DECENT VARIETY I came here on the Sunday before the first day of classes on Wednesday. I went to two stores prior to Bear Basis. I was looking for California Golden Bears clothes I could wear to a sports center/ gym while representing my alma mater. The two stores I went to prior to Bear Basics were more specialized in the merch but I couldn't find what I liked. When I came here I was hoping to find a t-shirt and short that appealed to me. After searching I found the items I liked. The t-shirt I bought had the insignia of the university. Also I bought a pair of blue short with a Cal logo. Both items were Champion brand. I liked the store because of the variety of Cal apparel. What made this store appealing to me while I was a student was the abundance of vintage graphic t-shirts. This was the place where I bought two Beatles album cover t-shirts: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Abbey Road. When I looked at the vintage shirts upstairs I noticed there were lack of selections unlike before. The quirkiness appeal of this place is gone, but Bear Basics is a nice store to purchase decent apparel. read more

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The selection is horrible, the prices are even worse. They do not take returns after 7 days. If you go within 7 days they only do store credit and will not give you cash back if your new selection is a bit cheaper. Do not come here to get your merch!! read more

A great store on Telegraph Ave if you want to get some Cal gear!! The upstairs was closed when I came here, but they had plenty of options on the lower level. Along with Cal gear, they also had a section with Bay Area t-shirts. I came here looking for some Cal T-shirts and found what I wanted. Yes, some of the stuff in here can get a little pricey, but I kind of expected that. Go Bears!!! read more

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The dude and I came to Bear Basics on 5/30/21 which I really didn't want to go in as I'm BRUINS ALL DAY shout out to UCLA. We have similar colors so it felt like I was at the Bruin store. I was surprised how big this store was...just for Berkeley clothes. We immediately went upstairs as the dude mentioned something up there which was MORE Berkeley products and baby clothes. The staff was friendly and it was very low key inside not much going on. It was clean, very organized and just made me want to go shopping at the UCLA store. I would recommend to get your UC Berkeley gear here if you have goals attend the school, currently attend or relatives to rep or they have gone. Presently, I have no association with Berkeley so I didn't buy anything. Nice to look around, cool stuff but it's not Bruin :( the dude like the store as well. Glad to have checked it out either way. read more

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Selection is much worse than 10 years ago. They have Berkeley, CA clothing (the city of berkeley not licensed UC Berkeley). Clothes there also feel cheaper than they used to read more

Went here a while back for my cousin's law school graduation. The RUDEST, shiestiest apparel store I've ever been to. Bought a sweater with a front pocket. Went to lunch and the side of the pocket began to unravel and a flap of it started to hang over. Came back the next day to ask for an exchange and they said no.....because I wore it. Clearly, I wore it....but it was defective. THIS after spending hundreds of dollars less than 24 hours prior. The manager or 2nd employee, clearly power drunk, joined in with the employee and started shaking her neck-- a full blown Karen trying to talk tough. Said she remembered me and said, "so, it's just the policy." DO NOT spend your money here. The clothing is of poor quality. Nothing we bought survived more than 2 washes without looking like $hit. And I generally err against providing financial support to establishments that don't understand basic courtesy and respectful service. Go to Amazon where you can get quality rated items, for a better cost, without the scam. read more

Bear basics aka t shirt orgy is a common Cal gear store to visit. This store has all the gear you are looking for and I personally like it better than the student store. There are much more selections (men's on the bottom Floor and women's on the top). Prices for cal wear is decently priced in comparison to the store's competitors. I also like how they have regular non cal gear clothing (women's on the top floor and men's in the basement). I would recommend this place if you want to get cal gear! This is my go to store! Always get something when I'm here. Remember that of you come in the store with a large bag you will have to check it in at the front desk. Also employees that I have encountered are nice and friendly! read more

