Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Banana Republic- Union Square/Flatiron

Different outlets of these stores get different reviews

Let us see about this Banana Republic 

Again, good reviews with a couple of sour apples

You probably know whether you like Banana Republic as a kind of store

Banana Republic

3.5 star rating
28 reviews Rating Details
114 5th Ave
(between 15th St & 16th St)
New York, NY 10011
Neighborhood: Flatiron
(212) 366-4691
Nearest Transit Station:
14 St. (F, M)
14 St. - Union Sq (N, Q, R)
6 Ave. (L)
Price Range:
$$$
Accepts Credit Cards:
Yes
Parking:
Street
Wheelchair Accessible:
Yes
13.1 Miles from Banana Republic
Street wear trends, sneakers and consignment shop.

Review Highlights   What's this?

  • "Their clothes have consistently fit me well and have been durable." In 9 reviews
  • "I got skirts for $21 and t-shirts for $14." In 8 reviews
  • "...holiday sales rushes, the staff manage to stay calm and organized." In 3 reviews
Rating Distribution | Trend
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28 reviews in English

  • Review from

    Manhattan, NY
    7/19/2013
    As a frequent shopper at BR and a loyal customer, I received many rewards. You get $10 for every $1,000 you spent on their BR credit card. I have Luxe so free ship no min. The problem is online vs in-store pricing vary tremendously. Often times I found the same merchandises cost more than in-store. For that reason, I shop more in store.

    This location carries Petite but not xxs petite so if you need that specific size you must order from online (this apply to every store). They have lots of promos - 40% full price items every Wed (it's the coupon they hand you at checkout), 10% - 40% off sale merchandises here and there.

    Fitting room is roomy and nice (one in petite, women reg, and men upstairs). Sale reps were not as attentive as others but overall not too bad. Price tags were not as consistent. I have seen different price tags for the same merchandise making it really frustrating cuz you don't want to constantly asking them to price check.

    But overall, great selections. Good location. If you don't find what you like in there at least you have a ton of other places to choose from :) Jcrew, Madewell, Club Monaco are all nearby.
  • Review from

    Manhattan, NY
    9/2/2013 1 check-in here
    This is a super busy Banana Republic. What sets it apart is the customer service. The staff is super helpful and will help you find your size. They don't shoot you the stink eye when you mess up the displays.

    Dressing room attendant was very kind to my kids and let them run in and out of my dressing room. All in all a good shopping experience.
  • Review from

    Manhattan, NY
    9/25/2013 3 check-ins here
    This location is conveniently located next to J.Crew (aka a constant source of pain for my bank account). When I stop into J.Crew I always find myself stopping into this location as well. The clothes are on trend, preppy, and they have lots of great things for work. The quality isn't quite on par with that of J.Crew though. Either way, I find myself pulled in here frequently by their sales. The rewards are so tempting. I mean these days all you catch me in are my gym clothes or work clothes......so I can justify spending money on things I buy for work right? Right? Yeah, that's what I'll keep telling myself with both stores.
  • Review from

    New York, NY
    9/2/2013 1 check-in here
    This store just smells good. Lots of selections and great value. Staff is friendly and helpful.
  • Review from

    Raleigh, NC
    4/28/2013 1 check-in here
    I walked into Banana looking for 2 pairs of shorts but ended up walking home with 2 pairs of shorts, 3 pairs of pants, 4 shirts and sunglasses.  The fiance loved my retail cojones, but she won't love eating ramen noodles for the next 3 weeks following this expenditure.

    It is interesting that Gap breaks out their concepts into low end, medium and high with Old Navy, Gap and Banana Republic respectively hitting those consumers.  I don't know if it is perception or psychology, but from experience I can vouch the Banana line generally has higher quality clothes and items than Gap or Old Navy.  Their clothes have consistently fit me well and have been durable.

    I walked in unkempt with a pair of Nike shorts and a high school football shirt so I was naturally paid no attention by the staff when I walked in.  Generally folks that look like hobos don't shop at Banana so I can appreciate that.  As shorts and other items were added to my dirty mitts, salesmen started paying me some mind and asked if I needed help.

