Molly B

DO NOT SHOP HERE. I had been going to Molly B on Fourth St for years but ran in a real problem today. I returned a dress following all the rules on the sales slip, returning it within 10 days with the sales tag attached, and requesting store credit, not a refund. The dress was not worn; I tried it for 2 min at home & saw it was not right. Nonetheless, my return was refused. Why? Because it turns out they do not take back «holiday dresses» — which never communicated to me, nor written on the sales slip. The sales clerk swore up and down she told me. I know she did not, but I can hardly blame her for lying since her job was at stake. It turned into a she-​said she-​said. I lost. If it is that important, why not write it on the sales slip? Why not put up a sign near the register? When I spoke with the owner, she criticized me for not calling the store immediately when I realized the dress was not right& for not coming back BEFORE 10 days was up (in spite of statement on the sales slip.) She implied I was the one who was lying. Molly B clearly does not care about the customer. DO NOT SHOP HERE.

For some reason this store that I used to frequent, decided for Halloween to make a political statement in the window… completely inappropriate and off base… never shopping there again…4 th street has really lost its luster and is store has lost a customer…

I went to Fourth St. to spruce up my wardrobe for spring a couple of days ago. There was a beautiful, but fairly casual (cotton weave and jersey) dress just inside Molly B’s door, so I stepped inside to check it out even though I’ve avoided that place for the last couple of years due to previous rude (think Pretty Woman) treatment.
Fool me once…
First, a salesperson lets me know that they’ll be closing in 30 minutes. OK. I’ll try not to hold you up unless you’d like to close right now.
Next, the older woman with orange glasses who has been rude to me in the past came over to look over my body and let me know that the dress runs small. When I was undeterred and wanted to try it anyway, she asked if I had a special occasion. I said, «No.» She proceeded to tell me that it was very special dress that cost $ 300 and if everyone tried it on, it would get ruined. WTF?!
When handed her back the dress, she said that I could try it on, but repeated that it was special, and she doesn’t want it to get ruined. I told her to forget it and that I had really wanted to buy that dress but I’d be writing this review instead. So here it is.
P. S. If you’re wondering if I looked sketchy, I was clean and dressed in a silk top from Anthro and a skort from Title Nine.

There are so many wonderful boutiques in the Bay Area with excellent service and beautiful clothes so why shop here? The owner is a nightmare and is exceptionally rude. She accused me of damaging some merchandise after I realized there was a hole when I returned home from her shop one hour later. After she made these accusations in a sarcastic manner she shared with me that she would not be taking the bag back and that it was only a tiny hole – at $ 250 I would expect there to be no holes, thank you.
If you shop here use a credit card so you can contest the charge if there is an issue. I was able to purchase the bag online from the manufacturer directly even though the owner said she called them and they were no longer available – more lies. I was also able to successfully contest the charge.
Support a local business that respects and appreciates their clientele, not Molly B.

This is a fantastic store. The incredible selections bring me back again and again. Negative experience? Never. I’ve always had a positive experience here!
Yes, some items may be a bit expensive, but I would rather purchase one beautiful garment that I will enjoy for years rather than a few items that might last one season.

This store should be out of business for their offensive and rude customer service. Actually, they do not have customer service, rather they have no service. I bought an item over the phone. when I picked it up in-​store it was now 40% off. I asked for a price adjustment and was told very rudely «absolutely not!». That was the last straw after having been treated so insignificantly prior to the merchandise pick-​up. Then the completely bad and rude treatment in person. Molly B sucks! They are over-​priced, egotistical, unprofessional, disrespectful, inconsiderate, thoughtless, etc… DO NOT PATRONIZE THIS STORE!

I am always impressed with the selection of clothing at these stores. I have always felt
welcome and important. So I was surprised to hear anything negative in other reviews.
I was at the 4^th street store recently, and maybe it is my love of autumn — but i lusted after so many choices. Yes some of the options are costly, but I understand this as QUALITY lasts for many years, in both style and substance. I still enjoy things I bought at Molly B over 10 years ago.
Highly recommend Molly B for SPECIALty… both choice and customer service.

