Is it OK to register at one place and for that retailer to only be online?

spiech · February 2012

My fiance and I really favor registering with Amazon.com. The universal registry option is fantastic. I feel obligated to register at a brick and mortar retailer but really don't want to. Can I really have just one registry? If so, is it OK that its only online?

HobokensFury · February 2012

I'm going to say that you need to register at a brick and mortar store because some guest especially older ones are not computer savvy and can not use the internet.

ceh789 · February 2012

You know your friends and family better than we do - are they online shoppers? If 100% of your guests are totally online people, then you're fine. If not, you need a brick & mortar as well.

calliopeia2013 · February 2012

The answer to your question depends on how many guests you have that would be uncomfortable using the internet. If there are any, you should register in a brick and mortar store.

(I also think the amazon.com registry has some options to connect it to a registry at other stores, but I haven't done my registry yet and am not sure how that works. But I saw a friend do something like that.)

mandi921vh · February 2012

I would have at least one registry where guests can purchase gifts in-store.

jerseychic24 · February 2012

it really depends on your...im just regeristering at amazon

LeiselEB · February 2012

I know my grandpa wouldn't shop online - but I also know he'd love to buy us a gift. If you have situations like that, add a registry at an actual store that's accessible to your guests.

Hilraythebride · February 2012

My FI and I only registered at amazon.com. 99% of the guests won't have a problem with that and anyone who does is family and will ask us.

A lot of family has already asked so they could have first pick, if anyone else has a problem they can always get us something off registry thats totally okay too!!

hoffse · February 2012

I'm old school, and I don't like to shop on Amazon for wedding gifts, even though I love Amazon for stuff for myself - that's because I want to feel stuff in person before I give it as a present, and with registries you don't always have the option to ship to you (or else it's a pain to figure out where to ship to the couple if you can have it shipped to yourself first).

I think you need a brick and mortar store, not only for guests who are uncomfortable with internet shopping but also for those like me who want an in-person experience.

LaMaFa · February 2012

You know your guests best, if they will be comfortable shopping online, then go ahead and do it. If more than 10% won't be comfortable at all, then you need to go with a brick and mortar store as well. I think that if less than 10% of your guests won't be comfortable shopping online, then they can use your online registry site for reference at a physical store. Either way, consider finding products via Amazon that are also available in one brick and mortar store, pick several items (15-30) and then create a registry of just those. On your wedding website, list both registries, but list the Amazon one first. Any guests comfortable shopping online will likely go with Amazon for the convenience factor, and leave your brick-and-mortar registry for those less-tech-savvy guests.
Technology is changing a lot about weddings, but if you have a number of older guests, you should definitely put together a brick-and-mortar registry as its likely they won't be as comfortable with an online only option. And with so many stores offering the ability to create your entire registry online, you might not even have to go in and do the scanning at the store (although it was fun for my FI and I to do), which would make it easier to compare to your Amazon registry and prevent doubles.

ETA: Make sure if you do a brick-and-mortar registry by using their online tools, to verify that all the items are actually available in-store (which is the point).

geieran · February 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_registering-gifts_is-it-ok-to-register-at-one-place-and-for-that-retailer-to-only-be-online?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:34Discussion:75e05249-5019-468a-8f0d-5eb3f7e7b390Post:01be7065-9f63-43bb-bbf9-d58f28a4ec97">Re: Is it OK to register at one place and for that retailer to only be online?</a>:
[QUOTE]I'm old school, and I don't like to shop on Amazon for wedding gifts, even though I love Amazon for stuff for myself - that's because I want to feel stuff in person before I give it as a present, and with registries you don't always have the option to ship to you (or else it's a pain to figure out where to ship to the couple if you can have it shipped to yourself first). I think you need a brick and mortar store, not only for guests who are uncomfortable with internet shopping but also for those like me who want an in-person experience.
Posted by hoffse[/QUOTE]<div>
</div><div>Definitely this. Like PPs have said it really depends on your guests, but just because your guests are computer savvy doesn't mean they are comfortable buying gifts online. It may be just my area, but I don't know many people who are comfortable buying important things online.

</div>

MCWiseman · February 2012

I agree with folks who say it depends on your guest list. We may do just Amazon ourselves - the great thing is that it can be a one-stop "finding" place. For example, my folks don't necessarily like ordering online, but they like that they can look in one place to see what my brother and I want (Christmas, birthdays, etc.), and then can go buy it somewhere in person if they want.

I've been thinking about that, perhaps making a separate list that someone other than Mark and I can monitor, and giving instructions on the card that if you buy something on the list, to contact that person so that they can mark it as 'already owned' on the list...

This has been especially interesting to us - as a couple in our mid-thirties, who already both own homes, we don't need a lot of traditional wedding gifts. Let us know how it goes for you!

gymbugmj2k · February 2012

I'd really advise against creating a second registry (unless it's fairly large). You would essentially limit your 'in store' guests to ONLY those items, and you'd also limit your 'online' guests to NOT want to buy the 'in store' guests items. i could definitely see a situation where the 'online' guests would buy up all the 'in store' items and then those guests would have nothing left to buy. haha

my grandma brought this up to me about our amazon registry. i basically told her that in the comments field for each item, we tell people if its also available at macys, bbb, etc. they can go shop there and take it off the amazon registry. OR they can just ask a relative for help.

also, most of the computer illiterate won't even be able to access the registry easily, and are probably more likely to give cash or buy soemthing non-registry anyway.

Is it OK to register at one place and for that retailer to only be online?

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