American Apparel

The worst aa ever.

Very very snotty, rude and unhelpful staff.
Will not be going in there again.

I don’t have a problem with American Apparel’s clothing. It’s not ugly. It’s simple… very similar to Uniqlo. Unfortunately, it’s about 5x as expensive (seriously! You can order the same exact style/​color online at Uniqlo and have it shipped to you for half the price of AA). BUT. If you want to try on something, this isn’t a bad place to do it. They also have a lot of basic pieces, so if you need something for work or on the fly, this is a good place to go.
There are two floors! Unfortunately, parking is a bitch so location might not be the best. Protip: Park on Brooklyn (or anywhere West of that) and pay for an hour or so. It’s only a couple of bucks and it’s less stress than parking illegally.
The customer service is hit and miss. Sometimes they are friendly and helpful, but I get the impression that a lot of them don’t know where specific items in their store are.
Personally, I wouldn’t miss American Apparel if they were to suddenly vanish. That being said, I think that people who do wear that style/​like that kind of clothing would enjoy this store. It’s always clean and everything is neatly put away, the sales people don’t overly crowd you, and if you like this clothing than you are perfectly okay with paying that price because it’s worth it to you.

I picked out some shirts on the second floor and wanted to try them on but I could not find a salesperson to unlock one of the fitting rooms for me. I even circled the floor and waited a bit before I headed to the first floor and asked the cashier. She said there should be someone up there and brought me back upstairs. And indeed a cute salesgirl magically appeared, I guess from behind a mirror. She unlocked a room for me and said let her know if I need help with sizes. I tried on the shirts and I actually needed help with sizes. But I found myself left completely alone on the second floor once again. I did not want to go up and down the stairs again so I left. This experience kind of scarred me. I felt very ignored. :(

I don’t understand. If your entire marketing platform as a retail store is, «We are sooooo much better than you,» then… who the hell is your target market?
Snotty service. I mean… really, really snotty. Went in there once and was treated like I was a nuisance rather than a customer.
That’s fine. The clothes are ugly, anyway.
The whole place is a big glass bastion of snobbery and consumerism. What an eyesore. As another Unilocaler put it… please, American Apparel. Just go away.

I have never been into an American Apparel until recently and if I did it was a very long time ago. I was not too terribly impressed with their men’s selection of clothing. They had bright neon V neck t shirts that were expensive. The average passerby would not notice what you were wearing if you bought the same thing at a cheaper store. They had a few nice men’s button down shirts and sweaters but again, you could virtually find the same thing somewhere else for cheaper. Not impressed really with what I saw but the guy working the register downstairs was nice and friendly.

I think some of the reviews below speak more to people’s insecurities and illogical «hipster hating» than the quality of the store or clothes. I find it sad to see reviewers give piss poor reviews because they for whatever reason do not «approve» of the style of the clothes or the culture it represents, and slam the place simply because they dislike everyone and everything attached to that style. This hipster bashing trend has grown so very tired. Hipster hating is actually much more of a trend than hipsterdom ever was. Grow up. If you don’t like the clothes, don’t shop there.
I like American Apparel for two reasons: I am a sucker for quality comfortable minimalist clothing, and because I think it matters how the clothes I wear are made. Yes, most of the stuff here costs $ 5 – 10 more than some other popular retail stores. But they’re great products and ethically made so it’s worth it for me.
The staff here was friendly and helped me find what I was looking for. I’ve bought a lot of sweaters and tshirts at American Apparel and always been happy with them. I’m still wearing tshirts I bought from them in 2006. One imperfection that others have pointed out is the fabric does tend to shrink. It’s cotton, folks! It’s going to shrink. Buy a size that’s just a tad bigger than what you want and it’ll fit right after the wash.

The staff is quite snobby if you are not dressed like you just pulled up in a Delorean. Or maybe they’re snobby to everyone. Who knows. I don’t care.
Except for a few pieces, it feels like a warehouse sale of closets from the 80s which were left to rot in the attic and then pulled out and are trying to be passed off as what the cool kids wear. A lot of off-​putting oranges and metallics.
I’d buy a hoodie from AA… but I could get one cheaper and with better service elsewhere.

Calling American Apparel creepy is like saying that hipsters are irritating. Thanks for the update, Captain Obvious. And, quite frankly, if you aren’t a fan of either creeps or hipsters you will want to stay far away from this store. From the moment I walked in, the blindingly bright lights and oversized posters of absurdly skinny cokehead-​looking models put me ill at-​ease. The sales staff looked alternately bored and contemptuous of me. And good luck trying to find one to grab you another size. You’re on your own there.
Which brings me to the actual garments. American Apparel proudly announces that it’s made in America. Which is great, don’t get me wrong. I am all for keeping as many jobs as possible in the US. But the workmanship is shoddy. The clothes are flimsy and rip at the first possible opportunity. They somehow manage to shrink and stretch at the same time, completely losing any shape they might have had.
And if you’re attempting to find some basics, give up now. American Apparel’s idea of a «basic» is a tank thong (Yes, really. It’s basically leotard combined with a thong. Even the models don’t look good wearing them.) Another exciting product offered is the mesh dress (the model pictured isn’t wearing anything underneath. One has to wonder what the heck kind of occasion such a dress would be worn to. The AVN Awards?)
Upside, they do have a wide variety of colors of each garment, so if you find something you like, chances are you’re going to find at least two or three colors you like for each garment.

I went in to do a simple exchange for a defective tshirt — the bottom hem was all ripped up — and though I had my receipt, I did not have the shirt tag. Fair enough. I was prepared to accept that consequence, when one of the salespeople told the woman who was working with me
«Oh, just print her up a new one; it’s clearly defective.»
The woman who was working with me sneered at me and then said she suspected I’d damaged the shirt and that she was not inclined to help me without the shirt tag. That insulted me.
I went home, rifled through my trash can, found the tag, and plan to return with it, just to give her a hard time. I would’ve accepted her reasoning had she not basically accused me of sabotage. Way to go, UDist AA.