Bear Basics - Women's Clothing Near Me - Berkeley, California

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The ground and top floors are dedicated to UC Berkley CAL swag and gear, then downstairs is where the general and niche T-Shirts and apparel are located for unique pop culture novelty shirts, suitable for those under 30 yrs old or fun folks with a good sense of humor of any age. There's an entire area dedicated to BAY AREA shirts with unique logos, so if you have SF and Nor Cal pride, it's a great place to shop. If you are from So Cal or love Stanford, maybe not so much. Also, when you enter, they don't tell you, but if they see you, you'll need to "CHECK YOUR BAG AT THE GROUND FLOOR FRONT COUNTER" Parking is tough, but not impossible in the area, and it's close to the UCB campus and public transit and the heart of the main strip with all of the retailers, a corner location too, easy to find. read more

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Need Cal Berkeley gear! Go here! BEST PLACE FOR YOUR CAL GEAR! Definitely need to come back the next time I visit the Bay and Berkeley!

If only I could give 0 stars... I don't think I have ever encountered this level of rudeness in my life while preparing to spend, literally, hundreds of dollars. Entered the store and not one of the 5 employees standing around chatting amongst themselves bothered to greet us, offer help or let us know they were available should we need anything. The elevator has a sign saying that a employee must operate it for you. Suddenly all those employees standing around doing nothing we're gone and the one girl at the register whom I asked said she couldn't leave the register unattended and her phone didn't work to call someone. I pointed out that I know employees use walkie talkies and she shrugged her shoulders. No problem, I'll walk up the stairs with a baby and be stroller. Once upstairs, again, at least 3 employees who don't say hi, offer help or really care at all. I assume they must make really low pay therefore don't care about their work. The two year old in the group suddenly needed the restroom. Although I assumed there would be no public bathroom I figured I'd ask anyway since it genuinely was for a child who can't hold it. I approached a young man who I was pretty sure worked there although he had no employee badge, store shirt or other identifiable anything that would indeed show he's an employee. I asked if the baby could use the restroom and he said it's not for customers. I explained that I know that but please for a small child before she wets herself. He got on the walkie talkie and asked his supervisor. I heard the supervisor say yes as long as I didn't bring anything into the restroom with me. Including my own personal bags I entered with. The employee looks at me and says, "See, he said no." I pointed out that he didn't say no he said I couldn't bring anything with me and that's fine. I'll leave my stuff with the other people in our group. He then gets back on the walkie talkie and asks the supervisor to come upstairs as there's is a problem. As we're waiting for the supervisor the charming employee looks at me and tells me I should be careful how I speak to people when I need a favor. Had I not been so pushy I would have gotten what I wanted. I should be careful how i speak to people in general because i might see him out on the street. I explained my being "pushy" which was not my intention was simply trying to avoid an accident in the store. He then tells me I screamed at him and caused a scene. I certainly never even raised my voice. Rather than waiting for the supervisor and continuing such an asinine conversation I left as again, the two year old needed the restroom. Once downstairs she peed in front of their entrance so no harm no foul... I'm sure someone will think I'm upset I didn't get what I wanted. Not at all. The store certainly isn't obligated to do me or my family a favor. I knew I was taking a long shot. It was the lies, threats and rudeness from the employee that flabbergasted me. The obvious attempt at intimidation from a man to a woman who is alone with three kids and another woman was palpable. The supervisor arrived as I was rushing down the stairs to get the toddler outside. I'm sure he didn't care or got a twisted version of the event. Luckily there's another store called Bancroft Clothing one block away that has better prices, friendly staff and no make employees who threaten women with small children that they might see them outside and to be careful. Disgusting store, staff and experience!!! read more

There are 3 levels of this popular corner Berkeley gift-store. On the middle (street) level: University of Cal's gear, apparel and memorabilia's: "eh!" In the basement: Funny and entertaining tee's including Captain America for $20.00. On the top level: Women and kid's wear including a pink Captain America Tee for $15.00. Many of you Yelpers surprise from what Matt bought? read more

Bear Basics - Women's Clothing Near Me - Berkeley, California

Take off that red shirt! ...and get another one at Bear Basics. They got tons of shirts in the basement, from Gumby to Che. There's something for everyone. Still obsessed with thug-life? They got you covered. Aspiring revolutionary? You're in the right place. Personally I like the surge of nostalgia in the 80s & 90s racks. But the real money is on the main floor. Besides the student store, this is a solid place to pimp yourself out in Cal gear. I'm already getting ready for the 07-08 football season (2 months away) with all my obnoxious paraphernalia. ROLL ON YOU BEARS! Tips: No alumni discounts like at the student store. Weak! read more

