Ebisu Japanese Life Store in Maryland — Attraction in Rockville

I don’t typically leave negative reviews, but I felt this situation warranted it. About a week ago, my teenage niece and her friend shopped at Ebisu, and my niece paid for the items with her credit card. After reviewing her receipt, she noticed she was overcharged by about $10. When she brought this up to the cashier, she was told they couldn’t issue a cash refund, but they would offer store credit the next time she shopped there. She was instructed to bring the receipt back and inform the cashier, who would honor the store credit.

My sister was skeptical of this response, so today she and my niece went back to the store with the receipt and items. When they explained the situation, the cashier or manager insisted that the store doesn’t offer store credit and refused to issue a refund. Despite my sister explaining what the previous cashier had told her, the manager was uncooperative.

It’s unclear whether the employees are poorly trained, lazy, or took advantage of my niece because she is a minor, but these kinds of business practices are concerning. Additionally, when I shopped at the store, I felt like the staff were closely monitoring me, which made for an uncomfortable experience.

The store sells cute and unique items that are undoubtedly appealing, but if you have an issue or need to dispute a charge, don’t expect fair treatment. Their business practices seem misleading, and they appear to target certain customers. I feel bad for introducing my sister and niece to the store, especially since they were so excited to shop there. Unfortunately, I won’t be returning.

Update: I’ve read the store’s response, but the information provided is incorrect, and I’d appreciate it if the narrative wasn’t altered. While it’s true that my niece paid $10 worth of tokens, she was still overcharged an additional $10, which is why she returned to the store to dispute the charge. My sister also went in person to explain the mistake, but the store refused to honor what the previous cashier had stated—namely, that a store credit would be issued.

Furthermore, when my sister attempted to resolve the issue, she found the store personnel to be rude and disrespectful. I urge you to stop misrepresenting the situation. In the future, when a minor comes to you with a receipt and items to dispute a charge, please take them seriously and avoid being dismissive...

WARNING : THEY SELL COUNTERFEIT MERCH Not sure why my other review never got posted but Ebisu had recently brought in some new blind boxes from Genshin Impact, specifically the "paimon is NOT emergency food" series. I picked up three of them and got all the way home before realizing that two of the three boxes I bought were COUNTERFEIT. The one official box had a genuine figure and item card, with the official mihoyo seal on the box and the branding on the figure, properly sealed in a foil pack. The fake was wrapped in BUBBLE WRAP. No card and the figure itself looked like it came out of a gumball machine. After inspecting it, the graphics on the box were lower resolution and the sides didn't even have all the information or a barcode. No authenticity seal.

Look, it could've been an honest mistake and maybe ebisu got scammed by their supplier but the workers attitude towards the situation led me to believe they were fully aware of what they were doing. When the cashier typed in the item instead of scanning, I thought it was bc they were doing inventory but no, it's because the real ones had barcodes and the fakes didn't.

When I went to return them, no apologies were made and if anything she looked more surprised at how badly the item was counterfitted more than the fact it was counterfeit in the first place. She took the boxes and put them behind the counter and after I told her that there were official and counterfeit boxes mixed together on the shelf, she waved it off and was like oh okay 😐, making no effort to pull them down or stop other unsuspecting customers from buying them. Shoppers beware and be mindful....

I recently had an amazing visit to Ebisu Japanese Life Store and was truly impressed by the variety and quality of the products. This store offers a diverse selection of Japanese goods, including home decor, kitchenware, snacks, and personal items. I picked up some delicious goodies to try and a few cute keychains, which were perfect souvenirs from my visit.

One of the coolest features of the store is the amazing prize machine in the back—it adds an extra fun element to the shopping experience and is definitely worth checking out!

It’s also worth noting that the entire store’s signage, product labels, and descriptions are in Japanese. While this adds to the authentic experience, it may pose a challenge for those who aren’t familiar with the language. Though the staff was helpful, translation assistance was somewhat limited, so exploring the items required a bit of patience and understanding of Japanese products.

The atmosphere was welcoming, and the store’s offerings were thoughtfully curated, making for a truly immersive shopping experience. If you’re looking for a cultural destination and are open to navigating the language barrier, Ebisu Japanese Life Store is definitely worth a visit. I highly recommend it for anyone wanting to try something unique...