuff was super limited, even the staff shop at AA online.
They were really nice though, if the selection was larger, this store would get more stars…

i don’t have anything really earth-​shattering to say about this particular store except this:
has anyone else noticed that the mannequins for the bras/​undies have ENORMOUS BOOBS???
that’s all.

I had never actually been in an American Apparel store so I decided to stop by and see what it was like. Definitely a good place to come by to grab your basics… leggings, tees, undergarments, hosiery… and…metallic fanny packs? Hmmm, I thought that was always a huge fashion faux pas, but whatever floats your boat, I guess.
The gentlemen working here were so adorable and sweet. Very helpful, too! We felt very welcome. The stuff is a little overpriced with some items, but some are great deals.
I didn’t end up getting anything, but when I’m feeling short on tees or if I need neon leggings for an 80’s event, I’ll be back there in a heart beat.

This store is about the same as any other American Apparel in the county, but I don’t get the appeal of American Apparel. This place is ridiculous and pretentious. The stuff is expensive and not well made. Great, it’s made in the USA, but what about quality? Everything has unfinished seams, no linings and falls apart in one wash. And could someone please tell me why half the store is composed of metallic leggings and high rise underwear? It’s great for Halloween, but not really anything else. I also don’t like that some of the ads are practically porn and that the owner of the company has repeatedly been accused of sexual harassment.

Everyone that works at American Apparel, corporate on down, feels they are better than you and they are not… I have decided to never buy from this pseudo wannabe hip, trendy, and conscious enterprise… if you do shop here buy online and look up promo codes on the internet you can typically find one for 15% off

Like the D.C. store that I usually haunt, this AA also carries those weird metallic porno onesies for women. Aside from that, I love the clothes in general.
The tees are ultra comfy and $ 20. That’s not outrageous, considering my other tee God James Perse charges $ 50+. I always stock up on tees, some new funky tank, dress or something they have out that season and boxer briefs for my Welshman.
I did fall prey to the idiocy of paying $ 18 for a scarf that’s basically just a scrap of jersey knit. It’s cute but phở real? You can definitely do better elsewhere (namely World Market, where the scarves are surprisingly cute and overlooked). I guess the art phag hipster infectiousness of the Richmond student body infiltrated my soul and I needed a scarf to feel complete.
Better than the alternative: scouring the Web for Crystal Castles tix.