Love the clothes! Very European! The lady that helped us at the 4^th street store was fantastic! She even offered to call their other store to see if an item I wanted was in a smaller size there. I spent more than I planned and enjoyed every moment! Guess all those rude sales ladies are gone now! I highly recommend this store.

For years I’ve loved the clothing in this store and have driven from Marin to shop for special items I can’t find in my county. The last several times I’ve come to shop, I’ve been struck by the bad behavior of the sales people. They will discuss customers they don’t like or unpleasant incidents or how bad the boss is, loudly, while I and other customers are present, for example. I see that this is a well-​covered topic in other reviews, but I’m writing to say that the Ukranian woman is my favorite saleswoman; she is friendly, warm, and never has copped an attitude. I saw her singled out in a negative way in another review, but she’s the best as far as I’m concerned. I hardly ever go to Molly B anymore, the experience is just a downer.

I bought a T-​shirt for $ 80 at Molly B. Too much money for a t-​shirt but it fit great and it was a beautiful color. (I liked the shirt so much I bought another in a different color.) After half a dozen washings, holes appeared along the sleeve seams and around the neck facing in t-​shirt #1. I took the #1 t-​shirt back to the store, but since the manager wasn’t in, nobody could/​would do anything. I kept going back with the shirt for 6 months (I work a block from the business) but the manager was never there.
Finally, I got someone who said they would take the shirt and confer with the manager… but only after they grilled me on how had I washed the shirt and if I had put the t-​shirt in the dryer. I said — I only used the gentle cycle (as I do with all my nice washable clothes) but that I probably had dried the shirt in the dryer. IT’S A T-​SHIRT. I received a phone call saying I could only get money back if I hadn’t washed the t-​shirt. They told me to repair it myself — it would look ok!
#2 t-​shirt is ok btw.
So that’s what you get for $ 80 at Molly B — a t-​shirt that you are not supposed to wash and dry and lousy customer service.

I would give this women’s clothing store an A+ for style and an F for customer service. I recently walked into the 4^th St. store in Berkeley and a woman walked out of the back and walked right past me without asking if I needed help or saying hello. She then went on to help another customer at the cash desk, who was already being helped. When I asked if they had what I was there for, she looked around and said «yes, somewhere», but continued helping the first customer. I looked around and then left. I will never step foot in that store again. I also am in retail and I know what it takes to get and retain customers, and this place doesn’t have it!

Buyer beware: If you shop here, make sure you check your clothing for wear and tear.
I tried on a pair of pants the other day at Molly’s and they fit great and I liked the material, but, as I ran my hand down the side of the pants to put my hands in the pockets, the material had pills (tiny balls of rough material) all over the material on one side. You know how some sweaters have pills or balls of yarn on them, well these pants had the same thing. Last year while at a convention I purchased a bag with sequins on it, the sequins destroyed the material on the side of my pants that I carried the bag on. So, these pants must have been worn, several time, and then put back on the rack. They were not on sale, the price was $ 120. Prior to trying on the pants, I tried on a black dress, loved it and purchased it for $ 215. I would not have purchased the dress had I tried it on after the pants. When I got the dress home, washed it and ironed it to wear, I noticed a 2″ hole in the seam in the back. It was an easy fix, but I think they are charging way too much for their clothes. I will never go back. The staff is not helpful at all, you have to beg for attention.

I used to love Molly B, even if I had to shop the sale rack. Ironically now that I’m older and can afford to spend a bit more, I was completely ignored by the sales staff. My friend and I came in yesterday, both of us dressed nicely, and we received no greetings or offers of help. Instead an older lady hovered near us, glaring, her nose crinkled as if she was smelling something bad. Really, Molly B? You’re doing so well you can afford to be rude to customers eh? We moved on to another store and I purchased a Krista Larson outfit there instead. Sorry Molly B. I give you an F.

First of all, the most creative windows in town. Whoever buys for Molly B has beautiful taste. The clothes are high-​priced and I would love to buy more there, but for a special occasion, you can find a unique article of clothing. The service varies depending on who is in the shop on a given day.

