Filene's Basement Inc

 

5

7

Catherine O.

Gaithersburg, MD

I lost my Filene's virginity today, thanks to Matt. It was magical.

I'm ashamed that I didn't discover this gem before. While the service and clutter was what I'd expect out of pretty much any lower end department store, the deals were amazing.

Instead of purchasing one pair of paper denim and cloth jeans for $180, I got said pair of jeans, a kitson hoodie, a primp shirt, a Torn tank top, and two Calvin Klein bras for $180 including taxes.

You do need to dig around a bit. There was a large selection of jeans in my size, but only two pair I wanted to try on. And I do wish they had a better shoe selection. But hey, for those prices, I'll deal with it!

Please excuse me while I go pee myself with excitement.

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Elite '08

169

390

Kathleen M.

Washington, DC

I am a bargain basement shopper, no lie. When you've got a shopping addiction and a salary like mine, you have to be. But I still can't say that I like Filene's. In fact, I strongly dislike it.

Yet I still find myself in there about once a month. I keep trying to give it a chance because it's so freaking convenient and it just keeps letting me down. I usually browse the main floor (men's and accessories) and can't muster up the strength to go downstairs-- it's just too much. Even the designer stuff they have looks crappy. Their actual clothing is often torn or missing a button and it just seems cheaply made to me. Like it's all rejects from the JC Penney's juniors department. Ick. (and as I said, I'm not being snobby, TJ Maxx is one of my most favorite stores of all time!)

One additional star because they do sometimes have great hosiery. Sometimes.

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Elite '08

88

161

Jason C.

Arlington, VA

I was discussing this place with Jim at the Yelp event at Panache, and we agreed that at least you could always find a pair of socks you like here.

I don't think the prices are a whole lot lower than a place like Macy's. And since Macy's is always having sales, they pretty much even out on price. If you're a woman, you might find something you like here (I haven't looked, but I know places like these usually cater more towards women). If you're a man... well, good luck. Boring, boring looking suits. I've seen some nice casual shirts, but nothing that screamed "BUY ME!!!"

The last time I was in here was because I had forgotten (yet again) my umbrella at home. You'd think even a place like this would stock a basic black umbrella by Totes or Isotoner. Ha ha. The "umbrella section" consisted of those microumbrellas that only work when it's misty out. And did I neglect to mention they had just the cutest, most precious colors here? I grabbed the least-feminine looking umbrella and beat feet in retreat. It's still on my doorknob at home, reminding me to always bring the other umbrella to work.

The verdict: I can't really speak to the women's selection for obvious reasons. For men, well... you can always get a nice pair of socks here.

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Elite '08

6

53

Audrey M.

Washington, DC

This was one of my first discoveries after moving to the district freshman year. Probably the cheapest department store in DC. They have something for every style and a great sale rack for bargain hunters like me. They have a good shoe selection, but a little expensive for my taste. Its not swanky, but it sure gets the job done, and for a lot cheaper than most other DC options

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Elite '08

32

78

Leigh L.

Washington, DC

I went on my lunch break on a Friday. Everyone was rude.

In the shoe department, there was some sort of manager who seemed like she was doing some quality control in from out of town. She was straight out of "The Devil Wears Prada". She was so mean to the poor guys working in the shoe department. I heard one of them say "jesus christ" under his breath. Poor thing. The dressing room ladies were also very mean.

The place looks like a bomb went off. They try to cram way too much stuff in a small place. Shoppers are running into each other and it was very hot throughout the store.

However, if you are patient, you could find a good deal. I managed to get a pair of Puma running shoes for a good price.

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1

11

Bootsy R.

Washington, DC

Filene's is a great place to buy silk scarves, and also wool and cashmere sweaters.  They never fail to have better quality for the price, and a better color and size selection, than Bloomie's has in their lower end sweaters.  The scarves are from past seasons, but are the best of the best (no, I haven't come across any Hermes...).  

