Registry and Gift Forum

registry question

Both my fiance love Crate and Barrell, Williams-Sonoma, and Macy's...all the stores can present high-end prices. Some of the things we like are fairly expensive...ie Dyson, silverware, place settings, etc...


I know both of our families are pretty frugal. Is it wrong to ONLY register at these stores since they offer so much?

We really don't have a need to register anywhere else....

Re: registry question

  • It's fine to register at these stores, but you have to have a range of price points.  Not everyone is able to buy the $250 dishes you want, so you need to make sure that you have a large number of gifts available for <$50 (especially knowing that your families are frugal). People will likely think you to be spoiled if you register for 100 gifts that are all over $150.

    Macy's and Crate & Barrel are actually fairly affordable and comparable to Bed Bath and Beyond for most things (same brand, slightly lower prices at BBB).  Bed Bath and Beyond carries most of the fine china lines that Macy's does, but has them at slightly lower prices (and frequently mails coupons for 20% off).  I have limited experience with Williams-Sonoma.

    In the end, you and your FI should register for things that you would like to receive, but also keep in mind your guests (ease of access to the stores and the price point).
  • Thanks so much! I plan on loading up on smaller items.



    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_registering-gifts_registry-question-7?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:34Discussion:5ac297b0-a960-46aa-8259-75d38706a3d1Post:4a264390-0632-4d08-90ce-6cc2e4574488">Re: registry question</a>:
    [QUOTE]It's fine to register at these stores, but you have to have a range of price points.  Not everyone is able to buy the $250 dishes you want, so you need to make sure that you have a large number of gifts available for <$50 (especially knowing that your families are frugal). People will likely think you to be spoiled if you register for 100 gifts that are all over $150. Macy's and Crate & Barrel are actually fairly affordable and comparable to Bed Bath and Beyond for most things (same brand, slightly lower prices at BBB).  Bed Bath and Beyond carries most of the fine china lines that Macy's does, but has them at slightly lower prices (and frequently mails coupons for 20% off).  I have limited experience with Williams-Sonoma. In the end, you and your FI should register for things that you would like to receive, but also keep in mind your guests (ease of access to the stores and the price point).
    Posted by ericaandtom2012[/QUOTE]
  • Keep in mind that if you register for sets as separates (individual place settings and serving pieces, individual pots/pans instead of a set, individual towels) then you can get more items at lower price points.   It's okay to have some expensive items -- some people will want to splurge, or will go in with someone else on a  gift (my sister and I do this a lot).
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  • Yeah I thnk you're fine.  Macy's sale prices = BBB's everyday prices, and they have sales almost all the time (I'd hazard a guess at 75% of the time).  Sometimes Macy's prices go lower a few times a season.  Right now they are running a deal on my china where if a guest spends$150 they will send along two free soup bowls (which are normally $56 each).  Those sorts of deals happen every now and then, and I don't see them at other places.  I also recommend opening a credit card at macy's if you don't already have one and linking it to your registry because they will give you a gift card after your wedding for 5% of whatever people spent on you there.  They also give you 10% back on everything you spend (with just a few exclusions), so if you shop there a lot anyway you might as well get the cash back, KWIM?  I'm buying my bridesmaids gifts there, and I'm making a point to get holiday gifts, etc. there to get the rewards.  If I'm going to spend the money anyway, it's nice to get something back.

    Williams sonoma is pretty normal-priced, actually, for the items they sell.  A few things are more expensive by virtue of being there but most are the same price there as anywhere else you can find them.  Personally I love WS's bakeware - it's a bit pricier but I think totally worth it.

    CB can be dirt cheap if you buy things individually and pick the right items.  Plenty of glasses, for instance are $3-$4 each.  Register for them individually and your frugal family can choose to buy whatever quantity they are comfortable with.  The things at CB that tend to be overpriced are their bedding, bath stuff, and furniture.  Dining and cooking stuff though are very well-priced.  Look for bedding/bath stuff at Macy's.  They carry some good-quality lines.

