They have terrible customer service. I was basically ripped off by them when I made a return and the woman gave me some used BR cards rather than a store credit. I still don't understand why. When I went to redeem the cards I was told they were only good if I had a BR card, which I don't. So my return was worthless. I ended up contacting the BBB and when they contacted BR, they basically said "we need to see her receipts". They did nothing to help me and were rude to me. I will NEVER shop there again.

The quality of the clothes are decent, the prices of the clothes are NOT. Banana Republic a couple years back had really nice quality clothes. Now, it's average but noticeable signs of distress from normal washes (with care label instructions followed). I really love their clothes -- especially their fitted pique polos and patterned argyle sweaters, but now the new batches of their clothes are noticeably thin. Only shop there when they have 30% off sales, otherwise it's a waste of money: especially in this harsh economic time.

The clothing is perfect for young professionals. Fashion forward without being too trendy; classy not trashy, as in feminine but not showing too much skin. The price point is slightly high at regular prices which says to me that they are targeting the younger working people and not students. I especially love that they sell petite sizes since we can't all be 5'10" and the cost of tailoring gets prohibitive.
That said, I will no longer be shopping at any of the Gap co. stores (Banana Rep., Old Navy, Gap) due to a recent experience involving a return. I live in a remote area and it is difficult to get to and from shopping areas often. When in BR I purchased a number of items totally nearly $500. Upon returning home I was informed that my work conditions would be changing (remember, we are remote) and therefore I would not be needing the business casual clothing I had purchased, but rather would be going with jeans and knit shirts. I realized that I would need to return the items within 30 days which would be difficult, but I managed to arrive on the last day in order to receive a credit to my charge card. Lo and behold, the store was locked up due to a "power outage" but all other stores were open and running as usual. So even though I was present within the alloted return time, I was unable to physically enter the store and return the items. Because of this the store issued a merchandise credit which I did not find acceptable as I had initially met the requirements of the 30 day return. Subsequently I phoned customer service where I was kept on hold only to find that they would not credit my charge card either. I was returning less than half the total of the items ($190.00) so it was not like I was trying to scam them by wearing and returning clothing. With the current technology BR has the ability to EASILY credit my card and we could all go about our business happily but instead they have lost a customer and hundreds of dollars in sales per year. I hope they realize that smart business management looks at the big picture and does not get caught up in the letter of the law. Otherwise I feel that BR and Gap Co. will soon be a distant memory; a victim of their own undoing in already tough economic times.

I am a young, fashionable, attractive, college graduate who wanted a second job as was considering BP. The $7.75 an hour sucked, naturally, not to mention them providing zero incentive for employees to sell their ass off for them (no commission). However, the deal breaker was when the manager informed me that in order to be hired I was going to have to change my red hair back to its natural brown color because "my particular shade" of hair color did not look natural enough for her/the store. This was kind of a riot, since my hair pretty much looks like Grace's from Will and Grace or Bree from Desperate Housewives, quite chick and sophisticated, not a HotTopic nightmare. Message to redheads...or I guess they would call us gingers to insult us: Banana Republic hates you! I've seen plenty of bleach blond peroxide trips in there working and no one was complaining about how unnatural they looked. F*** you, Banana Republic! You can get some mousy-hair, listless, high school Jr to pedal your tear-away chinos and blazers. I'll be sure to mention your absurd corporate practices in the sociology course I'm teaching when we get to modern capitalism and juggernaut corporations.

I have had many bad experiences with BR's clothing. I have shopped with them for years and many of the articles of clothing I purchased have fallen apart in less than a year. I actually just had a pair of suit pants fall apart and the store manager told me that was general wear and tear. I guess when you buy BR's clothes you can expect to bring home junk, and should not expect them to last more than a couple years. I thought buying BR clothing meant quality???? I will never buy another piece of clothing from any BR, Gap or Old Navy Store. My kids won't even wear their Gap Kids collection. Total junk I tell you..

More for what reactions I see in my lady. . .

Kudos to the other reviewer who gives a great maxim - wait for sales. In the land of overpricing, I swear that BR takes a gold or silver medal. Anyways, my lady claims the clothes fit well and the styles are (usually) nice. The BR outlet stores (at souless factory outlet malls near you) do offer quality buys at good prices. I once snapped up a quality leather jacket for under a hundred bones- nice catch.