Terrible service, rude staff, no large (let alone extra large) size selection.
I went into this store today to look for an expensive wedding outfit. Since I was carrying a bag of food from Betty’s Oceanview Diner, I asked the sales ladies if I could stash the bag behind the counter. They agreed in a strange dismissive way and when I pointed out that the bag was a little dirty (I’d spilled a little soup on it) they acted as if I’d handed them a bag of toxic waste. They spent more time fussing about what to do with my soiled bag than they did helping me in the store. They ended up sealing up my poor lunch bag in a plastic garment bag (?!)… totally unnecessary!
After all that when they finally agreed to help me look for a dress, the woman helping me had the worst attitude and brought me items that had nothing to do with what I was looking for.
While this store may carry a number of cute items, they do not seem to have sizes over an M in most styles (most likely because they only order one L per style.) That’s really stupid considering how many tall women there are in the world… Tall women who can afford their overpriced schmatta.
Very frustrating experience overall. I will never go back again and wouldn’t recommend this store to my friends.

Please sales staff– Don’t take it out on the customers.

I agree with Heather W. Fourth Street in Berkeley was a regular haunt for me and my mom on weekends. Molly B. has unique, contemporary clothes in a wide range of styles. However, there was some major attitude going on at this place. There used to be an older African American woman who worked there who was AWESOME and helpful. She kept us up to date on when sales were happening, etc.
Then, she disappeared.
The next person I saw in there was this woman with a Chihuahua (?). She was more concerned with feeding the dog snacks that she completely ignored the customers –i.e., 3 people. Was she the owner? Who was that mysterious woman?
Needless to say, I’ve gone in there a number of times, and I’ve signed their goofy-a**ed mailing list AT LEAST four times and *never* (and I mean never) received a postcard or anything.
Then the economy crashed. Guess who’s sending postcards now? Molly B.
No thanks. You can keep your fancy ruched jackets and avant-​garde skirts. Target will probably be making them in a year anyway.
All this to say: Molly B. please work on your customer service.

It would seem reasonable that during several prolonged visits to a specific store one would purchase something; but not in this case. Not once, but over many visits, my burning wallet and I have perused the beautiful, unique constructions at molly b., and not once has a savvy sales person given me more a passing glance although in yesterday’s case, I received a negative perspective on a garment’s fitting — and nothing more. My burning wallet is almost screaming aloud for someone to help me, please, help me… I want to spend several hundred dollars on an oddly deconstructed, slightly crunchy, taffeta-​esque jacket and my wallet’s doing a holla-​back at the sales staff … and apparently they can’t hear it. I don’t know what their problem is, for they certainly were attentive to that other over-​aged, slightly disheveled looking woman whose name they knew, but not to me… and that’s how the story goes over and over and over. I’ve visited the store in hopes that something will change, because their clothing is actually devine, but there is always the same snobbish grey-​haired, couldn’t-care-less saleswoman who slobbers over the aging hippies in the place, while giving me nary a passing glance (oops, are you the owner? well you’re a jerk). I want to say: I HAVE MONEY I WANT TO BUY YOUR BEAUTIFUL CLOTHES — but what’s the point? They don’t seem to want, need or care about my money or whether I spend it with them, so at this point, I will be back only for a gander at the lovely, creative window displays and save my money for friendly, helpful people in other privately owned retail establishments.

Cute dresses. The salesperson was friendly and helpful.

I have to agree that Molly B has pretty bad customer service. Every now and then I find someone who is marginally pleasant, but no one goes out of their way. I don’t like to be pestered when I shop, but I like it to be pleasant. Sometimes the saleswomen act like they are doing me a favor to allow me in their store.
The clothes are fabulous at Molly B. I have found some great «signature» pieces. But if you want the same kinds of wonderful, unusual clothes, AND you want friendly, helpful ambiance, check out Patina on Solano Avenue. Patina is a little world unto itself – the store smells good – it’s full of little treasures – and it has many of the same lines as Molly B. And if the Ukrainian woman descends on you with her hard sell – just let her know to leave you alone. The rest of the staff will give you as much space as you want.