‘The Google reviews from just yesterday alone are insane’: Two women go to D.C. Brandy Melville in Georgetown. Now they’re in shock

Two women went to a Brandy Melville store just outside the outskirts of D.C., only to wait over an hour to be let in, even though it was frigid outside. When they finally made it inside the store, employees refused to process the items they wanted and told them to leave. 

@ilovegracieabrams1321, a secret spam account owned by an anonymous user, posted about the encounter. In it, two women, who were accompanied by one of the girl’s mother, described how Brandy Melville staff members allegedly cursed at customers and berated them for waiting in line. 

What exactly happened at this Brandy Melville Store? 

Two women visiting the area from Indiana and Maryland, respectively, drove two hours to the Brandy Melville store in Georgetown, as they had never been to a location. They were both excited, as they wanted to purchase a variety of items in-store. 

When they got to the store, they noticed a long line outside. They hadn’t been to any other Brandy Melville location, so they figured this may be a usual thing that commonly occurs. Despite this, they figured it would be a short wait. 

However, they quickly noticed that shoppers were exiting the store, but employees were not letting new people in. One of the women in @ilovegracieabrams1321 estimated that “10 people” could leave the store, and they’d let one person in. 

One customer asked an employee why no one was allowed to enter the establishment. A brunette working outside allegedly “rolled her eyes” at the customer and gave them an attitude. 

This was incredibly surprising for the two women. “ She would literally roll her eyes and she would give so much attitude. The passive aggressiveness was genuinely insane. Like people are out here waiting day at your store and you’re being rude as [expletive],” one of the women described. 

Entering the store, only to hear something shocking 

When they finally reached a point where they could enter the store, they refused to let one of the girls in. Maddie, the woman to the right in the viral TikTok clip, got told that they were at “max capacity” and that she wouldn’t be able to enter with her group. Maddie had to “move past them” and let them know that she was part of the group. Despite explaining this, the store employee continued to give her attitude and displayed generally poor manners. 

It was 6:40 p.m. by that time, and the store closed at 7 p.m. The girls only had 20 minutes to shop. 

As they were entering the store, they heard an interaction behind them. The girl who had been standing next to them in line tried to “sneak in a little bit,” but failed. The customer then begged the brunette employee to let her in, saying that she was only purchasing one item. 

The employee allegedly said, “Do I look like I care? Get the [expletive] out of my store.” The employee fully raised her voice at the customer.

The registers ‘close down’ in the Brandy Melville store

They finally made it in-store and picked out some items. The employees let them pick out items during that span of time and didn’t stop them from doing so. This was something that Maddie and her friend thought was incredibly confusing after they experienced what happened next. 

Upon trying to purchase their items, the Brandy Melville employees let them know that the “registers” were shutting down. 

“ At this point. It’s like 6:54 and we’re like three people away from checking out,” Maddie said. 

Instead of figuring out a solution for this issue or asking customers to pay with cash, the Brandy Melville employees essentially kicked out three or four customers waiting in line to make purchases. Ultimately, none of those customers who waited in line for over an hour and were let in around 6:30 p.m. could actually buy anything. 

One of the mothers “got into it” and argued with the workers about this, but it didn’t change the situation. Both girls theorized that the employees lied about the registers “shutting down” six minutes before closing, as it didn’t seem plausible for that to even happen. In essence, they had a terrible experience and left empty-handed despite driving two full hours and waiting an hour and 30 minutes to enter said store. 

Commenters share similar experiences at Brandy Melville stores

The two women in @ilovegracieabrams1321 haven’t been the only ones to face serious issues when shopping at Brandy Melville. 

It’s no secret that the store has a bad working environment. A writer working for Vanity Fair described Brandy Melville as “hell on earth” in the wake of the HBO documentary Brandy Hellville & the Cult of Fast Fashion. 

According to the filmmaker’s account, Brandy Melville doesn’t just do “one bad thing.” They have a litany of offenses on their track record that aren’t even related to their “one-size” policy. That ranges from environmental offenses to treating staff members of color unfairly. 

The general negative environment that Brandy Melville propagates is one reason that many think these stores have “poorly trained” employees. 

Commenters said that the Georgetown employees in particular are “off-putting and rude.” Many viewers said that it’s never worth going to that location.

It is apparently against store policy to refuse a customer checking out once they have items in their hand. As one former employee described, “they can’t do that. If you are in the store before they close. They have to let you continue shopping and check out.”

@ilovegracieabrams1321 #foryoupage #viralvideo #brandymelville #georgetownbrandy #storytime ♬ original sound – secret spam

How bad are the Google Reviews?

The two TikTokers featured in @ilovegracieabrams1321’s video weren’t the only ones to have a bad experience in Brandy Melville that day, as echoed in the store’s Google Reviews. There were at least seven new reviews posted after the alleged incident, with some containing new, unique details of horrifying experiences in-store. 

Reviewers called the Brandy Melville employees at the Georgetown location “bratty,” with “horrible manners.” The store was referred to as disorganized, and as one reviewer named Mady B said, “If you want to feel like you’re in a store run by 10-year-old disorganized, bratty girls look no further.” 

Reviewers even said that they hope that this Brandy Melville store goes out of business after shopping there. 

Another reviewer, Tara S, stated, “ It would be more okay if they were rude but good at their job, but unfortunately they don’t have that either.”

The Mary Sue has reached out to Brandy Melville’s corporate line via email and @ilovegracieabrams1321 via TikTok direct message for comment.

Update Jan. 6, 2025:

In a comment to the Mary Sue, @ilovegracieabrams1321 said, ” I think customers should know the customer service is terrible and be prepared to be treated like [expletive],” regarding the Brandy Melville location.

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