It also isn't a place that crushes my soul while I stand around and alphabetize great football players while impatiently waiting for her to finish shopping. . .I can usually find one or two items I might be interested in.

Ad on NYTimes.com on 9/10/09 hawked men's chinos for $49.50 and women's for $59.50. I asked them why women get to pay 20 percent more? Their answer:

Thank you for your inquiry regarding our chinos pricing. Although we
appreciate your interest in our chinos, we are unable to address your
specific inquiry at this time as this information is proprietary and is
not currently available for public consumption.

We apologize for any disappointment you have experienced and we
appreciate the time you've taken to contact us to share your thoughts.
We'll be sure to pass your message along to our merchandising team, as
customer feedback is an important consideration when planning for the
future.

We appreciate your business and look forward to shopping with you soon.

If we may be of further assistance, please contact us at
custserv@bananarepublic.com or by calling 1-888-BR-STYLE.

Sincerely,

Jessica
Customer Service Consultant

Banana is outstanding! Great clothes at maybe not so great prices but you are paying for fashion foward, top notch stuff so the price can be easily overlooked. I love that they carry sizes in petite and extra extra small really helps for ladies like me that are under 5'4. If I would I'd give it 10 stars!

Banana Republic reminds me of wallpaper. I think they actually pick wallpaper prints to be made into fabrics. So, if you like to dress like or blend into a modern professional office, BR is the way to go.

Definitely wait for sales; everything is marked down eventually! I have had BR stuff for years, and the styles are certainly still fashionable. Especially great for work clothes. My only slight problem with them is that they no longer tailor for free.

I've never had anything I've bought from this store fall apart on me. If I had, I wouldn't continue to shop there. Very nice clothes for working professionals. Definitely not for anyone shopping on a tight budget but I can't really complain about the prices. You get what you pay for and I want nice looking clothes that last for a while. In my opinion, that's what I get. I also look at it this way; I can go to Neiman Marcus and pay $900 for a wool blazer or go to BR and pay somewhere in the ballpark of $150-$200. Not expensive at all if you look at it in those terms.

Banana Republic Store---3 stars.

Bananarepublic.com ----1 star.

The layout is fine, the clothes are great, but the shipping times are terrible!

The standard shipping is listed as 6-9 business days. It takes over 2 days to even SHIP the item. This isn't acceptable in this day and age. I expect online orders that are in stock to ship within 24 hours, no matter what shipping option is selected. I understand that ground delivery can only go so fast--and the customer controls the shipping option. BUT, the "order to ship" time can be controlled by Banana Republic and it is entirely too long for standard delivery.

A little bland, but good for traditional classic pieces.

FROM SOMEONE WHO KNOWS. LISTEN. FIrst off, yeah the company has had some serious quality issues, but the prices aren't that bad and especially this season (Fall 2008) quality issues are being addressed like never before. People talk about what the brand used to be, but honestly who the hell wants a safari get up. BR would be ridiculed for still selling products like that, and when they try to infuse those styles and cues from those styles, no one buys them. People saying they aren't what they were confuse them back into making unmarketable safari styles. Besides in case no one noticed the company has been bought out by Gap Inc. since its inception in the late 70's. Everyone who criticizes it here, for the most part just doesn't understand what the company is. It is mid-range retail. This means that when you act snooty to a sales associate because you think they are less than you because you shop at Banana Republic, you just look foolish. When you can't return something without a receipt and freak out and threaten to return everything you've ever bought there, people are laughing at you. Read a company's policy, know what you're getting, and respect that you are on someone else's property. People who say that there aren't enough sales? Are you joking or are you just the cheapest person ever? Trashy people, trashy. Banana Republic puts brand new merchandise on sale every couple of weeks. Yet people come back and ask why the top that they saw "just a couple weeks ago" isn't there any longer. Banana Republic is about fast turn over. The prices aren't high if you're the chosen demographic, so buy things you love when they come out, wait on things you like or think might not be of the highest quality. We're all just trying to get along in this world, be polite and you can get your way in almost any customer service crisis. If you're rude, even a manager will turn you away so fast your head will spin. And one more thing you should know, the BR factory store doesn't carry ANY of the same items as the regular retail store, a completely separate lower-quality line is produced for the outlet. If you truly want quality from Banana Republic, be a discerning shopper and look at the Monogram line in select higher-grossing stores. Thanks if you read the whole thing and have a great day. -j.

