Sports Basement Bryant Street — Attraction in San Francisco

This store has a clear pattern of discrimination. Read the other reviews.

I have a friend who's young, kind, creative, and college educated. She's also transgender and, after escaping various dangerous situations, was forced to sleep on the streets during the first rain of the season. She and I rushed to Sports Basement before they closed so I could buy her some much-needed supplies on the way to the women's shelter. I wanted to pay full price for high quality outdoors goods, because this stuff lasts a long time and can save lives during the colder months. It was Halloween, and I didn't feel like partying, so I took time out of my night and a piece of my paycheck to help a sister out.

At the doorway, the security guard immediately gave us a look. I informed him that she was coming in with me, and she turned to me, saying I didn't need to ask for permission to enter the store. He stood up, saying he didn't like her "attitude". They got into a back and forth, and he kept talking over her to tell her to leave because of her "bad energy". When she wouldn't, he shook his head and turned around to get a BATON AND HANDCUFFS (!!!!!!) I was worried for her safety, so I told her to wait outside. I asked him why she couldn't come in, and he said that as a private business, they had a right to bar people from entering for any reason. I'm guessing I was allowed to stay because my hair was a little cleaner, my voice was a little quieter. I came in as a paying customer - the associates inside were nicer and helped me pick out a rain-resistant camping blanket and hand warmers. I paid for these (expensive) supplies as promised, but I cursed the guard out on my way out. He laughed in my face. It was a dehumanizing experience for everyone involved.

Here's the thing: I'm sure this guy would tell me he was just doing his job, making decisions out of an abundance of caution to prevent theft. But that doesn't excuse the disrespectful and condescending way he treated both of us, the way he mocked her tone of voice, the almost gleeful look on his face when he tacitly THREATENED TO BEAT AND RESTRAIN MY FRIEND simply for giving him attitude at a place of business. As I said, this store sells things that can save human lives. There is no reason why he couldn't have done his job with some modicum of respect or empathy for someone clearly in a desperate situation, but not behaving criminally or disorderly in any way. What an embarrassment. San Francisco has really changed.

I don't want to shame anyone for shopping or working here. But I do hope that anyone reading this, especially those feeling like they can't relate, understand that 59% of Americans are 1 paycheck away from homelessness. We live in the most expensive place in the world, where people with decent salaries and vacation time literally step over people living in tents to buy camping gear. All I want is for poor people in the city to be treated like human beings, not vermin. Say hello/good morning/good evening to them like you would anyone else. If you can afford it, buy a jacket, sleeping bag, or some socks for a stranger in need (trust me, it feels better than getting that second pair of hiking boots!) Just, please, don't buy...

Went in to get custom boot work for a pair of snowboard boots I just bought and the person helping me was extremely upfront that I would be much better off returning them and getting a properly fitting pair of boots from the start. He got me into a pair of boots that were immediately super comfortable and felt like they didn't need any work at all, and was able to get a pair shipped in before an upcoming Tahoe trip. I'll definitely consult their staff going forward as they're super friendly and knowledgeable. Highly recommend.

Update: The boots ended up not working out on my first trip with them. I brought them back to the store and they fully refunded me for store credit. I honestly expected to get maybe 80% of what I paid back as they had been used, but the staff were incredibly helpful and understanding as the prior fitting was just a bit off. Still cannot recommend them enough as they stand behind their work and will make things right when mistakes happen.

Update 2: I got fitted for another pair of boots before the start of this season and they were incredibly responsive to my feedback from my problems last season. The fitter at the time had some issues getting me into a pair of boots that didn't agitate the side of my quite wide feet. They asked me to come back the next day so they could consult with their best fitter, and openly admitted the problem I was having was outside of their expertise. I came back the next day and the other fitter said she knew I was coming and pulled out some boots she had set aside for me to try. After some back and forth I ended up with an amazing pair of boots I've already put 5 days on and they're by far the most comfy snowboard boots I've ever worn. I don't even loosen them for lunch or when walking around because they fit incredibly well. I've also managed to snag some other gear for over 50% off MSRP due to the frequent sales and i really can't speak highly enough of this place. Everyone is awesome and genuinely cares. I wish I could give them multiple 5 star reviews for the consistently awesome service I have received, but I'll have to settle with continuing to buy almost all of my...

This place is pretty big! Plenty of selection and sports items here. And the prices are reasonable. Staff is friendly and always willing to help. I have spent the last few months searching for BRIGHT ski/snowboard pants and jacket. I've ordered 13 pieces so far (from online retailers) and FINALLY found the color/style I liked here instead! It wasn't the BEST since I was looking more for snowboard style gear (more baggy) versus ski gear (more fitting) but I do both so it's still okay. I noticed many people try to find "stylish" or "fashionable" snow gear but don't realize that it's really all about standing out so your friends/family can spot you on the mountain versus typical blue or black gear which blends in with everyone else. So I was looking for either hot pink, fluorescent purple, or highlighter green. But they don't have the previous two in boy's/men's and I could only find highlighter green in boy's.

At any rate, I found BOTH top and bottoms and they look great (and BRIGHT!). Can't be happier (see pictures)! The only problem was that this location didn't have my size (which is incredibly hard for me to find since I'm in between a men's XS and boy's L/XL. I found a boy's large but they didn't have an XL. So they called their Mason St. location and put one on hold for me. I was also able to find a matching bright jacket in my size so that was a win win!

All kids apparel happened to be 30% off but that didn't matter since I would have purchased these at full price. Nothing like expecting to pay full price only to get a discount! And even better my friend was a Basementeer so I received another 10% discount. Both items came to over $300 with tax but I only paid $200! Yay!

As for other sports items here, they most likely have it all. This place has 5 floors and offers ski/snowboard rentals and plenty of other gear as well. Parking is a tad difficult if you're parking on the street but they supposedly have a parking garage (which I have...