Banana Republic

Had to write a review because of the awesome customer service I received from Lizette and James. I had to return my purchase and unfortunately the size that I want was out of stock. They went and look for other stores inventory just to find the size I need. The process took longer but they already informed me about it. Longer NOT because of them but because of the other person on the phone who were processing the sale and shipping. They looked, they called, they returned and then ordered it for me! Now I just have to sit at home and wait for it. Love it!!!
Over all GREAT CUsToMER service!!!

I always receive excellent customer service at this BR. Their sales professionals always go above and beyond!

I totally thought banana republic has the policy that you can exchange the clothes anytime if it’s defective. Today, I went over there to exchange my son sweater that it has a hole. They won’t accept exchange it because it’s 2013. Within two years and my son only wore two or three times.

Brown trench coat for $ 298.00 [item # 722 081−00−1] was apparently mislabeled at $ 169.99 today. Stood in line for 25 minutes because the store is so busy today. The counter called the manager Armando and he said that it was mislabeled and I have to pay full price. Seriously? 25 minutes later and it wasn’t my fault that it was mislabeled? Bad customer service for someone who comes here all the time. — at Banana Republic Palo Alto [Stanford Shopping Center].

Poor experience with customer service on a defective product. They would not allow me to exchange it and we’re very curt. Beyond that I question now the quality of their product.

This Banana Republic feels a bit cramped. When there’s a lot of people it’s not super pleasant to shop here. The back room is Petite and some sale but the room is very small.
There can be some good sales here (40% off your entire purchase, 40% off sale etc). You’d have to be crazy to buy anything from Banana Republic full price!

Cashier 2 519 325 (Asian man, mid early 20s) needs to learn manners and how to properly greet and thank guests. Checking your phone while with a guest is not ok.

ever since i started working again, i just can’t stop spending my paycheck here! since i work in financial services, i am generally expected to look sharp and polished, with a more business-​like dress code, as opposed to a casual dress code.
br pretty much takes care of all of the pieces of my wardrobe, from the collared button-​down dress shirts, to the 3-​piece suits (jacket — skirt — pants), to the office appropriate dresses that i will wear in warmer weather.
did i mention that they have a great selection of jeans as well? for the weekends, i am able to sport a nice pair of boot cut jeans or more form fitting ankle length straight jeans. i love the fact that they have a petites section, especially for us smaller framed women with shorter arms and legs! their petite clothing seriously fits me just perfectly.
they frequently have sales, and this location, in particular, has a ginormous selection in the very back of the store, with clothing sorted by size. i have often picked up a dress for 50% off or a top for under $ 20. patience is a virtue when going through the sale and clearance section!
i’ve also picked up a few items for my husband here, as they have a great selection of formal and casual wear for the gentlemen. my hubby rolls with the casual look, so i will go for the sweaters and polo shirts when i’m shopping for him.
customer service is generally pretty good here, but at times, it gets pretty busy in here, so they might not be able to give me as much attention as i need, but in general, it’s pretty good.
already looking forward to paying you another visit, banana republic!

Clean and well-​stocked!
Lots of people were lined up outside this store before it opened on a Thursday morning, and they opened 5 minutes late which seemed a bit rude…

I picked up a pair of Banana Republic chinos a few years back, and really love them.
I decided to get another pair, and stopped by the Stanford Shopping Center to buy another pair. I found them in store, tried them on briefly, and they seemed to fit fine.
I took them home, washed them, and wore them to work the next day. That’s when I discovered I had picked a pair of the slim chinos by accident; I could barely sit down while wearing them.
I took them back to the store with the receipt to exchange them, and was informed that I could not return them because they had been washed and worn. I asked to speak to the manager, who told me the same thing. She would not offer me a discount on a new pair, and would do absolutely nothing to help me out or make me a happy customer.
I had been very polite and calm throughout the transaction. At the end, I was so mad I walked out of the store without the pants.
«Sir, don’t you want your pants?»
«No. I can’t wear them.»
The quality of the Banana Republic chinos is very good; it’s sorry to see that the quality of the customer service was so poor at the Stanford store. I remember good customer experiences, and I remember bad customer experiences. This was one of the worst customer experiences I’ve ever had.

