Crate and Barrel vs. Macys

dschuck23

We are already registering at Bed, Bath, and Beyond and were originally thinking Macys for the other.  Everyone keeps telling me to also consider Crate and Barrel.  What has everyone else done and what are your thoughts on either place?

Brie2010

We're registered at all three places.

Honestly, I'm not thrilled with my Macy's registry.  I've already had a lot of trouble with it, and we're 5 months out still.  They can't tell me if our china pattern is going to be discontinued or not, and our registry keeps telling me to choose another item.  When I called, they weren't sure whether it was just low in stock or if it would be discontinued.  It's frustrating because we've already gotten some of it as gifts, and I don't want to have to exchange half a china set come April.

I also bought a gift for my friend's wedding last summer from there in JUNE.  She didn't get it until OCTOBER, and that was only after I called and complained.  Basically, what I'd gotten her was backordered, and after X number of days they just cancelled the order without notifying me.  Lame.

The problem is, Macy's has a lot of stuff we want that BBB and C&B don't.  I hate BBB bedding mostly, and they don't have the fine china we want, so we're just dealing with it.

C&B has been great.  We've gotten two Christmas gifts from our registry off there and both arrived in perfect condition, including all 12 of our wineglasses!  I've never had trouble with them buying gifts for other people.

So, really, it's your call.  I wish we didn't have a Macy's registry because it's been kind of crappy, but they do have a lot of stuff we want that other stores don't have so we're dealing with it.  C&B is great, but they don't have everything we want there.  Good luck!  (And sorry for rambling, can you tell I'm a little frustrated with Macy's?)

kmt_cas

Haha we're registered at all three

It really depends on how convenient all of the stores are to your guests.  I was very hesitant to register at Crate and Barrel since there isn't a store near my side of the family - there are several stores near FI's side though and after going in and looking at their products we decided to create a registry there.  I think they are able to offer different items at a great cost as compared to Macy's and BBB. 

BBB and Macy's tend to have very similar inventory.  Sometimes their pricing is the same, and sometimes one store is able to offer a better deal than the other.  For example, our Keurig from BBB was $60 cheaper than it was at Macy's.  There were items from Macy's that were cheaper than BBB, but I can't remember what off the top of my head.

FWIW, our C&B registry is my favorite of the three.  Our everyday dinnerware and all of our drinkware are on that registry and I think they are great deals.  Our china is at Macy's and most of our other homegoods are from BBB.  All three have been great to work with so it's really personal preference with you and FI.  Macy's does have the best kickback - something to keep in mind.

dschuck23

Thanks for the help!  Our wedding guest list is huge because of very large families and we have all three stores in Cincinnati with very few OOT guests.  We already have our third registry at Lowes in order to start working on our first home.  So I guess we just need to sit down and think about it some more.  I know for sure the china I love is at Macys so I'll have to see if it's at BBB.  And I completely agree with the better selection of bedding!! Again, thanks for your help! 

skippylouwho

One thing I've noticed is Macy's runs better sales on china/crystla/silver & flatware than BBB.  So you might want to register your patterns at both.  Probably other items you'll find some are cheaper at BBB and others cheaper at Macy's.

I think it's a good idea to offer a couple of places to shop, even for the same items. Some people might prefer to shop Macys while others prefer C&B and/or BBB.

Also, Macy's gives you "rewards" back after the wedding. This is based on all  purchases made for you off of your registry.  The China staff at our Macy's told me last week that anytime I buy anything in china or housewares (whether on my daughter's registry or not) I should tell the clerk to list them as part of the registry. The reason for doing that is the couple will get greater "rewards."

The "reward" is a percentage of the total spent on your registry in the form of a gift card for you.  They mail it to you after the wedding. It does add up fast and you may be surprised at how big your rewards card is. The rewards card can be used for anything Macy's sells.

tricialb02

I originally registered at BB&B, Macys and C&B. But then we took off C&B because there were only a few items we found we absolutely loved that we couldnt find at other places, and since our families live in parts of the US that dont have CB we just thought we would do BB&B and Macys.

I have recieved alot of presents already off both registries because both my fiancee and I have had bdays in the past month and now xmas so we have recieved all our china and everyday plates as well as other cookware utensils.  Macys was packaged so nice and everything arrived perfect- 12 place setting of china and 16 place settings of regular plates. I also love Macys because if you register using macys.weddingchannel.com or get on after you established your registry they will let you determine a charity to donate 5% per gift purchased.. we chose the American Cancer Society. So we are benefiting others.  BB&B is great too because they have EVERTHING and at affordable prices. My MIL loves it because they always send the coupons and people can use that on our more pricer items like pots (199.99) and our comforter set ($249.99). And shipping and returns has been easy with both.

I really think it is a preference of what you prefer, I dont think either has anything greater then the other. I did find more selection of everyday plates at BB&B and Macys then C&B.. they were so plain. I registered for Mikasa Gourmet Basics Chocolate Swirl and it is at both BB&B and Macys!! Yeah!

SuMmErKuTiE

We're registered at 3 places as well like a lot of pp's have mentioned. If you can't choose between the two then do both! Crate & Barrel is one of our registries and it's our favorite one! We didn't do Macy's so I couldn't adivse you to go there or not to go there. The good thing I do know about a Macy's registry though is they are constantly having sales and coupons so your guests could potentially save money when buying gifts for you guys. HTH!

agoldhammer

We assumed we would do Crate and Barrel and Macys. Were we wrong! There was nothing as Macy's that we had to have that CB did not. We ended up doing Crate & Barrel as our main registry, Garnet Hill for linens and we'll be doing Sears for everything else like tools, garden stuff, electronics, etc...(Home Depot no longer has a registry - bummer). The dishes we like are at a different store as well, and we may add that, too.

You don't have to do the traditional registry. Our theory is you can register wherever you want, as many places as you want, as long as you make it easy for your guests. On our website we have it listed by category, so guests aren't overwhelmed. Main Registry, with a link to CB, Linens with a link to GH....

Also, one thing to think about is, why would you register somewhere you don't shop? We always find ourselves at CB, so it made sense to register there for us.

Don't stress about it - you can always change a registry.

brimcleod

In reference to Macys--
we registered, and are continuing to make our registry bigger, so people have more to choose from.
I've had no problems, but I'd recommend seeing their coordinator in person. We're setting up an appointment with ours this week so we can make sure that we register for everything we need, and also get some free stuff!