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Today is the second day in a row I've driven from out of town to come here. Everything online says they're open WEDS-SUN. I show up yesterday, a Thursday, to a sign on the door saying completely different hours and that they're open fri-sun. So I drive from out of town again on Friday and the sign has been changed since yesterday saying now they're only open Saturday and Sunday. So ridiculously unorganized and unprofessional. Get your shit together. read more

I stopped by today just to look around, and I spotted some really cute tops that were to dieee for. I absolutely love the 3rd floor with it's women's Bay Area oriented gear (eg a raglan top with an outline of a bear + BART station routes....... but you'll just have to see it in person; my description does it no justice...at all). There are also a ton of Threadless shirts and American Apparel tops with CAL/Bay Area designs (~$15-$30), and the sale section on the 3rd floor is pretty decent (random women's tops for ~$10 and women's CAL Bears tees for $5-$8!!!). 4 stars, because the customer service wasn't fantastic. Yes, there was someone at the fitting rooms, but the cashier was gave off a condescending vibe and was kind of rude. I get that it was right at closing time, but I really don't need attitude...especially when I'm buying something from you. read more

Fun place to visit and laugh at the tshirts ... they are out of many of them, though -- which is actually a good thing if you've got a consumerist 9-year-old who wants two of everything. read more

Bear Basics - Women's Clothing Near Me - Berkeley, California

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I don't post reviews often but the service I received was horrible. I wanted to return an item I bought minutes ago for a different item. I was informed there are no returns but only exchanges. And the store credit had to be used all in the same day! Which didn't give me much time since the store was closing in the next hour! An older man, Rob that was helping with the exchange was not informative. He pointed to the sign when I asked about returns. As if I'm supposed to just figure it out myself. Yes I can read, but aren't you the sales associate that's supposed to inform customers on the policy? The sign didn't say anything about having to use ALL your store credit within the same day you make a return. At that point, I didn't feel like debating with him. He was rude and unhelpful so I knew it would go no where. It was obvious he didn't know anything about customer service. Luckily my friend didn't buy their item yet so I used my store credit towards their purchase. This place doesn't even deserve my 1 star. Shop at your own risk. Make sure you are 100% positive about the item before purchase! read more

Bear Basics - Women's Clothing Near Me - Berkeley, California

T SHIRT ORGY!!! TO the Basement! SO I am a huge band t-shirt person and this place delivers for me. Lots and lots of tees downstairs from bands, Tv shows and various cultures (scene cultures I mean). They also have a great poster collection I get all excited in here all that cotton and screen print....YES YES YES!!! Don't Stop!! lol Honestly Its a cool stop on the Tel...Do stop by. read more

This place has a huge selection of Cal gear and I've been coming here ever since I went to Cal. Staff is usually young students so don't expect much on customer service but they've always been friendly to me. Prices may be a tad higher compared to other Cal novelty stores but I always come here first because of their vast selection. One con to this store is that they have a STRICT return/credit policy so make sure to check what your items qualify for in their return policy. read more

If you're in Berkeley and want some Bay Area gear, head down the stairs to the basement. They also have comedic and music related tees down there as well. The main level is dedicated to Cal Berkeley gear. I brought my son here so he could get some tees from the basement. We needed help but couldn't find any assistance. Finally got all the tees and even a sweatshirt and finally found a worker to ask our question. Next we head upstairs to pay. There are no cashiers in the basement. Only on the main level. I saw two cashiers and a couple at one of the registers, so we got in line. We're the only ones in line mind you. An elder and young girl walk up to the courter to check out. I said excuse me three times, politely and every disregarded me or played deaf. I proceeded to explain that I was in line and that the elder and young woman needed to also get in line since I had been patiently waiting. Keep in mind I said there were two cashiers but only one was ringing up a couple. A blonde young girl. The couple yells at me for trying to explain that the elder and young girl needed to get in line. The husband of the couple said that they all are together but paying separately. The cashier then snaps at me telling me the other cashier that was doing nothing this whole time will ring me up. Sure, and I head over there. They all made it seem like I was wrong for voicing that there is a line. I get that people shop together but sheesh, the level of respect I received as a paying customer was non existent. How rude. I still gave three stars because I come here often to shop in the basement since they have Bay Area gear. But they need to inform staff members to treat all customers equally. read more

