Registry and Gift Forum

Anyone Else Find Bed, Bath, and Beyond Very Pushy?

I was just wondering if anyone else found Bed, Bath, and Beyond very pushy or was it just our experience?  FI and I started our registry there over the weekend.  We are just under a year out.  My family asked us for some ideas as they want to have a mini-shower at the upcoming family reunion, saving some people the trip into town for the shower.

We were looking at just putting a small selection of basic stuff on the registry.  Knowing my Aunts well enough I know what areas they would be looking to buy in.  The girls (4 of them) in the registry department at BBB had other ideas.  They were very insistent we had to pick out dishware right there (we didn't like anything they had in stock), and pushed us to choose cookware right on the spot even though I said numerous times I wanted to research it more.  Our sales lady took it upon herself to add the dishes and cookware we said might work after we said we would do that at a later date.  She added the quantities I said I needed +2, stating I would need a few more for breakage (my count already had a few extras), plus all the extra serving ware that was hideous.  We really wanted to just get a scanner and some things we knew we needed.  Instead, the sales lady held the scanner most the time following us around trying to upsell each department wasting a good two hours we didn't need to.  She finally had to take a call.  FI took the scanner and refused to give it back telling her, thanks we think we've got it.  When I cleaned out the registry yesterday I think I removed more items than those that were left on the registry.  Is this normal for them to really push high priced uneeded items on the registry.  I worked Baby Registry for years through High School and College and we never did this to customers.  I don't think it's appropriate to put crazy high priced items on a registry just because it's a wedding and people will buy it.  (They were seriously trying to rationalize a $500 scooba to mop the floors while we are at work)   

Re: Anyone Else Find Bed, Bath, and Beyond Very Pushy?

  • I didn't experience that.  In fact, they gave us the scanner and let us go around the store ourselves.  No one followed us, suggested anything or put anything on our registry.  If you need to go back, I'd either find another store or firmly tell them you don't need help.  Or, you can easily just add things from home.
  • A friend of mine said she felt pressured to add items to her registry that they didn't want. She said she did it to "please" the BBB salesperson, but deleted the items when she got home. We had a lady go around with us and scan the items which took the fun out of it for my fiance because he did all of the scanning at the previous store! She went to grab a drink and he took over; when she came back we let her know we had it under control and she let us walk around by ourselves.
  • My best friend registered there, and had a horrible experience. They also encouraged them to register for a bunch of gift cards that no one bought. I keep reading horror stories o here about them. I'm very happy we never ventured in. I honestly don't know what the big deal is with Bed, Bath, and Beyond.
  • We found the salesperson we worked with very annoying. We didn't plan to register there, but people were commenting to our parents because it is easy to shop there and people always have those 20% coupons. We ran in quickly to put some items on there and the woman kept trying to get us to see a demonstration of the china. We already registered for china someplace else and really wanted to be in and out especially since we didn't really plan on registering there. She kept appearing in all the departments to suggest items. We ended up leaving even earlier than planned and completed it online.
  • Thanks girls. I'm glad it just wasn't us. We are in the same position, I wouldn't of done BBB but I know a good amount of our guests always do their wedding shopping there. I think we'll have a small registry there and focus our main things on Macy's and Crate and Barrel
  • hoffsehoffse member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Answer Name Dropper
    Ours was awful.  He didn't let us even touch the scan gun - so he was scanning all sorts of things we said we didn't want.  When we got home we found entire lines of pots/pans, etc. that he had just added even though we said no.  We deleted it.
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  • I loved BBB - they were very friendly and helpful if we needed it (people working in each section kept congratulating us!) but otherwise they handed us the scanner and let us be. I actually found Macy's to be far more pushy ... the lady kept following us and pushing china. She was also really, really insistent about the stupid invitation insert cards.
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  • Our sales rep let us run around alone with the gun after we picked our dishes ( it was fun, she had a rolling table display and we could play with arranging various sets and glassware together.).
    Don't make me mobilize OffensiveKitten

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  • itzMSitzMS member
    First Answer First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Comment

    I did 99% of our registry online first, and then we went in to make sure we were signed up for any free "deals" (Calphalon stuff, mostly).

    Definitely avoided any sort of upselling that way...I know this doesn't help the OP, but hopefully it helps anyone looking into registering at BBB.

