I definitely highly recommend this business the Cal quarterback Jaron was there. It was a super dope and fun event and be able to meet a future NFL quarterback. He is also from Hawaii, so I definitely had to come represent and buy some of his merch. Some of his other teammates and coaches and mascot was there which was super dope as well super family, friendly event. The service here is fast and reliable. The line was about 45 minutes. Ambience is really nice. They sell everything from a football to close hoodies, etc.. read more

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The Cal Berkeley bookstore it's located on campus and odd easily accessed by a nearby underground parking lot (part at the kiosk before you leave). There a ton of merchandise ranging from clothing, notebooks, pendants, lanyards, etc. Size-wise, the space is 2 stories but nowhere near as large at some of its other UC counterparts. Bigger than UC Irvines, but way smaller than UCLA's. They carry brands like Nike, a Hello Kitty Collab, Jellycats, Peter Millar and Reyn Spooner. They also have amazing sales on merch at random times of the year. I thought it was really amazing that they had a ton of Christmas sales the weeks before finals/holiday break for students to buy gifts. The service can be hit or miss- the staff of normally super friendly and helpful but when it's crazy busy they can be a little stressed. However, still a great selection of items! read more

Very nice store. It's on two levels. Downstairs is Men's and gifts and upstairs is Women's and Children. they have an elevator which makes it ADA accessible. In the front lobby they have umbrella bags so you will keep the floor dry. They have a little sign on the bag stand telling you so. We started downstairs. They sure have lots of gifts. Gifts for everyone including the family dog. They have collars, leashes, sweatshirts, hoodies, and dresses in xs to xxl. Something for every furry friend in the family. They have water bottles, mugs, notebooks, ect for gifts. There is just so many items to name, but those are the ones that stood out to me. They have so much clothing. Hawaiin shirts for men. The Cotton ones are over $100 and the stretchy fabric ones are slightly under $100. they have golf shirts, rugby shirs, t-shirts, tube tops, cropped sweater and sweatshirts, overalls, sports bras, other form fitting tops for women, hoodies, sweatshirts, ect. Gifts for alumni and parents. Maybe they will come out with sweatshirts for Aunts and Uncles of a incoming student. That's with the hope that our niece will get in. If you are looking for a piece of Cal Clothing they have it. Everything is pretty pricy, but if you are going to Cal you can afford it. I love the store. There are so many good things. read more

Cal Student Store - The giant bear - Souvenir Shops Near Me - Berkeley, California

I am short with poor vision. I graduated from Berkeley in 1975. I was having a terrible time finding matching shirts in three different sizes for my Arizona granddaughters and I. The manager I think helped me tremendously by looking up our sizes on the computer to find available matches. Thank you so much. read more

Conveniently located on Bancroft at Telegraph on the south side of campus. Similar to campus stores of sister UC campuses, but on the smaller side. Nice that they have an elevator. Bought a shirt for a gift and found this nice 10% coupon! Thanks! read more

Cal Student Store - Souvenir Shops Near Me - Berkeley, California

improve customer service and train employees to not snicker at customers. You lost many customers because of this.

Fun place to be with new admit child. It's about as easy to navigate as any other student store. The cash register feels out of place in "the back" of the store. Pretty good merch though ... I will say one of my children did point out there were Cal "Mom", "Dad", "Grandmother", "Grandfather", "Brother", and "Sister" items but nothing that would cover non-binary students and /or relatives! It might not be a big seller, but given the inclusion feels given just outside the building it would be showing consistency through the school. A Cal "Sibling" cup might sound a bit clunky, but there are plenty of smart and compassionate people there - maybe you can think of something. If you're gonna talk the talk, perhaps you can walk the walk? read more

This review is for Tim and the management that was working during the time of the incident in May of 2022. Don't think I forgot. Here's to hoping all of you got laid off or fired or have a truly miserable life either way. I've only met incredibly kind and wonderful people that I've worked with and met during my time at Cal. The student store is filled with complete trash workers though and they're not even associated with UC Berkeley in the sense that UC Berkeley does not own the Cal student store. Do not give them your money. Their workers are dangerous. There's also a 911 call of me being in hysterics after I was assaulted. They also said I could only get my stole if I didn't file a police report. Complete sickos. Their behavior was not human at all. They're super jealous of all the students who actually have something going for them, they do not want to help you - nor care about your items you've purchased. read more

