Shopping can be very confusing — styles, cuts, washes fabrics… It makes the head spin. But what can make it all the more mind-boggling is when something is advertised as a sale, but then really it appears to have the price adjusted to cost more. Consumerist reader Bryan, a “well dressed, yet thrifty man,” was tempted by a recent Banana Republic email promotion. [More]
At Banana Republic That Line Slashing Through A Price Is Just For Decoration
By October 25, 2012
Banana Republic Says The Sale Items I Ordered Are No Longer Available, But Really They Are
By December 6, 2011
Spotting a 40% off sale is a gleeful event — better than a measly 30% and almost at that sweet half-off price. So when Andrew stumbled upon just such a sale online at Banana Republic’s site yesterday, he acted quickly to nab some of his favorite items. Speed didn’t matter, in this case. [More]
Banana Republic Clerk Misled Me Into Opening Another Credit Card
By November 2, 2011
When Jessica went shopping at Banana Republic last month, she forgot her store credit card. That was OK, the sales clerk assured her: she just needed Jessica’s Social Security number and for her to sign off on the transaction in order to access her existing card data in the system. Most people are so used to having our forgotten store loyalty cards looked up using our phone numbers that this seems natural enough. Only it wasn’t – by providing her SSN and signature, Jessica was actually applying for a Banana Republic Visa card. [More]
Banana Republic Register Mishap Leaves You With Neither GIft Card Balance Nor Clothes
By December 31, 2010
The good news: There is a store that will accept American Express gift cards without even trying to throw you in jail. It’s Banana Republic. The bad news: A still-unexplained register problem left Andrew without the $90 remaining balance on his card or the items that he tried to purchase. [More]
Why Do Stores Keep Sending Me Someone Else's Stuff?
By November 16, 2010
Consumerist reader Valerie is in a bit of a pickle — over the last couple of weeks, packages have been piling up at her doorstep, which would be nice if she had actually ordered them. [More]
Banana Republic Sends Customer Mysterious Package Of Security Tags
By August 26, 2009
Jonathan’s wife ordered some clothes from Banana Republic, and was confused when another, similarly-sized box arrived on their doorstep from Banana Republic a week later. This box was clearly not destined for her, since she had not ordered the exciting new “Open Your Own Banana Republic” playset.
No More Free Online Returns From Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, Atheleta
By May 15, 2009
Reader Joe sent us a tip that Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, and Atheleta have changed their online return policy. “They now deduct 6$ from the return refund, no questions asked… ” he wrote. Well, that’s not exactly it. Here’s the official word from Gap Inc.
By April 28, 2009
If you’re seeking a price adjustment on your Gap clothes, don’t put it off. Heather writes in to warn that the price adjustment period at the Gap and Banana Republic has been reduced from 14 days to 7. Old Navy remains at 14 days.
Banana Republic Lowers Credit Card Limit From $1000 To $100
By April 13, 2009
It’s no surprise that a popular purveyor of work-suitable vestments suck lowered a reader’s friend’s store credit-card limit, but to go from $1000 to $100, that’s cold, Banana Republic. Danielle writes:
Morning Deals
By September 8, 2008
- Banana Republic: 30% off today only with coupon code HAPPY30 or printable coupon
- Sears: Free Masterlock with printable coupon
- MusiciansFriend: AKG Handheld Condenser Microphone for $100 + free shipping. Today only.
Highlights From Dealhack
- Timbuk2: Save up to 60% off Messenger Bags, Backpacks, & More
- New York & Co.: Extra 20% off Store-Wide Women’s Apparel
- Office Depot: Viewsonic N3235w 32-inch LCD HDTV $470 & Free Shipping
Sweatshop In Queens Produced Clothes For Macy's, the Gap, Banana Republic, Urban Apparel, and Victoria's Secret
By July 24, 2008
New York state labor officials are bringing one of their largest cases ever against Jin Shun, a clothing factory in Queens, New York that employed Chinese immigrants. Inspectors say the company
- cheated its workers out of more than $5 million in pay;
- instructed workers to lie to state inspectors;
- required 6 and 7-day workweeks, sometimes for up to 120 days at a time;
- didn’t pay overtime or minimum wage;
- kept two sets of timecards to fake-out inspectors.
Macy’s says they’re “very concerned” about the case and are investigating it, the Gap says they’re cooperating with authorities, and Victoria’s Secret says they have a “zero tolerance policy” for factories that are unwilling to work with them to achieve compliance—all of which makes us wonder whether any of these companies ever investigated the factory personally. (It’s not like it was in some remote part of China.)
Banana Republic Sends You A Mysterious Visa Credit Card After You Opted Out
By May 16, 2008
Reader Tim says that Banana Republic sent him a Visa after he opted out of the program and that the card’s mailer was misleading (it looked like a replacement for his regular Banana Republic card, not a new “optional” Visa account) and didn’t disclose important details… like the card’s interest rate.
Banana Republic: Sorry Our Credit Card Website Sucks, Try Not Using It
By May 15, 2008
Reader Maegan wrote Banana Republic to let them know that their credit card website was buggy and annoying to use. She got back a canned response that halfheartedly apologized for the state of their website and recommended that she use another service to pay her bill.
GAP Caught Using Child Labor To Produce "GAP Kids" Clothing
By October 29, 2007
A freelance journalist has caught the GAP using child labor to produce hand embroidered clothing for its GAP Kids line. The children, who are as young as 10, are quoted as saying they were sold to the factory by their families and cannot leave until their debt is paid. A video of the factory’s squalid conditions shows GAP Kids labels on the clothing.
Why Do You Hate The Gap? The Gap Responds To Your Complaints
By August 20, 2007
Mike Antonucci at the San Jose Mercury News took your complaints to the Gap’s top brass and got some interesting responses. They even responded to our editorializing about the Gap’s general state of failure with some upbeat sentences touting their own profitability. Whoops! We guess we were wrong and everything is just fine. Wait, what about the three-year sales slump, the recent layoffs, and the fact that same-store sales (the most important indicator of the health of a retail operation) have fallen in 12 consecutive quarters. Teehee! Sorry, we were sooo mean!
Dear New Gap CEO: Here's How To Fix Your Stores
By July 27, 2007
A while back we asked the readers to tell us what was wrong with Gap, INC. Since we asked, they’ve sh*tcanned their CEO, closed a chain of stores, launched new ad campaigns featuring celebrities, rethought their merchandise and…nothing has has helped.
Banana Republic: "You Need To Create A New User Name Every 3-4 Months"
By May 11, 2007
There’s some weirdness going on with Banana Republic’s store credit card website. Reader Bernard wrote us to say that a Banana Republic CSR told him that every 3-4 months Banana Republic’s credit card site would be “updated” and that everyone would have to re-register—including signing up for a new user name. Is this the case of an incompetent CSR, or is there something strange going on with Banana Republic’s credit card site? Has anyone else had trouble with it? Read Bernard’s email inside.