     

  • We had a very horrible experience at BBB.  We found them to be pushy and constantly checking on us and trying to get us to register for items that we didn't want or had registered for elsewhere.  We ended up deleting everything from BBB, added to our Macy's and then went to Crate and Barrel.  We had great experiences there and Crate and Barrel has registry events where the store is open to just people registering and they had breakfast.  They weren't pushy or anything.
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  • KDM323KDM323 member
    5 Love Its First Comment Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Register online.  It makes is SO much easier.
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  • Register online.  It makes is SO much easier.
    Yep. We only had a very small registry (and only at BB&B), but we did absolutely everything online. We did go to the store once just to look at a few things in closer detail, but I never even got involved with the consultants. It made sense for us since we didn't need or want a large registry, but honestly I avoided doing it in person precisely because I'd heard such bad things. That and because we absolutely did not want any of the traditional registry items, ie, china or new towels, etc.
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  • We did a small BBB registry online to avoid the pushiness. Our main registry is at WS, but we wanted a few items at BBB since it is more convenient for some of our guests. I regret doing this because it has led to some confusion; a few guests have commented that since they didn't check the registries online first, they went right into BBB and then didn't like any of our options there. Just something to consider if you end up going this route, OP.
  • They were really pushy. It got out of hand when my FI was asking for the scanner and the sales associate wouldn't hand it over to him. So he said it out right, " We are registering at Macy's this is to much" and the lady backed off. They are very pushy and irritating.

    Live fast, die young. Bad Girls do it well. Suki Zuki.

  • FI and I had a great experience there, honestly.  Our consultant was a bit "pushy" at times, but not bad at all.  Sometimes she suggested something and we were like "sure" even if we weren't sold on the item.  We thought about it later, and changed it online after we decided what we really wanted.  There were times when she suggested stuff that we just didn't want to add, and we just said "no", and she backed off.  Easy peasy.  She was actually very pleasant and fun, and we got to know her pretty well.  I feel like with anything like this it's hit or miss on both the consultant and the specific store you go to.  I feel like we got pretty lucky.  Registering ended up being one of my favorite parts of the panning.  I'm sorry you had a bad experience! 

  • I had that happen too. I finally just told them we wanted to be left alone. I have my preferred brands, etc, and I didn't need them to tell me what those were.

    The part that got me though, was at the end when we went back to the desk and the lady tried to get me to beep the "Our First Christmas 2012" ornament because "people LOVE buying those for newlyweds!" ... after I  had already told her our wedding was the FOLLOWING September (this was last fall). It was put the cherry on top of what I had already experienced there.
  • JB612JB612 member
    First Comment 5 Love Its
    We did a registry with BBB, and they were pushy to us.  We did the same as PP, said we were hungry and will be back.  I finished it on online.
  • They weren't pushy at all when I first registered.  But I went back in today (because somebody had told me at my first shower that there weren't a lot of items that were actually in stock in the store when she went, and I wanted to see if I needed to switch anything up for whatever was actually in the store.  I found out that they have some stores designated as "Traditional" BBB vs. "Contemporary" BBB, and they apparently have pretty different selections.  Who knew...)

    In any case, I asked to pull my registry so I could see if plenty of stuff was actually in the store, and they lady cried, "Oh my goodness, you're not registered for NEARLY enough items!"  I politely told her that (1) we were also registered at another store, and (2) I was pretty happy with the number of items we were registered for.  She backed off after that.  But I thought of this thread and did a mental eye roll!

    Incidentally, the other store where I went with the same question?  Not a word about "needing" to register for more items...

  • We had no issues with them being pushy at all when we registered, and when we went back to make adjustments.  I would call the manager and complain.
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  • Has anyone here who had a bad experience with BB&B reported them to corporate headquarters?  While there seems to have been a mix of experiences by the posters in this thread, if so many people are feeling pushed by their employees, it could be helpful to the top brass to know that they need to comprehensively retrain their registry personnel in appropriate customer service, including when to back off and refrain from making inappropriate comments.
  • we loved BBB-- they let us go at it and left us alone.  They checked up on us; we said we were fine, they went away.   I had gone in one day without "registering" at walked around the store looking at stuff, so when we actually went to register I pretty much knew what I wanted.  I added a bunch more online and made updates online regularly.
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  • Ok I was engaged once for 10 months. I am now engaged and it is a better experience. Last time and this time I registered at BBB. The first time I had a pushy sales rep. This time I did not. This time they were helpful. Sorry for your crappy service, it just might be the sales rep. My suggestion just be firm, and know what you need. You can always manage your BBB registry on line and delete the stuff you do not need.
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