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I was in town for the Berkeley Half Marathon and decided to stop here, check out the campus, and perhaps pick up a souvenir. The store was well organized, they had a pretty wide selection to choose from and as to be expected, the prices were high. Couldn't really complain since where else would you be able to buy some authentic Cal Berkeley merchandise? I picked out a pretty nice polo shirt that I could wear at work. When it came time to pay for the item, the cashier was friendly. read more

Cal Student Store - Souvenir Shops Near Me - Berkeley, California

Used to be that unless you were buying textbooks, most students didn't buy Cal merch here because this was the most expensive store (probably due to the convenience of being on campus and owned by the university). But post-Covid the other Cal gear selling stores are now also over-priced so you might as well go here. Being the official store does mean it does have pretty much every type of Cal merchandise you can think of from shirts and sweaters to mugs and flags. But nothing to really rave about. Also I gotta say the remodel has made this a less customer friendly place because there are no changing rooms or bathrooms for customers (unlike before the remodel). So super awkward to see dudes taking off their shirts to try a Cal shirt in the middle of the store while dropping their backpacks in the middle of the floor and clogging the walkway. Yes, really inclusive and progressive for a university clothing store to make sure people can't try clothes on in private. Just incredibly dumb. Honestly wouldn't buy merch here if Covid didn't screw up the other Cal merch stores. At least when you buy here your money goes straight to the university and supports the Student Association (which is really the main reason I bumped it to 3 stars, without it supporting the SA, it's more a 1-2 stars place). Tip: It's probably better to just buy clothes from their online website so you can try it on in private and just return it if it doesn't fit. read more

Had issues with getting an order sent out. Was dissatisfied until Patrick stepped in and worked with me to get the issue resolved. I was impressed with his desire to resolve the situation and communicated with me throughout the issue. I haven't had that Level of customer commitment In along time read more

I enjoy coming here and looking at Cal gear I probably won't even buy. Nice selection of clothing for men, women and even babies. Came here last Saturday and a bunch of student moms were shopping. "Everything" is overpriced for the college budget! A keychain for $13...Really? *Factoid*: there's also word that this is the worst place to deal with texts as it's expensive and extremely slow in arriving. read more

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This place was like steppiing into an atmosphere of what it's like to have a two story building. read more

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I have always had positive experiences at the Cal student store. The recently remodeled store has a great selection of apparel and gifts, even including onsies and clothing for the tiniest cals fan in our house - my one year old. The employees here are also very friendly and helpful. There is a split level plan, with plenty to explore. This is a great option for gifts for the bears fans in your life! read more

Cal Student Store. This is the temporary location of the store officially associated with the ASUC. I have no idea what transpired at the former temporary location (where the Ned's Bookstore used to be) and why there are now two separate stores catering to Cal students with books and Cal gear. Something about separate vendors managing and providing products. Whatever. It is a much smaller space here at this temporary relocation. Eventually the store will move back to its permanent space at Sproul Plaza when the construction is finished (expected) by Fall 2015. They have different yet similar styles of official Cal clothing as the Student Store directly. They have a whole lot more appliqued sweatshirts than printed. Many possibilities to ponder and acquire during my time at UC Berkeley. They have similar Cal accessories, supplies and products as the Student Store. Binders and folders with either the Cal or UC Berkeley logos. And all the essential supplies like pencils, pens, and highlighters needed for classes, midterms, and finals. The staff here are all right. Very welcoming and friendly. At the till in the rear, there is a tad bit of confusion of which student behind the register is ringing up purchases. If you are buying books, they ring up in the rear. Buying Cal Gear or other items, either the front or the rear counters will do ya. I was looking at the other reviews with regards to purchasing books. Honestly, tis cheaper to buy used online or if possible, go electronic and paperless either renting or buying. Another source for Cal Gear for sure! For reals. read more

a small store but this is where I get my stuff. there are always girls around to talk to. yes I like it, Go Bears! read more

Would give zero stars but can't. In short, a relative bought an item at the store while visiting from out of town. Item did not fit me, so I returned it via mail. They acknowledged receipt of item. 2 months later, I'm still waiting for a refund. Time to dispute this with my CC company. read more

Really good customer service and a nice environment. Good clothes that are fairly well priced.