    Last thing to know is that CB and WS both give you your 10% completion discount for the entire store, not just stuff on your registry.  So if there is something at one of those places you are willing to splurge on or save for but don't want people seeing you ask for it, you can still get the discount without it appearing on your registry.  Pottery barn has the same deal, and I know a couple girls who have bought bedroom sets from PB with the completion discount and cash they received at the wedding.  Pretty sweet deal, and they didn't have to look ridiculous asking for a $4,000 bedroom set.
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  • I guess I am going to have a little different of an opinion. I think it is fine to register at the stores, but please think of your guests. In order to go to any of those stores, I would have to go to a mall. My closest Crate and Barrel and Williams Sonoma are both over a half hour away, which means I would most likely be shopping at Macys. Sure, guests can order online, I personally like to see what I am buying someone in person before I buy it. As long as all 3 stores are very accesible to your guests, I think its fine.
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  • A quick note on the proximity of your guests to stores:  In this day and age folks can very easily order online if a store isn't geographically close to them, or select to buy you a gift card.  Lots of places like CVS and grocery stores now sell gift cards to most major department and similar stores.

    We chose C and B and Bed, Bath, and Beyond to give two options to our guests at slightly different price points.  That said, we have expensive items down to $2 items on each registry.  Just be thoughtful in what you ask for and having a good mix.  You should be fine!  :)
  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_registering-gifts_registry-question-7?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:34Discussion:5ac297b0-a960-46aa-8259-75d38706a3d1Post:663d3235-fe81-4392-a6f5-f9ed5abcef4d">Re: registry question</a>:
    [QUOTE]A quick note on the proximity of your guests to stores:  In this day and age folks can very easily order online if a store isn't geographically close to them, or select to buy you a gift card.  <strong>Lots of places like CVS and grocery stores now sell gift cards to most major department and similar stores</strong>. We chose C and B and Bed, Bath, and Beyond to give two options to our guests at slightly different price points.  That said, we have expensive items down to $2 items on each registry.  Just be thoughtful in what you ask for and having a good mix.  You should be fine!  :)
    Posted by HeidiWard04[/QUOTE]

    <div>This.  Some smaller areas (or even larger areas with bad traffic) don't have a variety of stores nearby them or take 30-40 min to get to.  FI and I are getting married in a small town where the only store is a belk and an overpriced fine china store.  But we also have grocery stores with gift cards to all of our registry places, and we registered at the fine china store for anybody who doesn't want to drive 30 minutes and absolutely feels like they have to see the item in person.</div><div>
    </div><div>OP, just be aware of this, don't stress out about it.  FI and I (really I) stressed out about this issue a lot and ended up deleting a bunch of registries to random places when we finally cam to our senses.  Not one national chain is near all of our guests, so we chose our favorite places, ensured that most pockets of guests had easy store access, and then registered at amazon for everybody else.  We are also encouraging our wedding website, with links so people can shop online.  And again, the largest grocery store in town carries gift cards to all of these places for anybody who doesn't want to pay for shipping or go shopping in the nearest city.  You very likely can't ensure that every single guest can shop in-store, let alone have a variety of choices to shop from.</div><div>
    </div><div>I think as long as you have a range of prices at each place it should be fine.  What frustrates me is when brides put every single expensive thing at one place and every single inexpensive thing at another.  You can certainly "focus" your price points at various places (ie: all of our china is at Macys, so it's really our "fancy" store), but there should ultimately be options at all places (like the martha stewart measuring spoons/cups we have at macys - i highly recommend, by the way).</div>
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  • Definitely do not stress about it. Choose what you want and don't settle for anything less. You can be reasonable but don't cut yourself short. What really worked for my husband and I, was adding Ribbon Gift Albums onto our site so we can choose our gifts and so we wouldn't get multiple items. I recommend it to anybody doing any registry to cut out frustration. Just something to look into, hope this helps :
  • Why don't you register where you can get registry from every store...

    You may try with this website...
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