I wish I could give no stars. I was a long time Banana shopper until a rather expensive shirt I purchaed (I only shelled out the cash because I thought I was getting quality) fell apart. Even though the sales clerk said she had a ton of these shirts being returned for the same reason she wouldn't refund my money. While their clothes are stylish they don't stand behind their merchandise! Just another big corporation that is out to maximize profit by lowering quality

... found my favorite pants of all time there!

freakin love it

generally like there stuff...fun to shop outlet

i dont really shop there, my mom does...

WTH is banana republic

good.

Another store that I wouldn't even set foot in.

Really expensive stuff in solid bland colors that looks like it's made by the same guy who dressed the cast of Friends.

I love all of Banana Repbulics' clothing. all the wokers in the stores are very nice, and the clothing is classic. But I would like to see some more sales.

I have a very bad expediency shopping Banana Republic on-line. The Banana Republic closes is usually not right to the size and it is virtually not possible to get the entire amount of money back after you find out that you need to return the purchase. The package does not contain all the necessary paperwork in order to return the items in stores. Also store does not have original credit card info, so this way is also does not work. They can only return the amount of the current price which is usually 30-50% less then price that you originally paid.
So the only way is to send package back, pay for shipping again and hope they will accept it.
It is better to find more customer friendly store ...

I like Banana Republic clothes. They are stylish and inexpensive. They are also distinctive from other brands. They may not be of the best quality but for the price...good stuff. Remember you get what you pay for. You could do a lot worse than BR.

the quality of the clothing is terrible. They seem to be cheaply made, and of flimsy fabric. Especially their sweaters and knitware which seem to quickly pill or tear or stretch out of shape. And the prices seem high given the low quality.

banana republic what more to say..
if it werent one of the best clothing stores around movie producers and costum designer wouldnt be using it when they dress actors in so to say high class movies such as..gone in sixty seconds,punisher the mobsters all dressed up their weekend shirts mainly banana republic

Great for more mature young adults. They have great business clothes for both men and women. Their prices are not outrageous and the quality of their clothing is great!

While the clothing is certainly nice - has anyone shared my bad experience on shopping sales there? I shopped at Miromar Outlets Banana Republic Factory Store on 6/24/07. Almost every rack had a sale sign on it and the items I chose were on racks of same and similar items marked to take an additional 30% & 50% off. I double checked signs and items before heading to check out only to be told that if I had checked the "back of the signs" I would have seen that it was sweaters (?!?!?!?) on sale, not the items I chose. There were no sweaters on either rack.......

Has anyone else become familiar with this "back of the sign" practice? In my 50+ years of shopping, I've never had to climb around or dismantle a display to check on the sale terms.....

What happened to Banana Republic? They used to have distinctive, rugged clothing. Now, they have bland offerrings. Don't get me wrong, there is a place in the world for quiet, tasteful clothes however the clothing they sell now has nothing in common with the store name any longer. How dissapointing that the demographic has shifted from worlld travelers to average suburbanites. Well, that IS a larger market, still, how sad to see a retail icon like Banana Republic become another "me too" store.

Just try and get me in there.

I was a devoted BR fan until 2004: lots of very sharp, well-made clothes for reasonable prices. Great leathers and shearlings. But something happened in 2005. Suddenly, the quality went south, with too many obviously Marc Jacobs and other boho hippie knock-offs that were cheaply made to boot. I will still go there for T-shirts, but refuse to shop for suits, dresses or anything more than weekend wear.

BR never guarantees their merchandise. It clearly states on their receipt that they are not reliable if worn or washed. Well, I do not wear clothes before I wash them. Who knows how many people have tried the same pants on? Anyways, 2 weeks ago I bought a pair of Dawson Chino Khakis for $60 for a presentation at work. Day before the presentation I washed them and when I got them out of the dryer they had plenty of creases on them. This happens to my jeans and other BR pants that I have. I spent about an hour trying to iron them but nothing changed on the pants. I took them back and the sales guy at the store told me that they cant take it back because it is company policy and that it was not a defect with the pants and that he would steam it out in the store. After an hour, when I returned he said he steamed it and gave me the pants packed and in the bag. I opened them in the store and noticed that nothing had changed. When I asked about it I was told to wash it again and that it would be ok. Now I have washed the pants and still the same. If BR cannot guarantee their stuff maybe they can heir some reliable staff who knows what they are talking about. This is the last time I went to BR and wasted my money.