This store is the new, official Cal Student Store, not to be confused with the Student Store (although how could you not be confused, given that they're only a block away from one another, named almost the same thing, and the Cal Student Store used to *be* the Student Store?) Basically, Cal used to contract with one company to run their student store, and when they switched companies, they moved locations, while the old company continues to run a now-unaffiliated store in the exact same location. This review is for the new store, the one affiliated with the university in the new location by Copy Central. I'm going to try to keep this constructive, but, seriously, this store is a maddening, Kafkaesque experience, and it is fundamentally unable to perform its basic function: to sell you books. You can purchase books online, and the website doesn't tell you that (1) your book is not in stock; (2) nobody at the store seems to have any idea--and I mean *any* idea--when the book will be in stock, but (2b) they have no problem telling you it'll be "sometime next week"; (3) that if you pick up in store, you shouldn't just come by the store--instead, you'll be notified your book has arrived by a phone call (because of course it's not actually there already). Customers can't peruse the shelves; you have to wait in line to even ask if the book you want is available, which makes it possible for you to waste whole hours of your life just standing in line for a book that isn't there (but they have no idea when it'll be there--sometime next week?). I went to the store repeatedly over the course of three weeks looking for two books. I tried to buy them at the store for a couple weeks, then purchased them online and tried to pick them up after that. After four visits, at least three hours waiting in lines there, being told by five different people that my books would arrive "sometime next week", being assured they would show up any day now, finally being told that *one* of my books had arrived (only for it to be a used copy, which was a problem because I'd already paid for a new one), watching them struggle to give me a refund for my order because they somehow didn't have my billing information, and being asked to remember offhand which credit card I had used to place the order three weeks ago, I am simply amazed at the level of sheer incompetence at play at this store. The people who work there seem nice enough, and the student staff are obviously doing the best they can, but the infrastructure of the store is so profoundly broken that you're left feeling very, very disoriented by the experience. Like, was it weird to think that I could *buy* things there? Have I somehow misunderstood the concept of a "store"? This is the only one-star review I've given on Yelp, because I generally hate the idea of semi-anonymously tearing down businesses with good people working there. But the experience here is so terrible that I honestly feel like it's kind of a public service to tell you all to stay away. Suggestions for the store: 1) Be in possession of the books for which you accept money. Seriously, you're a bookstore. Have books. 2) If books aren't in stock, mark that clearly on the website and have an accurate estimate for when that item can reasonably be expected. 3) Let students browse your shelves, so we can see quickly whether you have what we need. The line is a huge, needless waste of time. Waiting at the store for an hour just to be told that they don't have what you want can really ruin your day, especially since it's so unnecessary. 4) If you don't know when something you supposedly stock is coming, (a) fix that, please, and (b) don't lie. "Sometime next week" was repeated so often (over the course of weeks) that it was clear nobody really knew, and it was just a stalling tactic, which makes the whole experience that much worse. 5) Don't spend ten minutes telling me you can beat Amazon's price. I don't care if the book is cheap when you sell it to me if *there is no book*. read more

Cal's bookstore is ok. I mean, it's a university bookstore, of course it's gonna be overpriced for everything. I've never purchased a school book here, I ALWAYS use chegg. I've heard a lot of horror stories about waiting weeks for textbooks, which does NOT work at Cal if you're trying not to fail. Aside from that though, I just kind of feel like the (sometimes) slightly more expensive prices than places like "the student store" and bancroft clothing company are justifiable because, since this store is affiliated with the university, Cal gets revenue from sales here. And let's face it, Cal needs all the financial help it cal get. They have a great selection though and I love to go browse for new cal gear. I can't wait until Cal finally starts to get rid of Nike gear because of the switch to under armour. Hopefully those will be some GREAT sales here. I'd say half of my wardrobe here in Berkeley is Cal gear that I've purchased at the Cal student store. If you just stick to normal brands like Champion and some Nike stuff, you'll be fine. It's also a great place for fun Cal souvenirs like shot glasses, mugs, graduation attire, stickers, etc. But beware, some of the little trinkets are too expensive and THAT'S where you'd be better off crossing the street, because I can't justify a $15 keychain! I don't really think anyone can. All in all though, it's a great place to buy Cal gear and support our great school! read more

Cal Student Store - inside - Souvenir Shops Near Me - Berkeley, California

Update: So.. it's been about two weeks since school has begun and, during the middle of the first week, I found out that one of my books were out of stock (they didn't tell me). They put in a pre-pay for the book and told me they'd send me a confirmation email when it would arrive. A week and a half later, no email. I walk in to ask when's the estimate date of arrival--they don't have one. At that point, I canceled my order, and bought my book through Amazon Prime; the book came in two days. I found out that the StudentStore across the street had restocked the same textbook already. Welp. The service representatives are nice and I can't blame them, but their system sure is slow. If you find out that your book is out of stock, order your books through amazon, if you can--or check the other Student Store. You'll find that both places will ship faster than this one. read more

