Bivouac

Impressed with the customer service. I bought some climbing shoes online. There was a small problem when I received them and Matt took care of it immediately. I’m very happy.

I’m a lifelong Ann Arbor resident and a long-​time customer of Bivouac, but I’ve decided to stop shopping here because of how uncomfortable the staff make me. Every time I’ve ever gone in, a staff member has followed me around the store at a distance of about 3 feet for the entire time I’m there. They ask if I need help finding something, I politely decline, and then they just continue to follow and hover for the entire time! It makes me feel so self-​conscious and rushed! It’s not like I need help, I’m just shopping for women’s casual apparel (in the middle part of the store, not the pricey fashion side), and I like to take my time and look around and zone out without having to interact with a sales associate constantly. I’ve never had this kind of a problem at any other store. Maybe they’re trying to prevent shoplifting, but if that’s the case I really wish they’d just use security cameras.

I was looking for a specific Patagonia sweater that I has seen at REI but decided that it was too expensive to buy heading into the summer.
I found it on the Bivouac website for ~40% less and ordered it. It arrived in less than 5 days later. Very happy.

Though they seem to have an impressive selection, especially considering some stuff (I.e. Rock climbing gear) can’t be used much nearby. Prices seem competitive and they had some good sale items.
However, I can’t really recommend them. The staff was really annoying and seemed to follow me around. This made me a bit uncomfortable. What do they think I’m a criminal or something? While I like local shops, I’m not going somewhere where I’m followed by staff. I left and will be ordering the gear I was looking for online.

Great online experience. Quick shipping, good prices and product came as expected. Would definitely shop again.

I’ve shopped at this boutique numerous times and have been generally satisfied with whatever I have purchased. I usually stick to the candles and sale rack upstairs because their fashion clothing is just too expensive for regular people like me who pay our own bills. Well, today I went to purchase Tokyo Milk perfume (specifically as a gift). I asked if they had any new bottles in the back because nearly all the ones on the shelf had clearly been sampled. I was informed that the only products of these kind are on the floor, which is really ridiculous if you ask me. I was lucky to find a bottle that was full, but it had scratches on the cap. So I’m not satisfied with this product because the store does not attempt to stock untouched merchandise for the customers.
Furthermore, when I attempted to pay, my card was declined because I was not told to wait for the machine to be fully ready. Cashier was snobby about it and made no attempt to ring it up again, only after I had asked to run it through did she do it. Finally, what astounded me the most was that I had gone through this trouble of asking for a fresh bottle of expensive «eau de parfum» made of glass, she put this fragile piece of glass into the bag without any wrapping tissue. When I asked if she had tissue, she pointed me to a shelf full of lotions. I was confused and she came behind the desk to give me a box of Kleenex.
My expectations of Bivouac have been ruined after this interaction. I will stick to shopping at boutiques on Main Street due to this lack of decent, common sense customer service.

Bivouac had the best closeout prices around for a Backpack I was looking for. I put in an order with Bivouac on a Friday afternoon and was surprised to see that the order shipped that very day. Not only that, it arrived on Monday all with free shipping! The backpack was in great shape and the speed of service was amazing!

Great price and free shipping! Item is just as stated: silk, soft and easily worn. Thanks!

A really terrific, low-​key place with great customer service, polite helpful employees and the best prices anywhere! I will be shopping here again and again! No frills and no problems!

Very happy with my experience. I’ll be back!

Highly recommended .I purchased the Joan of Arctic Sorel boots, amazing price and incredibly fast shipping! Woud definitley buy with them again

Ordered from them online with the best price I could find on this winter season’s Patagonia nano puff jacket I was in love with the arbor green color and waiting for a good deal. Shopping with them was easy, risk free and processing and shipping was quick! Thanks!

Yea, Bivouac is «as good as it gets» because of its knowledgeable staff. That’s #1.
Beyond its staff, Bivouac has an outstanding product line and selection for every price range. If it’s quality outdoor equipment, they’ve got it. Good prices, too; whether ($) or ($$$$).
Great advice; great shopping experience… because…of…the staff.

I’ve spent thousands of dollars in this store and am appalled that while being let in the dressing room to try on two pair of pants and a sweatshirt I was told I couldn’t take my small purse into the dressing room. They told me I had to leave it out in the store unsupervised.
Neither of the items I wanted to try on would even have fit in my purse. They said it is policy. I asked since when since I’ve bought and tried on several items with no issues previously. She couldn’t tell me.
How about you do your job and watch people come out of the room instead of expecting them to leave their purse out for someone to steal.
I will not be back. They can keep their overpriced pants. By the way the same pants I wanted to try are on sale at REI for $ 50 cheaper

Good price and inventory. Great experience with online ordering and fast shipping!

I had a great online experience with Bivouac. The shoes I ordered were at my doorstep less than 2 days after purchased. I will definitely buy through then again and look forward to visiting next time I’m in Ann Arbor!

It’s a good store, they price-​match against online merchants, and they’re there to sell good gear quickly.
Inventory’s not huge, particularly compared to an REI, but what they have tends to be decent. I’m glad they’re here, so I’ll support them.

I love hiking and being outdoors but I would not be able to be as successful without shopping at my local Bivouac! They have the highest quality of active clothing wear that are both weather resistant and provide me with the support I need! I cannot be worried about my clothing tearing or failing me during my long days hiking trails and Bivouac provides me with the guarantee I need.

I ordered a pair of sandals online. The price was only $ 50 while sandals at other places were $ 105.
The sandals arrived at my door in Austin, Texas fast via free UPS ground shipping. The shoebox was packed in a plastic mailing envelope; the shoebox inside could theoretically get crushed.
My sandals were fine and as shown on the website. I would order from Bivouac again.

Overpriced, understaffed, understocked, elitist markups. What more is there to say? The staff is friendly enough, but they don’t know much about the brands they’re selling.
BTW management — please keep a measuring tape handy, in you know, a clothing store! Last time it took them 10 – 15 minutes to find one.