Trying to decide when and where to start your registry may seem completely overwhelming and you may not even know where to begin! Sorting through the perks, products, and services each store offers is enough to send anyone’s head spinning; but don’t worry, I’m here to help! Over the next several weeks I will be blogging about the tips and tricks of registering, what products are must haves, and where and when to start your registry journey. Today, I am blogging about a few tips and sorting through the perks of registering at three different big box stores.
I have had the unique pleasure of helping my clients, friends, and family members create registries that fit their individual lifestyles perfectly. I am also currently in the process of creating a registry for my own little girl who will make her arrival this fall. Below you will find a few tips that I have learned and picked up along the way.
– Consider the store options in the area your shower is being held. Although I live in the Washington, D.C. area and have a number of different options to choose from here, I am having a shower in my home town where the only option in person shopping is limited to one baby store. While this may not be a problem for some friends and family members who are more inclined to buy online, there are others that will prefer to visit a store to make their purchases. By creating a registry where your friends and family can physically shop, you are less likely to get off registry items.
– Consider where your friends and family shop. If you know your friends and family are ordering items off Amazon all the time that would be an option to strongly consider. If you know you they are making weekly stops at Target instead, perhaps that’s where you’ll want to register. This is taking it a step further from just creating an online or in-store registry; you are actively selecting a vendor that is convenient for those who will be shopping for you.
– Consider what you need and want. Although most of your options are going to have many of the same products available, each of the stores are going to have products that are unique to their brand or store. If you are planning on registering for all Honest products, you should take into consideration that their products are only sold at a few stores.
– Take a pro with you. Walking into a baby store to register can be really intimidating! There are a thousand bottles and each of them make a promise to reduce gas and colic and mimic the breast. Trying to decide on just one or two brands on the spot is tough. Take a trusted mom friend or even a pro along with you. Did you know Hush Hush Little Baby offers registry consulting services? That’s right, you can take a newborn professional right to the store with you to help you create a perfect registry based on your lifestyle and preferences.
– Consider the perks and services that are being offered by each of the stores. We have included a few big box options for registering below. Each of them will have their pros and cons depending on the tips listed above. Take some time to read through them and consider what stores will work best for you and your growing family.
Babies R Us
BRU certainly has several perks and services available to you that are unique to their store. They offer free (at most stores) pre- and postnatal classes that are taught by local professionals and “Endless Earnings” which earns you 10% cash back in the form of a gift card based on the cost of items purchased off your registry. They allow 1 entire year for returns (leave those tags on!) and price match their competitors. BRU standard perks include a goody bag when you register in the store, price match, and a 10% completion discount.
Babies R Us has 7 locations in the DC area, 1 in Tampa, FL, 2 in Austin, TX, and 3 in San Antonio, TX.
Buy Buy Baby
Buy Buy Baby is a sister store to Bed, Bath, and Beyond, so the layout and design of the store is much like that of Bed, Bath, and Beyond. While BBB doesn’t offer too many unique perks, they do carry higher end products than their competitors. If you are planning on registering for Bugaboo, Uppababy, Cybex, Stokke, Honest, or other higher end brands, BBB may be your place. BBB offers a completion discount, friend referral discount, price match (they’ll even match Amazon!) and a goody bag to those registering in store.
Buy Buy Baby has 2 stores in the DC area, 1 in Brandon, FL, and 1 in Austin, TX.
NOTE: You can use Bed, Bath, and Beyond coupons at Buy Buy Baby.
Amazon
Amazon has the convenience of being available all over the world. If you don’t have many options where you are or your guests are online shoppers, Amazon might be the right choice for you. Unique to Amazon, you can add items to your registry from outside online retailers that don’t have their items on Amazon. They also offer a 10% (15% for Prime members) completion discount and an Amazon box that is similar to the goody bags offered by their competitors.
We hope this blog helped you narrow down your choices for registering and we hope you will join us over the next several weeks as you create your registry!