    They couldn't help me at all actually because the entire world was against me.  The fine folks wanted to sell me everything in the store and the fiance was egging me on and telling me that my wardrobe needed an update.  I only had one voice telling me to buy buy buy in my shoulder so I tried to balance it out by thinking about what my collection of Super Mario Bros and Donkey Kong shirts would think about my look classing up.

    Ultimately, it was like Banana Republic and the fiance morphed into King Koopa, ate a star and lobbed a super fireball killing my two favorite heroes.  Game over and no continues.  Welcome.
  • Review from

    Tucson, AZ
    9/1/2013 1 check-in here
    This location always has a limited selection. Additionally, I am approached and offered help very infrequently. I always stop in when I am in the area but this is probably the only Banana republic that I have ever entered and not left with a purchase.
  • Review from

    Bronx, NY
    12/28/2011 1 check-in here
    An overpriced Gap. Yes, they are owned by the same peeps, but the quality and the style are the same.Nothing blows me away here.

    This location is fine. No issues. They had plenty of stock and the staff on the floor helped out.

    PS- the line goes quick.
  • Review from

    • 101 friends
    • 517 reviews
    Manhattan, NY
    8/19/2012
    Yay, Banana Republic.

    Good selection of clothes for work.  Simple but up do date on trends.
  • Review from

    • 6 friends
    • 2 reviews
    Brooklyn, NY
    8/7/2013
    I have been a loyal banana republic customer for years, but the in store customer service and policies involving cooperation between stores and their online inventory is horrendous. I brought in a pair of flats purchased online to exchange for a half size down. They had none in store, and after looking in their inventory database claimed there were none anywhere: not in store, not online. I went to http://br.com from my phone STANDING RIGHT AT THE SALES DESK and found they had all sizes and colors in stock. I asked the salesperson if she could order them from her system, and have them shipped to me: no, she could not.
    So I ordered then from my phone for $30 than I had originally paid (I used a reward coupon). That's fine. BUT when I asked the woman to credit the reward amount to the purchase I just made, she literally offered to let me use their phone and CALL http://BR.COM MYSELF.
    W. T.F.
    I am on my lunch break, what happened to sales staff trying to give customers an enjoyable experience??
    Terrible store policy. Unless they are trying to force their retail stores to fail they should change things stat.
    I hear Jcrew is lovely this time of year.
  • Review from

    • 72 friends
    • 70 reviews
    New York, NY
    12/2/2009
    As I like to call it, the Banana Republic for single men or men who like to shop with other men.  I love BR, which is evident from a closet full of clothes exclusively of this brand.  Still, there are many reasons that I do not like the full separation of Men's and Women's BR.

    #1: I usually allow my significant other to choose my clothes.  As lame as that sounds, I find that: a) I get more compliments when she dresses me; b) she's the one who has to look at me the majority of the time; and c) I usually just go and buy the exact outfit the mannequin is wearing, so obviously I have no real sense of style.  Having a women's department in a totally separate building really hinders her patience.

    #2: When SHE's shopping, it helps that I have something to do other than look at my iPhone.  Keeping the building together gives me something to do when she's weighing the subtle difference on her figure that t blue, black, white, khaki, small, XS, boot cut, (you get it) makes.  I run out of crossword puzzles on my iPhone pretty quickly.

    #3: I am apparently not the type who warrants help from a Men's only BR.  I'm not sure what it is, but assistance at a Men's only BR is not directly proportionate to how much money you've spent there.

    #4: Seriously, do I need a #4?  Why is there a need for a men's only BR?  We have like four choices of things to wear.

