Thursday, February 17, 2011

Where to Register - The Usual Suspects

Where can you register? Where should you register?  I don't know.  What I do know is the choices are plentiful and growing by the baby bump.


  • Pros - 10% completion discount for up to 6 months after the baby is born and monogramming on just about anything if you're into that
  • Cons - You are not going to find essentials like diapers, bottles and clothes and the toy options are limited


Buy Buy Baby (affiliated with Bed Bath & Beyond)
  • Pros - 10% completion discount and if you sign up for email and direct mail you get coupons...allegedly
  • Cons - Stores are located in only 20 states and the stores themselves are chaotically packed with baby everything from floor to 40 foot ceiling, or at least this was true of the store on 7th Avenue in Manhattan.  I was stressed for the first 30 minutes I tried to buy a shower gift and fully traumatizing for the second 30 minutes.  Only after the third employee assisted me was I able to find 1 of the 10 things I was looking for.
  • Pros - They sell everything and are located everywhere, the different online tips and tools make registering a pleasure and there is a 10% completion discount
  • Cons - There is a high product turn over rate so if you register too far in advance you may find that some of your gift requests are out of stock by shower time and you have only 90 days from your baby's due date to make returns so be sure to work that into your baby's diaper changing and feeding schedule.  Plus, they seem to have a bad reputation on some reviewer/rating websites (like my3cents.com)
  • Pros - Stores are everywhere, returning registry items is easy, like all regrettable Kohl's purchases, 15% completion discount (greater than the average %10) and better (read: cheaper) pricing than many competitors


Babies 'R' Us (invision the backwards R)  
  • Pros - With each item purchased off your registry you earn "R" rewards that include free diapers and formula, money toward future purchases and super special "member-only" discounts
  • Pros - 10% completion discount and 10% "multiples" discount when you buy more than one of the same item, all sorts of products and a very cool and user-friendly website
  • Cons - Slim pickings on the brick and mortar store locations with only 7 states bragging a Giggle store and most of those states having only 1 location


The Land of Nod (affiliated with Crate and Barrel)
  • Pros - 15% completion discount (along with Kohl's, the biggest completion discount out there), good selection of sale items
  • Cons - There are a total of 5 stores in all of the US, 4 of which are in Illinois, leaving online shopping the only option for most


Baby & Child (by Restoration Hardware)
  • Pros - 10% completion discount, you will be given a $100 gift card toward a single purchase of at least $500
  • Cons - Online only for the moment, though stores should be popping up in Spring 2011
  • Pros - Upon registering you will received a $50 gift card toward a purchase of $200 or more, unique and high quality products as compared to some of the more mass merchants (i.e. target, kohl's, etc)
  • Cons - There is no store specific registry, rather Serena & Lily has partnered with myregistry.com so you can include their products in your universal registry, I'm not sure that this is actually a "con", the prices are what you would expect with "unique" and "high quality" products 

1 comment:

WW said...

I registered for my wedding at Target which made it easy for family and friends around the country to buy gifts. They did stop carrying 1 or 2 items on the list, BUT they sent me an email with close alternatives. I have also found their return policy to be fantastic. I once returned a dining room table half put together and a torn up box and they didn't even flinch!

What is an appropriate amount to spend on a baby shower gift? And do people prefer cute little outfits to the practical bottle and diaper?