Cal's new bookstore is a bummer. It's small and you can't browse their books at all to see what is in stock. . Every interaction I've had at this bookstore has been a fiasco. First, I ordered a used book from them online since the advertised price was less than I could find on Amazon and other sites. About a week later, I was advised by e-mail that it was ready for pick-up. After taking the bus up to campus and waiting in a long line, the cashier rang me up for a NEW book and said they didn't have any used ones in stock and if I wouldn't mind paying $20 more for the new book. I think not. Ended up getting a refund and ordering the used book from Amazon anyway.Total waste of my time. The next time I went in was to pick up 8 required textbooks. Only 3 were in stock. I was told by a manager that they can't afford to keep 100% stock of all the books. The rest of my books would have to be special-ordered and I would be "up-charged" for the expedited shipping. What? They wanted to charge me roughly $100 extra for shipping of books they are supposed to stock. After arguing with the manager, I was able negotiate to pay the advertised price as long as they didn't expedite shipping so now I'm waiting for my books to arrive via slowest shipping. Cal should really be more selective in choosing its vendors. read more

I know people like to go to Bancroft clothing and some other areas but this place has always had the best selection of hats shirts and sweaters with the right cal colors and script. I hadn't been back since the remodel the newer area looks really nice and people working there were friendly and helpful as always. Makes me miss being a student at cal and walking around sproul all the time. Good nostalgic feel. Definitely more than I can say about the new bears lair. read more

Place closes earlier than 8. You guys should really change your hours of operation on here because i tried to get off work early and got there around at 7:35 and you were already closed! read more

Do NOT order online and choose to pick up at the store. I ordered my books a week before class, and they still didn't have all my books during the second week of classes. I also waited over an hour in line because they only have 2-3 people checking online orders... read more

I would give them ZERO stars if I could! My EXPERIENCE of them is NOTHING SHORT of fraudulent behavior on their part. I placed my order just AFTER midnight on the morning of the 24th. They printed a label at 12:42 p.m. on Friday the 25th for one day priority shipping... Tonight is after 9 p.m. on the 28th and they have STILL NOT given it to the post office? There is ZERO TRACKING on the package and ALL they tell me is, "We will initiate a claim with the post office and get OUR money back? WHEN do I get either a REFUND or the ITEM I ordered? I DID NOT MAKE A DONATION. I ordered an ITEM from the store!!!! The Post Office Consumer Affairs team tells me the post office NEVER received it, so CAL TOOK MY MONEY AND KEPT MY ITEM WHICH IS POTENTIALLY FRAUD AND THEFT and there was NO talk about HOW OR WHEN they would put this right TO ME. Order # 800016145 shows shipping label created ONLY and ZERO transit scans. GIVE IT TO THE POST OFFICE OR REFUND ME. YOU CANNOT KEEP BOTH MY MONEY AND MY ITEM!!!! read more

NO NO NO it took them WEEKS to get my books in stock, and for one of my books I am still waiting 8 weeks later and had to buy it somewhere else! $60 down the drain. So, so, incredibly terrible it is difficult to describe. Awful. I had homework and tests I could not adequately study for because of this store's eye wateringly awful service in getting books in a timely manner. I am trying to hold in vomit as I write this review, because this is not a store, this is an inefficient scam factory. read more

Wonderful customer service! I came in looking for a gift for my niece and one of the employees showed me around the store personally. She spent time looking up sizes and comparing brands for me and I left with a wonderful gift as well as a couple of things for myself! I definitely plan on returning soon :) read more

You should never buy your books from the cal student store. They are almost always more expensive so buying them from other students using the textbook exchange group on Facebook or from Amazon is the cheaper option 99% of the time. However, this semester there were two books I couldn't find on Facebook and they happened to be a couple dollars cheaper to rent them from the student store than to buy them used off amazon. I submitted a web order. After two and a half weeks I have finally received one of the two books. One of the two books the cashier explained to me "they couldn't get". They offered no additional explanation but said I wasn't charged for it. They never emailed me about this. The book I did receive already has 200 pages of reading assigned from it that I need to catch up on. When checking online the order always said processing and when I finally went to the store to check in person the cashier said they had sent the pick up email to the wrong email address. Basically the cal student store is useless and shouldn't be trusted for any of your textbook needs. read more