T-shirt ORGY! What a fitting name as this location has THREE stories of shirts! Tanks? Sweaters? Hoodies? Zip-ups? No problem. I really love their upstairs female section because they have a lot of different kinds of designs and shirts. It's all the bay area logos and I'm in love! I think that the tanks are made smaller in sizes...or maybe I just gained weight, lol. But, I was a little disappointed that there wasn't a variety in sizing and that they were out of stock on one of the designs I wanted to purchase, but the workers assured me that I can still purchase on their website! :) read more

I used to be a regular customer, but just recently they stopped selling metal band shirts. Like in the past year or two. Great prices but hate how they took out that section. read more

I guess this place went out of business? We're here at noon on a Monday but it is closed read more

Bear Basics - Women's Clothing Near Me - Berkeley, California

As a Summer School student in UCB, this was the first shop that I visited when I arrived Berkeley on July 8,2019. At first, my roommate and I were both captured by the appealing appearance of this shop for it sells lots of souvenirs of our University! You can buy T-shits, cups, sweaters, trousers, hats or toy bears in this shop. And I think the prices of products in this shop are reasonable except the notebooks which are a little bit expensive for me ha ha. If you want to pay a visit to this shop, I suggest that you go there early because it close at 6:00 p.m if I remember correctly. read more

This store has been a Berkeley staple for many years and is the number one a place around the bay area to get decked out in Cal gear from head to toe. Any item that you are looking for with the Cal or Golden Bear logo, whether it be a t-shirt or socks or even a Frisbee; can be found here on their upper floors. In addition to Cal gear, they also carry a wide variety of screen printed t-shirts and hoodies in many different themes including political, nature, music, movies, and humor; all of which can be found on the basement level. I would have loved to have given this store a 5 star rating, but their prices are a problem for me at times, its hard for me to justify paying $25 for a generic screen printed shirt when I could put that same amount of money towards official collegiate brand clothing. Often times they will offer deals on many items such as promotional discounts and closeouts on past season's colors or designs, and this is definitely the best time to shop with them, you can find shirts for between $8-$12 that are normally $20-$25. read more

Bear Basics - T.Rexorcist - Women's Clothing Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Back when I was just entering college, I loved my size 3XL huge bay area shirts. This was definitely the place to get them. Then, after a couple years, I started wearing smaller tees with bright colors and funny sayings/characters on them. This was also the place to get those. For example, t-shirts with "adorkable," "hella," "The Bay We Fresh," or Star Wars on them. I definitely enjoy just looking around the lower floor (T-Shirt Orgy) b/c of their selection of humorous, TV character, and music tees for a decent price. The first floor (Bear Basics) has an awesome selection of Cal shirts too, with designs that I think are better than the student store. I do enjoy coming back to Cal and visiting T-shirt orgy to see what new items they have. Most recently, they have some new Green Lantern and Angry Birds tees, which was pretty cool :) read more

A bit on the pricier end. I bought a Cal tank for $18 and the material wasn't the best. I agree with the general consensus of the store that it's pricy. Check out Joy's for their merchandise! They always have great prices. read more

I think Bear Basics is awesome. I've been coming here for years since I went to undergrad at UCB and graduated in 2007. I've found that the staff is really helpful and nice, and more than anything, I love their selection of t-shirts!! I found an awesome one that said "I hella love Berkeley' which I have posted as a photo here, and I just think their tshirts overall are hilarious! You should definitely check it out - it's reasonably priced/affordable. I usually come back once a year to get something or the other from here. Love it! read more