The staff can barely cut their way through the crowds and straighten out the merchandise fast enough, but they are polite enough, after all,
this is a chain store !

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Elite '08

12

119

Amy V.

Washington, DC

This is a comparative review, looking at this store and the 14th St location.

If you're in DC, definitely come to this Filene's Basement. It's a little bit smaller, but the selection is so much better organized, unlike the other store which I think gets more foot traffic so clothes are always strewn on the floor and it's cramped and awkward. The staff are even nicer here. Also, the shoe selection is also far superior here (quality, not quantity). Again, stores like this are always hit and miss, but you're [read: I'm] more likely to find things to buy, to my bank accounts chagrin, at this store.

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Elite '08

69

180

Jim B.

Washington, DC

3.5 stars.

I'm not that fashionable, and due to the nature of my work I have about 3 nice shirts. So I have to thank Filene's for providing some inexpensive, presentable clothes at the last minute for various social soirees.

That said, there's only a limited amount of items I'd pick up from Filene's. I'm not one to spend $60 for a polo shirt, even if it is C.K. So whenever I head here I'm a man on a mission, digging through to find the best deals. And as others have said, they are here to be found.

They also have a good deal on nice men's socks. Does that make me sound like I'm 80 years old? Whatever.

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25

152

Nadine F.

Washington, DC

I think this location is good for men's clothes, which doesn't help me out a lot.  I really prefer the downtown location.

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8

23

Denise D.

Silver Spring, MD

I practically live here.  Yeah, it's feast or famine  -- sometimes the weird, borderline tacky stuff they carry makes me wonder who buys their stock -- but I don't go anywhere else to get my jeans.  I've been able to score a pair of Earl jeans for under 12 bucks (no, you didn't read that wrong).  And I picked up two pairs of Lucky jeans for under 8.  The trick is to get there when things are 75 percent off, and wade in to see what you can find.  I've never seen much that I've liked in the shoe department (I go to DSW for that fix) or the purses (too many boring everybody-has-'em pieces from Nine West and Tommy Hilfinger for my liking), but the accessory section has some cute, basic stuff for wardrobe building.  I've hit other Filene's around DC, but this one's my favorite.

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228

811

Gayle G.

Woodbridge, VA

Being that I am from Boston, I was so excited to be walking down Connecticut Avenue and to see a Filene's! For those who haven't been to the "orginal" Filene's, they mark down items by 25 %increments the longer an item remains in the store.

You'll find men's, women's and kid's clothes here in addition to shoes, bedding, jewelry, and fragrances. Usually, Filene's features "high end" designer stuff like Prada and D&G. Don't expect neat racks and shelves, Filene's stores are certainly no nonsense and you'll have to do some hunting to find the diamonds among the coal here.

My last trip here I found a pair of Prada shoes that were marked down to $10!!

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1

1

Mira T.

MD

This place is great!  I bought Fendi scarves at 60% off the original price and one of my best buys... a Prada leather wrap pencil skirt in blue with Prada hardware, another 60% off the sale price!  How cool is that???

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20

126

Kat F.

San Francisco, CA

I love a bargain especially if that bargain is designer. Everyone from the east coast would talk about Filene's Basement and when I saw that it was an 8 minute walk from my hotel I had to go. Unfortunately, I was pretty disappointed. The place was pretty small and the sales rack were messy.  Still I manged to get a MaxMara jacket (orig. $200 marked down to $25), 3 pieces of Ralph Lauren baby clothes for  $25, and a Missoni silk scarf (can't reveal the price because it's my roommate's X-mas present).  Maybe the other locations are better...

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18

42

Clea K.

Cambridge, MA

Great place to buy discounted/last-season designer clothing while in DC. They have a lot of stuff that is really not that nice or practical, but now and then you can find really cool clothes and shoes, even sunglasses. Most of the apparel is about 40% cheaper than in a normal store.

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