This is the WORST credit card to get! They do not have any common sense of making any effort to contact you when you move, and just keeps adding late payment fees and screw up your credit report. I will never use their credit card or shop at another banana republic store again!!!

The name of the store is rediculous, but the clothes are sure nice. I love this store, even though I never bought anything there at regular price. I'm a bargain shopper, why pay more when you can pay less? I got for my dad for father's day italian, pure-wool, beautiful pants for $11. They looked like they costs $111, but no one knew. I always buy myself shirts and sweaters there under $20. I like BR style - clean cut, professional, european, sleak, and classical. What's not to like?

Prices seem decent for me, what stores are people comparing these prices to, Wal*Mart? I never buy things at regular prices anyhow! It's a great store for the young professional guy, not sure about women, but when it comes to women you have soo many more choices. Best time to buy is in Jan. I was able to pick up 2 wool 3/4 coats for 50 bucks each, jeans 11-20 bucks, sweaters for 20. You really get what you pay for. I always get complimented on a nice dress shirt or jacket. It's now my favorite brand, I was into Nautica, and I like how their clothes fit, I got into Banana Republic and later read that they hired a former lead designer for Nautica, which would explain a similar fit.their clothes fit me nicely. Simple ad-free high quality clothing is my style. Compared to Express Men, BR is definitely a lot nicer.

BananaRepublic customer sucks!!! They said they charge different prices for the same shirt, same color, but different size. Also, I found BananaRep store is cheaper than BR online. I have a BR card and been using it for the past 6months and this month I got an extra $50 charged said it was because they couldn't cash my check. I called customer service to find out why, they said they don't know why. I have to find that out through my bank. But they didn't give me any information about that check. How can I find out about it without having even a check number. There's nothing wrong with my bank or check. I could pay bill to other cards fine and I still have more than enough to pay them. Terrible. I'll never come back to them...

This store is all hype. Every time I go in there they don't have any bananas. I guess it doesn't matter, I probably couldn't afford them if they are selling it.

They used to be true to their original concept but over the years they became more yuppified and started producing pseudo-adventure clothing. Too many bells and whistles and not enough of the features actually needed in the bush.

It's a shame that high school offers only a limited number of students in home economics where learning to sew cut patterns and sew clothes is promoted. I save a fortune selecting cloth and sewing my own designs. It takes patience and interest to sew and I urge you to take at least 1 lesson where you learn to sew. You will enjoy lining your garments and they feel great! Enjoy!

Banana REpublic carries clothes that are sophisticated and classic. I think their quality is great, in any case better than the most stores without paying ridiculous amount of money. It is not cheap but it's also not quite as expensive as some of the designer names.

Clothes are very expensive, but I do admit you get what you pay for here. The clothes are classy, sophisticated, and will last you a very long time.

banana republic is awesome! the clothes are very classic, sphisticated, fashionable,not to metion excentric. it is pricy but worthy of it. if comfort and chickness is something you seek then bananarepublic is for you, no matter how pricy you will find their items worth the cost.

Owned by the same group that own the Gap, but much better - the styles at Banana Republic are remarkably classic and comfortable, and the prices, while perhaps at the upper end, are not outrageous.

It doesn't surprise me to see Banana Republic ranking so high. Yes the clothes cost more, but they also last a lot longer than say GAP, imagine that? The clothes here look very dapper and the store does well every season with a new selection of clothing to choose from, unlike the always predictable Abercrombie and Fitch.

It is ok

Great styles, good quality clothing, but prices are expensive. I have to admit, a lot of times, the price is worth it...

One of my favorite clothing store simply because of how they have never failed to provide me with clothing that fits with all occasions. BR lets me have a type of clothing that's structured and sophisticated, yet still comfortable.

My experience with Banana has generally been good. The clothes are up to date, yet classic for those wanting work clothes that will make a statement. As well clothes to go out in without revealing too much and still get quite a few compliments. I do not expect to have a personal shopper when I go to a Banana store, as the employees do not work on comission, yet I have had better than average service.