Bear Basics - cool tshirt :) - Women's Clothing Near Me - Berkeley, California

The store charges more for clothes compared to the store at Bancroft . However they do have more sizes. You have to check in your bag, and the tellers will watch you as you walk around. It's awkward to go ask and try on clothes though Gave it a 3 instead of 2, because the t-shirt emporium downstairs is amazing(but still over priced) read more

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Hello pals, I'm an Illinois gal and was visiting the Berkeley area recently. Being a big fan of "The O.C." and knowing that Sandy Cohen went to Berkeley, I had to find a sweatshirt that screamed the college's name. I see a lot of reviews here saying it's expensive, but I went to a small liberal arts college in the Chicago suburbs and the merch sold at Bear Basics is VERY fairly priced, especially for such an iconic school. I was blown away by how fairly everything was priced here. For example, I wanted a crewneck, which was $20. A crewneck from my small liberal arts college is around $50, which is pretty crappy considering no one knows about my school pretty much unless they went there. ANYWAY I loved the amount of merchandise and low prices here, and I'm glad to have found it while spookin' around Berkeley. Thanks for existing, Bear Basics! read more

Bear Basics - got this sweatshirt for $20 which is incredible, folks - Women's Clothing Near Me - Berkeley, California

I am qualified to review this establishment because technically, I took two steps into it. AND THEN I TURNED AROUND AND LEFT. Why? Because a store employee told me I had to check in my purse. There is no way I am handing my wallet, phone, and camera over to someone who is (as far as I know) far more likely to steal than I am. I am used to being asked to check in a shopping bag at stores in San Francisco, but never ever a purse. In fact, clothing stores on the very same block do not have this policy, so it is unfathomable to me why they want to annoy, offend, and lose customers by asking for their purses. I can only imagine that they must sell mainly to men, who (mostly) do not carry purses. Hey, guess what? I had a man who likes t-shirts with me, and although I offered to let him shop while I waited outside, he didn't go in, either. Guess you lose, T-Shirt Orgy. Here's a thought: If your t-shirts are that valuable, get security tags. Otherwise how are you going to stop me from shoving them down my pants? read more

I hella heart T-Shirt Orgy! I wanted a Bay Area pride t-shirt and knew that T-Shirt Orgy - Bear Basics was the store to go to. For years I went in but never really noticed the Bay shirts. I shopped upstairs because the clothes were similar to Urban Outfitters and if my friends needed new Cal gear, we would be on the first floor. The basement was filled with offensive t-shirts and pop culture references like "Free Winona". I mention Winona because that just goes to show how long this place has been around. I looked everywhere for a I hella heart Oakland t-shirt I liked but found all the designs to be lame. Instead I went with a plain v-neck royal blue t-shirt with a cartoon bubble of "hella". It's still lame, but not as lame, and it's totally true to the Bay. I like it. Call it cheeky if you will. The clothes are affordable in relation to a student's budget. It's great for alumni and if you are walking down Telegraph, stop by T-Shirt Orgy - Bear Basics because it is a very Berkeley thing to do. read more

This place has every Cal item possible. I love me some Cal Bears. I bought a shirt here today to root my Bears on. We kicked ASS by the way. Arizonian Ass to be exact. I also bought an East Bay t-shirt but some drunk ass grabbed the bag my mistake and stole my shit. Fucker... I give any place that has "orgy" in their name a five star rating. If you go downstairs you'll find every kind of smart ass t-shirt/poster available. My favorite has to be "CUCCI". That shit is hilarious.... read more

Dear T-Shirt Orgy, While your selection of gigantic guys' shirts is wide and impressive, your selection of women's shirts is knee-high of a grasshopper. How can you have a proper t-shirt orgy with a guy/girl ratio like that? You suck. Girls like funny shirts too. I would like to come in and purchase funny shirts in a size that would not also fit Andre the Giant. Please make a note of it. Best Regards, Disgruntled Female Shopper read more

Took my parents into this T-Shirt store back when I was living in Berkeley. The radio was blasting some of that rap music about "sucking and licking a part of the female anatomy". That's always nice background music when you're browsing for shirts with your mom. There's this one shirt there that has a picture of the monopoly man with his pockets empty. It says "Being and Adult Sucks". My dad flipping loves that shirt. Every few months he makes me go back to this place and buy another shirt or two and send it back to New Jersey. I think it's a little wierd, but it gives me the chance to get some sausage from Top Dog. read more