Store is neat with lots of walking room and decent selection but my problem is with the service. I was in here for nearly 30 minutes today and not a single employee greeted or even acknowledged me, even though there were barely any customers to attend to and plenty of employees just chit chatting at the cash wrap. At least two employees walked past me with an armful of clothes and didn’t offer to set up a fitting room or anything for me. The guy who rang me up was helpful and attentive but that doesn’t excuse the behavior of his colleagues. I’ll be spending my money at the BR at valley fair or Los gatos from now on. Peace.

Moi qui ai une quasi-​phobie des magasins de fringues, j’avoue tout de même que celui-​ci est très bien: l’offre est sympa, le personnel est serviable quand on le demande et né vous harponne pas quand on n’a rien demandé (et aux US, c’est rare), les lieux sont modernes et aérés… Petite critique, il faudrait plus de miroirs, ou alors que les miroirs existants né soient pas encombrés par les présentoirs supplémentaires qui ont été collés devant !
Dans l’agréable centre commercial à ciel ouvert à deux pas de Stanford.

40% off everything in the store is a great deal. Do expect long lines at the fitting room and register due to the big sale, other than that, pretty good deals.
Happy shopping.

Walked in, walked around, walked out.
Never once acknowledged… whilst the lady shopping next to me was clearly acknowledged.

When did Stanford Shopping Center suddenly have a bajillion people come through each day? It’s like wading through a pool of people. Of course, the Banana is a popular spot especially in light with of the sale that they were having. People of all ages, races and countries were roaming through the racks. I really wish I were taller so that the pants fit me perfectly without needing to be tailored, but their t-​shirts are fantastic. If you didn’t know, they are the upper end version of Gap and the super upper version of Old Navy. Bring in your Banana card and you’re likely to get a discount when you pay (trust me you’ll need it). This location is right next to La Baguette so be sure to try your clothes on first before you grab something to eat ;)

I needed to return a shirt that I bought 3 days ago. But the store person told me that I can’t return it since it ends with certain number. I had no idea what he was talking about at first. Apparently, they make some sale items as non returnable. When I bought it, a cashier didn’t tell me anything about it. I wouldn’t have bought it if I was informed that the item was non-​returnable, just in case. But the store person wasn’t even willing to try to work it out or anything although it was the cashier’s fault. I’m REALLY disappointed about their customer service. I’m not sure if I shop there anymore.
My suggestion: If you shop there, make sure if it’s returnable or not. The shop person might not be telling you about it.

According to the «manager,» there is a rule where you cannot use your gift card when there is a Friends & Family coupon applied. The manager first stated that I had a GAP gift card and it’s not Banana Republic. Then I mentioned that on the back of the GAP gift card it states that the gift card can be used at Banana Republic. Then she stated that it cannot be combined with a coupon. Gift cards are good as cash, don’t let them tell you it can only be accepted when there is no promotion.
The snobby «manager» got defensive when I asked her to speak to someone about it and said she IS the manager. If she is the manager, she should be more focused on
— properly training the workers to greet/​help customers just like all other BRs
— clean up the store, mens stuff was mixed up all over the place. Sizes, styles, it was a disaster. Valley Fair store has more customers, but it’s not mixed up as badly as this
— maybe place a mirror where the fitting room line is and you can reduce the line and the time people spend in the fitting room
At least focus on something better than ruining someone’s shopping experience by blocking their use of the gift card with bogus reasons… idiot.
On a good note, they have plenty of items in stock. If you can’t find your size in the San Mateo Banana Republic, chances are Stanford will have it.

