Which stores?

TerriandJoe · August 2009

My first registry question! Hi! I need som ehelp with deciding on our registry. Together we have decided that B&B, Macy's, JC Penney, Sears, Target and a honeymoon registry are all "good" ideas. But I know not to register at that many places. So we figured we would decide on 3. I really want the honeymoon registry, and as far as the stores FI says what ever I want, he just wants to be able to register for a big screen TV. .Great - so I had thought that either BB&B OR Macy's for the high end, Target for the low end, and a honeymoon registry.But all I can find people on here talking about is how Target is bad, and to not shop at BBB because they changed their policy. (Excuse me, but if they give you store credit that's a good thing! I would never expect cash for returning a gift without a receipt!)Can anyone fill me in with exactly what the pros/cons of the different stores are? Thanks in advance!

sporty1401 · August 2009

I was registered at Macy's, Target and Younkers.Macy's was ok and everything shipped well, though I didn't like that they charged guests for shipping and gift wrapping. C'mon its a gift registry. They do give 5% back on purchases if you sign up for it and have a decent 10% completion discount.Target's return/exchange policy was fine, no issues there. BUT... anything shipped came in its original box like what you would buy from a store with a packing sticker slapped on it and several items came damaged. So I did get to try the return and exchange. Also, no money back at the end and only 10% off remaining items that aren't on sale.Younkers is one of the Bon-Ton Stores, Carson Pierre Scott, Bernergs, Boston Store, Elder-Beerman, Herbergers or Persian depending on where you live. BEST regisrty program by far!!! All online and store purchases ship free, are gift wrapped free. Also you get a 15% completion and a 5% back gift card automatically(which includes your completion purchases). Everthing shipped was packaged extremely well and nothing was damaged and there return policy is solid. Announcement ards also give guest 10% off there purchase. This store is on the same line as Macy's and carries almost all the same products.Hope that helps

daisiesinmay · August 2009

I did Target, BBB and Younkers. Younkers- Like PP I really ended up being happy with my registry at Younkers. It was very easy to return/exchange anything. They also have great sales. I got the rest of my china for 50% off! Oh, and they give you a purchase log after your wedding to help you keep track of who sent what. BBB- We were a little annoyed with this store. We never actually received our completion coupon, though they did let us "use it" after a hassle. And we ended up not being able to complete our dishes and had to return and order something else. The dishes weren't discontinued, but indefinitely out of stock or something. It was a pain and disappointment and some of the new dishes arrived chipped. They exchanged them no problem. Target- I don't why PP had issues with their packaging. All of the items I received were well packaged within other boxes with lots of bubble wrap. Target is actually fine as long you have the gift receipts. And if you don't they will still accept a return-they will just print the purchase log from your registry. Though I did receive some things I didn't register for and when I returned those I think I got less back than what someone paid for them (no receipt again). The 10% off was nice. We actually used it on items that never go on sale (PS3).

ANGEL006 · August 2009

Personally, I hate dealing with BB & B - especially for small kitchen gadgets. It's like going to a swap meet. Target offers a smaller selection, but it is less of a burden on the guests. Additionally, Macy's stalked me and my husband for months before and after our shower and wedding ! It was awful. The kicker was a call a few weeks before the shower about a "sale" they were having and I should contact my guests and inform them of it. I informed the consultant that I would NEVER contact my guests to remind them to buy my gift and OH, by the way you should go to Macy's ?!?!

Leah&Christian09 · August 2009

We did BB&B and Macy's. Both were great. I signed up for a Macy's charge, and even though we didn't have much on that registry, I got $50 or so afterwards. BB&B was also awesome. I got the completion discount, but I think it was 15%. I get 20% coupons all the time, so I haven't used it. We've had to return a couple of things, but I just wanted to exchange for other things, so I don't know about the cash thing. I agree with you, store credit is fine. There's always something there I want or need. The store near me has a drugstore section, so if I couldn't find anything, I would just buy deoderant. Both places did a good job with wrapping and shipping. We didn't get anything broken or damanged. Most of our guests bought stuff online, and that worked out fine. I've also heard terrible things about Target and returns. They aren't good at marking things off the list, but they won't even let you return duplicates without a reciept. I agree with PP on the HM registry. I would skip it because it is rude.

sarajoy12345 · August 2009

We did BB&B, Macy's, and Target, and here are my personal views. BB&B- great selection, easy online ordering, competitive prices on many of the same items as Macy's, stores located everywhere, good coupons, FANTASTIC return policy- we got cash back for lots of items and store credit for others, we also had a few gifts that we had no idea where they were bought and since BB&B carried them somewhere in their massive inventory, they returned them for us. Macy's- was the only store that carried our Fiestaware, good in-store experience, the prices are WILDLY fluctuating (sales every other day on different items, totally different price structure online vs. in store). Decent return experience, coupons, etc.Target- we registered here for things like a grill, campiing stuff, board games, etc. It was a small registry and I had problems returning when I got duplicates. It was annoying, but this was a popular registry among younger gifts and I think every item on our registry was bought.I am also in the camp that thinks HM registries are rude, but it might go over fine in your circle!

kristinanddan · August 2009

We are registered at Macys, BB&B, and Sears. Sears is for things for my FI like tools, since we just bought our first house a few months ago. Our other things are pretty evenly divided. I find that when Macys has a sale, the prices are very comparable to BB&B.

weddingbells2010 · August 2009

I haven't registered yet, but I already know i am not going to be registering at Target. I've had SO MANY problems there in the past with quality of items and especially the return/exchange process. I once needed to return a bookshelf that was the target brand, as it was missing parts and very damaged, and they would not exchange it because "without a receipt it would have been purchased anywhere". Really? Target brand items can be purchased outside of Target?I go there frequently for my household items like dishsoap and paper towels, but I would not buy any appliances or other goods there.

Irishsapphire · August 2009

Macy's is good for high end. They have a good selection of cookware, dinnerware, bedding, towels. And they have a good rewards program. JCPenney and Sears would be good for low end. I only registered for Chris Madden Spa towels at JCPenney. And I have really liked Chris Madden Hotel Ribbed towels. I got a good television at Sears. I think that Sears would be a good place for your fiance to register at for a television. I used www.honeymoonwishes.com. And we did not charge our guests the fee. I looked at this way that it did not cost us any money if no one used it. But it they did use it, then we had extra money for the honeymoon (better than 5 toasters).

Irishsapphire · August 2009

I just wanted to add that we got $400 from our www.honeymoonwishes.com registry. I think people liked the pictures and the conveniece of using a credit card (and they felt like they contributing to the happiness of the couple not just the home--I think some guests realize how much a wedding is and how nice it is to have extra money for the honeymoon --it seemd that the guests who used the honeymoon registry had already been through a wedding, they were busy and did not want to shop, and this worked out for them as a good gift. ) And I was registered at Macys, Williams-Sonoma, Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn, and JCPenney as well. I did not get everything on my registries. I should have edited the registries more. But I did receive gifts from each of these stores, so my guests liked the range of stores that I registered for.

maespencer · August 2009

I registered at Macy's and Crate and Barrel. Macy's was awful!!! I got shipments of broken merchandise and even things I didn't order. When I called about the many problems, it was up to me to ship everything back and fix it. I had to keep calling to get them to credit my account. Most of the items I got from the registry, you can get off amazon for much cheaper and much easier. Crate and Barrel was amazing! They were helpful and very attentive to our needs. My friends who have registered at Target say it is great as well!

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