I understand checking in shopping bags but when you tell me to check in my personal purse, thats bullshit!! tshirt orgy should treat customers like customers instead of criminals! Ive never been told to surrender my wallet & valuable goods 2 any store so i can browse and shop!! my purse was not even that big! it was a normal size hobo! get cameras in the store & hard tags! stupid policy... very STUPID! read more

Whenever I'm in Berkeley, I always have to make a stop by T-Shirt Orgy to see if there's anything awesome to be picked up. At this point, it's almost tradition. ~ Customer Service: I do agree with other reviewers that sometimes they can have really strict rules. For instance, I get really uncomfortable when they ask me to leave my purse with them (even though you can take your wallet out with you). I do understand that they're paranoid about thieving, but aren't there a lot more efficient systems in place for that sort of thing? ~ Variety: They have 3 floors of clothing, not just catered to Cal students. I always end up finding a hilarious t-shirt that I want to buy, and all for affordable prices. Plus, as a Bay Area born-and-raised woman, I do have to love the shirts that are specifically catered to Bay Area residents. Around 5 years ago, I picked up a shirt with a speech bubble saying "Hella" and it's still in great quality. Most of the shirts I've found use a soft cotton that is not only long lasting but really comfortable as well. --- Most of the negative reviews on here is regarding the customer service, which is something I do understand. However, given that the store itself is amazing, I can't deny that I'm a fan. Just try to keep interaction with the staff to a minimum. read more

Fuck this place. Customer service- NONE. The sales staff are total bitches and wouldn't even open a dressing room for me. 2 lazy ass employees walked right by as I was standing by the dressing rooms trying on shirts and didn't offer to unlock them. I had 3 shirts I was going to buy but ended up putting them back after that. Also, I sat on the stairs because I felt like I was about to pass out and that finally got one of the girls attention... but not because I was about to pass out, but because "I couldn't sit there". She made me move. Ha. Gotta love when retail bitches treat you like they're above you. They really need to get over themselves. It's a T-shirt shop for fucksake! Lighten up, lazy bitches!!!! read more

Clothing options = 3/5 stars. Service = 4/5 stars. Cleanliness = 5/5 stars. BUT even so they deserve only ONE if not ZERO stars. Why? Because you have to pay tax twice when you initially purchase an item and when you exchange it! Out of all the retail places I've been, there has never been an incidence when an even, one to one, t-shirt for same priced t-shirt, exchange of items purchased ever resulted in additional costs! It's soooo ridiculous based on principle and just business practices that I can't fathom why this is the case for one of our popular Berkeley establishments. I won't go into the story/scenario, just know that if you want to exchange an item you have 7 days. They can be nice enough and get the manager to let you exchange the item after 7 days if you just want a different size (nice eh?). However, know that if you do ever want to exchange an item you will be charged extra because you have to pay tax on the item.. twice! It's ridiculous. Update your system Bear Basics, shiiet. How come only you have this ridiculous double taxing policy when no other retail store seems to have it? UPDATE YOUR SYSTEM. Also, this should be advertised at the front desk or on the receipt, or both. "If you want to exchange an item, you can do so, but you'll be charged additional tax. Thank You." Beware of Bear Basics is all I can say. read more

Wow . . . so, I've never been to an orgy. Did I set my orgy expectations too high? Nah, I walked outta here a satisfied customer. Snagged a nice, cuddly CAL "Fear the Bear" hoodie for only $12! This place is huge. There's a ton of CAL gear. The second floor is full of girl stuff. But, there's also a ton of other non-CAL stuff too. Funny shirts, stupid shirts, dumb shirts, snarky shirts, confusing shirts, etc. If you can't find something in here to buy, there's probably something wrong with you. read more

Cheap, awesome, wearable Cal apparel. It's not dirt cheap, but for a few bucks more you DEFINITELY get way cuter stuff! Just got an american apparel tank and unisex cardigan with the cutest cal prints. Huge, great selection, fun to shop in. read more