    Oh well, I'm addicted to the brand so I deal with it.  But the two star gas face goes to putting me in a separate building.
  • Review from

    • 105 friends
    • 109 reviews
    Manhattan, NY
    10/18/2012 1 check-in here
    The other day I went to the Banana Republic in Union Square. The location is good. I am not a huge fan of all their clothes but every once in awhile you can find some great shirts. So I walked in there looking for some great shirts and it was like a ghost town in there. Maybe somehow I was missing the staff but I looked for what seemed like 10 minutes for someone. I realize they could have been back in the storage room or bathroom but seriously. Then I was told someone would be right over to help me, yes I am a man I need help when I shop. Well no one came by. I think I am giving up on Banana Republic for a little while. I hope you all have better luck
  • Review from

    • 11 friends
    • 4 reviews
    Midtown East, Manhattan, NY
    1/27/2013 1 check-in here
    I went to help my guy friend's shopping here. It was simple & gd selection, but the customer service was friendly & so excellent! Get Ebony to help u!  She is so knowledgeable & efficient! Even security guy was friendly here :)
  • Review from

    • 39 friends
    • 43 reviews
    New York, NY
    5/29/2008
    I've had the misfortune of buying several shirts that fell apart after a couple days of wear, in another branch of Banana. The UWS Banana was very unhelpful, saying that they wouldn't be able to "resell" them.

    Here, however, they recognized the defect, took it back (even though it wasn't them selling it) and gave me the full value of the shirts towards a new purchase. And it's not crowded during the lunch break.
  • Review from

    • 30 friends
    • 307 reviews
    Newark, NJ
    7/29/2010
    This store is much better than SohO.
    Less crowded.
  • Review from

    • 95 friends
    • 497 reviews
    San Francisco, CA
    7/11/2008
    This is my "go to" BR because it carries a wide selection of the current season's styles. The reason I really prefer going here versus all the other BR locations is because it's within walking distance and sans tourist. It can still get pretty chaotic shopping here but I always manage to find my size and the SA's are all helpful.

    It's a big 2 storied store that solely sells the women's BR collection which is fantastic!
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 16 reviews
    Brooklyn, NY
    6/4/2011
    I'm certainly not a fashionista; II tend to pick a few clothing stores to frequent and then rotate a shopping day at each one every few months (very methodical, I know!). Banana Republic is one of the places that I always hit on my shopping trips. I especially like this location, it's rarely crowded during lunchtime (which is when I like to do most of my shopping), they have a good selection of both business and casual-wear, which is great because I can buy stuff for work and for play at the same spot, though I generally tend to just buy work clothes here. I'm finding that a lot of the other clothing stores I frequent are paring down their men's sections, but it seems like BR is broadening theirs.

    I'm a pretty slim guy, and while I generally find clothing that fits me some of the sizes tend to run a bit on the large side--which can be annoying because then I have to hunt for an XS instead of just finding the Small. The sales associates in the men's section pretty much leave you alone to do your own thing; both a blessing and a curse when you just want to get in and get out, but are still hunting for that XS and need to approach someone. All in all a good shopping experience, in my top 5, but probably at that #5 spot.
  • Review from

    • 4 friends
    • 56 reviews
    Manhattan, NY
    4/6/2012
    My favorite brand.

    Half of my wardrobe is BR. Something I am proud of too.

    I love their sales, especially when they have clearances and an additional X% off "LOWEST already reduced prices". Cannot be beat. For a designer brand, these sales are incredible.

    Yeah they tend to cater towards older women but they definitely have younger looks for late teenagers/women in their 20s/30s.

    Also very organized every time that I have gone. Even during crazy holiday sales rushes, the staff manage to stay calm and organized. They manage the crazy shoppers rather than the other way around. Plus, the staff dress nicely and consistently with the store and carry an air of class/polite mannerisms.

    Even the sales section stays clean and organized.

    LOVE BR.
  • Review from

    New York, NY
    8/17/2010 1 check-in here
    I was here during one of their sale/mingle days, so it was definitely getting packed. However, they obviously had extra staff, lots of walkie talkies - and free wine! Cha ching!

    Even though there were lots of people in the store, the traffic of people flowed well. Alberta and Chevron were helpful.

    $10 gift card if you come on a Tuesday!
  • Review from

    Jersey City, NJ
    1/30/2012 3 check-ins here
    My recent visit to their dressing room taught me 3 things:

    1) I look way sexier in clothes.
    2) They are using Large shirts and putting XL tags on them (that's my conspiracy theory and that's what I'm sticking to).
    3) A trip to the dressing room can substitute for an exercise session (why else am I sweating and out of breath when I get out).

    Aside from learning that I need to hit up the gym, I still like this 2 floor Men's only location.

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