Decent layout and great selection! Perfect location!
Claire was super helpful!!! She was knowledgeable about the clothing and what worked pieces well together. As a sales person myself, I appreciate the fact that she knew her merchandise yet gave me space to look on my own and not feel pressured!

This place always gives me the creeps. This whole company gives me the creeps. I own a few things from this store, but I feel pretty gross about it. Clothing here is very expensive, which they say is because it’s produced in the US, but I also hear that they are union busters, so that almost cancels out any reasonable excuse for having prices that high. The designs don’t live up to the hype, either… I would not recommend shopping here unless you perfectly match one of the models in their catalog.

These people are unbelievable! They actually ask you to **surrender your handbag** in order to try clothes on.
Yes, that is what you’ve read.
I was browsing the store last Saturday, picking some t-​shirts to try on (in the masculine section, of course. Even the XL size is skin tight on the women’s section, and — gasp! — I actually prefer wearing *comfortable* t-​shirts [what a novel idea!].) I picked 3, and went around the store, «hunting» for an employee to let me use the fitting room (there was no one anywhere near to help.)
When I finally found a clerk, she demanded that I hand my handbag over to her, in order to be allowed in the fitting room. First I thought I had misunderstood; after all, it’s somewhat common for stores (especially low-​cost and very low-​class ones) to hold bags behind a counter to prevent shoplifting. But those are shopping bags, large backpacks, things like that — in my entire life I was never asked to surrender my actual purse. But it was no misunderstanding — I looked at my empty hands, and my handbag was all I was carrying. I asked is this is what she meant, and she confirmed it. I shook my head in disbelief and tried to talk sense with the clerk, stating the obvious: that my ID was in there, my credit cards, my cash, my personal belongings, and there as no way that I was going to hand it to her. «Then I’m sorry, but I can’t let you try the clothes» was the answer. I handed the t-​shirts over to her and said something on the effect of «Then you can put these back; I am never coming back here, this is ridiculous.»
I walked out of the store, flabbergasted, wondering if they were really that unreasonable, or if there was something wrong with my appearance, something that would make them want to kick me out. Well, I had taken a shower that day, and my clothes were pretty casual but by no means I looked homeless or dangerous. But just in case, I felt too low to continue shopping and went home. If THAT’S how you want to feel, go to American Apparel.

I love exactly 2 of their sweatshirts. Season after season, I buy them in new colors and wear them until threadbare.
That said, the stores and employees usually make me want to gag. The prevalent hipper-​than-​though, «I make minimum wage and somehow still dress like I’m rich, which makes me cooler than you» attitude just reeks. If
worked better I’d just shop online instead of dealing with the bored and judgmental-​seeming employees again and again.

The clothes are lovely, touch me and look at me clothes. Full colors which can blend and mix and match.
The staff is rude, cold and impervious to the fact that customers might be there to look at things, to buy things to ask questions.
Maybe this is the ‘new’ customer service style — look thin and over-​made up and refuse to acknowledge customers. I don’t bother going in any more.

I like because I bought leg warmers.
I don’t like because, as I’ve seen from everyone else’s comments, they really push women into a sexual toy light.
I like because they have an array of tights, from shiny silver to plain black.
I don’t like because they are way expensive. I never really see a ton of sales, and I can’t afford the product.
I don’t like because the staff is usually very rude, catty and ignorant of the surrounding customers.
Maybe one day they will just sort of … silently disappear and never be heard of again. because with their customer service that’s how I feel whenever I enter and leave.

I have trouble shopping at a store where the customers, the staff, the ad campaign, even the clothes have an air of superiority. I’ve read articles about the head of AA, and he’s detestable. I’ve heard he’s a lecherous lout and has several outstanding sexual harassment suits against him.
The employees are all a little «We’re too hip to talk to you, help you out, or look for the size you need (and OMG you’re a size Medium? Gross.)» The clothes are over-​priced, too, for what you get.
Still, it’s non-​sweatshop produced, made-​in-​America stuff, which you’ve got to support. And some of the sweatshirts are pretty darn cute.

This place was introduced to me by my sister a few year’s ago. Since then I have passed the intro on to several of my friends.
Despite the other reviews on this page (to each their own) I’m really happy to have a place like American Apparel to shop at.
They specialize in cotton fashions in every cut imaginable. The plethora of colors allows you to wear your favorite piece over and over, looking different all of the time. I still wear the very first items I purchased there. They hold up to my obsessive washing. The clothes are great for layering.
The staff there have never been anything, but extremely friendly and helpful. I was surprised when they offered to check other stores for me when the items I was looking for weren’t available. They will actually call you back when they say they will.
The only displeasure I have with the clothes here are when I show up to find my friends wearing the same thing.

Go away, American Apparel.
Or paint over your windows.
You can have a small side entrance with, at eye level, a little sliding window for furtive customers to whisper a password through. For people should not be able to approach these goods without speaking their shame, nor you be permitted to spread your blight across the landscape.
May your posters curl.
May your mannequins topple.
May your shipment explode in flames upon the highway.
Go away.

I love that their basic stuff like leggings and tees come in so many colors! I want to sum the place up by saying everything is really simple, but they have metallic tights, Union suits, all kinds of little dresses, and dog clothes too, so ‘simple’ isnt really right.
Considering that it’s all made in the U.S. of freakin’ A., it’s really reasonably priced. Except if you’re buying tube socks, those you could probably get cheaper at Wal-​Mart. But that would require going to Wal-​Mart, and those tube socks are probably made in Sri Lanka.