It’s Banana Republic, you go in for staple pieces and hope, by chance, you can find your size and quickly get what you need. Usually, at least in most locations, this is not a problem, at Banana Republic at Stanford Shopping Center this proves to be the impossible.
I walked in WANTING to spend money — I knew exactly what I needed, but after 10 minutes of trying to find someone to see if they had my very common size in the stockroom since they didn’t have it on the floor, and after being told «Ma’am I can’t help you there are too many people ahead of you who need me» I decided to walk out.
The layout of the store is bad. The staff is almost non-​existient and those that are on the floor are not actually helpful. And it’s Banana Republic, if you’re going on sale every day try just a smidge of customer service and you’ll probably be able to make better sales.

Let’s talk about lunch:
From the girl who brown-​bags it every day, lunch costs me a pretty penny. Thankfully, what I get out of it lasts a lot longer than an hour and holds up in the wash.
If you ever want to meet for lunch, you’re more likely to find me here than at a sandwich shop. Granted, this one costs the equivalent of 5 – 10 sandwiches.
BR epitomizes that buttoned-​up, conservative look I could never pull off and not just because I’m 5’0″, not 5’8″, nor sporting leather pumps day in and day out.
Good news: 50% of your closet can be jammed with threads from BR, but your image doesn’t have to scream where you got it.
While I’ve watched other brands rise and fall over the years, Banana hasn’t wavered. Sure, styles change, but the quality remains.
This store is like so many other BRs, but I find the petite section to be rather, well, petite. At the same time, service is pretty solid and, especially on Wednesdays, you’re bound to be able to find loads of items on sale.
Sure, my brown-​bag lunch isn’t cheap, but it will be with you a while.
And wouldn’t you rather have a perfectly tailored (they’ll do it in-​house) pair of pinstripes around your waist than those extra pounds you could have picked up at a drive-​thru?

I find this store (and BR in general) to be hit or miss. I don’t normally wear business clothes, but never have enough when I do need them. This is always my starting point. I don’t find the prices as terrifying as most of the other Stanford Shopping Center stores and I have a GAP credit card, so I get special discounts and «cash back».
I like the classic styles, but sometimes they put some crazy persion in charge of their design. Why are they on this Mad Men kick right now? I don’t want to look like a secretary from the 1960’s, thank you very much. On the other hand, I really like their suits and occasionally see a nice sweater.
When I usually come in — fresh off my bike and looking like the graduate student I am — I am usually fairly ignored. I get that at most stores though. The last time I came in I was trying to find dressy pants to match a black blazer and work with a button down shirt. This is far harder for me than you would think, so I wore the blazer and button down shirt with the shoes I would be wearing. I didn’t get much more attention than normal, except in the dressing room where Claudia was very helpful. She helped me find the right size and corrected me when I thought the pants were the right length and they weren’t.
They were doing a secret envelope sale (you get a sealed envelope with a discount), so I ended up with 30% off. I got a pair of grey suit pants, two necklaces, and 3 pair of socks. I was particularly happy with the pants and found that if I got a few sizes up in petit that the length is perfect (normally I need to get them hemmed). I wish they had the same size and cut in more colors, but this works!

Full disclosure: I was rejected from a job here when I was newly graduated and trying to find a way to make some cash while looking for a job in my field. I’m not terribly bitter though, my current gig is much better & I think they could rightly tell that I would be horrible at working retail.
In general, I have found that the quality of Banana has diminished tremendously. I have pieces from 3 – 5 years ago that I wear regularly, but all the things I’ve bought in the last year or two have pilled or stretched out or gotten a hole after just a few wearings. At the same time the quality has gone down, the prices have steadily gone up, and I no longer consider Banana an especially good value. None of that, of course, is a reflection of this store, which I’ve been in a number of times and have always found solidly average: average prices, average selection, average employee helpfulness. I will say that their sales seem to be as good as most non-​outlet Bananas I’ve seen, and don’t seem to be affected by their location in expensive Palo Alto.